Tonight's AAAAA-East Conference opener for the Forrest City Mustangs has all the potential of a playoff-deciding game, even though it's only the season's fourth playing date.
The Mustangs host Jonesboro and both teams are 2-1 for the year. Both teams made the playoff cut a year ago and both teams have very real chances of making the Class AAAAA state playoffs this time around.
The winner of tonight's game, indeed, will have the early upper hand.
The Mustangs fell hard to Newport last Friday. The Mustang defense gave up more than 300 yards to the Brown brothers -- Jerry and Fred. On offense, Forrest City had less than 100 yards.
Jonesboro Coach Jim DeVazier says this is always a pivotal conference game. Last year, Jonesboro jumped out to a 28-7 lead before settling for a 35-20 victory on their home field.
THE GAME: The Forrest City Mustangs (2-1; AAAAA-East) vs Jonesboro Hurricane (2-1; AAAAA-East) Friday, Sept. 21, at Sam Smith Stadium. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. Neither team is ranked.
FORREST CITY: The Mustangs could find neither their offense or their defense in last week's 28-14 loss to Newport. The Mustangs' two touchdowns came late in the game. Coach Donnie Willis has made some personnel changes this week, especially along the offensive line.
JONESBORO: The Hurricane have won the last three meetings against Forrest City. Coach Jim Devazier says the key is to get the early lead and then keep the ball away from the Mustang offense. "They play on emotion. If they turn the big play and get rolling, they will big-play you to death," Devazier says. "If we can strike first, we can get them down mentally."
Youth finally caught up with the Hughes Blue Devils last week -- that and a talented Rivercrest team that exploded for seven touchdowns against the Blue Devil defensive group.
It was the first loss of the season for Hughes as well as the first win of the year for the Colts.
Things just keep getting better.
Tonight, Hughes travels to Pine Bluff to open 6AAA Conference play against the Dollarway Cardinals.
Dollarway opened the season with a 33-24 loss to cross-town rival Watson Chapel, but rebounded to win back-to-back games over Lake Hamilton and White Hall.
The Blue Devils depend on the leadership abilities of seniors Robert Davis and Lonnie Smith. Smith scored both touchdowns against Rivercrest last week. One was a kickoff return.
THE GAME: The Hughes Blue Devils (2-1; 6AAA) vs Pine Bluff Dollarway Cardinals (2-1; 6AAA) Friday, Sept. 21, at Jordan Stadium. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. Neither team is ranked.
HUGHES: The Blue Devils gave up more than 40 points to Rivercrest a week ago and subsequently suffered their first loss of the year. Hughes' last win over the Cardinals came under former coach Gus Malzahn in 1994. They have their work cut out for them. Traditionally, for any team, it is hard to get a win at Dollarway.
DOLLARWAY: The Cardinals lost their opening game by nine points but came back to win their next two games by a combined total of four points. They were the preseason pick to win the 6AAA Conference based more than anything else on their defensive strength. A year ago, the Cardinals finished second with a 5-5 record. The Cardinals are high of running back Sahib Rogers.
For the second consecutive year, Dermott used the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots as the step to ending a long losing streak.
The Rams stopped P-W 32-26 to end a six-game slide.
Tonight, the Patriots face another winless team,. This time it's Rector and it's a road game and it is the 3AA Conference opener.
The two teams were picked to finish three-four in the 3AA Conference.
Rector is off to a slow start, losing their opener to Piggott and then dropping their second game to Thayer, Mo.
Rector has some talented running backs but little else to go along with them.
The Patriots have a chance to break out on top of the league with a win. With no less than a half dozen running backs and finely tuned offense, they should do just that.
Both teams are coming off a season which ended in the Class AA playoffs.
THE GAME: The Palestine-Wheatley Patriots (2-1; 3AA) vs the Rector Cougars (0-2; 3AA) Friday, Sept. 21, at Cougar Stadium. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. Neither team is ranked.
PALESTINE-WHEATLEY: The Patriots have scored 99 points in their first three games for a 33 point per game average. In two games, Rector has managed just 12 points, Advantage to the Patriots, who need to rebound from last week's 32-26 loss to Dermott.
RECTOR: Six points per game is not going to win many football games. But losing 14 of 22 starters can have that kind of effect of any team. Rector moved all-conference running back Jeffrey Wolfenbarger to quarterback this year.
The second annual Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremonies will be held today at the Forrest City Civic Center.
The banquet begins at 5 p.m.
University of Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles will be the featured speaker.
Tickets are $10 in advance and are available from Baxter, Horner, Devereux; edwin houston and Freeman's stores.
Twelve former Forrest City High School and Lincoln High School athletes will be inducted tonight at the banquet.
Four of this year's inductees were recruited by Broyles during his tenure as head football coach with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Broyles recruited Sonny Holmes, Jim Lindsey, Dudley Parker and William Hampton, all four graduates from Forrest City.
They will be joined today by Rodney Echols, Clarence Jones Jr., Florine Bingham John Henry Watson, Bill Kessinger, Holmes, Lindsey Pat Todd, Hampton, Parker, Jimmie Rogers and Charlotte Fields Wright.
Bingham and Wright are the first two female athletes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Following the banquet, the new members will be introduced during halftime of the Forrest City-Jonesboro football game tonight at Sam Smith Stadium.
It is the AAAAA-East Conference opening game for both teams.
Baxter said all of the inductees are expected to be at the ceremonies, except for Kessinger, the West Memphis School Superintendant.
The 2001 class joins last year's inductees, Donnie Kessinger, Elmer B. Lindsey, Manuel Twillie, Cecil Twillie, DeJustice Coleman, Robert Harris, Marvin Laws, James Devazier, Rusty Trail, Mallory Nimocks, Robert Lee Seward and Arthur Banks.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Palestine-Wheatley Junior Patriots moved to 3-0 for the year Thursday night rolling over Walnut Ridge 46-8 at Walnut Ridge.
The Junior Patriots ran to a 24-8 lead at the half and then scored 22 unanswered points in the second half.
Walnut Ridge scored first to lead 8-0 but was unable to mount any meaningful offense after that.
The Patriots tied the game at 8-8 when Osas Oyara scored on a 10-yard run and added the two-point conversion.
Antonio Leak hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass from his quarterback brother, Fred and then ran for the two point play to put the Junior Patriots in front 16-8.
Fred Leak's 40-yard pass completion to Brad Barton set up Barton's short scoring run and Rashun Barnes' two-point try for a 24-8 P-W cushion at the half.
Barton made it 30-8 when he scored on a long touchdown run in the third quarter and Fred Leak showed his defensive skills as well, intercepting a Walnut Ridge pass in the end zone and returning it 101 yards for the touchdown. Oyara added the two-point play as P-W built a 38-8 lead in the fourth quarter.
Barton scored his third touchdown of the game late in the fourth when he caught a 50-yard pass from Fred Leak, who added the two-point conversion. Defensively, Chris Jones, Brandon Wright and Fred Leak all got good marks from the P-W coaching staff.
In the seventh-grade game, Phil Hicks scored P-W's lone touchdown in a 14-6 loss to Walnut Ridge.
Chris McGraw and Blake Simmons drew praise from Coach Dan Cockrell for their defensive efforts.
Blytheville 24, Forrest City Blue 20
Forrest City's Larry Bean ran for 130 yards on 19 carries and Terrance Ware picked up 56 yards on six carries, but it wasn't enough against Blytheville Thursday night at Sam Smith Stadium.
The Blue Mustangs suffered their first loss of the year losing 24-20.
Ware finished with 133 total yards, after adding in a 77-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and scored all three touchdowns for Forrest City.
"We drove on them and they drove on us, but we made some crucial mistakes and they didn't," said Blue Mustang Coach Rich Trail.
Forrest City took the opening kickoff and drove 63 yards in eight plays to lead 6-0 after Ware scored on a 12-yard reverse and Bean's two-point try was short.
Blytheville answered by going 54 yards in nine plays to lead 8-6.
Ware scored with 7:54 to play in the second quarter when he snapped two tackles and ran 28 yards for the score. Forrest City regained the lead 12-8.
Oskar Brown recovered a fumble to end Blytheville's next possession, but the Blue Mustangs had to punt with 3:13 left in the first half.
John Scott Carroll's pick of Blytheville quarterback Brice Beck's pass stopped Blytheville with 27 seconds left and the Blue Mustangs held on to the 12-8 lead at the half.
The two teams exchanged fumbles to start the third quarter when Blytheville fumbled a punt attempt and bean lost the handle on the football after a 14-yard run through the middle.
That led to Blytheville's go-ahead touchdown with 2:06 to play and a 16-12 Junior Cougar lead.
Forrest City lost their second fumble of the second half on the next possession which led to Blytheville's final score, a four-yard run with 4:03 to play by Mario Cannon and a 24-12 lead.
Ware returned the ensuing kickoff 77 yards for the touchdown and Bean added the two-point play to get the Blue Mustangs within 24-20.
The Blue Mustang defense held and forced Blytheville into a fourth down punt from their own 21. The punt, a booming effort, covered nearly 80 yards and Forrest City had to start their final possession from their own 15 with 1:53 to play and no timeouts.
WM West 32, White Mustangs 8
Forrest City's White Mustangs remained winless Thursday, losing to West Memphis West 32-8.
West improves to 3-1 for the year while the White Mustangs fall to 0-3.
West led 26-0 at the half.
Forrest City scored with 4:34 to play in the game Alfred Robinson ran nine yards for a touchdown. Cedrick Johnson added the two-point conversion.
* ADULT SOFTBALL
Men's Fall League
Thursday's Scores
M&T Paving defeated SSA
Barnes Timber defeated Young Guns
Boar's Head defeated Miller Insurance
* PREP FOOTBALL
Junior High School
Thursday's Scores
Blytheville 24, Forrest City Blue 20
WMemphis West 32, Forrest City White 8
Palestine-Wheatley 46, Walnut Ridge 8
Jonesboro MacArthur at Forrest City White, 7 p.m.
Hughes at Dumas, 7 p.m.
Palestine-Wheatley at Clay County Central, 7 p.m.