By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Unbeaten West Memphis West brings their show to Sam Smith Stadium tonight to face the Forrest City White Junior Mustangs.
West is 3-0 for the year and shares the conference lead with Jonesboro Annie Camp, also 3-0.
Forrest City White picked up their first win of the season last Thursday, defeating Jonesboro McArthur to stand at 1-2. McArthur is winless at 0-3.
Other games tonight have Forrest City Blue (2-1) playing on the road at Blytheville and unbeaten Annie Camp hosting West Memphis East.
McArthur steps out of league play tonight to host Mountain Home while West Memphis Wonder has an open date.
All of the scheduled games will kickoff at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, the Forrest City seventh grade Mustangs will host Wynne at 9 a.m. while the White eighth-grade Mustangs will play Wynne at 10:30 a.m., at Sam Smith Stadium.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Mustangs and the Jonesboro Hurricane have a lot in common headed into the AAAAA-East Conference opener Friday at Jonesboro.
Both teams have been extremely stingy on the defensive side of the football.
The Hurricane, 3-0 for the year (and for the first time since the 1992 season) lead the league in fewest points allowed through three games -- 16 while the Mustangs are third in the league in the same category, allowing just 34 points in three games. It should be noted that 28 of that total was by Wynne in Forrest City's opening game 28-7 loss to the Yellowjackets.
Sandwiched in between the Hurricane and the Mustangs are the Jacksovnille Red Devils, also 3-0 after allowing just 28 points in their first three games.
Forrest City, Jonesboro and Jacksonville have each pitched one shutout so far this year.
The East's other unbeaten team is newcomer Searcy.
Besides giving up the 28 points to Wynne in the opener, the Mustang defense allowed 224 total yards in that game.
The unit rebounded against Marianna giving up just 107 total yards and then last Friday, holding Osceola to just 88 total yards of offense.
Of those totals, 283 of the yards have come on the ground against the Mustang defense while 136 yards have been through the air.
Seniors Roosevelt Lattimore, C.J. Allen, Tony Jones, Marquis Hunter, Anthony Atwater, Antonio Patillo, Lafayette Smith and Devin McLaurin have led the defensive charge so far for the Mustangs along with juniors Chevelle Wilson, Jeremy Holmes, Bryan Smith, Michael Boyd, Leo Drone, Terrance Williams and Kenyatae Chism.
For the Hurricane, it's the senior leadership on the defensive side of the football which has many of the league coaches touting them as having the strongest defensive unit the program has had since it changed hands four years ago.
Jonesboro starts 10 seniors on defense. The only player starting on JHS' defense that isn't a senior is sophomore cornerback Johnny Hutson.
In three games, Hutson is second on the team in solo tackles with 18 and leads the team in assists with 16. Hutson also has two sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
"If you look at the starters, we have 10 seniors on defense," JHS coach Jim DeVazier said. "Most of them have been there before. And, I think we're a little quicker, a little faster than we have been in the past. This probably is the best defense we've had in the four years I've been head coach. We have a lot of seniors and we're just more athletic than we've been."
A victory over Forrest City Friday night would give the Hurricane a 4-0 record for the first time since 1982.
The Hurricane defense is allowing just 141.7 yards offense a game while the Mustangs' defensive unit is allowing just 139.2 yards. Opponents are scoring just 5.3 points a game against Jonesboro. Forrest City's defense is giving up just over 11 points per game.
Opposing offense aren't finding much success through the air or on the ground against JHS.
The Hurricane is allowing just three yards a carry while opponents are 6-of-20 passing for 41 yards, including three interceptions.
JHS middle linebacker Donald VanPelt who led the team in tackles last year with 82. He is on track again this season with with 25 tackles.
Jonesboro opened the season with a 37-0 thrashing of New Madrid County Central. The Hurricane went three-and-a-half more quarters before it surrendered its first touchdown of the year the next week in a 20-7 victory over Wynne.
Jonesboro's defense has also provided some offense, as well. JHS cornerback TaDarelle Calloway scooped up a fumble against Wynne and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown while safety Will Hollis returned an interception 47 yards for a TD against Greene County Tech.
Forrest City's defense recorded a safety against Osceola.
"Our defense is playing now just like we have been trying to get them to play since summer drills started," said Forrest City Coach Donnie Willis. "Our philosophy on both sides of the football is simple, 'if you play hard on every down, good things will happen.'"
Right now, good things are happening for the Mustangs.
Kickoff at Cooksey-Johns Field Friday is 7:30 p.m.
Although the first-round matchups for the 2002 Rumble on the Ridge basketball tournament are still tentative, it appears the Forrest City Mustangs will open agains either Barbe High School (Lake Charles, La.) or Ouachita High School (Monroe, La.) on Thursday, Nov. 28, at 6:30 p.m.
Tournament Director Bill Baxter said he hopes to have the first-round games set in a day or two.
* MEN'S FALL SOFTBALL
Thursday, September 26
Morgan vs Young Guns, 6 p.m.
M&T Paving vs Gym 2000, 7 p.m.
Section 8 Youth vs Wynne Sports World, 8 p.m.
Marion Performance vs Barnes Timber, 9 p.m.
JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL
Thursday, September 26
Salem at Hughes
WMemphis West at FCity White, 7 p.m.
FCity Blue at Blytheville, 7 p.m.
Palestine-Wheatley at Walnut Ridge, 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 28
Wynne at Forrest City (7th) 9 a.m.
Wynne at Forrest City White (8th) 10:30 a.m.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Friday, September 27
AAAAA-East
Forrest City at Jonesboro
West Memphis at Blytheville
Mountain Home at Jacksonville
Cabot at Searcy
3AA Conference
Cross County at Hughes
Rector at Palestine-Wheatley
Turrell at Salem
Earle at Walnut Ridge
Parkin at Marked Tree
YOUTH SOCCER
Thursday, September 26
Bullets vs Tigers (9-under) 6 p.m. F4&1
Iguanas vs Flames, 10-13, 6 p.m. F2
Sting vs Rockets, (9-under), 7:15 p.m., F4&1
Grizzlies vs Thrashers, (10-13), 7:15 p.m. F2