By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
WEST MEMPHIS -- For the 13th consecutive and unprecedented season, the Jonesboro Hurricane boys tennis team swept the singles and doubles competition on Tuesday to win the AAAAA-East conference tennis championships played at West Memphis.
Jonesboro's Lady Hurricane swept the singles and doubles competition for the second consecutive year.
Both Jonesboro teams will advance to the state tournament, which will be played Thursday, April 25, at Rebsamen Park in Little Rock.
The Forrest City Mustangs did not qualify as a team for state but senior Brittney White qualified individually.
A year ago, White qualified for state doubles competition with former graduate Seccer Cole.
Jonesboro's Chandler Harris and Jessica Bridges won the singles crowns while Daniel Jones and Chris Jones, and Amanda Troutt and Libby Woodruff captured the doubles championships for Jonesboro.
In the tournament singles competition, Harris dropped Cabot's Matt Petty 6-3, 6-0 in the boys' final and Bridges topped Christin Spradley 6-1, 6-3 to win the girls' championship game.
Jonesboro's Matt Williams finished third in boys' singles and Megan Baker finished fourth in the girls' competition.
In a pair of all-Jonesboro doubles finals, the Jones/Jones team edged teammates Ryan Young and Adam Hurst 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 on the boys' side.
Troutt and Woodruff defeated Jonesboro's Evan Hall and Katie Hurst 6-1, 6-1 to take the girls' title.
All of the winners plus Williams and Baker qualified for the state tournament.
The Mustangs, coached for the second season by Dwight Lofton, played just one regular season match, with most of the short schedule being rained out.
"It's a short season anyway," Lofton said, "even without the rain."
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Mustangs will get back to playing baseball today when they travel to Sylvan Hills for a AAAAA-East varsity doubleheader.
The Bears are on top of the East standings as the chase for the four berths into the upcoming state tournament heads into the final stages.
The Mustangs, winless in the conference and just 3-11 overall for the year, are still trying to pick up a conference victory, even though the team is out of the running for a state tournament shot.
The Mustangs haven't played since Friday when they dropped a varsity doubleheader to Little Rock Mills, losing 5-3 and 9-3.
After today's doubleheader, Forrest City has just four conference games remaining a Monday makeup against Blytheville, a Tuesday date with Jonesboro and a twinbill at Cabot on April 30.
Squeezed in between, on April 26, is a varsity nonconference doubleheader against Marion.
*On Tuesday, West Memphis scored three runs in the fourth inning to rally from a 5-3 deficit and hand Jonesboro an 8-6 setback.
West Memphis out-hit Jonesboro 12-10, and won despite committing five errors.
The Blue Devils scored three runs each in the second and fourth innings, and two in the fifth.
Jonesboro stands at 12-11 overall and 4-5 in the East.
Last week, Sylvan Hills put away the Blue Devils in a conference doubleheader.
The Bears, at 7-2 in the league, went into the game trailing the Blue Devils by only a half a game and returned home as the league leaders.
Sylvan Hills now sits alone atop the conference with a record of 7-2 heading into this week's games.
*Fourth place Cabot also swept a doubleheader played last Friday taking down Blytheville twice.
The Panthers smoked the Chickasaws in game one by an embarrassing 20-0 count.
Cabot scored nine runs in the first inning.
Four Cabot Panther players scored at least three runs.
Craig Wilson hit the first of three Cabot home runs in the first inning.
Cabot added six runs in the third inning and two in the fifth before the game was called under the run-rule.
Game two was much tighter most of the way.
The two Cabot victories, combined with the Sylvan Hills' sweep over West Memphis, helped move the Panthers from a tie for fourth into sole possession of second place with a league record of 5-3.
*With only four league games remaining, the Jacksonville Red Devils picked up a win on the field by winning the second game of doubleheader at Jonesboro 9-0.
The Red Devils barely dropped game one 2-1.
Jacksonville was trying to regain its form after suffering a 13-0 loss to JA Fair a week ago.
Since then, the team has played much better in a 2-0 loss to league leader Sylvan Hills before splitting Friday's doubleheader with Jonesboro.
The Jacksonville win was the third conference victory for the team and keeps them in the running for the fourth place into the state tournament.
Two of the three Jacksonville league wins were forfeit wins over Forrest City
The top four teams in each of the four Class AAAAA conferences move on to the state tournament.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Lady Mustangs will host Jonesboro today at the Sports Complex in AAAAA-East Conference fast pitch action.
Jonesboro is coming off a 12-6 win over Blytheville on Tuesday while the Lady Mustangs lost to Sylvan Hills 11-10 on Monday.
Game time today is 4 p.m.
In other action today, the Hughes Lady Blue Devils will host Elaine in a slow pitch softball game, beginning at 3:30 p.m. and the Palestine-Wheatley Lady Patriots will travel to Barton in a scheduled fast pitch game against the Lady Bears.
Jonesboro brings a 4-8 overall record into today's game with a 4-5 mark in the conference.
Forrest City stands at 3-16 and 0-11 for the year.
The Lady Hurricane defeated Forrest City in the first conference matchup.
Forrest City's Friday game against Wynne has been cancelled.
* PREP SPORTS
FAST PITCH SOFTBALL
Tuesday's Score
Palestine-Wheatley 16, Hazen 1
Thursday, April 18
Jonesboro at Forrest City, 4 p.m.
Palestine-Wheatley at Barton, 4 p.m.
SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL
Thursday, April 18
Elaine at Hughes, 3:30 p.m.
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
Tuesday's Score
Barton 18, Hughes 2
Thursday, April 18
Forrest City at Sylvan Hills, 4 p.m.