An impromptu conversation in February with former Prairie Grove girls basketball coach Kevin Froud, who served in that capacity for 18 seasons, sparked a project celebrating the school's tradition.
I set out to compile a list of the top scorers from his storied tenure. Froud maintained meticulous records from 2008-2022, which made him along with retired Farmington softball coach Randy Osnes gems to members of the media because of the value of the records each diligently maintained.
When wanting to do a tribute to the 2011 Farmington softball state champions coached by Osnes and the 2010 Prairie Grove girls basketball state champions coached by Froud, showcasing those achievements as part of a series called "Stories of the Decade" published in the summer of 2020 after high school sports had been shut down, both coaches provided every statistic that could be asked for. Coaches, who consistently maintain such records, hold high value.
The first player Froud mentioned when he recounted the success he and the Lady Tigers experienced was Ashton Abshier, a member of the PGHS Class of 2008.
Froud said, "Ashton Abshier, she would have probably had 1,200 or 1,300 points but she blew out her ACL the first game of her sophomore year so she had like two years," before segueing into a synopsis of his top scorers.
"I love that quote from Coach Froud. It would have been cool to see if I could have surpassed those numbers. Unfortunately that was not in the cards for me," Ashton stated.
The challenge was prior to 2008 some of Prairie Grove's statistics were missing.
Ashton volunteered to help with the project. Her personal research involved viewing 14 actual game films shot for her and saved by her parents, Danny and Kaye Abshier, as I tried to compile a point total from her junior season.
I did some digging and looked at the archives of the Prairie Grove Enterprise-Leader at the Prairie Grove Public Library then cross referenced that with digital archives from the Enterprise-Leader, Springdale Morning News, Northwest Arkansas Times and Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette along with Ashton's game tape totals.
This successfully tracked Ashton's individual point totals for 30-out-of-the-31 games she played in during her junior season of 2006-2007 at Prairie Grove.
For the most part, the game scores and point totals agree, but I couldn't find one game, Prairie Grove's girls basketball, 35-30, win over Union Christian played on Nov. 19, 2006, that improved the Lady Tigers to 8-4 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Ashton's career scoring calculated without the missing game included averages out to a solid 11 points-per-game for 62 games played -- ranking the 5-feet-10 sharpshooter among only five girls to average double figures for their career from 2008-2022 at Prairie Grove. With a career total of 680 points, that puts Ashton in the No. 11 spot for total points, very impressive for missing a full season.
"Playing in those 62 games were some of my very best memories to date! I wish I could have had more, #11 isn't too bad for only playing two seasons!" Ashton wrote in an email to the Enterprise-Leader.
Ashton's former teammate from her junior and senior seasons, Julie Rutherford, played in 91 games and she would check in at No. 12 with 643 career points for an average of 7.1 points-per-game.
I enjoyed the research, but not nearly to the level Ashton did in reliving those games watching film. I thought it interesting to gauge her perspective on what it's like to look back 15 years and in what way her point-of-view may have changed over time now looking at her younger self on film.
"I was really scared to play again after that [injury], and it's noticeable watching these game tapes back. I lost a lot of confidence, ESPECIALLY going in for layups," Ashton stated.
It brings to mind that contemporary Christian song, "Dear Younger Me," released in 2014 by Mercy Me.
I asked Ashton what would she say to the younger version of herself if she could speak to her in the days after her dear daddy, Prairie Grove head football coach Danny Abshier, carried her off the court and the realization set in that her sophomore season was gone.
She sent this response, "Hmmm, that's a tough question. I was really heartbroken after that injury. I think what I'd say to younger me is "It's not the end of the world. It's the end of one season. Quit feeling sorry for yourself and work hard to recover, and come back stronger and better next season. You've got two more seasons to play, make 'em count.' Something like that..."
That the kind of attitude Americans could benefit from facing today's challenges.
Ashton is one of the most transparent people I've ever met and the honesty in her self evaluations stands out as refreshing in a society that tends to sweep things under the rug.
Mark Humphrey grew up among a vast extended family of the Crow Indians in south central Montana. His Indian name, "Sings With His Heart," was given unto him by his late adopted father, Walter "Merle" Big Medicine (July 19, 1941 - Nov. 22, 2021), of Dunmore, Mont. Humphrey is a member of a federally recognized tribe. Humphrey's poetry compositions derive from a rich spiritual and Native American heritage. Humphrey is a sports writer for the Enterprise-Leader. Opinions expressed are those of the author.