By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The field of 16 teams for the Class AAAAA football playoffs is almost set.
Most of the games on this final week of the regular season which have playoff implications are in Class AAAA and below.
In AAAAA-East, Searcy is the only school in the state's largest classification with hope of moving into the top four of its conference. But the Lions will need a lot of help.
The four playoff teams in the West, Central and South leagues are already set.
The Lions (6-3, 3-3) are the second-highest scoring team in AAAAA behind Pine Bluff, the No. 1 team in state, but unless Blytheville (2-7, 0-6) beats Jonesboro (7-2, 4-2), Searcy stays home even with a victory this week against Mountain Home.
The Lions beat Jonesboro 37-27 in Week 8.
If Searcy ends up in a tie with Jacksonville (7-2, 4-2), the Red Devils go the playoffs because they beat the Lions 36-32.
Jacksonville will have a tough game against Cabot (7-2, 5-1), which can play a home playoff game with a victory.
Should Jacksonville and Jonesboro both lose and there's a three-way tie for third, Searcy would need to beat Mountain Home (1-8, 1-5) by 12 points to squeeze into the playoffs.
The Forrest City Mustangs are not in the running for a playoff spot, bit a victory over West Memphis on Thursday could add yet another spin move to the playoff picture.
"We're playing for a .500 season and for a lot of respect," Forrest City Coach Donnie Willis said. "We're also playing for the Cotton Bale trophy and that always make this a big game for the kids on both sides. And with West Memphis tied for the lead in the East with Cabot, a win for us would certainly change the seeding process going into the playoffs."
A Forrest City victory is certainly not out of the question.
The Mustangs played Cabot to a 7-7 tie late in the fourth quarter before the Panthers used a couple of Forrest City turnovers to get the 21-7 win.
The Mustangs stopped Jacksonville offensively for a half, something no other team had done to the Red Devils, before losing 21-0 and the Mustangs played Searcy tough in a 23-14 loss.
"Anything can happen and our kids believe that," Willis said.
Forrest City's last victory over West Memphis came in 1997 a 29-14 win.
The game has been switched to Thursday night, at the request of the West Memphis coaching staff. That's fine with Willis and the Mustangs.
"Since we always make West Memphis the final game of the season, we are talking about maybe switching the game to Thursday on a permanent basis," Willis said. "Both coaching staffs are agreeable."
Cabot and Jacksonville have always played their season finale on Thursday.
In the East this week, give Searcy the big win over a struggling Mountain Home team, 31-10 and give Jonesboro the win over Blytheville 21-17.
In one that may be almost too close to call, Cabot squeaks past Jacksonville 27-25 and let's give the Mustangs a 21-14 win over the Blue Devils just to make the final week interesting.
*Two Class AAAA games will decide the fourth playoff team in the West and Southwest conferences.
In the West, Clarksville (5-4, 3-3) plays at Siloam Springs (3-6, 2-4) for the right to play the winner of AAAA-Southwest.
Clarksville put itself in contention for the playoffs by winning its last two games, including a 23-22 scare against Greenbrier last week.
Siloam Springs had lost four straight games before beating Huntsville 24-14, giving it one last opportunity for the playoffs.
We like Clarksville's chances, 35-19 over Siloam Springs.
*In the Southwest, Hot Springs Lakeside (4-5, 3-3) travels to Hope (5-4, 4-2) and the winner advances to play the first-place team from the West in the playoffs.
Lakeside edged Malvern 10-7 last week and the Rams lost by 20 to Hot Springs the week before, which forced them to into needing to win the final two games to advance.
It's a done deal, Hope 27-20.
Bryant 31, North Little Rock 7; Conway 35, LR Catholic 18; LR McClellan 28, LR Parkview 17; LR Central 37, LR Hall 7; El Dorado 23, Camden Fairview 16; Pine Bluff 35, Lake Hamilton 31; Watson Chapel 20, Benton 14; Texarkana 28, Sheridan 7; Fayetteville 28, Bentonville 27; FS Southside 38, FS Northside 24; Springdale 31, Rogers 18; Russellville 34, Van Buren 21.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Forrest City Athletic Director Mike Bender waited as late as he possibly could to have the cardboard season basketball schedules printed, because he knew in the world of high school basketball, change is always imminent.
With the schedules just delivered and resting neatly on one of his office tables, Bender sighed and began making changes.
"I knew it," he said. "It doesn't matter how long I wait to have these things printed, there are going to be changes."
Some of the changes are the direct result of the football playoffs. Others are just a matter of logistics.
The Forrest City Blue and White junior high basketball teams are scheduled to open their season on Monday, Nov. 9.
The Blue Mustangs are hosting Hughes while the White teams are playing at Wynne.
While the probability is high that those games will be played as scheduled, there still remains the slightest possibility they may not be played -- since both the Wynne and the Hughes high school football teams have both qualified for the postseason. That could push back the start of the basketball seasons.
Hughes Athletic Director Charles Patrick said today that decision "has not been made." With both districts out of classes on Thursday and Friday, Patrick added that he will try to reach a decision later today or Wednesday.
Likewise, Bender said the White Mustangs' game at Wynne on Monday, is at this point, questionable.
"We haven't heard definitely but we will get something settled as quickly as we can," Bender said.
Not only are the football playoffs affecting the junior high basketball schedules, they could also necessitate changes for the Forrest City high school opener, set for Friday, Nov. 15, when the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs host Sylvan Hills.
The Sylvan Hills Bears football team will make the Class AAAA playoffs and Bender says that while nothing has been definitely decided about the game, there is the chance that game may be "rescheduled."
The Mustangs and Lady Mustangs will play a scrimmage game on Tuesday (Nov. 12) at Marianna with the girls tipping off at 6 p.m. and the boys at approximately 7:15 p.m.
The Palestine-Wheatley Patriots and Lady Patriots are scheduled to open their high school schedule on Tuesday, Nov. 12, when they host Arkansas Baptist.
Should the Patriot football team defeat Salem Friday and make the Class AA playoff cut, those basketball games will go on as scheduled, according to Lady Patriot Coach Lanny Allen.