The Forrest City Mustangs will host No. 8 Little Rock Mills tonight at Mustang Arena.
It is the second meeting of the season between the two teams.
Mills defeated the Mustangs 63-48 in December at the Bryant Invitational Tournament.
The Comets are coming off a 62-61 win over Sylvan Hills Friday while the Mustangs had an easier time against Jonesboro, winning by 20 points, 57-37.
Mills is 10-3 overall and is locked in a tie for first place in the AAAAA-East standings with Blytheville.
The Mustangs are 2-1 in the league and tied with Jonesboro for second.
In girls play, the Lady Mustangs have a chance to pick up their first conference win tonight against the Mills Lady Comets.
Forrest City is 4-6 overall while Mills is 1-11. Both are 0-3 in the league.
Tipoff is at 6 p.m.
The Hughes Blue Devils will return to the road tonight when they take on the Dollarway Cardinals at Pine Bluff in 6AAA Conference play.
The Blue Devils just completed a four-game home stand and are ranked second in Class AA at 19-1 overall and 5-0 in the league.
Hughes has won 11 straight games.
The four-set begins at 4 p.m. when the junior high girls take the floor. The junior boys will follow and then the senior girls will tip.
Likewise, the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots will take the bus ride to Elaine tonight to continue 6AA Conference action.
The P-W Lady Patriots are top-ranked in Class AA and are ranked third overall in the state.
The Patriots are 4-10 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
The three-game set tips at 5 p.m.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Gerry Ahrens took just four snaps for the University of Louisville last season. Sunday, Ahrens, the nephew of Forrest City lawyer Mike Easley, said his next snaps on the football field would be as an Arkansas Razorback.
Ahrens has already received his release from UL football coach John L. Smith.
Ahrens was on the way to Fayetteville Sunday.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback will have to sit out the 2001 season, then will have two years of eligibility.
He redshirted his first year at Louisville and was in for four snaps last season. He was third team quarterback behind sophomore Dave Ragone, who led Conference USA in passing and was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year, and senior Mike Watkins.
Ahrens was recruited by Arkansas while at Male High School but decided to attend Louisville after the Razorbacks signed Gary Brashears.
"I knew that Brashears was their man," Ahrens said. "I went to a football camp at Tennessee that Brashears attended, and he was a good one."
Brashears and sophomore Robby Hampton were supposed to battle for the No. 1 job at Arkansas last fall, but Brashears transferred to Tulsa. Hampton was injured at times during the season, but played in 10 games and completed 145 of 261 passes for 1,548 yards and 13 touchdowns.
In Ahrens' first start his junior year in high school, Gerry tied a national record for touchdown passes, with nine.
He broke three of Tim Couch's state records: (1) single season passing yards with 3,969; (2) completions in a season with 291; and (3) career completion percentage at 63.7%.
He had 79 touchdown passes, and 7,044 yards in his two years as a starter at Male High in Louisville.
He was Kentucky's AAAA player of the year in 1998.
National rankings expert Max Emfinger had him ranked well ahead of both Rex Grossman and Ken Dorsey, the QBs of the 2001 Sugar Bowl.
Ahrens was also recruited by Michigan, Tennessee, Boston College, Virginia, NC State, Duke and Louisville.
"I'm excited about the opportunity I will have at Arkansas," Ahrens said. "They play a great schedule, and I think I have a great shot at playing my final two years there."
Six Palestine-Wheatley Patriot football players earned postseason honors for their efforts during the 2000 high school season. Juniors Ray Gardner and Chris Siler were named to the 6AA All-Conference team. Junior Casey McDaniel, Sophomore Marcus Pendleton and seniors O.J. Smith and Jason Ford were named to the All-Conference Honorable Mention team.
Other postseason honors:
Co-Sophomores of Year-Brandon Roberts and Marcus Pendleton
Unsung Hero Award-Clyde Kennedy
Mr. Patriot 110%-Jared Parker
Team Captains-Jason Ford, Jared Parker, Davian Knox
Team MVP-Jared Parker & Leroy Bell
Defensive Player of Year-Chris Siler
Offensive Player of Year-Ray Gardner
Outstanding Offensive Lineman-Casey McDaniel
Outstanding Defensive Lineman-Randall Wingo
Most Improved Player-Matt Daugherty
Gatorade Will To Win Award winners were Jason Ford, Jared Parker, Casey McDaniel, Ray Gardner, Joey Parker, Chris Siler, Josh Dover, Marcus Pendleton, Daniel Getchell, Jonathan Wheeler, Josh Jumper and Rickey Posey.