By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
It took only the first eight minutes for the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots to put away the Rector Wildcats last Friday.
But they went on to finish the game.
At the end of those first eight minutes, the Patriots led 34-0. They ended the game with a 69-0 3AA conference win.
"Believe me, we were not trying to run up the score," P-W Coach Terry Farmer said. "In fact, we were doing all we could do not to score. But with just 23 players, there's only so much you can do and we have been playing 21 kids regularly all season."
The 69 points was more than the Patriots scored as a whole in their first three games of the season.
The 69 points also moved the Patriots to the top of the 3AA Conference as the new offensive leaders with 137 points through four games or 34.1 points per game. Hughes, last year's league leader in points scored is second in the offensive stat, tied with Earle with 136 points through four games.
Farmer said the lop-sided score gave his players "the chance to have some fun and the chance for us to work on some base plays."
Each of the 23 P-W players got to play -- a lot.
The big win also gave Farmer the chance to rest starting quarterback Fred Leak for most of the game.
"Fred really got beat up the week before in the loss to Cross County," Farmer said. "So he needed some time to heal and we need him to be 100 percent."
Another area that pleased Farmer in the rout over Rector was the fact that his Patriots did not fumble the ball one time. Against Cross County, the Patriots put the ball on the ground seven times.
Farmer takes his team on the road for the second straight week Friday, when the team travels to Walnut Ridge.
P-W is 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the league, while Walnut Ridge is 1-3 overall and 1-2.
Farmer is quick to point out the Walnut Ridge record doesn't indicate how potentially tough the team can be.
"Walnut Ridge is much bigger and much better than Rector," Farmer said. "They don't have the speed that some of the other league teams have, but they will be a test for us. Plus, it is a road game and anytime you can win on the road, it is a good thing."
Farmer said he thinks the loss to Cross County, a team which is still very much in the race for a postseason playoff spot, brought his Patriots back down to earth.
"This group of kids have had a lot of pressure put on them by people to be 'the' team," Farmer said, "Then to lose one at home the way we did against Cross County, made them sit back and think. They need to. Walnut Ridge always has a good game plan and they always change their look to keep us guessing. We have to be ready."
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Forrest City Mustang Coach Donnie Willis will coach the remainder of the football season and the rest of the year "under probation."
Willis was given an official "letter of reprimand" earlier this week by the Arkansas Activities Association, for his postgame comments about the officiating by the crew that worked last Friday's Forrest City home game against Jonesboro.
The Mustangs lost the game 14-7 with help from the officiating crew which, as the game film clearly showed, missed several calls during the game including calling back two Forrest City touchdowns.
The reprimand is standard procedure by the AAA following public remarks "which are deemed critical by the state's high school governing body."
"I guess I have to be a good boy for the rest of the year," Willis said Thursday. "This is the first time I've ever been reprimanded by the AAA, so I'll take it and live with it and abide by it. I don't agree with it, but I understand and that's fine."
A copy of the game tape, with several of the calls and no-calls highlighted, has been sent to the AAA for review.
Forrest City Athletic Director Mike Bender said earlier in the week that the school is filing a "formal complaint" with the AAA about the officiating crew that worked the game and asked that the crew not return to Forrest City.
Willis said the Mustangs, who play at Searcy Friday, had good practice sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday and said the players are "choosing to step over the events which occurred on the field last Friday and move on."
"We have to continue to chase our goals," Willis said. "We need to move forward and finish strong."
The Junior Golf Championship was played recently at Ridgecrest Club signaling the end of the summer junior golf program which had 39 participants this year. The championships included a "Big'un and Little'un" tournament. The winners are shown below in the following photos.
11-12-Year-Old Boys: Baker Aldridge finished first while Joey Bonds was second and Jared Northcutt placed third.
13-15-Year-Old Boys: Cody Flowers placed first, Mack Gaskin was second and Kyle Ramsey placed third.
11-Under Boys: Kendall Lee was first in the division, Tyler Clark was second and Ben Dickey placed third.
11-Under Girls: Marina Swanson placed first, Jamie Downey was second and Kristen Heard took third place.
12-15-Year-Old Girls: Maggie Howard finishing first, Sara Dickey placing second and Bethany Doler was third.