HOT SPRINGS -- The competition was tough at the Class AAAAA State Track and Field Championships Saturday at Lake Hamilton High School.
Just ask Jonesboro's boys 3,200-meter relay team which entered the meet unbeaten this season, shaved two seconds off their fastest time -- and still finished fifth.
Fayetteville scored a tough 63 points to win the boys side of the meet while Little Rock McClellan held on to take home the girls' state title. The Bulldogs did not have a first place finish but was consistent enough in each event to put up 63 points.Camden Fairview finished second behind Fayetteville with 55 points while Little Rock Parkview held on for third.
The Forrest City Mustangs finished well back as did the Lady Mustangs.
The Jonesboro boys team won their first conference title in 25 years last week but could do no better than ninth on Saturday.
in the boys' meet with 34 points. Fayetteville didn't have a first place, but was consistent in each event to capture the state crown with 63 points.
The defending state champion Jonesboro Lady Hurricane came on strong late to finish seventh in the girls' competition with 37 points.
Jonesboro's Glenn Ritter and Leigh Ann Moore have automatically qualified for Wednesday's Meet of Champs at Lake Hamilton.
Forrest City's Eric Walker ran fifth in the 400-meter run in a time of 50.50. Walker won the 400 at the AAAAA-East Conference championships with a time of 52.21 to qualify for the state meet. Camden Fairview's Rod Coleman won the event with a time of 48.26.
The state record in the 400 is held by Little Rock Hall's Mike Clemmons who set the mark of 47.3 in 1985.
The Mustangs did not place in either one of the two relay events.
In the girls' competition, Walker's sister, LeJoy ran seventh in the 400-meter run in a time of 1:02.24. Springdale's Paige Farrell won the event in a time of 56.39.
Both Forrest City teams return the bulk of their squad next year. The Lady Mustangs lose two seniors as do the Mustangs.
Cabot's Jesse Williams missed setting a new state record in the discus but won the state title with a toss of 178 feet three inches. The state record is held by Crossett's Bobby McDaniels who set the mark in 1985 with a throw of 187 feet, 11 inches.
West Memphis' Sonny Weems flew 22 feet, 7-1/2 to win the long jump and took first in the high jump, clearing 6 feet, 8 inches.
Jonesboro Sophomore Drew Bell set an outdoor personal record, clearing 14 feet, two inches in the pole vault.
Lake Hamilton's Aaron Puckett cleared 14 feet, 10 inches to win the event. Both marks are well off the state record of 16 feet, seven inches set in 1988 by Lake Hamilton's Morry Sanders.
Bell could qualify for the Meet of Champs if the mark holds up.
Qualifiers for the Meet of Champs are the winners of each event (including first-place ties) at the state meet and the next best performance statewide, for a maximum of eight regardless of classification.
The Osceola Seminoles place second at Class AAA state track meet held Saturday.
DeQueen won the state title with 108 points while Osdceola finished with 64. Marianna finished 14 overall.
DeQueen also took home the girls' title, winning with 92 points over second place Nashville. The Osceola girls finished 11th.
Osceola track standouts Steven Davis and Indy Haynes each posted first-place finishes during Saturday's Class AAA state track and field meet, boosting each into Wednesday's Meet of Champs while helping the Seminoles complete an impressive effort on the day.
The Sylvan Hills Lady Bears put up an even 100 points Saturday to win the Class AAAA state title. Crossett was second with 83 points while Magnolia finished third.
Sylvan Hills will move back into the Class AAAAA classification in the fall and back into the AAAAA-East Conference, replacing Blytheville, which is dropping down to Class AAAA.
Sylvan Hills got first place finishes from Courtney Brown in the 100-meter in a time of 12.14 and in the 200-meter with a time of 24.99. Sadrina Shaw won the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 14.96 and then won the 300-meter hurdles posting a winning time of 45.94.
Sylvan Hills won the 400-meter relay (49.01) and the 1,600-meter relay (4:06.61).
Greene County Tech, Paragould and Wynne all finished well back in the boys side of the meet.
*Palestine-Wheatley's Rashun Barnes qualified for the Meet of Champs based on his performance last Thursday at the Class AA State Meet at Heber Springs.
Barnes won the triple jump event with a leap of 41 feet 6-1/2 inches, His personal season best was 43 feet nine inches.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Rains cut the USSSA 'AA' Open Tournament at Southaven, Miss. short over the weekend, but it didn't stop the Forrest City Fireballs.
The 13-year-old Fireballs team posted three victories in pool play which was good enough to earn them the overall 13-under championship.
Usually, the teams qualify for the consolation and championship rounds based on their records in pool play.
But the rains forced the cancellation of the championship round and the Fireballs were judged the winners based on head-to-head competition (3-0); fewest runs allowed (four) and the run differential -- runs scored vs runs allowed. While allowing only four runs in three games, the Fireballs scored a total of 14 runs.
The Diamond Cats from Baldwyn, Miss. were unbeaten in pool play at 3-0, but allowed six runs in three games as did the Ken-Tenn Cubs from Hickory, Kentucky.
The West Tennessee Vipers, from Huntington, Tenn., were 2-0 in the pool play but allowed seven runs in their two games.
Forrest City opened pool play Saturday by defeating the DeSoto Knights from Olive Branch, Miss., 4-1.
On Sunday, the Fireballs defeated the Collierville (Tenn.) Reds 8-2 and then held off the Southaven Pirates 2-1, but not before surviving a couple of anxious moments in the top of the seventh inning.
The Fireballs led 2-0 as Southaven came to bat in the top of the seventh.
With two outs and Southaven runners on first and second, the Fireballs misplayed a routine fly ball which allowed one run to score and leaving runners at first and third.
A stolen base put runners at second and third before Fireball pitcher Seth Smith got the final Southaven hitter to pop up. Even that turned into an adventure as two Fireball players failed to call each other off on the play, recovering at the last minute to make the catch ending the game.
Chance Pearson, Findley Scott Laws and Barrett Beshears joined Smith in handling the pitching duties in the three games.
Sixteen teams were entered into the 13-under division -- with the Fireballs as the only Arkansas-based team.
The Arkansas Concrete 13-year-old travelling team did not compete this past weekend at the AA Open, but will play in the Game Day Prospects Showcase tournament, May 21-23 at Southaven.
The East Arkansas Yard Dawgs (Widener) will compete in the 7-under "coach pitch" division while the East Arkansas Ridge Runners (Wynne) will compete in the 8-under "coach pitch" division.
Weather permitting, the Forrest City youth baseball and softball leagues swill resume play tonight at the Sports Complex, after being rained out last Thursday and taking Friday night off for area high school graduation ceremonies.
The adult men's and women's softball leagues are scheduled to open season play tonight as well.
Leagues scheduled to play tonight include the Minor (pitching machine) League; the Bambino 11-12s; Junior Babe Ruth; the 12-under and 16-under fast-pitch softball leagues and the adult slow pitch softball leagues.