By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
CONWAY -- The Forrest City Mustangs qualified four sprinters, a shot putter and one relay team for the Class AAAAA State Track Meet, set for Friday at Hot Springs.
Competing last Friday at the state track and field prelims at Conway, Forrest City sprinters Lafayette Smith and Daniel Echols qualified in the 100-meter run, finishing seventh and eighth in the qualifying event.
Jesse Ballard and Willie Wade qualified in the 400-meter run, finishing third and fourth while the 800-meter relay team (Smith, Echols, Chevelle Wilson and Kenyatae Chism) finished sixth to qualify.
Ballard's time of 50.46 is currently listed as the sixth-best time in the event statewide.
Senior Ray Dixon placed seventh in the shot put to qualify.
It is the second straight year for Wade, a senior, to qualify for the state meet. A year ago, Wade qualified in the 800-meter run and went on to a sixth-place finish in the state meet.
A year ago, the Mustangs finished 10th overall at the state meet and Joseph Wilson was the only Mustang to qualify for the Meet of Champs.
In girls' prelims on Friday, the Lady Mustangs 400-meter relay team qualified for Friday's state meet, finishing seventh in a time of 51.72.
Jessica Perkins, Chasna House, Shianekia Blunt and Melissa Humphrey made up the relay team.
The Palestine-Wheatley Patriots, competing in prelims at Danville, failed to qualify any of its team members for the state meet.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
NORTH LITTLE ROCK -- There will not be a repeat state champion in Class AAAAA high school baseball this year.
Sheridan made certain of that Saturday by ousting defending champion Russellville 1-0 in first-round play at the Class AAAAA State Tournament at Burns Park in North Little Rock.
It was that exact same 1-0 score that gave Russellville the state title a year ago, in the championship game against Pine Bluff.
Like Russellville, the Zebras bid to return to the state title game fell short on Saturday as well, when Pine Bluff lost to Fayetteville 9-0.
Of the four AAAAA-East Conference schools making the state tournament, only Sylvan Hills, the league champs, got past Saturday's first round with an 8-0 shut out win over North Little Rock.
Bentonville defeated Little Rock Mills, Cabot fell to Little Rock central and Rogers eliminated West Memphis.
The Bears reached the semifinals a year ago before losing to Russellville.
Sheridan and Sylvan Hills will meet today in a second-round matchup.
A year ago, Sylvan Hills eliminated Sheridan 8-1 in the opening round.
There will be a new state champions in Class AAAA and Class AA.
Defending AAAA champs Malvern fell on Saturday to Stuttgart 6-3 while last year's AA state champs, Lavaca did not make the state tournament cut this year.
Defending Class AAA champ Booneville advanced by defeating Dover 6-4 on Saturday and will face Bald Knob or Warren tomorrow.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
A little rain didn't stop first-year American Legion Coach Darrell Gaskin from putting his Forrest City team through their first official practice paces over the weekend.
Despite the rain on Friday, Gaskin practiced his Legion team Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday.
The team gets today off before returning for practice sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.
The Forrest City American Legion baseball season will open on Saturday, May 18, when they host Newport at the Sports Complex.
Gaskin rated the three sessions, using a scale of 1-10, "somewhere between six and seven.
"The kids are working hard but we still have a lot of room for improvement," Gaskin said. "We're still getting used to each other. The kids are getting to know me and I'm getting to know them. It will take a few more practices before we are clicking on all cyliners, but we're getting there."
Gaskin said only 10 players showed up for Friday's practice but that number was back up to 23 on Saturday.
"Right now, I have a roster of 28 players," Gaskin said. "And I'm looking for hustle, guys who are willing to make the gut plays and a lot of mental toughness -- and that's probably the most important thing a player has to have."
The 10-under girls' slow pitch softball league will have to wait until Tuesday to open their season.
The league was rained out Friday as were the T-Ball, Minor and Junior Bambino (9-10) Leagues.
Tonight, it's back to business as scheduled with the adult men and women softball leagues, the Minor, Bambino (11-12) and the Junior Babe Ruth leagues taking the field.
Palestine-Wheatley High School will hold its annual athletic sports banquet tonight at the school's cafeteria.
The banquet, during which all of the PWHS athletic teams and athletes are honored, begins at 6 p.m.
Palestine-Wheatley Junior High will hold it's athletic sports banquet Thursday at Wheatley, also beginning at 6 p.m., at the school's cafeteria.
* STATE TOURNAMENTS
High School Baseball
Class AAAA at Pulaski County Field
Saturday's Scores
Alma 16, Paragould 0
Nettleton 3, Searcy 0
Stuttgart 6, Malvern 3
LR Fair 1, Watson Chapel 0
Monday, May 6
White Hall vs. Magnolia, noon
HS Lakeside vs. Monticello, 2:30 p.m.
Batesville vs. Harrison, 5 p.m.
Greenbrier vs. Greene Co. Tech, 7:30 p.m.
Class AAA at Nashville
Saturday's Scores
Booneville 6, Dover 4
Gosnell 3, Ashdown 1
Trumann 5, Gentry 3
Pulaski Academy 4, Star City 0
Monday, May 6
CAC vs. Clarksville, noon
Bald Knob vs. Warren, 2:30 p.m.
McGehee vs. DeWitt, 5 p.m.
Prairie Grove vs. Pocahontas, 7:30 p.m.
Class AA at Lavaca
Saturday's Scores
Greenland 10, Bradford 0
Parkers Chapel 13, Jasper 4
Poyen 13, Des Arc 2
Midland 5, Bay 1
Monday, May 6
Junction City vs. SS Bee Branch, noon
GAME 6 Walnut Ridge vs. Dierks, 2:30 p.m.
Arkansas Baptist vs. Elkins, 5 p.m.
Mount Ida vs. Hazen, 7:30 p.m.
Class A at Augusta
Saturday's Scores
Black Rock 6, Bradley 5
Calico Rock 5, Magazine 2
Ouachita 6, Guy-Perkins 2
Monday, May 6
Scranton vs. PB St. Joseph, noon
Taylor vs. Omaha, 2:30 p.m.
Abundant Life vs. Lynn, 5 p.m.
Concord vs. Conway St. Joseph, 7:30 p.m.
* CITY LEAGUES
YOUTH BASEBALL
Minor League (Pitching Machine)
Monday, May 6
T&J Properties vs M&T Paving, 6 p.m. F7
Devazier vs Ben's Auto, 7:30 p.m. F7
Bambino League (11-12)a
Monday, May 6
Pearson vs Ray Houser, 6 p.m. F5
Cochran Auto vs Bonanza, 6 p.m. F6
L&L Electric vs Vaccaro, 7:30 p.m. F5
Taylor Glass vs Taco Bell, 7:30 p.m. F6
Junior Babe Ruth League (13-15)
Monday, May 6
Fred's vs Planter's Bank, 6 p.m. F8
Freeman's vs Rotary Club, 7:45 p.m. F8
ADULT SOFTBALL
Men's League
Monday, May 6
Greg's vs TSM Computers, 7 p.m. F3
Bulldogs vs Boar's Head, 7 p.m., F4
Barnes Timber vs Miller Ins. 8 p.m. F3
M&T Paving vs Morgan, 8 p.m. F4
Kerby's vs Young Guns, 9 p.m. F3
Sanyo vs Food Giant, 9 p.m. F4
Women's League
Thursday's Scores
Mohr Sports 16, First National Bank 14
Chism Concrete 25, Purple Haze 14
Monday, May 6
Chism vs Clark Appraisals, 7 p.m. F1
Purple Haze vs First National, 8 p.m. F1