By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Hughes Blue Devils are living on the road these days.
Friday, the teams played a conference game at Gillett and on Saturday, the Blue Devils made the trip to Lepanto to play East Poinsett County.
Today, the Blue Devils continue their string of road games when they open play at the 2004 HUG Chevrolet Classic at Charleston.
The Blue Devils will face Danville today at 5:30 p.m. and then will go against Parker's Chapel Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.
Hughes will break for Christmas and return to action on Dec. 30 at Wynne.
While only the Hughes boys are entered into the Charleston tournament, both the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots and Lady Patriots are playing at Charleston.
The Lady Patriots, coming off a road trip to Humphrey Friday, will open against Charleston, ranked No. 2 in Class AA, tonight a 7 p.m.
The Lady Patriots improved to 6-1 Friday with a 56-43 win over Humphrey, helped by a 25-point fourth period.
Both teams were deadlocked at 17-17 at the half.
Fallon Parker led P-W with 24 points while Whitney Smith had eight points and Tonisha Wynne and Bernice Sparkman had seven points each.
P-W will be without starting point guard Cara Lansford against Charleston tonight due to a death in the family.
The Patriot senior boys will follow at 8:30 p.m., when they will take on the host team, Charleston. P-W defeated Humphrey Friday night 67-58.
Saturday night, at EPC, Hughes held off the defending Class AAA state champions 65-54.
Ten different Hughes players scored led by sophomore Kevin Brown with 14 points and junior Marcus Washington with 10.
The Blue Devils, 6-2 for the year, led at the half by a score of 39-32.
Friday at Gillett, the Blue Devils kept their 6AA conference record spotless by taking a 69-45 win over the Wolves.
Twelve players helped lead the Blue Devils to the win, paced by Jerry Jackson's 20 points.
The Devils pressured Gillett into 21 turnovers while committing 13 themselves.
Hughes grabbed 16 offensive rebounds as a team.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Forrest City senior defensive end and center D.J. Banks was named to the Class AAAAA All-State Football team which was announced on Friday.
Banks, at 5-1, 200 lbs, played large for the Mustangs this season, with 30 solo tackles on defense while causing one fumble and recovering another.
Banks' 30 tackles was fourth on the Forrest City team.
Jonesboro High School placed cousins Cowan and Johnny Hutson on the All-State list as well while Sylvan Hills named six players to the team, LB/TB Hezekiah Smith; TB/C Kaming Kareem; LB Kevin Hubbard; DT Sean Richardson; QB/C Arthur Cooley and DE Tony Harris.
West Memphis also named six to the All-State team, QB Vick Brown: OL Zack Fenter; DE Jeremiah Wallace, DB Marquette Williams; DB Corey Davis and LB Jesse Gregory.
Mountain Home and Jacksonville each named two players to the team while Cabot named four.
Palestine-Wheatley senior brothers, Fred and Antonio Leak were named to the Class AA All-State team.
The Leak brothers led the Palestine-Wheatley to a share of the 6AA Conference title this year and to the quarterfinals of the Class AA state playoffs for the second consecutive year.
Fred Leak started at quarterback for the Patriots and three for more than a 1,000 yards and at linebacker led the team in interceptions.
Antonio led the team in rushing with 1,450 yards carrying the football 149 times.
Leak scored 17 rushing touchdowns for the Patriots, which finished at 9-3.
Wynne, the Class AAAA state champions, named five players to the Class AAAA All-State team led by RB/DB Courtney Williams; OL/DL Cord Gray; DL Lee Walker; DB A. O. Collins and LB Terrance Garrett.