FAYETTEVILLE -- A 14-foot bogey putt that teetered on the cusp of the cup had enough momentum to fall into the hole and enabled El Dorado to take the girls Class AAAAA state championship from defending-champion Fayetteville Tuesday at Fayetteville Country Club.
Medalist Elizabeth Wells, 4-over 75, made the decisive putt on the third playoff hole. The freshman seemed to will the ball to the hole, and when the putt fell she howled and gave a Tiger Woods-inspired fist pump. Teammate and medalist runner-up Laura Beth Bevill, 7-over 78, made the win official with a short tap-in putt.
Forrest City sophomore Katie Ramsey finished with a 113 over 18 holes and finished 40th overall out of 72 entries. Among the 18 AAAAA-East entries, Ramsey finished fourth. She ended the regular season with a sixth-place finish in the AAAAA-East Conference tournament after coring a 99 at Big Creek Country Club in Mountain Home last week.
"Katie represented Forrest City very well," said Golf Coach Wally Rauth. "I was very impressed with her effort Tuesday considering the fact that we were playing in the worst weather conditions we've seen all season. It was cold and raining and miserable, but she came through like a trooper."
The three-hole playoff was needed to determine the winner after El Dorado and Fayetteville both posted team totals of 255 on a cold, raw day that only old Tom Morris could appreciate. Wells and the senior Bevill represented El Dorado, and senior Natalie Beach, who fired an 80 in regulation, and freshmen Hannah Lavy were the principals for Fayetteville.
Bentonville finished outside the fray, but its 284 total was tidy enough to garner third place. Sophomore Britney Caudle, 89, and freshman Britny Brauburger, 91, finished in the top 11 and earned all state honors.
Jonesboro Lady Hurricane juniors Hannah Martin and Lauren Copenhaver both fired 93s to lead Jonesboro to a sixth-place finish at the Class AAAAA girls' golf state championship Tuesday at Fayetteville Country Club.
Martin and Copenhaver's scores were good enough for 10th in the individual standings and earned them all-state honors. Evelyn White shot a 119 to round out Jonesboro's scoring in the play-5, count-3 format.
LITTLE ROCK -- The state's big high schools get much of the attention when sportswriters and broadcasters vote in the weekly poll, but the spotlight this week belongs on two 7AA-West schools -- Dierks and Spring Hill, both unbeaten and preparing to face each other Friday night.
The winner would have to completely fall apart over the next three weeks to miss this year's playoffs. The loser likely will still make the final 32, but either team would like to win a conference championship.
Dierks, 6-0, has made the playoffs the past two years after finishing as high as second in 7AA-West. The Outlaws finished in a tie for fourth three years ago but missed the playoffs on a tie-breaker.
Three years ago, Spring Hill was just wrapping up its first season of football. The players who started the program at the Hempstead County school are seniors this year.
Spring Hill is 5-0-1 in its third year of varsity ball. The Bears were 1-9 overall and 1-7 in their first season, 3-6 and 3-4 last year and are 3-0 in conference play this year -- the same as Dierks.
In conference play, Dierks and Spring Hill have had two common opponents: defending champion Gurdon and Fouke. Dierks has victories of 12 and 24 points, respectively, while Spring Hill's were by 15 and 9.
Friday's game should have a playoff atmosphere about it. Dierks has experience in bigger games, but the game is at Spring Hill.
Springhill gets the call 22-18.
*A snake-bit Morrilton team, described by its coaches as the best 1-5 team in the state, takes on Greenwood at home Friday night. Greenwood entered the AP Class AAAA rankings at No. 4 after beating Vilonia 57-42.
If Morrilton had scored 18 more points at opportune times during the season, the Devil Dogs could be 4-2.
This pick comes with the flip of a coin. Really.
Greenwood in a squeaker 24-23.
*Other predictions have No. 1 Springdale 42-10 over Bentonville and No 2. Little Rock Central over Little Rock Parkview 23-0 and No. 3 Fayetteville 24, FS Northside 21. It's No. 4 Bryant 26, LR Hall 6; Harrison 28, Alma 20; No. 6 Sylvan Hills 34, Forrest City 22; Pulaski Robinson 18, Hope 12; No. 8 Pine Bluff 24, El Dorado 1; No. 9 Jonesboro 14, West Memphis 13; No. 10 North Little Rock 24, LR Catholic 9.
In Class AAAA, it should be Wynne 24, Batesville 21
In Class AAA, Central Arkansas Christian 48, DeWitt 6; (2) Booneville 42, Waldron 12; (3) Nashville 36, Glen Rose 16; (4) Rivercrest 24, Osceola 22; (5) Ashdown 12, DeQueen 8
In Class AA Rison 44, Hermitage 12; No. 3 Palestine-Wheatley 22, Des Arc 16.