By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Tonight, in the middle of Patriot Stadium, the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots will play the biggest football game in the history of the school.
The sixth-ranked Palestine-Wheatley Patriots (11-1), the No. 1 seeded team from the 3AA Conference will host the second-ranked Barton Bears (11-0), the top-seeded team from the 6AA Conference.
Tonight's game is the biggest game since the Patriots hosted their first-ever state playoff game against Altheimer in 1997.
It is the first meeting between the two teams since Barton administered a 55-0 thumping in the first round of the 2000 Class AA state playoffs.
Different year, different teams, different setting.
The Patriots have plenty of weapons this year and a very big and solid offensive line.
Palestine-Wheatley leads the state in total offensive yards, averaging more 400 yards per game. They have an abundance of backs with an over-abundance of speed, led by senior Brad Barton, who has run for 1,300 yards this season.
Junior quarterback Fred Leak can do it with his feet and he can do with his arm.
But are the patriots ready for this?
Head Coach Terry Farmer, who has taken the Patriots to the playoffs each year since taking over as head coach, says emphatically "yes."
The Patriots finished the regular season as co-champions of the 3AA, sharing that title with Hughes and Cross County.
Hughes, the No. 2 seeded team into the playoffs, travels to Junction City tonight for a third-round game while Cross County lost last week to Rison.
The Patriots defeated Hazen in the first round of the playoffs two weeks ago 52-20 and defeated Pea Ridge 34-14 last week, in a game that Leak took over in the fourth period. Leak finished with 213 rushing yards and three touchdowns in that wild affair.
Barton has beaten Earle 45-0 and Gillett 54-16 last week to get into tonight's quarterfinals.
The difference may lie in the past series history between the two teams as well as the past playoff history.
Barton, owner of numerous state titles, expects to win every time they step onto the field.
Both Farmer and long-time Barton coach Frank McClellan agree that tonight's game will be nothing like past matchups.
Meanwhile, the Blue Devils make the same trip tonight they made this time one year ago.
Tonight's quarterfinal matchup against No. 3 Junction City is a repeat of last year's quarterfinal matchup.
Seventh-ranked Hughes is hoping for a different ending tonight. Last year, Junction City slapped Hughes 56-0 to end their season.
Scoring big numbers has become common-place for Junction City this season. Until last week's second-round playoff game against Lafayette County, each of the Dragons' games this season have been completed under the "mercy rule" which allows the clock to run continuously in the second half after a team has taken a lead of 35 points or more.
Hughes (10-2) defeated Carlisle in the first round of the playoffs and defeated Mountainburg a week ago.
For the second straight week, Hughes is facing a team nicknamed the Dragons.
Against Mountainburg last week, senior tailbacks Andre Walker and Ayodele Ogunsakin combined for more than 400 rushing yards and scored six of Hughes eight touchdowns.
The Blue Devils may be catching Junction City at the right time. The Dragons were held to just 21 points against Lafayette County and suffered six turnovers.
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Provine, Miss. used a 12-2 scoring run to close out the final four minutes of the first half to take a 71-59 win over the Forrest City Mustangs Thursday as the seventh annual Rumble on the Ridge tournament opened play at Mustang Arena.
The first-round loss leaves the Mustangs at 1-2 for the year and sends them into today's 6:30 p.m., game against Hoover, Ala. The best the Mustangs can hope for in the tournament is a fifth-place finish.
It is the second time that Hoover and Forrest city have been matched up in the tournament.
Hoover took a 59-39 win over the Mustangs in the 1998 Rumble and went on to reach the finals, losing to Grissom, Ala.
Provine's 5-10 senior guard Charlie White led the way for the Rams in the win over Forrest City.
White poured in 27 points and set a new Rumble on the Ridge record for free throws attempted and free throws made by one player in one game.
White went to the foul line 20 times and hit 17 of those to break the old record of 19 free throw attempts set last year by Prentiss' Al Jefferson. The 17 made free throws broke the record of 13 held by Dwight Boatner (Barbe, La.) also set last year.
Fourteen of White's made free throws came in the fourth period.
As a team, Provine nailed 24-of-28 free throws while the Mustangs hit just 4-of-11 from the line. The 24 Provine free throws tied the tournament record for free throws made by a team in one game.
"We out-shot them from the field, we just didn't get it done at the foul line," said Forrest City Coach Dwight Lofton.
The Mustangs were 27-of-60 from the floor while Provine was 22-of-46.
Forrest City senior nearly matched White's scoring effort, finishing with 25 points -- 13 of that coming in the fourth period. Nick Grady and Roy Lee Parker each finished with nine while Buck Braddock had six.
Provine's William Jones helped with 15 points while Derrick Thomas and Derrick Smith added 12 points each.
The Mustangs, who have lost their last seven Rumble games, stayed close in the first half, trailing just 13-10 to start the second period.
The Rams went up by six points with 5:41 to play but Forrest City got it back to 20-19 when Maurice Lowe hit one of two free throws with four minutes to play.
The Rams went on the 12-to-2 run and led 32-21 at the half. Provine stretched that to 47-34 at the end of three periods.
The Mustangs cut the Provine lead to eight points, 65-57 with 2:02 to play in the game on a three-pointer by Nick Grady. That was as close as the home team would get as Provine closed out the scoring with a 6-to-2 run.
In other tournament games played Thursday, the West Memphis Blue Devils defeated John Carroll, Ala. 64-54 using 13 points from 6-5 senior guard Clarence Weems, who also won the slam dunk competition held Wednesday night. Quentin Furlow and Desma McCoy each chipped in 11 points while Reginald Fulton added nine, Eric Stuckey had eight and Cortex Jefferies had seven.
The Blue Devils, the defending AAAAA-East conference champs, led 19-125 after a close first period but then used a 23-10 second period to lead 42-25 at the half.
DeMarre Carroll led John Carroll with 20 points while Brian Murphy had seven.
The Blue Devils will play Denham Springs, La. today at 3:30 p.m., in the first of the two winner's semifinal games.
Denham Springs got 28 points from the nation's top ranked junior, Tasmin Mitchell which helped the Yellow Jackets to a 74-58 win over Bradley Central, Tenn.
Mitchell had help from teammates Jeremy Thomas who had 17, Jarred Mays who had 13 and D.J. Thomas who finished with 10.
Justin Hare led Bradley Central with 23 points while Kellen Pickel and Chris Brown added 11 points each.
Bradley Central faces John Carroll today at 5 p.m. while Denham Springs faces West Memphis at 3:30 p.m.
Bradley Central led 21-14 after one period and 37-31 at the half before the Jackets outscored the Bears 22-to-7 in the third to lead 54-44.
In the final game played Thursday night, the state's Class AAA two-time defending champions, Pulaski Academy (Little Rock) had little trouble against Hoover, Ala., winning 75-44.
P.A. led wire-to-wire, jumping out to a 6-0 lead and rolling to a 35-12 halftime lead.
Samuel Munsey led the bruins with 25 points while senior guard Buddy Harding added 16 and Justin Long had 14.
Pulaski Academy got points from 10 different players in the game and out-shot Hoover from the field, hitting 31-of-55 attempts.
Trey Hampton led Hoover with 20 points.
Hoover faces Forrest City today at 6:30 p.m. while Pulaski Academy will take on Provine in a winner's semifinal at 8 p.m.