By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Headed into Friday's schedule of conference games, the AAAAA-East is a mess.
Four of the eight teams are tied for first with identical 4-1 records in the league.
The top four play each other Friday which will clear up the mess somewhat.
After Friday's round of games, there won't be a four-way tie but there will be a two-way tie for first and a two-way tie for second.
Cabot faces Jonesboro, and West Memphis travels to Jacksonville.
Until last Friday, Jonesboro appeared to be on their way to taking the conference title, having won big over their first five East opponents, but slipped against Searcy, losing for the first time this season.
Searcy, on the surface, still appears to have a shot at making the playoffs, and with Blytheville and Mountain Home left could finish at 4-3.
There are many possibilities, but of the four co-leaders, Jacksonville certainly has the toughest ending road having to face West Memphis and Cabot.
Jonesboro fell from No. 5 to No. 10 in the state poll after Searcy kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a 37-27 victory.
Cabot also has a solid running game with fullback Chris Robertson and quarterback Greg Firestone. The Panthers gained 284 yards in a 33-0 win over Blytheville last week.
Jacksonville and West Memphis also prepared for this week with shutouts. Jacksonville shackled Forrest City 21-0, while the Blue Devils blanked Mountain Home 39-0.
West Memphis, which averages 27.8 points in league games, had two 100-yard rushers with Kyle Payne and Eugene Edwards.
Jacksonville, which averages 28.8 points in conference play, only led Forrest City 7-0 until scoring late in the third and fourth quarter.
Friday's games belong to the road warriors with Cabot sliding past Jonesboro 27-21 and West Memphis handling Jacksonville 31-18.
In the other two East matchups, Forrest City is favored by 13 over Mt. Home and Searcy gets the nod over Blytheville.
*Springdale (7-1, 4-1 AAAAA-West) faces its toughest challenge for the conference title in a home game against Fort Smith Northside (5-2-1, 4-1) Friday.
Northside's rushing attack has been on a roll since a surprising 17-10 loss to Van Buren on Sept. 27. The Pointers have lost four in a row since the victory, including three straight shutouts.
The Grizzlies won their fourth straight game Friday by rushing for 323 yards on 61 carries in a 24-14 win over Russellville. Gosha Robinson had 40 of those attempts for 229 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bulldogs rebounded from their loss three weeks ago to Russellville by beating Bentonville (27-17) and Van Buren (27-0).
In an upset of sorts, give this one to Fort Smith Northside 28-24.
Other Predictions
Conway 28, Bryant 27; LR Hall 17, LR Catholic 12; LR McClellan 30, LR Central 21; Little Rock Parkview 23, North Little Rock 18; El Dorado 31, Benton 16; Pine Bluff 37, Camden Fairview 21; Texarkana 24, Lake Hamilton 20; Watson Chapel 28, Sheridan 7; Russellville 31, Bentonville 21; Fort Smithside 34, Fayetteville 28; Rogers 20, Van Buren 13.
Crossett 31, Monticello 20; Sylvan Hills 24, LR Mills 10; West Helena Central 21, North Pulaski 13; Stuttgart 35, White Hall 7; Batesville 30, Marion 14; Beebe 42, Greene County Tech 16; Paragould 14, Nettleton 13; Wynne 34, Vilonia 20; Hot Springs 31, Arkadelphia 10; Magnolia 35, Hope 14; Hot Springs Lakeside 23, Malvern 7; Pulaski Robinson 35, LR Fair 10; Alma 27, Morrilton 12; Clarksville 20, Greenbrier 13; Greenwood 27, Harrison 21; Huntsville 24, Siloam Springs 20.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
HUGHES -- The Hughes Junior Blue Devils used three touchdowns each from Marcus Washington and Kerrick Scofield Tuesday night to power past previously unbeaten Marked Tree 56-22 at Hughes.
The season-ending victory leaves both teams at 8-1 and co-champions in the 3AA.
The only blemish on Hughes' season record was a loss to Cross County on the third playing date of the season.
Hughes made it look almost too easy, putting up 36 points in the first half -- 14 of that total coming within the final 50 seconds of the second quarter.
"The kids had a great year and played hard each game," said Junior Blue Devils' coach Bert Greenwell.
Washington started the offensive fireworks by scoring on a 71-yard run with 4:40 to play in the first and Scofield added the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
Marked Tree closed it to 8-6 with 3:58 to play on a long touchdown pass.
With 2:16 left in the first quarter, quarterback Corey Scarbrough, who would later leave the game with a broken leg, completed a 52-yard pass to Cody Ladner to make it 14-6.
After a big sack by Kenrick Smith, Marked Treer was short on a fourth down play and Hughes took over at their own 22 to start the second quarter.
Washington made it 22-6 when he broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run and Scofield added the extra points.
The Indians made it 22-14 after driving to the Hughes two-yard line and scoring with 1:11 to play.
Hughes answered quickly in the final minute.
Katarrus Poney recovered the on-sides kick and Hughes started from their own 40. On the first play from scrimmage, Scofield broke loose for a 60-yard score, shaking three tackles on the way. He added the two-point conversion and with 55 seconds left in the first half, Hughes led 30-14.
Thomas Lowe set up Hughes' next score when he intercepted a Marked Tree pass at the Indians' 30 and Scofield scored from 10-yards out with 33 seconds to play.
Hughes led 36-14 at the half.
The Blue Devils did not slow down in the second half.
Scofield added a six-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter to make it 42-14 before the Indians answered with a six-yard touchdown to trim the lead back to 42-22.
Smith made it 50-22 just before the quarter ended when he raced 37-yards for the score and then added the two-point play.
In the fourth, following a fumble recovery by Poney to end the third quarter, Washington scored from 36-yards away to make it 56-22.
Both sides emptied their benches to play the remainder of the game.
The senior Blue Devils will host Turrell Friday night for homecoming and will face Marked Tree on the road next week in the regular season finale.
Both Hughes and Marked Tree are tied for the conference lead and are unbeaten.
The Lyon College Athletic Hall of Fame grew by four last Friday. One of those a local product.
Former Palestine-Wheatley graduate and basketball coach Beverly Bass was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Dr. Edward N. Mosley, who received the service award; Gary Weeks; and Nathaniel VanPelt.
Bass, a 1977 Lyon graduate, played basketball for four years and volleyball for two years at Lyon (then Arkansas College) and went on to become an outstanding high school coach in basketball, softball and track for 24 years. She also coached basketball at Arkansas State University Beebe for four years.
Bass won outstanding high school coaching awards 13 times in basketball, six in track and seven in softball. She was also named Outstanding Junior College Coach while at ASU-Beebe and was Outstanding Physical Educator in 1975.
Before coming to Palestine-Wheatley, Bass coached at Weiner and Judsonia.
At Palestine-Wheatley, her Lady Patriot teams won the Class AA state championship, in 2001 and were state runners-up twice -- compiling a 525-61 won-lost mark.
Bass is now a high school counselor for the Palestine-Wheatley School District.
Dr. Mosley, a professor of mathematics at Lyon, has been a faculty athletics representative to the TranSouth Athletic Conference since 1998 and is currently on the TranSouth's Executive Committee. He served as golf coach from 1989-1995.
After graduating from Lyon in 1960, Mosley earned a master's degree in mathematics at the University of Arkansas and an Ed.D. degree at Oklahoma State University. He has been on the faculty at Lyon since 1970 and is Lyon's senior faculty member.
Weeks, from Hoxie, graduated from Lyon in 1971, was an All-AIC honorable mention for two years (1971 and 1972) as a member of the basketball team at Lyon.
Weeks holds bachelor's degrees from Free Will Baptist College and Arkansas State University and earned his master's and law degree from the University of Arkansas.
VanPelt, a basketball standout at Lyon from Jonesboro, now lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 1976 graduate earned All-AAAA honors at Jonesboro High School and played at Lyon for four years as a point guard and floor leader.
He was known as one of the best ballhandlers in the AIC and in his senior year he led the league in free-throw shooting percentage with a 90.3 percent average. VanPelt also played on the Scots baseball team.
The Lions flag football team completed an undefeated season Monday by knocking off the Tigers 18-6 at the Sports Complex. The Lions finished the year at 6-0 while the Vikings finished second at 3-3.
The Lions are: Brice Logan, Jayme Cartillar, Michael Ludwig, Scott Gracey, Nick Batt, Brent Carson , Wesley Douglas, Delan Parkman, Bradley Douglas, Benjamin Howell, Kendian Ingram and Josh Thrash. The team was coached by Preston Parkman and Tommy Carson.
* PREP FOOTBALL
CO-ED SOFTBALL
Tuesday's Scores
Wynne Cinema 14, Butler Building 6
Boar's Head 25, T Rodgers Construction 9
YOUTH FLAG FOOTBALL
Monday's Scores
Vikings 12, Bears 0
Lions 18, Tigers 6
JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL
Tuesday's Score
Hughes 56, Marked Tree 22
Thursday, October 31
Salem at Palestine-Wheatley
Wynne at FCity Blue
FCity White at Blytheville
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Friday, October 28
AAAAA-East Conference
Forrest City at Mountain Home
Searcy at Blytheville
Cabot at Jonesboro
West Memphis at Jacksonville
3AA Conference
Marked Tree at Palestine-Wheatley (Sr. Night)
Turrell at Hughes (HC)
Rector at Parkin
Salem at Earle
Walnut Ridge at Cross County