Eight former winners will return to seek another crown in the 54th annual Arkansas Tech Tournament of Champions, which will begin a three-day run December 26 at Tucker Coliseum.
This year's field is composed of a dozen teams six senior girls and six senior boys and includes eight teams that have combined to win 20 past championships.
Among the group in the boys' division are the two winningest teams in the history of the tournament, Morrilton and Dardanelle. Morrilton has won six tournament titles (1973-74-75-76-79-81), while Dardanelle has taken home the trophy five times (1986-87-88-90-91).
Dover and Palestine-Wheatley are also among past title holders. Dover has won twice (1954-55) and Palestine-Wheatley once (1994).
Over in the girls' division, Dardanelle heads up this year's entrants as a past three-time winner (1988-90-91), while Dover (2001), Hector (1986) and Guy-Perkins (1971) are each one-time champions.
The tournament will open on Dec. 26 with four games. In the girls' division, Dover will take on Palestine-Wheatley at 3 p.m. and Hector will challenge Mount Judea at 6 p.m.
In boys' play, Dardanelle will face Guy-Perkins at 4:30, while Morrilton and Dover will get together in the 7:30 p.m. finale.
In girls' action on Friday, December 27, Guy-Perkins will face the Dover-Palestine winner at 3 p.m. and Dardanelle will take on the Hector-Mount Judea winner at 6 p.m. In the boys' division, Palestine-Wheatley will meet the Dardanelle-Guy Perkins winner at 4:30 p.m., while Hector awaits the Morrilton-Dover survivor for the 7:30 p.m.finale.
Six games are scheduled for Saturday, December 28, with consolation games at 12 noon, 1:30, 3 o'clock and 4:30. The girls' championship game is set for 6 p.m.,with the boys' title match to follow at 7:30.
by NATE ALLEN
FAYETTEVILLE -- Nice running into you isn't a polite refrain these days in Minnesota.
Not to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, anyway.
It's been too nice running into them for victorious Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin. They beat the Gophers the last four games before Minnesota meets Arkansas Dec. 30 in the Music City Bowl at Nashville.
Ground games fueled the 34-3, 41-24, 45-31 and 49-31 verdicts bringing Glen Mason's Gophers down from 7-1 to 7-5.
Arkansas lives by the run, too. Tailbacks Fred Talley, De'Arrius Howard and Cedric Cobbs, quarterback Matt Jones and fullback Mark Pierce run behind a line anchored by 350-pound first-team All-American right tackle Shawn Andrews.
No wonder Mason reassigned his staff before the bowl game.
Moe Ankney, the 60-year-old defensive coordinator, now is assistant head coach while Greg Hudson, 35, now coordinates the defense. Ankney continues coaching defensive ends while Hudson coaches linebackers.
Ankney, pinchhitting for Mason who had taken ill during a recruiting trip to Ohio, was asked about the change in a Music City Bowl press conference he and Arkansas coach Houston Nutt addressed last week in Nashville.
The Minnesota veteran appears to be subjugating his ego to take one for the team.
"It's an unusual situation," Ankney said, "but it's going really well. Coach Greg Hudson has taken over my job as defensive coordinator. He's going to do a great job. He's a young, enthusiastic guy. I've been a defensive coordinator for 20 straight years. This gives me an opportunity for a different outlook and different assignment. And I'm looking forward to that. Our players have adapted really well. There's not much change in what we're doing. I think it's going to be a positive going into the 2003 season and that's what we are really looking forward to."
Something apparently had to be done to shake up the run-defense though many a run defense would be shook to a frazzle facing second-ranked Ohio State, third-ranked Iowa and always formidable Michigan and Wisconsin on successive weekends.
"The quality of competition had a lot to do with it," Ankney said. "Against Ohio State we played really well in the first half and then in the third quarter we got a punt blocked and they got an easy touchdown."
Arkansas certainly knows the feeling. Georgia blocked a punt setting up a 2-yard touchdown five plays into the SEC Championship game that Georgia won, 30-3 on Dec. 7, in Atlanta.
"Defensively," Ankney said of Ohio State's onslaught, "that was a factor the rest of the season. We kind of lost our confidence and then ran into a meat grinder. Offensively we got better during that streak, defensively we got into the doldrums and never were able to get out. Like Coach Nutt said about his team (Nutt chronicled the Hogs ups and downs in their 9-4 season) our kids are looking forward to another opportunity to hopefully do lotbetter."
Ankney says Andrews, the Camden Fairview alum described by Nutt as "330-plus" is a big problem.
Andrews weighs 350 minimum.
"The end zone copies of the tape we see from behind," Ankney said ... he is wide. He is big and he is good. He hustles, pass protects, he blocks down , he chops at the line of scrimmage. He does everything. He's an athlete."
Nutt acknowledged he's not exactly giving away the game plan to say the Hogs do like running behind the 1,000 pounds of Andrews, tight end Jason Peters and right offensive guard Mark Bokermann.
"I'm sure Minnesota knows I'm righthanded," Nutt said of his playcalling. Every computer report says we are righthanded and it's because we are. Shawn Andrews, Jason Peters and Mark Bokermann, we tend to lean to that side.
I've got a lot of confidence in that guy (Andrews)."
Nutt says even Andrews has no cause to take Minnesota lightly.
"I wish you could see film of that first half against Ohio State," Nutt
said. "They took it to a team ranked second in the country and chased the ball extremely hard. They have an excellent free safety. Eli Ward is a big-time player. He reminds me of (Arkansas All-American safety) Kenny Hamlin. He'll hit you. You'd better be ready to execute against Minnesota."
Ankney said Minnesota isn't judging Arkansas' book by the Georgia cover. He looks more to the page showing Arkansas, 38, Capital One Bowl bound Auburn, 17.
"They lost a few games," Ankney said. "But we saw them beat the crap out of Auburn."