Five different Palestine-Wheatley players scored for the Patriots last Friday in the team's 46-8 win over Cross County.
Junior quarterback Clyde Kennedy threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more to lead the way.
The Patriots rolled up 640 total yards of offense against the T-Birds.
Tonight, it may very well be the same song, second verse, as the Patriots host Earle for homecoming at Patriot Field.
Palestine-Wheatley has positioned itself for a solid second-place finish in the league -- as long as they keep their eye on what lies directly in front of them. The Bulldogs are tied with the Patriots and Salem for second place.
THE GAME: The Palestine-Wheatley Patriots (5-2; 3-1 3AA) vs the Earle Bulldogs (4-3; 3-1 3AA) Friday, Oct. 19, at Patriot Field. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. Neither team is ranked.
PALESTINE-WHEATLEY: The Patriots are off to one of their best starts ever since resuming football in the mid-90s. A win over Earle tonight secures a postseason berth.
Since 1996, the Patriots are 4-1 against Earle.
EARLE: The Bulldogs are very much in the running for a playoff spot and a win over the Patriots would be very helpful. It will take a solid defensive effort and the Bulldogs have experienced linebackers, which could slow the P-W running game.
Andre Walker continues to light up the scoreboard for the Hughes Blue Devils. Walker scored three times a week ago to help lead the Blue Devils past England.
Tonight's 6AAA Conference matchup against DeWitt should turn into a romp for Hughes -- if you are gauging the games on paper.
On the field, however, the Blue Devils cannot afford a let-down, not with postseason lights shining overhead.
The Dragons handed the Blue Devils a 28-14 loss a year ago.
At 0-4 in the league, DeWitt has no chance for postseason, but that doesn't mean spoiling somebody elses party is on their minds.
THE GAME: The Hughes Blue Devils (4-2; 2-1 6AAA) vs the DeWitt Dragons (1-6; 0-4 6AAA) Friday, Oct. 19, at Blue Devil Stadium. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. Neither team is ranked.
HUGHES: The Blue Devils need to take care of business one game at a time. No slip ups tonight against DeWitt and no looking ahead to next week's game against Brinkley, the second-place team in the 6AAA. It's homecoming tonight.
DEWITT: The Dragons were picked to finish sixth in the conference this year, but that probably won't happen. While Hughes is busy throwing their Single Wing offense at the DeWitt defense, the Dragons will use the Wing T to try and derail the postseason bound Blue Devils.
A Forrest City victory in tonight's AAAAA-East Conference game at Jacksonville leaves the Mustangs tied for second place in the league standings.
A loss doesn't leave the Mustangs out of the conference chase for a postseason berth, but it sure would make the final two games more critical.
The Mustangs have won three of the last four meetings against Jacksonville, but only one of those wins have been at Jan Crow Stadium, a 20-17 overtime win in 1997.
The Red Devils are picking up steam and put together one of their better outings last week in a big win over LR Mills.
THE GAME: The Forrest City Mustangs (4-3; 2-2 AAAAA-East) vs Jacksonville Red Devils (4-3; 3-1 AAAAA-East) Friday, Oct. 19, at Jan Crow Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Neither team is ranked.
FORREST CITY: Forrest City finally got its big game from senior tailback Theodis Haggins (128 yards and one touchdown) last week in a 13-3 win over Blytheville. They also got a solid defensive effort. They need another tonight.
JACKSONVILLE: The Red Devils gave head coach Johnny Watson his 100th career coaching victory a week ago. They have their sights set on number 101 tonight which would also go a long way in securing second place in the East conference with two games remaining. Jacksonville showed a new wrinkle last week by having a great deal of success with their passing game.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
WEST MEMPHIS -- The Forrest City Blue Junior Mustangs put together a solid effort and ended their season with a big win over West Memphis East.
The Blue Mustangs completed a 5-3 season with a 30-0 win Thursday night at Friendship Field.
Forrest City had all of their points by the half.
That gave Coach Rich Trail the opportunity to play his eighth grade offense in the second half backed by his freshman defense.
"It was relaxed game," Trail said. "From the start we just let the kids have fun and play the game. They needed this game and this kind of win after the last two weeks when we weren't playing as well as we should have been playing."
Corey Embry got the Blue Mustangs started with a 55-yard touchdown run in the first period and Terrance Ware added the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
LaCody Braddock added a 22-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter but the Blue Mustangs missed the conversion.
Ware's three-yard run and Larry Bean's two-point attempt put the Blue Mustangs up 22-0 at the end of the opening period.
Ware finished the scoring in the second quarter with a 15-yard scoring run and Bean added the two-point play for the final.
Marcus Fair recovered a fumble and John Scott Carroll intercepted his fourth pass of the year for Forrest City.
Junior Patriots 34, Parkin 0
The Palestine-Wheatley Junior Patriots recorded their second straight shut out win Thursday night, blanking Parkin 34-0.
The Junior Pats defeated Earle a week ago by the same score.
Palestine-Wheatley stays unbeaten at 7-0 for the year with one game remaining.
The Junior Patriots have not given up more than 14 points in a game this season and have only allowed 50 points in seven games while scoring 252 points of their own.
Brad Barton scored three touchdowns for the Junior Pats Thursday night.
Barton scored twice in the first quarter as the Junior Pats built a 14-0 lead.
Neither team scored in the second quarter as Parkin went to their ball-control offense and allowed P-W only four plays in the period.
The Junior Patriots made a defensive stand in the third quarter after Parkin drove to the Junior Patriot 10-yard line and then added to their score when Rashun Barnes scored.
Fred Leak added a third quarter scored and Barton scored once more to make the final.
"Parkin is a better team than most people thought they would be," said P-W Coach Dan Cockrell. "But now we have to focus on Salem, who will be coming in here next week looking for a win. They will be tough."
That game will kick off at 6 p.m.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The new conference assignments are out for the 2002-2004 cycle and the classification changes involve each of the three St. Francis County high schools.
The Forrest City Mustangs will see two new faces in AAAAA-East Conference play beginning in 2002 -- Mountain Home and Searcy.
LR Mills and Sylvan Hills both dropped down a notch in classification to AAAA while Searcy and Mountain Home moved up a notch.
Sylvan Hills and Mills will join the AAAA Southwest with Crossett, Monticello, North Pulaski, Stuttgart, West Helena and White Hall.
Blytheville, Cabot, Jacksonville, Jonesboro and West Memphis remain in the East.
Meanwhile, Hughes and Palestine-Wheatley will begin playing each other on a regular basis -- at least during football season.
Hughes is dropping from Class AAA to Class AA and right into the 3AA Conference where Palestine-Wheatley now resides along with Cross County, Earle, Marked Tree, Parkin, Rector, Salem and Walnut Ridge.
The addition of Turrell makes the 3AA a 10-team conference.
In basketball, Hughes will stay in the 3AA with fellow league schools Crawfordsville, Cross County, Earle, Marked Tree, Parkin and Turrell.
Palestine-Wheatley stays in the 6AA with Altheimer, Barton, Clarendon, Elaine, Gillett and Marvell.
The 1966 Brinkley High School Tigers football team will be honored tonight during a class reunion and open house during the school's annual homecoming game at Tiger Field.
The 1966 team were the undefeated state champions.
Tonight's reunion includes all former team members, royalty and cheerleaders.
The Brinkley team members included Dan Parrish, Ronnie Skinner, Bubba Geisler, Steve Files, Gerald Riffey, Jeff Long, Walter Holmes, Donald Shumard, Ronnie Baker, Jim Ed Reiter, Eddie Hill, Glenn Morgan, Rickey Weatherly, Terry Files, Dennis Sullivan, Louis Etheridge, Jim Oliver, Dennis Tate, Connie Willhite, Mike Johnson, Wallace Porter (head coach), Kenneth Schmidt, Bill Baldridge, Donald Denton, Forrest Lee, Gus Rusher, Gary Simpson, Lonnie Medford, Keith French, Joe Clifton, Richard Green, Carlton Cooper, Danny McCoy, Leo Gehring, Charlie Farrell, Bob Cooper, Billy Weatherly, Junior Holiday, Allen Medford, Ronnie Morris, Max Woodfin, Bill Ottmann, Alfred Smith and Larry Simpson.
The 1966 homecoming royalty included Edith Ann Henley, Kathy Coffman, Kathy Farrell, Janice White, Diane Williams, Mary Gail Hiley and Janie Williams.
Cheerleaders included Lynn JUmp, Kathy Farrell, Jane Kenkel, Rosemary Fowler, Jerry Jump, Judy Midkiff, Vickie Bowles, Kathy Fitts, Genny Farrell and sponsor Mary Jane Akel.