By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Back in August, when fifth-year Hughes Coach James Wright was getting his first looks at his 2002 Blue Devil football team, he thought he had something special.
"I thought we would be fine in our conference (3AA), especially since we were moving down from Class AAA to AA," Wright said. "I knew we had some kids who would work hard and who were fast learners. What I didn't know was how they would do beyond regular season."
He found out after his Blue Devils rolled to an 8-1 conference finish to finish second and then to the third round of the Class AA state playoffs, before being eliminated by Junction City.
The Blue Devils ended with a 10-3 overall mark, the best for a Hughes team since the 1994 Blue Devil squad finished 10-4 and runner-up in the state after losing to Lonoke in the AA championship game.
It was Wright's third trip into the postseason since coming to Hughes in 1998.
Overall, Wright is 28-21 at Hughes.
Tuesday, Wright handed out postseason honors to nine of his Blue Devil players -- five juniors and four seniors.
"This was a fun group to be around and they are all good kids," Wright said. "They know the right things to do from the wrong things and we have a good, solid core group coming back next year."
Hughes named six starters to All-Conference status, led by seniors Jermaine Davis, Robert Smith, Adam Steele and Jamal Tiggs.
Juniors Andre Walker and Alex Chamness rounded out the top six.
Named to the Honorable Mention All-Conference team were juniors Eric Scarbrough, Daniel Jackson and Jacob Young.
Davis, the Blue Devils' spinner back or quarterback in the deceptive Single Wing offensive set employed by Hughes, finished with more than 1,000 yards rushing for the year. Davis also played linebacker on defense.
Tiggs was the team's tailback and cornerback while Steele started at guard on offense and at tackle on the defensive side of the football.
Smith lined up at tackle on both sides of he football.
Walker finished with more than 1,300 rushing yards for the year -- which ranks among the top performances from around the state.
A 6-0 junior, Walker was the team's main offensive threat at running back and on defense played corner.
Chamness, a 5-5 rock-solid junior, played the role of blocking back for Walker and Davis and the rest of the Hughes running backs and then turned around to play linebacker on defense.
Scarbrough was the team's center while Jackson was the defensive end and a cornerback. Young, who missed the final game of the season after breaking his arm in the second round of the playoffs at Jessieville, played guard and defensive tackle for the Blue Devils.
The 2002 Hughes team led the state during regular season in points scored -- averaging more than 40 points per game.
The Blue Devils pitched two shutout victories during the year and scored 40 points or more seven times. They topped the 50-point mark three times and scored 60 or more points in a ball game twice. Once during the year, they had a 77-point effort.
Hughes should return 12 seniors for the 2003 season and five juniors.
Hughes will 10 seniors from its football team in May.
* PREP BASKETBALL
Tuesday's Scores
Senior Boys
CRA 65, Riverside 52
Lynn 53, Evening Shade 52
Maynard 94, Bay 89
Sloan-Hendrix 73, Ridgefield Christian 50
Trumann 59, Harrisburg 47
Valley View 64, Manila 53
Walnut Ridge 49, Rector 38
Weiner 71, Cross County 44
Senior Girls
Hoxie 63, Brookland 34
Lynn 38, Evening Shade 31
Marmaduke 54, Nettleton 34
Pocahontas 53, Westside 23
Sloan-Hendrix 48, Ridgfield Christian 13
Junior Boys
Bay 58, Maynard 27
Harrisburg 46, Trumann 37
Lynn 37, Evening Shade 23
Riverside 39, CRA 32
Sloan-Hendrix 63, Ridgefield Christian 52
Valley View 61, Manila 48
Walnut Ridge 38, Rector 30
Weiner 39, Cross County 29
Junior Girls
Hoxie 35, Brookland 11
Pocahontas 33, Westside 18