CROSSETT -- Wynne was down but the Yellowjackets aren't out.
A banged-up Yellowjacket team traveled to Arkadelphia last week off its first two-game losing streak since 1997.
Injuries are often tough to overcome but Wynne makes its living on execution, experience and tradition -- and it paid off in the opening round of the Class AAAA state playoffs.
Wynne's defense shut down Arkadelphia and the 'Jackets came away with a 28-12 victory to reach the state quarterfinals for the seventh straight year.
Wynne had been there before and Cross County hadn't been there in a long time.
But the two Cross County schools will load up agains Friday for second-round playoff matchups against unbeaten teams this week.
Both games are set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The Yellowjackets will have their hands full with star fullback Ray Charles Tucker and unbeaten Crossett.
Fresh off an opening-round victory in its first playoff game since 1990, Cross County will take on 11-0 Rison in the Class AA playoffs.
Wynne will pound the ball out of its Diamond-T while the Eagles will counter with a heavy dose of Tucker and their Wing-T attack. It could be the quickest game of the state playoffs.
"We'll make the 10 o'clock news," Wynne coach Don Campbell said.
Campbell's Yellowjackets dropped back-to-back games to Vilonia and Batesville to end the season third in the AAAA-East but his squad responded with one of its best efforts of the year last week.
"We lost a couple in a row and we kind of challenged them to step up and play better," Campbell said. "We just had a better effort and the intensity level was the thing. You could just tell it before the game. We played with a lot more emotion and intensity."
The defensive backfield had been crippled late in the season but Wynne started getting healthy at the right time.
With the return of several injured defensive backs, Courtney Williams moved back to linebacker last week and helped the Yellowjackets' defense shut down Arkadelphia. The Badgers didn't snap the ball on Wynne's side of the field until the fourth quarter. Courtney Williams also made all five tackles on 'Jackets kickoffs.
Senior halfback Akeyon Reed rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Brian Johnston gained 82 yards on five carries with a pair of scores against the Badgers as Wynne built a 28-0 lead against Arkadelphia. Reed has now tallied over 1,200 yards on the season.
Crossett went through the AAAA-Southeast undefeated to earn the top spot, then whipped Morrilton 28-6 last week.
Tucker has run for over 1,600 yards on the ground behind a big offensive line.
*Some consider Cross County a Cinderella squad filled with overachievers. Others feel the Thunderbirds are a legitimate state title contender who should usually be considered the favorite.
Regardless of what the opinion is, the Thunderbirds are at the summit of an incredible 9-2 season, while preparing for their biggest test of the year in the Class AA state playoffs.
"We like being the underdog, but we've got a good team and people have underestimated us all season," CCHS head coach Steve Williams said while preparing for Rison, the undefeated champion of the 8AA conference.
The 11-0 Wildcats are coming off a 58-0 first-round shutout over Norphlet, one of five Rison victims unable to scratch the scoreboard during the 2003 season.
Cross County may attempt to manipulate Rison's lack of mass with powerful halfbacks Rolandas Hill and Kendole Boykin, who combined for 136 yards on a clock-eating 29 carries last week.
The T-Birds also mixed in a potent pass attack against Augusta,
as quarterback Aaron Bowles finished 3-for-6 through the air with
60 yards and two touchdowns.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
LITTLE ROCK -- Going into Wednesday's game against Russellville -- at the Heavenly Hoopfest tournament being played at Mount St. Mary's -- Forrest City Coach Sue Jayroe expected her Lady Mustangs to come out of the game with a 1-1 season mark.
It didn't quite work out that way.
Russellville out-rebounded the Lady Mustangs and took advantage of a sluggish Forrest City second half to post a 57-37 win, leaving the Lady Mustangs at 0-2 for the year.
Forrest City lost the tournament opener Monday to Mount St. Mary's.
The team will play North Pulaski Saturday at 3 p.m. for seventh place. North Pulaski lost to Jacksonville Wednesday afternoon.
"We got killed on the boards," Jayroe said. "Mostly because we didn't block out..we let ourselves get blocked out."
The Lady Mustangs led 15-11 after the first period but found themselves locked in a 20-20 tie at the half.
Russellville grabbed the lead in the third period and led 38-25 to start the fourth, out-scoring Forrest City 18-to-5 in the third.
The Lady Mustangs had just 18 rebounds for the entire game and junior forward Sequoria Grady had seven of that total to go along with her seven blocked shots and eight points.
Trina Wynne led the Lady Mustangs with 16 points while Torrie Willis added eight and Viveca Kimble, who was in foul trouble early, scored just three points.
Before the ladies return to Little Rock on Saturday, the junior varsity Lady Mustangs will host Marianna Friday night at Mustang Arena ina three game set that also features the JV Mustang boys and the varsity Mustangs.
Tip-off for the Friday night affair will be 5 p.m.
The Lady Mustangs will face Pulaski Academy on Saturday, Nov. 29, in an exhibition game at the Rumble on the Ridge tournament to be played at Mustang Arena.
The Forrest City Grocery/Rumble on the Ridge basketball tournament is scheudled to begin on Thanksgiving Day at Mustang Arena.
But Wednesday night (Nov. 26), individuals from the eight Rumble teams will compete in the Three-Point Shootout/Slam Dunk Contest which willbenefit the St. Francis County Food Pantry and the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter.
Admission to the Wednesday event will be two cans of food or a $1 donation to the FCA. The fun begins at 7 p.m.