By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
MARION -- The Forrest City Lady Mustangs opened their 2003 track season Monday by taking part in a practice meet held at Marion.
And while no official times or places were given out, Forrest City Coach Lewis Etheridge said he was "pleased with the first outing."
Forrest City will compete in their first ribbon meet on Thursday when the senior girls and the senior boys run at West Memphis.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us," Etheridge said. "But I think with what we have returning from last year and a few new faces, we will be all right."
Jessica Perkins unofficially finished third in the 100-meter run Monday, finishing with a time of 12.7 while Sara Bennett ran the 1,600 meter event in a time of 7:35.
Chikisha McDaniel, Caronica Randle, Melissa Humphrey and Perkins combined to run the 400-meter relay in a time of 55.1 while Emily Harris, Bennett, Lakeda Doolittle and Krystal Long teamed up for the 3,200-meter relay, running the event in a time of 12:48.
Humphrey finished first in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 18.5
In the field events, Perkins led the way in the long jump with a leap of 15 feet 5 3/4 inches while McDaniel cleared 13 feet 11 inches. Randle jumped 13 feet while Glenisha Williams leaped 11 feet four inches.
Randle cleared the bar at 4 feet four inches in the high jump.
In the shot put, Harris and Secoyia Phillips had throws of 27 feet while Keisha Pimelton had a toss of 24 feet.
Harris had a throw in the discus of 80 feet while Phillips finished at 44 feet 5 1/2 inches and Pimelton was close behind with 43 feet eight inches.
The Mustangs also competed Monday at Marion, the team's second outing of the season. The Mustangs took part in a practice meet last Thursday at West Memphis.
"They didn't keep score at either of the two meets," said Forrest City Coach Jeff Hudson. "It just gave us an opportunity to run on a track and get times ve competition."
Hudson has several returning lettermen to anchor the 2003 Mustang track team -- Kelton Hamlin, Daniel Echols, Andrew Embry, Quinton Thomas, Justin Jones, Kenyatae (Tae) Chism, Brian Smith, Chevelle Wilson, Tyrone Lewis and Terrence Cook to go along with some talented newcomers which include Kerry Perkins, Ricky Beard, LaCody Braddock and Marquis Hunter.
Hudson said through the two practice meets, Chism has set the pace in the sprint events running an 11.1 at West Memphis and an 11.27 Monday in the 100-meter.
Chism also had a 22.6 in the 200-meter. Hamlin, Perkins, Braddock and Smith all posted good times in the 400-meter event while Beard and Josh Charles Freeman are coming on in the 1,600-meter.
In the relay events, Hudson has Chism, Echols, Wilson and Embry together in the 400-meter and Beard, Smith, Hamlin and Thomas paired in the 3,200-meter.
Hamlin, Perkins, Smith and Braddock have been working together in the 1,600-meter event.
Wilson, Lewis, Chism and Jones will also compete in the field events such as long jump and high jump. Cook and Hunter have been looking good early in the shot put.
The Mustangs and Lady Mustangs will run Thursday in the first ribbon meet of the season at West Memphis.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
BARTON -- On Friday, the Barton Bears nailed down a 9-2 win over the Hughes Blue Devils in high school baseball action.
Monday, the Bears handed the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots an 11-3 setback in four innings.
Clyde Kennedy got the start for the Patriots (0-2 overall 0-1 conference) and gave up nine of Barton's 11 runs, although not all nine were earned runs. Kennedy struck out seven in three innings before giving way to his younger brother, Adam, a lefty.
Adam Kennedy worked the one inning and gave up the final two Barton runs while striking out three and walking five.
Barton opened a 4-0 lead over Palestine-Wheatley after one inning and the Patriots never recovered.
"We didn't hit the ball too well," said P-W Coach Dan Cockrell. "We had far too many strikeouts."
The Patriots went down on strikes 10 times during the game while collecting only three hits and taking advantage of five walks.
Josh Dover, Derrick Cooper and Adam Kennedy scored the three P-W runs -- all in the fourth inning.
"It's tough when you give up four runs early and then go four innings before putting up any runs," Cockrell said.
Cockrell started Cody Boileau at catcher, who gave way to Josh Wilson later in the game.
The Patriots, weather permitting, are scheduled to host West Helena today for a nonconference doubleheader beginning at 3:30 p.m., at the PWHS field.
Meanwhile Hughes also stands 0-2 for the year after an opening season loss to Riverside last week.
The Blue Devils, weather permitting, will play at Cross County today, beginning at 4 p.m.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Mustangs named three players to postseason honors following a successful season which saw the team finish fourth in the AAAAA-East Conference and qualify for the Class AAAAA State Tournament.
Senior guard Kerry Evans was named to the All-State team while junior forward Lorenzo Spearman and senior guard Omar Davis were named to the league's All-Conference team.
In addition, Evans received the second highest point total in voting for the All-Star Game representative, finishing second to Searcy's Tym Edwards.
"I have tremendous respect for this team and especially this senior class," said Forrest City Coach Dwight Lofton.
"The seniors have shown outstanding resolve and excellent leadership to get us to the state tournament."
Lofton, in his seventh season at Forrest City, ranked Evans as one of the finest individual players to come through the Mustang basketball program.
"I would put Kerry into the same category as Daffy Norment and Mike Rogers as far as seniors being impact players go," Lofton said. "And I have to give all kinds of credit to Omar, who transferred to Little Rock Fair and then came back and had to work his way back into the lineup, which he did. He was a major factor for us during the stretch run that got us into the state tournament."
Lofton also singled out senior post player Roosevelt Lattimore, who helped spell Deangelo Braddock during the season and became quite an impact playter late in the season and senior Anthony Bean, who was a starter the first half of the season and then lost his job to Davis.
"Anthony hung in there for us," Lofton said. "Even though he spent a lot of time on the bench he remained an integral part of the team. He kept a positive attitude.
"This team and these seniors have made my job much easier and they will stand as an example for future senior classes," Lofton added.
The Mustangs finished 11-14 overall and 8-6 in the AAAAA-East Conference this season, a turn-around from last year's 3-21 season.
The Mustangs lost to fourth-ranked El Dorado in the first round of the state tournament 64-60 after winning five of their final six conference games to qualify for the state tournament.
SEARCY -- The Searcy Lady Lions shut down the Forrest City Mustangs 10-0 Monday in fast-pitch conference softball action at Searcy.
Pitcher Erica Ledbetter fired a two-hit shutout over the Lady Mustangs issuing one walk and striking out seven batters.
Searcy plated seven runs in the second inning and then added two runs in the fifth and a single in the sixth to post the win.
The Lady Mustangs had just two hits in the game.
Forrest City's only two hits, both singles, came from Alicia Kennedy and Jessica Long.
The Lady Mustangs committed four errors.
Forrest City will trave;l to West Memphis for a conference doubleheader today at 4 p.m.