Unless the organizers of the Des Arc Ms. Mac Classic decide to change the age format, one Forrest City All-Star team has played there for the final time.
And according to Tournament Director Tony Smith, that change is not likely to happen.
"It's been a 12-under tournament for 27 years and I have no reason to believe that will ever change," Smith said.
Two years ago, as the 10-year-old All-Stars, the Forrest City 12s made their first trip to the tournament -- played two games and came home.
Even though the team didn't win a game in the double-elimination style bracket, the players as well as the coaches were hooked and knew they wanted to go back.
They did so the next year as 11-year-olds with better luck, playing four games. They won two and lost two which was good enough for fourth place.
This year, another year older as 12s knowing they were playing for the final time in this tournament, the team made their third straight trip to Des Arc, and reached the championship game, finishing second after losing to Sylvan Hills.
More importantly than being runners-up, Forrest City was awarded the Sportsmanship Trophy, something much more precious to the coaches than the championship trophy.
It is, in fact the second time a Forrest City team has brought home the sportsmanship award.
The 1999 Forrest City 12-year-old All-Star team, coached by Patrick Coyle, Johnnie Smith and Rick Daugherty, lost their first game and then won seven straight games to win the tournament. Terrence Ware was named the MVP.
This year, Kentrell Buchanan was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player, the first time in the 27-year history of the tournament, that a player from the second-place team has been so honored.
Buchanan was 15-of-21 at the plate and captured everyone's attention, according to Smith.
"The people who vote on the MVP had a lengthy discussion about making Buchanan the MVP," Smith said. "We all just felt that even though it was highly unusual for an MVP to come off the second place team, somethimes it just has to be that way and this was one of those times. It was very close to being unanimous. Forrest City has always been welcome at the Ms. Mac and especially this group of kids. They are a tribute and a credit to the Forrest City ball program."
Coach Mallory Nimocks said playing at the Ms. Mac was special for a number of reasons.
"The tournament provides a small town atmosphere that we really enjoyed from the first year," said Nimocks, who has been the head coach and an assistant coach during the three years the team has been making the trip. "We loved the shade trees, the hamburger grills and the community involvement."
Nimocks, whose son Rylan has been a member of each of the three teams, said going in as 10-year-olds the first year, they knew what they would be facing -- predominantly 12-year-old teams with 11-year-olds sprinkled in the mix.
"The first game we ever played there was against Cabot, a very good 12-year-old team. We held them at bay until about the fifth inning before losing 6-5," Nimocks remembered. "The Cabot fans were coming up to us and asking us how far we had gotten in the state tournament, which was funny because as an all-star team, we hadn't even made state tournament cut that year, going 1-2 in the district qualifier."
After the Cabot loss, Forrest City lost to the Carlisle 12-year-olds, 12-6 and came home.
Last year, as 11-year-olds, the team stayed around a little longer, losing to Hazen 10-2 in the first game, defeating Beebe 3-2 and Des Arc 4-2 before being eliminated by Augusta 4-3.
The first two years served as the proving ground for this year's final visit.
Forrest City opened with three straight wins, beating Hazen 9-4, and then ripping Little Rock Junior Deputy 17-8 in what Smith called a "pivotal game" for Forrest City.
Buchanan hit three-home runs to help his team. Next up was Jacksonville and a solid pitching performance by Nimocks which the team parlayed into a 7-2 victory. Sylvan Hills derailed Forrest City the next night, winning 11-4 and dropping the team into the loser's bracket.
Forrest City rebounded and got back to the finals by eliminating Hazen 9-3 before losing a second time to Sylvan Hills 11-1 in the finals.
Buchanan, along with seven of the 11 Des Arc roster players, has been a member of the team every year. The team roster, from district until Des Arc, saw several kids leave the team and others join.
"We are very proud of winning the sportsmanship award," Nimocks said. "Because that award is voted on by the umpires, scorekeepers and the tournament volunteers."
Nimocks said as coaches they probably don't stress the sportsmanship as much as they implore their youthful charges to keep good, positive behavior on and off the field.
"That, more than anything else, I think, builds good sportsmanship," Nimocks said.
The success at Ms Mac was set in motion early on when the team played in the Cal Ripken District 7 Tournament in which they finished fourth at 2-2.
"We had some attitude problems within the team during the district," Nimocks said.
That slide continued as the team went into their first game at Newport.
"That's when we, as coaches, decided we had heard and seen enough," Nimocks said. "We told them to hustle on and off the field, no lagging, and to be positive with each other."
Nimocks said it seemed as if lights clicked inside their heads -- "all at the same time, because from that point they were a different team."
The team finished second at Newport.
As for the Ms. Mac, Smith said future Forrest City teams have a standing invitation.
"When a Forrest City team calls, we say 'come on,'" Smith said.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Beginning today, the process of selecting the next Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame class gets under way.
Wednesday was the deadline for all nominations for consideration to be returned.
"The response this time has been very good, much better than last year when everyone was trying to get it off the ground," Mallory Nimocks, who was a voted to the Hall as a charter member, said.
"I think last year a lot of people thought that this wasn't going to be a big thing," Nimocks said. "Sort of like dust in the wind, many felt it would go away as quickly as it was began. But then it turned out to be such a great honor and the turn-out for the banquet was great and that served as the impetus to make certain we kept it going."
The selection committee for the upcoming second class is made up of last year's 12 charter Hall members with a twist.
Each of the charter members will consider and vote on only the nominations from their era.
That means Nimocks, Rusty Trail and Arthur Banks will vote on those nominees from the Forrest City High School after 1970.
"It could be a difficult decision but between the three of us, I think we can sit down and hammer it out."
Bill Baxter, organizer of the Hall of Fame, said the committee hopes to have all of the selections made by Aug. 10 for tabulation.
"At that time, all of the committee members will be asked for their input on all of the selections," Baxter said. "It just makes sense to use this process and we want to keep the overall process as simple as possible."
There are 16 nominations for the Lincoln High School era; 28 nominations for Forrest City High School before 1970 and 38 nominations for Forrest City High School from 1970 to the present.
Four from each era will be selected.