Ray Gardner and Brandon Roberts continue to make mince meat of the opposing defensive units.
Last week, Gardner topped 200 yards and scored all three touchdowns in a big 22-0 win over Rector. Roberts did not score but his 100-plus rushing yards helped pave the way for Gardner as well as the rest of the Patriot backfield.
The Patriots need only to put away three more league victories to earn another postseason berth. Aside from a later meeting against Marked Tree, the Patriots shouldn't have any problems.
The 3-1 start has brought some help in the form of new players into the P-W fold. And anytime Coach Terry Farmer can bolster his numbers, it's a good feeling.
Look for big numbers on the scoreboard tonight, as well.
THE GAME: The Walnut Ridge Bobcats (2-2; 1-0 3AA) vs the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots (3-1; 1-0 3AA) Friday, Sept. 28, at Patriot Stadium. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. Neither team is ranked.
PALESTINE-WHEATLEY: The Patriots continue to blaze their way to what appears to be a certain playoff season. By winning, the Patriots have increased their roster numbers by picking up some new players. One of those Kenny Long made an impact with 15 tackles last week against Rector.
WALNUT RIDGE: The Bobcats have some depth but not much else and probably won't be able to handle P-W's steady diet of Ray Gardner and Brandon Roberts through the middle and Quinton Mason on the sweep. And don't overlook quarterback Clyde Kennedy.
Reality has set in for the Hughes Blue Devils.
After a quick 2-0 running start, the pace has suddenly slowed after two lop-sided losses against Rivercrest and Pine Bluff Dollarway.
While Lonoke was basically scrimmaging against LR Faith Christian, Hughes was on the wrong side of a 50-14 score against Dollarway.
"We may have gotten a bit too big for our britches after the first two wins and then we got scorched by Dollarway," Hughes head coach James Wright, said. "And while our britches are fitting better now, we have to turn around and play another really good football team in Lonoke this week. We have to keep our minds focused. We're not good enough to just show up and win."
Hughes has to eliminate mistakes and avoid turnovers. It is an important game. Four of the 6AAA teams are 3-1 on the year.
The Jackrabbits are one of the four.
"It doesn't get any easier," Wright said.
THE GAME: The Hughes Blue Devils (2-2; 0-1 6AAA) vs the Lonoke Jackrabbits (3-1; 0-0 6AAA) Friday, Sept. 28, at Blue Devil Stadium. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. Neither team is ranked.
HUGHES: After opening with impressive victories over Barton and Marion, the Blue Devils have started to show they are human, losing to Rivercrest and Pine Bluff Dollarway by a combined score of 95-to-26. Dollarway shredded Hughes' defense.
LONOKE: The Jackrabbits will play their first 6AAA Conference game tonight. The team is coming off what was marked as an open week, but was used instead to schedule LR Faith Christian as a tune-up for Hughes. Lonoke won big 49-0.
Can you say "Giant Killers?"
The Forrest City Mustangs can. And they are living up to Coach Donnie Willis' new season theme.
They started by knocking off Jonesboro last week.
This week the Mustangs face LR Mills, not exactly a giant among the AAAAA-East membership, for the final time. The Comets are moving down to Class AAAA for the 2002-2004 classification period.
Mills is always pesky and it won't be a cakewalk for the Mustangs who need only to think about last season, when Mills came to town and left with a 27-21 win.
If Forrest City takes care of business and remember how good it felt at the end of last week's win over the Hurricane, the Mustangs should return to Forrest City with a 2-0 conference mark. Just in time for next week's scheduled homecoming showdown against Cabot -- the team which has proven to be the true Giant in the league and recently -- in the state.
THE GAME: The Forrest City Mustangs (3-1; 1-0 AAAAA-East) vs the Little Rock Mills Comets (1-3; 0-1 AAAAA-East) Friday, Sept. 28, at Pulaski Field. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Neither team is ranked.
FORREST CITY: The Mustangs are 1-0 in the conference after clipping Jonesboro 21-20 last week. Forrest City owes Mills a loss on their home field since the Comets beat the Mustangs at Sam Smith a year ago.
LROCK MILLS: The Comets are last in offense, last in defense in the AAAAA-East Conference and are playing Forrest City for the last time, but that doesn't mean they can't win. The Comets have two big backs who run hard.
PINE BLUFF--Forrest City Blue Junior Mustang Coach Rich Trail was just happy to get a win and get home Thursday night.
Trail's Blue Mustangs overcame five turnovers -- three fumbles and two interceptions -- to hold off Pine Bluff Robey South 8-6 at Pine Bluff in a nonconference game.
The Blue Mustangs improve to 4-1 for the year while Robey South remains winless.
"We didn't come out ready to play at all," Trail said. "I don't know if the long bus ride had anything to do with that or not, but we were not ready."
The Blue Mustangs fumbled away their first possession which led to Robey South's touchdown and a 6-0 lead which held through the half.
Things got a little better for Forrest City to start the second half.
Cory Embry returned the opening kickoff some 70 yards for the Mustang touchdown and Larry Bean tacked on the two-point conversion run and Forrest City led 8-6.
"Cory is our second-half warrior and once again he helped turn things around for us," Trail said. "I was just thankful for the win. We have West Memphis West and Jonesboro MacArthur coming up and by far, those two teams will give us the toughest test of the season."
Annie Camp 27, FCity White 0
For a half, the Forrest City White Mustangs held their own against Jonesboro Annie Camp Thursday at Sam Smith.
Annie Camp scored midway through the second quarter and led 7-0 at the half.
Jonesboro found their rhythm in the second half scoring twice in the third quarter to lead 20-0 and adding a fourth-quarter touchdown to win 27-0 keeping the White Mustangs winless for the year.
Forrest City's Cedrick Johnson carried 18 times for 65 yards.
Lonoke 16, Hughes 14
Lonoke's Junior Jackrabbits came from behind to clip the Hughes Junior Blue Devils 16-14 Thursday night which gave Lonoke the conference title.
It was the first loss of the season for Hughes. Lonoke remains unbeaten.
Hughes led 14-8 before Lonoke scored the winning points.
The Junior Blue Devils got touchdowns from Clifton Smith and David Dowden. Hughes has two regular season games remaining -- England on Oct. 11 and DeWitt on Oct. 18.
Palestine-Wheatley 28,
Marked Tree 14
The P-W Junior Patriots improved to 4-0 Thursday night, the best start for the junior high football team since the school reinstated the sport in 1994.
P-W led 6-0 and made it 14-0 when Brad Barton returned the opening kickoff of the second half back for a touchdown. Fred Leak returned a punt for a touchdown and Osas Ayara scored.
"Marked Tree beat us everywhere but on the scoreboard," said P-W Coach Dan Cockrell. "We didn't play a very good ball game. We've got homecoming next week and we need to be at our best."
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Even though the final conference assignments won't be ratified until Oct. 18, it tentatively appears that the AAAAA-East will lose at least two member schools.
On Thursday, the Arkansas Activities Association met to decide the reclassification assignments and conference changes for the 2002-2004 period.
Sylvan Hills and Little Rock Mills each showed a decrease in enrollment figures which means both schools will drop down to the Class AAAA level and out of the AAAAA-East.
Plans are to replace the two schools with Mountain Home and Searcy.
AAA Associate Executive Director Lance Taylor said the final decision will be made at the Oct. 18 meeting.
"Until then, the schools still have a chance to oppose any of the proposed changes and I figure there is going to be some opposition," Taylor said.
Other changes involving St. Francis County schools would move Hughes from Class AAA to Class AA and into a new conference.
The Forrest City seventh-grade Green team will host Marianna's seventh-grade Junior Trojans Saturday for a 9 a.m. game at Sam Smith Stadium.
The seventh-grade program is winding down with remaining games on Tuesday, Oct. 9 against West Memphis Wonder and intrasquad games on Saturday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 13, in a season-ending jamboree, featuring all three teams.