By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Hughes head coach James Wright is thinking about the start of summer football drills next week.
For now, however, Wright and his coaching staff are cleaning up and repairing damage left from last week's strong thunderstorms and straight-line winds which whipped through the county.
The storm took a section of the gym roof off, knocked down the scoreboard at the football field and left the field house damaged.
"It left the field house in a mess," Wright said. "We are just now at the point of being able to get things back inside and ready for next week."
Everything is in the process of being repaired and by the time next Wednesday rolls around, Wright will be ready to start putting his Blue Devils through some light drills.
"We'll work out in shorts the first three days," Wright said. "We'll put on the pads on Monday (Aug.11). Last year, we started early and by the season opener, the kids were almost burned out."
Wright doesn't need or want that to happen this season. Just like last year, his Blue Devils are the preseason favorite to win he 3AA Conference title.
The team just missed last year, finishing second behind Marked Tree, but went on to reach the quarterfinals of the AA state tournament, losing to Junction City.
A year ago, Hughes had just dropped from AAA down to AA, which may have played a major part in having them as the favorite to win the league.
This time around, however, the pick is based solely on last season's accomplishments and a solid core of returning players.
Wright has the talent and the experience to make another trip deep into the playoffs.
"It all depends on whether or not they want it," Wright said. "If they do, it's there for them to have."
Wright is beginning his sixth season at Hughes.
His "Single Wing" no quarterback offensive set has become a fixture at Blue Devil Stadium and it will remain that way.
It was Wright's Single Wing offensive that gave the Blue Devils the distinction of being the highest scoring team in the state for most of last season.
The Blue Devils were averaging more than 40 points per game.
However, there is a new spin to Wright's game plan this season -- a new defense.
"We're putting in a new defense," Wright said. "It's not complicated, it's just a little different. We had some let downs on defense last year and there were times when we didn't have the right personnel on the field on defense. That's going to be corrected this year."
Wright will have alongside him on the football field this year, John Bateman, Bert Greenwell, Jason Carmichael and Steve Maynard.
Bateman and Greenwell made the season ride last year while Carmichael is new to the Hughes staff this season and Maynard returns to Hughes after spending last season at Newark.
Brad Brannon, the boys' basketball coach for the past two seasons, resigned that position in May. Carmichael will take over those coaching duties as well while Bateman returns to coach the junior and senior high girls' basketball teams.
The Blue Devils will open the year on Sept. 5, when they host
Barton.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Just call the Forrest City Colts state champs.
The 15-under Colts recently won the Mid America Youth Basketball (MAYB) Summer Showcase held in Little Rock in mid July and with it, the MAYB state title.
The Colts, comprised of all eighth-grade players from Forrest City and Madison, finished the year with a 43-6 record and three tournament titles under their collective belts.
The team ended the year with a dazzling run -- the team's second full season as the Colts -- winning their final 27 games.
Along the way, the Colts defeated not only other Arkansas teams, but teams from across the United States as well.
They finished second in the Basketball Congress International (BCI) State Tournament and qualified for regional and national play.
The Colts won the MAYB Battle on the Bluff held in Memphis and the Jonesboro Invitational in late June before running unbeaten through the Showcase tournament.
"We beefed up our schedule this year," said Casey Baxter, who coaches the team along with Murray Cline. "Last year we didn't play as many games. We knew going into this season we needed to play at a higher competition level and the kids came through. They were unselfish and they worked hard."
Arkansas State University Indians basketball coach Dickey Nutt echoed Baxter's statement, after seeing the team at Jonesboro.
"This group of kids just got better and better each time they played," Nutt said.
Baxter said he and Cline hope to keep the group together for another year.
"They found out what they are capable of doing and they know that while they had a lot of success this year, there are still plenty of challenges out there for them to conquer," Baxter said.
Baxter said he hopes to get the team into national competition next year.
"We've tried to build a good team and a good program and we've tried to do it the right way," Baxter said. "We have good kids. We haven't had any trouble from anyone."
The Colts team included Marcus Britt, Stephon Weaver, Terrell
Lee, Kelson Stewart, Rylan Nimocks, Wilson Parker, Heath King,
Hollis Nichols, Jeremy Washington, William Mitchell, David Holmes
and Terry Woods.
The District 1 Southwest All Stars, made up 16-18-year-olds from Hot Spring, Clark and Grant Counties, finished third at the Big League Regional Tournament, played recently in Biloxi, Miss.
Ricky Barkley, formerly of Hughes is the team manager and Rob Holter is the coach.
The team won the state championship on July 19, to advance to the regionals which included state champions from Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Mississippi.
The All-Stars defeated the New Mexico and Oklahoma teams.
The All Stars lost the final two games to the first and second place teams East Texas, the tournament winner and Louisiana, which finished second.
Registration for the Forrest City Recreation Department's fall league softball, youth soccer and youth flag football leagues begins Monday, Aug. 4.
Youth fees for the youth soccer program, ages 4-16, are $15 per players living inside the Forrest City city limits and $25 for youths living outside the city.
Individual fees for the flag football league, ages 6-11, are 420 for in-town players and $25 for out-of-town players.
The team fee for the adult men and co-ed fall softball leagues are $250. The same team entry fee applies to the new 14-under girls' fast-pitch softball fall league, which is being formed for the first time.
Coaches in the 14-under fast-pitch league and the adult leagues can pick their own players.