By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
CHERRY VALLEY -- Patrick Jones returned a kickoff for a touchdown and had a big punt return Friday night to help lift the surprising Cross County Thunderbirds to a 31-29 win over Palestine-Wheatley.
The T-Birds improve to 3-0 for the year and 2-0 in the 3AA Conference while the Patriots fall to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in the league.
Jones 14-0, Cross County's Jones returned a first quarter kickoff 75 yards for the score to start the Thunderbirds' rally with 4:51 to play.
The point after failed and P-W took a 14-6 lead into the half.
The Patriots scored early in the opening quarter after Josh Hall recovered a Cross County fumble. With 10:46 to play, Quenton Mason ran five yards to put P-W on top 6-0 and added the two-point run for an 8-0 lead.
With 8:22 to play in the first quarter, P-W quarterback Clyde Kennedy found Mason for a 22-yard touchdown pass for a 14-0 lead after the conversion attempt failed.
Neither team scored in the second quarter.
Jones got Cross County within two points at 14-12 when he returned a P-W punt 22 yards to the Patriots' 11-yard line. Aaron Bowles did the rest, scoring with 8:45 to play.
Bowles added his second touchdown of the night early in the fourth quarter scoring from two-yards out after Cross County recovered a P-W fumble. The two-point play failed but Cross County led 18-14.
Allen Jones intercepted a P-W pass with 6:27 to play and returned it for the score to put the T-Birds up 24-14 before P-W answered with a 12-yard touchdown run by mason and the two-point conversion to cut Cross County's lead to 24-22.
Kory Ward made the play of the game for the T-Birds when he recovered a P-W on-sides kick and returned it 50 yards for the score with 5:05 to play, leaving the T-Birds in front 31-22.
Palestine-Wheatley scored once more with 45 seconds left in the game when Brad Barton hauled in a 47-yard pass from Kennedy and Elisha Duncan added the point after kick.
Rolandas Hill led Cross County's running game while Mason led P-W with 88 yards on 11 carries.
The Patriots will host rector Friday night while Cross County travels to Hughes.
Hughes defeated Rector 46-8 Friday to improve to 2-1 for the year and 2-0 in the conference.
Rector is 0-3 for the year.
In other 3AA Conference games played Friday, Walnut Ridge defeated Turrell 47-28, Salem edged Parkin 7-6 and Marked Tree rolled past Earle 36-8.
CONWAY -- The Forrest City Cross Country Lady Mustangs finished 10th Saturday at a high school meet held at Hendrix College in Conway.
In the 2.5-mile run, Tasha Batt finished with a time of 21:54 while Betsy Stone completed the course in 22:24. Krystal Long ran the event in 24:50 and Sara Bennett posted a time of 26:05.
It takes five runners to make up a cross country team.
It was the second meet of the season for the Forrest City team.
In the boys 3-mile run, Rickey Beard ran the course in 22:14 while Charlie Hamilton finished in 26:28 and Kyle Ervin had a time of 28:04.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
It was another long night for the Osceola Seminoles, compliments of the Forrest City Mustangs.
Led by Jeremy Holmes, Tony Jones, Antonio Patillo and Lafayette Smith, the Mustang defense held Osceola to 88 total yards Friday night which led to a 14-0 Forrest City victory at Sam Smith Stadium.
It was the Mustangs' second consecutive victory over Osceola and gives Forrest City a perfect 4-0 mark against the Seminoles in four meetings since 1975.
The Mustangs improve to 2-1 for the year and will start AAAAA-East Conference play Friday at Jonesboro.
The Hurricane are 3-0 following Friday's 33-9 win over Greene County Tech.
Forrest City won last year's game against Jonesboro 21-20.
A year ago, Osceola won the game on the field but was forced to forfeit the win after admitting they used an ineligible player.
The only other meetings between the two teams were in 1977, a 31-15 Forrest City win and in 1978, a 33-6 Forrest City win.
For the second consecutive week, junior tailback DeMarcus Sinclair carried the bulk of the Forrest City offensive load, rushing for 80 yards on 17 carries.
Kenyatae Chism finished with 31 yards and one touchdown while Smith finished with 50 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore fullback Larry Bean carried nine times for 37 yards. Daniel Echols carried only four times in the game, finishing with 25 yards.
Chism, starting for the second game at quarterback in place of injured senior Austin Easley, went the distance -- playing every down on offense and defense.
Jones led the Mustang defense with four solo tackles and helped out on four others while Holmes had three solo take downs.
So dominant was the Mustang defense, Osceola had minus two yards rushing in the third period and only four rushing yards in the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs delivered the first blow with 2:47 to play in the first quarter when Chism scored from two-yards out after Andrew Embry recovered an Osceola fumble and Sinclair picked up 39 yards on a third and 22 call.
The point after kick by Marico Beech was blocked leaving Forrest City in front 6-0 which held through the half.
Forrest City pinned Osceola down at their own one-yard line late in the third period which led to a Mustang safety when Jones tackled Osceola's Mario Barber in the endzone as the Mustangs stretched their lead to 8-0 with 2:10 to play.
Smith scored from three-yards out with 7:50 to play in the fourth quarter to give the senior tailback three touchdowns in two games.
The two-point try failed but the Mustangs led 14-0.
Chris James led Osceola (0-3) with 28 yards on 12 carries.
The Seminoles picked up 48 of their 88 total yards through the air.
The Mustangs finished with 210 total yards, all on the ground.
The adult men's fall softball league returns to action tonight at the Sports Complex with games beginning at 6 p.m.
Also beginning tonight is the Forrest City youth flag football league.
Three games will be played, at 6, 7 and 8 p.m., on Field 8, the high school baseball field.
The youth soccer season opens Tuesday night