By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Mike Bender is burning the candle at both ends these days.
As athletic director for the Forrest City School District, Bender is trying to fill coaching vacancies, make sure next year's athletic schedules are in place while keeping up with new and improved state mandated measures and policies.
That's during the school day.
His hectic schedule continues after he goes home each afternoon. He has just moved his son from Fayetteville to Forrest City just a few short months after he and his wife purchased a new home and moved for the second time since coming to Forrest City.
"This is supposed to be the time in my life when I should be slowing down a bit," Bender said in a recent telephone conversation with a long-distance buddy. "I get home and spend the evening moving furniture and carrying boxes."
Bender's most pressing concern right now is trying to fill two head coaching positions and one assistant coaching position.
The head coaching job for both the junior high boys and girls basketball teams are vacant as well as the junior girls' assistant slot.
Those two vacancies occurred when long-time junior boys' coach Jimmy Williams stepped down following the recently completed season and junior girls' coach Jacky England was elevated to become the new Lady Mustang basketball coach, replacing Sue Jayroe, who resigned her coaching duties in March.
Williams, who was set to retire after this year, passed away last week.
"I have a short list for both head coaching positions," Bender said. "I have it narrowed to two in each case and I hope to make an official announcement as early as next Monday or Tuesday."
Other than those vacancies, Bender said at this point, he doesn't foresee any other changes in the Forrest City coaching ranks.
"As far as I know, we are going to keep everyone in the same slots as we had them in last year," Bender said. "Now that can always change, but right now that is how things appear."
Bender said he hopes to keep Jayroe in a coaching position with the sixth and seventh-grade girls' basketball program. Plans also include making Jayroe of P.E. coordinator for grades K-12.
"We are working to get that in place," Bender said. "Coach Jayroe has been working with the seventh-grade girls and she does an outstanding job. And she wants to continue in that area. We need to find her some help. With 60-to-70 girls in that program, she needs the help."
Bender said the district is making a concerted effort to make the district's seventh-grade athletic program "better is every area."
"We have to find the right people for the seventh-grade boys basketball program and we are working toward improving the seventh-grade football program, as well. That is our focus right now," Bender added.
If that wasn't enough to make a day complete, Bender said the Mustang Arena floor will be resurfaced and refinished this summer and the district will be making improvements to the home side bleachers at Sam Smith Stadium.
"The arena floor is yellowing just a bit and we want to restore it to like-new condition," Bender said. "At the stadium, we made some improvements last year, with new fencing and touching up some other areas. We're just trying to make the stadium as safe as we can with the limited funds that we have available to work with."
And the days, for Bender, at least, just keep getting longer.
For the fourth consecutive year, the North Little Rock Charging Lady Wildcats will be playing for the Class AAAAA state softball championship.
North Little Rock held off Fayetteville 4-3 Wednesday at Kevin McReynolds Complex in Sherwood to advance to Saturday's game at Fayetteville.
North Little Rock (28-4) will face Benton, which it beat for the 2001 state title.
North Little Rock also won in 2002 before finishing second last season.
Fayetteville (26-7) was trying to get to its first-ever state championship game. By making it to Wednesday's semifinal game, Fayetteville had advanced farther than any previous Lady Bulldog girls' softball team.
North Little Rock went up 3-0 early in the game before Fayetteville battled back to cut the lead to 3-2.
North Little Rock made it 4-2 in the fifth inning but the Charging Lady Wildcats left the bases loaded and couldn't get the hit to open their lead any farther.
Fayetteville made it 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning and threatened to tie the game in the seventh before running out of outs.
*Benton scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to snap a scoreless tie, lifting the Lady Panthers to a 1-0 win over Texarkana.
Benton will face North Little Rock Saturday for the Class AAAAA state title.
*At Pine Bluff, Kyla Smoot, Courtney Winters and Gina Hodges had two hits each to lead Viola past Taylor 4-0 and into Saturday's Class A state championship against Lockesburg.
Lockesburg downed Concord Wednesday.
*In Class AA state softball tournament play, Horatio advanced to the state championship game by taking a 7-6 win over Elkins on Wednesday.
Hortatio will face defending Class AA champion, Benton Harmony-Grove Saturday at 9 a.m., at Fayetteville.
The Lady Lions (20-15) used an RBI double in the top of the sixth to break a 4-4 tie to take the lead and then added two more runs.
Elkins (26-10) rallied in the bottom of the seventh but fell short in their winning bid.
*Benton Harmony-Grove shut out Greers Ferry Westside 1-0 Wednesday.
Charlie Dyer laced a single up the middle to score Jessica Neighbors for the winning run with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning.
It was only the third hit allowed in a complete-game performance by starter Chris Barnum of the Lady Eagles (22-2 ), but Jessie Warford's one-hit shutout sent Benton Harmony Grove (22-4) into Saturday's championship game.
There were no results available from the Class AAAA state softball tournament or from the Class AAA state tournament.
Batesville was scheduled to play either Harrison or Marion in AAAA action with that winner taking on either Hope, Alma, Vilonia or Crossett.
In Class AAA, Ashdown and Booneville were scheduled to play Wednesday as were Farmington and Nashville.
North Little Rock High School sports fans will have their plates full on Saturday.
Not only is the North Little Rock girls softball team playing for a state title, so is the boys' Charging Wildcat baseball team.
The Charging Wildcats defeated Bentonville 10-6 Wednesday in the Class AAAAA semifinals played at Benton.
North Little Rock will face the Bryant Hornets (31-2) at 7 p.m., Saturday.
Bryant turned back Little Rock Central 6-1 in Wednesday's other semifinal game. Central ends their season at 25-8.
It was the third time this season that Bryant has defeated Central.
North Little Rock took a 5-0 lead in the first inning against Bentonville Wednesday, but it wasn't until sophomore Evan Cox connected for a grand slam home run that the Charging Wildcats were able to celebrate a trip to the state finals.
Bentonville ends the year at 23-8 and were playing in the semifinals for the fourth consecutive time.
In Wednesday's Class AAAA state tournament at Little Rock Mills, Greenwood defeated Magnolia 5-1 while Sylvan Hills downed Marion 8-4. Sylvan Hills will return to Class AAAAA in the fall. White Hall slipped past Arkadelphia 7-6 and Batesville faced Harrison but results were not available.
In Class AAA state play, Warren ousted Pulaski Oak Grove 4-3; CAC defeated Gosnell 7-4; Ashdown defeated Gravett 5-4 and Pulaski Academy shut out Rivercrest 10-0.
In Class AA play it was BIC 3, Lafayette 1; Glen Rose 11, Norphlet 6 and in Class A baseball. Armorel defeated Fort Smith Christian 7-3.