By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The new kids on the block knocked off the veterans Saturday at the preseason East Arkansas Youth Football Association jamboree played at the Forrest City High School practice field.
The first-year Steelers used a solid performance by running back Antonio Mitchell to take down the Forrest City Ponies 20-12.
Of the four teams in the league, the Ponies have been around the longest.
In Saturday's second game, the Razorbacks won easily over the first-year Caldwell Gators team 36-2.
The jamboree drew an impressive crowd in its inaugural outing as fans lined both sides of the make-shift 65-yard field.
The league begins regular season play on Saturday, September 14, at Sam Smith Stadium.
Jackie Cunningham, who has coached the Ponies for several years, said the formation of the youth football league is something he has been looking forward to seeing happen for a long time.
"I can't say enough about the other coaches and teams and everyone who has helped to make this league a reality," Cunningham said Saturday. "The crowd at today's jamboree was impressive and I appreciate everyone coming out and making this a special day for these kids, because that's what this is all about -- it's for the kids."
About his team's performance in the loss to the Steelers, Cunningham said "his kids have some work to do before the regular season starts.
"We have some ragged edges we need to iron out," Cunningham said. "But these kids are working hard and they will be ready."
Cunningham's Ponies struck first when Dominique Spencer scored on a well-executed reverse to give the Ponies a 6-0 lead. The extra point attempt failed.
The Steelers recovered a Ponies' fumble in the second quarter and Mitchell did the rest, scoring on a 30-yard run to force at 6-6 tie at the half.
Mitchell, who was named the game's most valuable player, put the Steelers in front 12-6 midway through the third quarter when he broke free for a 61-yard touchdown run.
The Ponies knotted the game at 12-12 in the fourth quarter when quarterback Lee Smith fired a 22-yard touchdown pass to Spencer. Smith was sacked on the extra point try.
With time running out, Steelers' quarterback Jonathan House scored from a yard out to give the Steelers a 20-12 lead which held for the victory.
*The Razorbacks turned a pair of Gator fumbles into touchdowns to take a 14-0 halftime lead in the second game.
By the end of the third period, the veteran Razorbacks led 22-2 and finally put the game away with two fourth quarter scores.
The Gators relied on the running of Denzell Rivers, but managed only a safety.
The Razorbacks and Gators will open regular season play on Sept. 14.
JONESBORO -- It was almost like Friday Night Football on a regular season basis.
The pads were popping at Arkansas State's Indian Stadium last Friday during the second Arkansas High School Football Showcase.
Six high school football teams -- including three who appear on Forrest City's regular season schedule -- took part in the jamboree-style showcase.
Using a 60-minute running clock, Searcy, moving into Class AAAAA this season, got past defending Class AAAA state champion Wynne 10-8, Jonesboro Westside ran out of time at Hoxie's 21-yard-line and fell 14-7 while Class AAAAA West Memphis used big plays to shut out Newport 13-0.
It took a little while for the Yellowjackets' vaunted Diamond-T offense to get untracked while Searcy got a strong opponent to see how it will fare moving up to Class AAAAA.
Searcy stuffed Wynne on three plays its first possession, then forced a fumble as the Lions capitalized on both opportunities for an early 10-0 lead in the 70-minute scrimmage.
On third-and-9, Lions' quarterback Matt Long found Earl Young down the right sideline for 16 yards and Hunter Gibbs kicked a 37-yard field goal for a 3-0 Searcy lead.
Wynne's Akeyon Reed broke through for 15 yards on the Yellowjackets' next play but lost the football while spinning into a defender and Marcus Gaskin fell on it for Searcy at Wynne's 34.
Long picked up 11 on a keeper and Long got 15 more off right tackle before Ben Garner scored from 7 yards out for a 10-0 lead.
Joey Smith broke a 40-yard return on the ensuing kickoff but on the next play the Yellowjackets fumbled the exchange with quarterback Kris Winfrey and Searcy took over again.
Twenty-five minutes in, Wynne finally got untracked and gained a bit of offensive momentum until Searcy's Corey Weir picked off an overthrown pass at the Searcy 15.
With 31 minutes to play, Brian Johnson came on to quarterback and led the Yellowjackets on a 13-play, 80-yard scoring drive.
Searcy then drove all the way to the Wynne 1 before time expired.
Wynne opens defense of their state title Friday when they host Forrest City.
Searcy comes to Forrest City on October 4 and the Mustangs close out the season against West Memphis.
West Memphis took the field 91 players strong. and it didn't take long for the Blue Devils to show Class AAA Newport they will be a force to reckon with in the AAAAA-East this year.
After West Memphis quarterback Mark Doss found Chris Oswalt over the middle for a 51-yard catch down to the Greyhound 10, Kyle Payne, from the Wing T set, slipped out of the backfield and hauled in a 10-yard scoring pass from Goss for a 6-0 lead.
With 26 minutes left in the scrimmage, Payne broke off left tackle and raced for a 54-yard TD run, the longest of the night and a 13-0 lead.
Newport tried to rally, working its passing attack until West Memphis linebacker Toriano Green came up with an interception to halt Newport in their tracks.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Lucas Trucking ran undefeated through the 10-under bracket at the All-American Labor Day Bash youth baseball tournament played over he weekend at the Forrest City Sports Complex.
Lucas downed the Forrest City Braves 13-0 Sunday in the championship game.
On the way to the title game, Lucas downed Bartlett (Tenn.) 11-4 on Friday and then turned back the East Arkansas Bandits 11-9 and the Braves 7-0 on Saturday.
Jim Bailey threw a no-hitter in the 7-0 shutout win over the Braves.
In semifinal action Sunday, Lucas downed Bartlett 14-3 to get to the title game while the Braves defeated the Bandits.
The Braves finished 2-3.
In the 14-under bracket, it was the Wynne Yellowjackets taking a 13-0 win over the Forrest City All-American Travelers in Sunday's championship game, which was called after four innings.
Wynne finished the tournament run unbeaten with victories over Cordova (Tenn.), Cabot and Forrest City.
The Travelers finished 2-3 in the tournament.
The Bandits finished 0-4 in the tournament.