By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
LONOKE -- The Wes Swift Era at Shiloh Christian School ended virtually before it began.
Swift, 31, who left Hughes to take the head boys basketball coaching position at Shiloh on May 7, kept the position for just 42 days.
Monday night, Swift was named the new senior boys basketball coach at Lonoke High School, replacing Derek Harrell.
Swift said he resigned the Shiloh position last week.
The Lonoke School Board, acting on the recommendation by Superintendent Dr. Dwain East and the search committee, unanimously approved Swift Monday night during a regularly scheduled meeting.
Swift guided the Hughes Blue Devils to the Class AAA state title this past season and finished with a 35-1 overall mark and ranked fourth in the state.
He was named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Coach of the Year.
On the way to the state title, Swift's Blue Devils defeated Lonoke three times -- twice in regular season conference play and again in the 6AAA district finals -- played at Lonoke.
Lonoke and Hughes are both in the same conference and will be for at least one more year. That means Swift will coach against his former team at least twice.
Hughes is expected to drop back down to class AA after the 2001-2002 school year.
"Lonoke is where I have always wanted to coach," Swift said Monday night. It'll close to my family and it's a great community which supports its basketball programs."
Swift, a native of Sherwood and a 1988 graduate of Sylvan Hills High School, said the thought of playing twice against his former team during the upcoming season, is something he will have to deal with when the time comes.
"Whoever takes over the Hughes position will definitely have the talent to make a run a defending the school's state title," Swift said. "But, Lonoke has been there before, too."
According to sources at Hughes, the list of applicants for the senior boys' basketball position has been shortened but no decision is expected until at least July 10, the date of the next school board meeting.
Meanwhile, Swift takes over a Lonoke program rich in hoops tradition.
Under head coach Derek Harrell, the Jackrabbits won Class AAA titles in 1998-1999 and 1999-2000.
Harrell left after last season to become the head basketball coach at York College in Nebraska, an NAIA Division II school.
In four seasons at Hughes, Swift compiled an 86-36 won-lost record.
Swift began his coaching career at Gillett where his first team failed to win a game, going 0-22. He became head coach at Hughes when former coach Charles Patrick stepped down.
Swift had indicated he wasn't interested in leaving Hughes when he took the Shiloh position, which opened when school officials decided not to renew the contract of Saints coach Dan Jones.
When he took the job, after talking with several people at Shiloh, including another former Hughes coach Gus Malzahn, Swift decided to make the move and was hired over some 20 other applicants.
"Leaving Hughes, especially after winning the state title and knowing what the program has coming back, was a very difficult decision for me," Swift said in May.
The decision to seek the Lonoke job wasn't as tough.
"Shiloh was gracious enough to let me out of my contract," Swift said. "I know they are disappointed and I'm disappointed that I put them in this position."
Shiloh Christian Athletic Director Chris Wood wasn't surprised.
"When I heard there were openings in Clarksville and other places with a strong basketball tradition, I thought he might leave," Wood said. "I was kind of expecting it. I wasn't caught off guard and I wasn't surprised. It would make sense for Lonoke to try and get the best possible coach they could. That's just what they did."
Swift said Lonoke contacted him about the opening. He said he was also contacted about the Clarksville job, when Gary Thompson retired.
Hughes defeated Clarksville 70-65 in the Class AAA state title game at Pine Bluff's Convention Center.
Wood said Shiloh is hoping to have a new coach in place by the end of the week.
Wood said he didn't think Swift's decision would have much impact on the Saints basketball team, since the former Hughes coach hadn't been able to spend much time with the squad.
"He really was only here about a week, and I don't think he had a chance to get to know the players," Wood said. "They should be all right."
Whoever replaces Swift will be the third new head coach at the school this year.
Wood replaced head coach and athletic director Gus Malzahn when he left to take a similar post at Springdale High this winter.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Suddenly, thanks to Easley Law Firm, we have a race in the Minor League.
Monday night, Easley rolled up taylor-Casbeer 23-1.
The loss dropped Taylor-Casbeer, who has been on top of the league standings from the start of the year, into a tie for first place with M&T Paving, a 13-2 winner over Joey's Muffler Monday night.
Both Taylor-Casbeer and M&T are 11-2 for the year.
Easley opened a 10-0 lead before Taylor-Casbeer came to bat for the first time.
Easley scored 10 runs in the top of the first inning and added nine runs in the second inning and five runs in the third to complete the one-sided victory.
Five Easley players scored three runs each -- Devante Mitchell, John Gilbreath, Robert Lee, Anthony Wallace and Jarvis Bolden. Mitchell homered for Easley.
James Pendergrass, Jerrod Brown and Cory Leslie each scored twice.
Taylor-Casbeer got their lone run from Zach Trail in the bottom of the first inning.
M&T used three runs from Corey Deere and two runs each from Rothulles Steverson, Leslie Parker, and Tyler Clark to take a 13-2 win over Joey's.
Joey's got single runs from Matthew Vaughn and Larry Smith.
League play continues tonight and the league will play its final make up games on Wednesday when Dr. Beasley takes on taylor-Casbeer at 6 p.m. and Joey's Muffler battles Farm Bureau at 7:30 p.m.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Fred's stayed unbeaten and Planter's Bank stayed right on their heels Monday night in Junior Babe Ruth action at the Sports Complex.
Fred's blanked Hunton Office to improve to 9-0 for the year.
Fred's scored all of their runs in the second inning on seven hits and six walks sending 21 batters to the plate.
Ramsey Gibson led the way by scoring three times.
Terrence Ware, Fred Walker, Justin McKissick, Brad Moore, Kyle Metcalf and Richard Flenoy each scored twice.
The VIP's were awarded a forfeit win over Freeman's and Planter's improved to 7-1 and stayed in second place by turning back Houdser's 7-6.
Houser's opened a 5-0 lead on Palnter's but couldn't hold it.
Planter's scored twice in the third and then added five runs in the bottom of the fifth for the win.
Devin Mclaurin and Desmond Golatt scored twice for Planter's.
Poison and Elite Security each picked up victories in adult men's softball Monday to stay unbeaten for the season.
The two teams are both 6-0 for the year and have not faced each other in league play yet.
Elite defeated Boar's Head 9-7; Miller Insurance downed SSA 16-15; Food Giant turned back Kerby's 15-6; Sanyo defeated the Forrest City Young Guns 18-10 and Poison rolled up Patton & Taylor 22-19.
In adult women's play, the Odd Sox knocked off Chism Concrete 13-12 and Purple Haze defeated Whatever 22-7.
In girls' 10-under slow pitch softball make up games Monday, Food Giant handed True Value a 14-8 loss while Forrest City Bank defeated Mom's 9-2 and Dr. Schwartz scored the game-winning run in their final at-bat to clip Steven's 8-7.
The win leaves Dr. Schwartz alone in second place at 10-3 and drops Title Company to third place at 9-3.
FC Bank improves to 6-6-1 for the year while Food Giant improves to 9-4.
The league will play its final two make up games Thursday, June 21.
The league plays a regular season schedule tonight.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
McDonald's picked up their first win of the year Monday night in Bambino (9-10) League without throwing so much as one pitch.
McDonald's was awarded a forfeit win over Sanyo.
In other Bambino action, Food Giant won for the seventh straight time Monday, rolling up Napa 18-3.
The latest victory leaves Food Giant at 9-2 in the standings, one game behind league leader C.R. Sand, which had an open date Monday.
Pearson Insurance dealt Mulay another setback, winning 13-2 and dropping Mulay to 7-3 for the year.
Title Company improved to 5-6 for the year by defeating Farm Credit 11-8.
Title Company scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at 4-4.
Farm Credit regained a 6-4 lead in the top of the second before Title Company plated three runs in the bottom of the inning to lead 7-6.
Farm Credit added their final two runs in the top of the third inning. Title Company won it with four runs in the third.
Turner Norsworthy led Title Company by scoring three times while Farm Credit got two runs each from Harrison Hargraves and Edmund Tate.
Pearson shocked Mulay by scoring 10 runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Jared Northcutt led Pearson by scoring three times.
Quintarius Powell and Jim Bailey scored single runs for Mulay.
Mulay, after scoring twice to start the game, didn't score again and managed just five base runners over the final three innings.
Food Giant had little trouble notching their seventh consecutive win, scoring four runs in the first inning and adding five in the second to lead 9-0 before Napa scored.
Findley Scott Laws, Raymond Patillo and Tevin Hughes each scored three runs for Food Giant.
Napa got runs from Josh Taylor, Barrett Beshears and Nick Willis.
The Bambino (9-10) League will play make up games Wednesday, June 20.