By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
WEST MEMPHIS -- There weren't as many girls' track teams at the Blue Devil Relays in West Memphis Thursday as Forrest City Coach Lewis Etheridge had hoped, but nonetheless, the Lady Mustangs finished second.
As expected West Memphis won the girls side of the meet while West Helena took top honors in the boys' side. The Mustangs ran second while West Memphis finished third at the meet.
As of press time, the individual boys' stats were unavailable.
"There were only four girls' teams there," Etheridge said. "I had hoped for more because with just one more meet on our schedule before the conference championships, we needed several teams on hand to gauge where we're at right now."
Several teams, including East conference member Jonesboro, who might have been at West Memphis were at the 11-team Yellowjacket Relays in Wynne instead.
Still, the Lady Mustangs, fresh off a first place finish at West Helena recently, had a good day, picking up three first place finishes, five second place ribbons and three third place finishes.
Sophomore Jessica Perkins won the 200-meter dash in a time of 26.48, the fourth best time in the state.
"That's not bad for a sophomore," Etheridge said. "If the state times which were made available were accurate. And she keeps improving."
Chiklisha McDaniel ran second in the 400-meter dash while newcomer to the lady Mustang squad, junior Caronica Randle finished third and Meghan Huett ran sixth.
Jessica McDaniel ran second in the 800-meter run and Emily Harris finished sixth participating in a rare track event.
Harris, usually found in the field events, finished second in the shot put and in the discus.
Amanda Rinegar finished fourth in the mile run while Sarah Bennett was fifth. The two reversed their positions in the two-mile run with Bennett finishing fifth and Rinegar crossing in sixth place.
Melissa Humphrey ran sixth in the 100-meter hurdles.
Lady Mustang senior Deosha Agnew was fourth in both the high jump and the triple jump, her first entry into that event this season.
In the long jump, the Lady Mustangs held down the middle of the order with Shianekia Blunt finishing third, perkins finishing fourth and Chasna House holding on for fifth.
"That's just good solid points for us," Etheridge said. "We'll take it."
The Lady Mustangs won two of the four relays and finished second in the other two.
The most exciting of the four was the 800-meter relay in which Forrest City trailed by as many as 15 yards and in fourth place when Jessica Perkins -- running the anchor leg -- took the handoff and made up the needed ground for a second place finish.
House, Nadia Austin and Blunt were the other three members of the relay team.
The Lady Mustangs also finished second in the two-mile relay using Bennett, Jessica McDaniel, Shana Burgess and Rinegar.
House, Blunt, Humphrey and Perkins took first in the 400-meter relay in a time of 53.16 while Blunt, Randle, C. McDaniel and Perkins ran first in the mile relay.
The Lady Mustangs will compete Monday at the Hurricane relays in Jonesboro.
"We're young but the girls are working hard," Etheridge said. "The girls really believe they can run and compete with any team in the conference."
A year ago, in the conference meet held at West Memphis, the Lady Mustangs finished fifth while the Mustangs ran third behind Cabot and West Memphis.
The conference championships will be held Thursday, April 25, at Jonesboro High School.
The state meet prelims are scheduled for May 3, at Conway and the state finals will be run at Hot Springs, May 1-10.
*The junior high Forrest City track teams will compete at Marianna on Wednesday, April 17, in a tune up for the AAAAA-East Conference Meet to be held April 23, at West Memphis.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
CABOT -- The trip to Cabot is a long drive for such a short stay.
The Forrest City Lady Mustangs barely had time to settle into the dugout Thursday before they were boarding the bus to come home.
A 10-run, first inning by the Lady Panthers helped pave the way for a very quick 15-0 win over the Lady Mustangs ending the game after three innings.
Cabot went on to add one run in the second and four in the third.
The Lady Mustangs had just two base runners -- Holly Simon and Mallory Nelson.
Forrest City falls to 2-11 for the year and 0-10 in the AAAAA-East and the team's current losing streak has now reached nine straight games.
The first meeting between the two fast pitch teams ended in an 18-0 win for Cabot.
The Lady Mustangs will open play today at the Marion Invitational Tournament.
*The Palestine-Wheatley Lady Patriots improved to 6-4 for the year Thursday by taking a doubleheader from DeValls Bluff, winning 5-0 in the opener and 10-2 in the nightcap.
DeValls Bluff scored both runs in the bottom of the third inning in game two, using a single and a P-W fielding error.
P-W led 1-0 after two when Natalie Halbert doubled and scored. Nikki Bass homered in the third while Libby Martin and Andrea Cooper each walked and scored as P-W led 4-0.
In the fourth inning, Lauren Dover walked and scored on an RBI double by Bass. Martin walked and Beth Varvil's two-RBI single plated both Bass and Martin. Varvil scored on a single by Kara Siler who would also score to push P-W's lead to 9-2. Jenny Loewer added the final P-W run in the fifth.
Halbert got P-W started in the first game as well, when she walked and scored on an RBI triple by Bass in the bottom of the first. Bass crossed the plate on an RBI base hit by Martin.
Siler and Marla Gardner both singled and scored in the second and Gardner added the final run in the fourth.
Martin had eight strikeouts in the first game and pitched the second game as well.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
WYNNE -- For the first time in four years, the Wynne Lady Yellowjackets won their own invitation track meet Thursday.
Scoring 106 points, the Lady Yellowjackets won the Yellowjacket Relays with Marion finishing second, Beebe third and Jonesboro taking fourth.
Turrell's Amber Bledsoe won the high point honors with 48 points.
In the boys' side of the meet, Beebe got a strong individual performance from DeWayne Lockhart to help the Badgers take first place with 99 1/2 points.
Jonesboro finished second with 74 points while Marion was third with 70, Wynne fourth with 68 and Rivercrest fifth.
The Palestine-Wheatley Patriots competed in the boys side only but finished out of the top five.
Charles Autry finished sixth in the high jump and sixth in the 120-meter low hurdles.
Elisha Duncan and Marcus Pendleton placed 11th and 12th in the discus while Deville Pickett ran the 220-meter dash.
The Badgers picked up three firsts, three seconds, two thirds and one fourth.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
FAYETTEVILLE -- For the past six months, Hughes' Antonio Cotton and Jermaine Davis were an intregal part of the Blue Devils' offense.
Each complimented the other.
Starting today, that changes as the two Blue Devil starters join some of the best high school players from across the state at the Arkansas Athletes Outreach Top 25 Camp, beginning tonight in Fayetteville.
Cotton will play for the Red Team in a series of scrimmages during the weekend while Davis will play for the Royal Team.
Both Cotton and Davis will be seniors next season for Hughes Coach Brad Brannen and will be stepping into the shoes of departed seniors Lonnie Smith and Robert Davis.
More than 50 of the state's best high school basketball underclassmen will be in the northwest hills for the two-day event, which begins tonight at 6:30 p.m., at Fayetteville High School.
"We are going to have a great crew in," AAO Top 25 camp director David Ferrell said. "All 50 of these players are being recruited by somebody, a Division I school, a Division II one, NAIA schools or junior colleges. This is as talented a group as we have had in this state in a while where you look at 1 through 50."
Some of the more celebrated names who are expected be at the camp include 6-5 Little Rock Mills guard Bam Doyne (the 2001-2002 Gatorade Player of the Year in Arkansas), 6-9 Little Rock Fair center Vincent Hunter, Little Rock Parkview guard Terrance Akins and 6-8 Fort Smith Northside sophomore center Charlie Mays.
This year's AAO camp also features former Razorback players Ricky Norton's son Donte, and Steve Schall's son Taylor, a 6-9 center.
Fayetteville and the surrounding area is sending plenty of its own home-grown talent to the camp.
Matt Akins and Matt Hency will be there to represent FHS while Fayetteville Christian sends Gregory Munroe.
Farmington's Sean Sterling, Greenland's Aaron McPherson, Huntsville's Bracken Thompson, Siloam Springs' Taylor Dees, Gravette's Jamin Handle and Gentry's Eric Merky will also attend.
Sessions will be held Saturday, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Also, Saturday the players can indulge in a slam-dunk, three-point and free throw shooting contests.
GREEN TEAM
James Dixon - Batesville
Tyler Dees - Siloam Springs
Jordan Davidson - Melbourne
Terrance Akins - LR Parkview
Troy Hildreth - Mount Holly
Jamin Handle - Gravette
Cash Covington - Eureka Springs
Travis Hawkins - Van Buren
Jordan Richmond - Russellville
Sean Sterling - Farmington
Bam Doyne - Little Rock Mills
Desmond McCoy - West Memphis
Taylor Schall - Conway
Coach: Rodney Selph, Farmington
NAVY TEAM
Trai Givens - Little Rock Central
Gregory Munroe - Fayett Christian
Adam Workman - Cedarville
John Montgomery - Viola
Larry Bray, Jr. - West Memphis
Sammy Muncy - Pulaski Academy
Elliott Taliaferro - Subiaco Academy
Brad Jones - Marked Tree
Aaron McPherson - Greenland
Lamarcus Irvin - Subiaco Academy
Charlie Mays - FS Northside
Jason Shepard - FS Southside
Jamal Anderson - LR Parkview
Coach: Matt Summers, Berryville
RED TEAM
Myron Jackson, Jr. - No Little Rock
Donte Norton - Delight
Matt Vining - Lake Hamilton
Eric Merky - Gravette
Matt Akins - Fayetteville
Blake Wright - Morrilton
Grant Myrick - Berryville
Josh Elkin - Cedarville
Joe Stewart - Prescott
Jeremy Davis - Mountain View
Vincent Hunter - J.A. Fair
Antonio Cotton - Hughes
Dustin Jones - Viola
Coach: Bo Thompson, Huntsville
ROYAL TEAM
Jeremy McClain - Lonoke
Matt Curtis - Bergman
Keegan Eagles - Newark
Bracken Thompson - Huntsville
C.J. McCoy - Alma
Matt Hency - Fayetteville
Scotty Johnson - Searcy
Buddy Harding - Pulaski Academy
Will Peoples - Pulaski Academy
Jermaine Davis - Hughes
Brandon Lee - Conway
Peter Thomas - Little Rock Central
Nick Burcham - Ozark
Coach: Brandon Craft, West Fork
* PREP SPORTS
FAST PITCH SOFTBALL
Thursday, April 11
Cabot 15, Forrest City 0
P-W 5, DeValls Bluff 0 (Game 1)
P-W 10, DeValls Bluff 2 (Game 2)
Sylvan Hills 4, Jonesboro 3 (Game 1)
Jonesboro 19, Sylvan Hills 6 (Game 2)
Friday, April 12
Humphrey at P-W, 4 p.m.
Marion Tournament - Pool Play
Friday, April 12
Forrest City vs FACS, 4:30 p.m.
WMemphis vs Wynne, 4:30 p.m.
White Station vs Marion, 6:15 p.m.
TRA vs Raleigh, 6:15 p.m.
White Station vs FACS, 8 p.m.
TRA vs Wynne, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 13
Marion vs Forrest City, 9 a.m.
Raleigh vs WMemphis, 9 a.m.
Paragould vs Blytheville, 9 a.m.
Marion vs FACS, 10:45 a.m.
Raleigh vs Wynne, 10:45 a.m.
Millington vs Blytheville, 10:15 a.m.
Forrest City vs White Station, 12:30 p.m.
WMemphis vs TRA, 12:30 p.m.
Paragould vs Millington, 12:30 p.m.
Bracket play begins at 2:30 p.m., Saturday. Top eight teams will play single elimination with a third place game. Bottom three teams will play a consolation pool.
SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL
Thursday, April 11
Cross County vs Hughes
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
Thursday's Scores
Marked Tree 17, Hughes 7
Hughes led 6-2 going into the bottom of the fourth inning. Marked Tree scored 11 runs in the inning to win the game.
Friday, April 12
Little Rock Mills at Forrest City, 4:30 p.m.