By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame selection committee needs some help.
The committee, made up of the 12 charter inductees into the Hall of Fame, needs nominees and input by Aug. 1 -- the designated deadline for what will be the Hall's "Second Class."
The Athletic Hall of Fame was started last year and 12 Forrest City athletes -- from three different eras -- were inducted.
Twelve more will be added this year at the Sept. 21 banquet and induction ceremony.
The Hall houses athletes from Lincoln High School and Forrest City High School before 1970 and after 1970.
While the list of Hall nominations is varied and lengthy, Forrest City School Athletic Director Bill Baxter believes there are still many names which could be added.
"We have some wonderfully talented names on the nomination list," Baxter said recently. "But we need the help from the people in the community. I feel there are still other potential athletes out there we haven't thought about or who haven't been brought to our attention yet."
Not only will this year's class be honored during halftime of the Jonesboro football game at Sam Smith Stadium, plaques bearing their photo and athletic history will be placed on the Wall of Honor inside Mustang Arena.
The selection committee will make their choices for the second class based on the nominees (living or deceased) and the information provided by the person or persons making the nomination.
Nomination forms may be picked up at the St. Francis County Museum located at 603 Front Street or from Baxter.
All forms must include information as to why the particular nominee is deserving of being elected to the Hall of Fame and all forms must be received no later that Aug. 1.
Nomination forms may be mailed to Baxter at P.O. Box 1034, Forrest City, Ark., 72335.
Last year's charter class was made up of Lincoln athletes, Robert Harris, Cecil Twillie, Manuel Twillie and DeJustice Coleman.
Representing Forrest City prior to 1970 were Marvin Laws, James Devazier, Donnie Kessinger and Elmer B. Lindsey.
Representing Forrest City High School after 1970 through the present were Rusty Trail, Mallory Nimocks, Robert Lee Steward and Arthur Banks.
Forrest City will also recognize and honor the members of the 1985 Mustang football team during the season-opening game against Osceola on Aug. 31.
The team will be introduced during a special halftime ceremony.
Clinton Gore, who coaches Osceola, was the coach of that Forrest City team, which also included last year Hall of Fame inductee, Rusty Trail.
The 1985 Mustangs finished the year as the only unbeaten team in Class AAAA at 10-0 and with the state's No. 1 ranking.
The team was upset in the first round of the Class AAAA state playoffs, losing to Fort Smith Northisde.
The team will be honored during halftime ceremonies.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Wynne Yellowjackets are headed to the championship round of the USSSA 10-Year-Old AAA World Series being played at Southaven, Miss.
The Yellowjackets, with six Forrest City youths on roster, disposed of the Oklahoma City Hilliard Sooners Wednesday 3-1 to finish pool play unbeaten at 3-0.
The Yellowjackets will play the Pickering Ohio Tigers today at 1 p.m. as they begin the double-elimination portion of the tournament.
Wynne is seeded 10th out of 42 teams in the championship round.
Hilliard led 1-0 before Wynne scored single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to take the win.
Aaron Pool, Turner Norsworthy and Raymond Patillo each scored for Wynne.
Baker Aldridge and Brent Devazier shared the pitching duties, each throwing three innings.
Wynne defeated Independence, Mo. and Plano, Texas before turning back Hilliard.
The team outscored their three opponents 26-to-9.
The World Series began Monday with 82 teams from 17 states -- six of those from Arkansas.
It took the Jacksonville Lady Blasters about 15 hours and 6 games Saturday to net the 16-and-under Girls' C State Slow Pitch title in Jonesboro.
The Jacksonville team played its first game at 9 a.m. Saturday and finally wrapped up play, winning the crown about midnight.
The Lady Blasters easily de-feated Carriage House in their first game, 20-8; pushed by Ridout Lumber, 9-6; squeezed by Paint TEC, 9-8; and pulled ahead of Southern Tractor, 13-11, after spotting them 10 runs.
The Lady Blasters lost to Carriage house in the first championship game 14-6 which forced the second game. The Lady Blasters pounded Carriage House, 18-3, to take the state title.
In other tournaments, the Cabot Dirty Dozen worked through the loser's bracket of the state's 10-and-under-slow pitch softball tourney this past weekend to be crowned champs.
Forty-six teams from across the state participated in the Arkansas Junior Olympic State Championship girls' 10-and under Class C Slow-Pitch three-day event.
Local teams included the Jacksonville Jammers, the Cabot Thumpers and the Rice Growers from Beebe.
The Dirty Dozen had to play just about every hour on the other from noon Sunday to the 7 p.m. championship game.
To get to the crown they had to play a tough Jett-Fast team out of West Memphis three times. The first time, Jett-Fast knocked the Dirty Dozen clean into the loser's bracket.
Jett-Fast then swept through the other teams undefeated. The Dirty Dozen, meanwhile, clawed its way up the loser's side for the right to face Jett-Fast again in the 5 p.m. championship game.
The Cabot team took that game 9-4, forcing a winner-take-all game that started about 7 p.m.
In the finale, the Dirty Dozen got two timely hits, one by Rachel Lamb and one by Lauren Young to seal the tough fought game, 9-6.
Jett-Fast jumped out quickly scoring once in their half of the first behind singles by Caley Augenbaugh and Jennifer Clements.
The Dirty Dozen came right back grabbing two runs in the bottom of the first. After Kaitlin Spry and Whitney high walked, Jessi Doerdinghaus and Lamb followed up with singles to give the Cabot girls a 2-1 lead.
Jett-Fast tied it in their half of the second.
Bethany Williams hit a double to left center and scored a moment later on a single to right by Heather Hawkins.
The West Memphis team added another run in the third after Clements singled and later scored on a fielder's choice.
Down by a run in the bottom of the third, the Dirty Dozen turned on the offensive muscle and scored four times.
Spry singled, then High made it to first safely on a dropped liner, and Doerdinghaus' ground-er to short packed the bases for Lamb.
Lamb sliced a triple to right center, clearing the bases. She later scored on a fielder's choice. Lindsay Gilkerson and Whitney Doolittle added singles later in the inning but were left stranded on the bags.
Cabot added on insurance run in the bottom of the fourth when Lauren Young singled and scored on another hit by Spry.
The fifth inning for both teams was scoreless, but Jett-Fast closed the gap in the sixth, scoring three runs on three hits. Hitting and scoring for the West Memphis team were Williams, Sarah Kitchens and Toni Thom-as. That left them behind by one run, 7-6.
With less than 10 minutes left in regulation play, the Dirty Dozen grabbed two more runs but did it with two minutes left, giving Jett-Fast one more chance.
Scoring the two runs for the Dirty Dozen in the sixth inning were Ashyln Marshall and Cody Loftin.
Getting hits were Haley Woods and Young.
In the top of the seventh and with regulation time expired, Jett-Fast got two singles, but no runs, having to settle for second-place in the state.
The Dirty Dozen ecstatically celebrated the winning of their hard fought state title crown with a victory line dance in front of their cheering parents.
Woods pitched the entire game for the Dirty Dozen and High, playing shortstop, made a number of key defensive stops.
Members of the Dirty Dozen include Lauren Young, Kaitlin Spry, Whitney High, Jessi Doerdinghaus, Rachel Lamb, Lindsay Gilkerson, Whitney Doolitle, Hayley Woods, Ashlyn Marshall, Cody Loftin and Kristine Grinnis.
According to tourney officials, more than 2,000 spectators cheered on the 46 teams during the three-day event.
The Forrest City School District will hold physical examinations for all male and female students, 7th-12th grades, who plan to participate in athletics during the upcoming school year on Wednesday, July 25, at Mustang Arena.
The exams begin at 8 a.m. The exams will be given again on Saturday, July 28, at 9 a.m., at the office of Dr. Curtis Patton.
Dr. St. John put together an 11-1 season in the Forrest City 16-Under fast Pitch League to win the league championship. The girls finished fourth at the District Tournament in Marion and advanced to the Class C Fast Pitch State Tournament, played at Sherwood last weekend. The team members are: Jennifer Lopez, Rebecca Brown, Beth Varvil, Natalie Halbert., Alysha Kennedy, Kim Hoots, Natalie Nelson, Kristen Rodriguez, Amanda Hoots, Erin Patterson and Jenny Loewer.