By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
While the Forrest City Mustangs have not had much luck against Blytheville on the Chickasaws' home floor, they have had success at home.
Tonight, the Mustangs host Blytheville, the co-leaders of the AAAAA-East along with Little Rock Mills, at Mustang Arena.
Under fifth-year Coach Dwight Lofton, the Mustangs are 3-1 in games played against Blytheville at Forrest City.
The first meeting this season, played at Blytheville, was a 55-51 loss for Forrest City.
The Mustangs' fortunes need to turn tonight.
The three-game set tips at 5 p.m., with a JV boys game.
Michael Boles will be honored during a special ceremony between the senior girls' and senior boys game as the honorary all-time "Mustang Favorite Fan."
Boles will be given a Mustang jacket, a Rumble on the Ridge shirt, a Mt. Dew cap and a lifetime pass to all Forrest City athletic events. A proclamation by the FC School Board will be read.
At 4-3 in the league, Forrest City is tied with Jacksonville and Jonesboro for second place in the standings.
Even though, on paper, it would appear that Mills would be the team to beat in the league, Lofton believes Blytheville has the tools to take the conference crown.
"I'm not ruling us out of that picture, but Blytheville is playing well right now," Lofton said. "If I had to pick a conference champion right now, today, I'm going with Blytheville."
The Mustangs are coming off an 81-61 win over Cabot Friday, the second time this season the team has eclipsed the 80-point margin.
Of the Mustangs' final five conference games, Forrest City will play five at home, including tonight and Friday, when Sylvan Hills comes to town.
In other games played Friday, Jonesboro handed Mills its first conference loss of the season, winning 70-53, which forced the tie for the league lead with Blytheville, a 72-62 winner over West Memphis.
Jacksonville, which lost its first three conference games, has suddenly come alive to make the East race interesting by winning four straight -- by a combined total of six points.
The Lady Mustangs will tip at approximately 6 p.m., in their game against Blytheville's Lady Chicks.
The Lady Mustangs are 5-9 overall and 1-6 in the East.
Blytheville brings an 11-6 overall and 3-4 record into tonight's game.
The Lady Chicks are coming off a loss to West Memphis on Friday while the Lady Mustangs fell to Cabot.
Jonesboro continues to lead the girls' East standings at 7-0.
Forrest City lost two more seniors Monday dropping Coach Sue Jayroe's active roster to 10 players.
Leslie Jayroe, the Lady Mustangs' starting center, returns to the line up tonight, after sitting out the Cabot game with a hip pointer.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Mustang baseball team recently completed their first full week of practice and even though the weather kept the team inside most of the time, first-year Head Coach Reggie Murphy said the team is adapting to the new system.
"The first day or so, everyone was getting used to the way I do things and the new system," Murphy said. "By the third day, we started getting into a rhythm and I've been pleased with the progress they have been making."
Murphy said the team has been working on basics and the few times they have ventured outside the confines of the athletic complex, was to work out on the football practice field.
"We've been throwing, catching and working on the mechanics of swinging the bat," Murphy said. "Being new to the program this year, we had to almost start at ground zero, so I would know what the kids know and what they are capable of doing on the playing field," Murphy said. "We don't want to take for granted they know something they may not know."
Murphy said they will incorpate new game situations each day, trying to build up to where he wants his Mustangs to be on opening day.
Forrest City will open the season on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at West Helena. The first home game will be Thursday, Feb. 22, when the Mustangs host Searcy.
"The focal point this season has to be pitching and we have been looking at a lot of guys," Murphy said. "Mostly throwing fast balls early and working on control, trying to be consistent."
Murphy said Marcus Hancock, who was in the starting rotation a year ago, has come to the forefront early as well as some younger players such as Desmond Golatt.
"We will try to blend in the younger guys with the veterans and hopefully come up with a good pitching staff," Murphy said.
Murphy is being assisted this year by first-year coach Michael Work.
The Mustangs will play in the AAAAA-East Conference this season with Blytheville, West Memphis, Jacksonville, Jonesboro, Little Rock Mills, Cabot and Sylvan Hills.
The Forrest City Lady Mustangs' softball team will stay slowpitch again this season, but according to Coach Sue Jayroe, it will probably be their last before moving into fast-pitch.
The Lady Mustangs have started working out in the afternoons and will open the season on March 5, when they host Little Rock Central.
The Lady Mustangs will be in conference with West Helena, Stuttgart and Osceola.
New to the schedule this season is the Forrest City Invitational Tournament which will be played March 30-31 at the Sports Complex.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City White Mustang teams took it on the chin Monday night at home.
Meanwhile, the Forrest City Blue Mustang teams took a hit before their scheduled game against Jonesboro MacArthur even started when their bus was hit by another car in Jonesboro.
The team took another hit by dropping both the boys and girls' games to MacArthur.
At Mustang Arena, Blytheville East handed the White Mustangs a 46-27 loss and the East girls rolled past the White Lady Mustangs 54-24.
The White Mustangs fell behind 12-7 after one period and trailed 20-13 at the half.
East outscored Forrest City 26-to 14 in the second half to post the win.
Lorenzo Spearman and Maurice Lowe each finished with six points for the White Mustangs while Goldie Hicks and Milton Joyner had five apiece.
The White Mustangs fall to 4-12 for the year.
Blytheville held the White Lady Mustangs to just two points in the opening period and led 13-2 to start the second frame.
By halftime, Blytheville led 24-10.
Crystal Summage led Forrest City with eight points while Sequoria Grady added six and Shari Rogers had five.
The White Lady Mustangs slip to 3-14 with their fourth straight loss.
At Jonesboro, the Blue Mustangs watched a 33-28 lead after three periods dissolve into a 44-39 loss to MacArthur.
The teams battled to a 10-10 tie after one period and were deadlocked at 22-22 at the half.
Forrest City used an 11-to-6 run in the third to take the lead.
Jonesboro responded in the fourth period with a 16-to-6 run to win the game.
Deangelo Braddock led Forrest City with 12 points and Kenyatae Chism added 10. Jermaine Curne finished with four for the Mustangs.
Forrest City, which falls to 2-14 for the year, went to the foul line one time during the game.
"It was a little uneven the way the officials were calling the game," Blue Mustang Coach Jimmy Williams said. "Everytime I looked up, Jonesboro was at the free throw line."
In the girls' game, the Blue Lady Mustangs scored 26 points in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome MacArthur, who went on to win the 35-28.
Katrina Wynne led Forrest City with 21 points while Kim Ursery added six points.
The Blue Lady Mustangs slip to 10-8 for the year. Monday's loss was only the second for the team in the last six games.
The bus carrying the Blue Mustang teams and driven by Williams, was struck by an on-coming vehicle while attempting to make a turn on the way to the basketball game.
No one on the bus was injured and the bus sustained minor damage.
The ninth-ranked Hughes Blue Devils will face a tough Dumas squad tonight in a 6AAA Conference game at Dumas.
"Tonight is a big game for us," said Hughes Coach Wes Swift. "Dumas is as good as any team in this league and they have two big men -- both 6-4 -- who will clog the middle and make it tough for us. Both are big and strong and as far as I'm concerned are the best two big men in the league."
Hughes is 22-1 overall and 8-0 in the conference. Lonoke is second at 7-1. Dumas has three conference losses.
The Blue Devils won by 11 in the first meeting against Dumas, played at Blue Devil Gym.
"After tonight, Dumas has a fairly easy road," Swift said. "We have a tough four-game stretch ahead of us."
Tonight's game tips at 5 p.m., when the Hughes junior boys take the floor.