By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Palestine-Wheatley assured themselves of another home game Friday by turning back Cross County 46-6 in the first round of the Class AA state playoffs.
Playing at Patriot Field, No. 4 seeded Cross County encountered too many 'Leaks' against the top-seeded Patriots.
With Palestine-Wheatley's leading running back, senior Brad Barton in street clothes on the sidelines, the Leak brothers --quarterback Fred and running back Antonio -- took the game over. Barton was still recovering from a knee injury suffered the previous week against Hughes.
Fred Leak ran for three touchdowns and passed for another. He hooked up with his brother for three, two-point conversion passes following touchdowns. Antonio Leak had 17 tackles and three quarterback sacks while senior tailback Rashun Barnes had one rushing touchdown and caught one touchdown pass from Leak.
Fred Leak finished with 106 yards on seven carries.
The win means the Patriots will host Lavaca, a 39-0 winner over Hector, in Friday's second-round game at Patriot Field.
A second-round win over Lavaca will put the Patriots on the road for a possible third-round game at Rison, 48-0 winners over Camden-Harmony Grove Friday.
Lavaca finished 9-1 overall and 7-1 in the 1AA Conference this season.
Hughes, the No. 3 seeded team from the 6AA Conference polished off Earle 48-0 on Friday and will play at Arkansas Baptist in their second round game Friday. Arkansas Baptist finished 8-2 overall and 8-1 in the 4AA Conference to clinch the league title.
Harding Academy, the 6AA's second seeded team will play at Dierks Friday.
Barton, the 6AA's fourth seed, fell to East Poinsett County 40-30.
At Patriot Field, Fred Leak started the scoring with a 35-yard run with 7:31 to play in the fist quarter and his pass to brother Antonio for the two-point conversion left the Patriots up 8-0.
Cross County answered with 3:44 left in the opening period with a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Broyles to Patrick Jones.
Antonio Leak stopped the two-point try by the Thunderbirds and Palestine-Wheatley nursed the 8-6 lead through halftime.
The third quarter belonged to the Patriots who scored 24 unanswered points.
Cross County took the second half kickoff and moved across midfield before having to give up the ball on a fourth and long. Antonio Leak's quarterback sack of Broyles set up the Patriots at the Cross County 24 yard line. Fred Leak needed one play to start the scoring barrage, running for the 24-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half for the Patriots. The two point play put the Patriots up 16-6.
The Thunderbirds lost the handle on the kickoff return and Palestine-Wheatley's Elijah Duncan recovered the fumble setting up P-W at the Cross County 36. Again, Fred Leak needed only one play to increase the Patriots lead, going the 36 yards in one play. A holding penalty brought the touchdown back and put the ball at the Cross County 31.
On second and six, after senior Rashun Barnes was stopped for no gain, Leak found Barnes all alone for the 31-yard touchdown pass with 6:35 to play. It was brother-to- brother for the two-point play and a 24-6 lead.
Following a Palestine-Wheatley fumble, recovered by the Thunderbirds, P-W's Elijah Duncan made yet another big play, intercepting a Cross County pass and returning it 34 yards for the third touchdown of the quarter with 2:17 to play.
The brother act worked again for the two-point play and a 32-6 lead which carried into the fourth quarter. In possession of the football, following an interception by Adam Kennedy, the Patriots went on to add to their lead in the fourth period.
Fred Leak made it 38-6 with a six-yard touchdown run on the first play of the final period.
Elijah Duncan picked off another Thunderbird pass, his third of the game, which led to the final P-W touchdown.
Barnes, who had played sparingly in the first half after injuring his ankle early in the game, put up the final Patriot points on a long touchdown run with 7:41 to play, taking the handoff from backup quarterback Brad Zamora and sprinting to the end zone to invoke the mercy rule and the continuous-running clock for the final seven minutes of the game.
*Marcus Washington ran for five touchdowns to lead the Hughes Blue Devils to a 48-0 shutout win over Earle Friday night.
Four of Washington's touchdowns came in the opening quarter on runs of eight, 22, 52 and 54 yards. He finished with a jaw dropping 291 yards on 15 carries.
Hughes, which has advanced to the Class AA quarterfinals for the past two seasons, will play at top-seeded Arkansas Baptist Friday in a second-round game in Little Rock. It will be a first-time meeting between the two teams.
"The whole team was firing off and doing what they had to do," said Hughes Head Coach James Wright. "The offense has been firing off the ball for the past five weeks and it makes a lot of difference when we do that."
The Blue Devils went into the half leading 34-0.
Blue Devil running back Kendrick Smith scored the team's final touchdown on a nine yard run late in the fourth quarter.
Earle was led offensively by Moriale Toombs' 66 yards on eleven carries.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
First-year Forrest City Lady Mustang coach Jacky England will find out a little more about his team tonight.
The 2004-05 version of the Lady Mustangs, featuring eight seniors, will open play at the Mount St. Mary's Heavenly Hoops girls basketball tournament in Little Rock.
Forrest City will take the floor at 7 p.m., against El Dorado.
"Right now, all I can tell you is that we are as ready as we can be," England said. "It's going to be tough facing a team that already has played three games."
That would be El Dorado, winners of their own Simmons First/Lady Cat Classic Tournament, played last week. El Dorado defeated Fordyce 67-46 in Saturday's final and stand at 3-0 for the year.
"El Dorado may be the best team in the Mount St. Mary's field," England said.
El Dorado's Ashley Harrell, who signed with Southern Mississippi Saturday, is El Dorado's leading scorer but is nursing an ankle injury.
The Lady Cats' have depth in Julie Smith and Haley Belin, both summer transfers from Union, who combined for 28 points in the finals. Against Fordyve, 11 players scored for El Dorado.
England put his Lady Mustangs through a light drill on Sunday and handed out uniforms.
"I hope to go and play well, and not get embarrassed," England said. "We have eight seniors and I will start four of them tonight."
The four starting seniors, Sequoria Grady, Shari Rogers, Torrie Willis and Nicole Parker will join junior LaShundra Rogers on the floor.
Other first-round game today have Sylvan Hills taking on Watson Chapel at 4 p.m.; Russellville against Jacksonville at 5:30 p.m. and MSM vs North Pulasik in the late game at 8:30 p.m.
A Forrest City win today brings the team back on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. A Forrest City loss today brings the team back on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
They will face, in either instant, either Jacksonville or Russellville.
The tournament concludes Saturday.
On Friday, the Lady Mustangs will host Marianna in the home opener which also features the senior boys team.
*The Forrest City Junior Mustangs are scheduled to open the season Thursday, Nov. 18, at Earle.
*The Palestine-Wheatley Junior Lady Patriots, senior Lady Patriots and Patriots will open the season Tuesday by hosting Cross County.
The Junior Patriots defeated Cross County 51-17 in the finals of the Wheatley invitational Tournament played Saturday.
Raphael Williams, the tournament MVP, led the Junior Patriots with 16 points while Orlandon Watson added 12 and Rodrick Allen helped out with 10 points.
The Junior Lady Patriots lost in the finals to unbeaten Brinkley 51-23.
The P-W junior girls got six points each from Deadra Inbram and Shaquita Leak.
*Hughes is scheduled to play at Earle Tuesday night, but there is the possibility that the game could be postponed to a later date, since Hughes is in the football playoffs.
Calvary Christian School opened it's prep basketball season Friday night by hosting Pathway Christian School from Blytheville.
The Calvary Lady Eagles won their opener against pathway, 59-40 and were led by Ashley Austin's 18 points and Katie McNair's 17 points. Meredith Borden chipped in 12 points while Katie Hornbeak, Amber Hart and Hannah McMahand each added four points.
Calvary led 17-3 after one period and 31-11 at the half.
The Calvary Eagles opened with a 66-60 win over Pathway.
Kyle Smith led the Eagle with 30 points and 10 rebounds while Jason Cantrell had 15 points and six rebounds. Trey Baldwin had 10 points and Seth Smith added four points and had six assists in the victory.
The Eagles led 16-14 after one period and 31-27 at the half. Pathway stayed close, at the end of the third period, trailing 45-42.
Tuesday night, Pulaski County Homeschool will play at Calvary in an elementary boys game at 6 p.m., followed by the varsity girls and boys. On Thursday, Calvary will host the Christian Home Educators from Jonesboro.