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Which Section of the State Runs High School Football?

By: Cade Carlton

Football season is rapidly approaching, with the beginning of the season slated for kickoff on August 24. The closer football season gets, the more we begin to have the conversation about which conference and which team is better, especially at the college level. So, instead of writing a piece on why the SEC is or isn’t better than the Big 10, I choose to keep it local and look at the best sections of the state in high school football.

The argument will go off the last three years, and for the purpose of this article, we’ll focus on 5A-6A. In the next segment, we’ll take a dive into Class 2A-4A. The stipulations we’ll look at in this article are:

·         State Championships won

·         Regular season record

·         Strength of conferences top to bottom

Let’s start first with the eastern part of the state. Over the course of the last three seasons, the 5A-East has seen three teams win 10 or more games in football. Over the course of the last three years, five teams from the 5A-East have made the Final Four, and two years ago, Wynne played for a state championship. Last season, the 5A-East was the strongest conference in the 5A, and maybe the state, with Nettleton, Wynne and Batesville all combined for 31 wins and two of three made the state semis. While the conference has been gaining momentum over the course of the last few seasons, one thing that hurts them is the strength of the conference from top to bottom. Since the 2015 season, 12 teams in the conference have finished with a record of .500 or below, making it a four-horse race for the playoffs almost every year. 

Now, let’s examine the 5A-Central football conference that boasts arguably the best team in the 5A, year in and year out. The 5A trophy has gone to Pulaski Academy the last three seasons. The Bruins have won a total of 41 games in that span, but how strong is the conference outside of them? Only six teams not named PA have finished with seven or more wins in the Central since 2015, and only two teams have advanced to the state semifinal round of the postseason. So, is the conference really strong, or do they just happen to have the best team in the state?

As for the 5A-South, there always seems to be three solid teams at the top every single year. Over the course of the last three seasons, the top three teams average eight, seven and six wins, respectively. The biggest strength of the 5A-South is that there is no one team that runs the conference like there is in the Central, and for the most part, the East. Over the course of the last three seasons, there have been three different conference champions, and this past seasons champ-Watson Chapel-didn’t even qualify for the playoffs in 2015. While the conference has an argument for being the most completive in the 5A, they’ve only sent one team to the state semifinal round since 2015. So, can the conference be considered strong if it consistently fades out in the postseason?

Now, let’s go over to the western part of the state and look at the 5A-West. After Little Rock Christian Academy’s deep run in 2015, the 5A-West has been fairly mediocre as a whole. They haven’t made it out of the second weekend once, and over the course of the last two years, the conference champion has won 6 and 7 games, respectively. Compared with the other three conferences, the West looks to be the weakest. 

If we base success solely off championships, then obviously the 5A-Central is the best conference in the state, but if you throw in wins, state playoff runs and straight of conference top to bottom, the 5A-East has a very strong argument. 

Now, we’ll shift to the 6A to close out this article, where the divisions are almost even. We’ll start with the east, which has featured three different conference championship winners since 2015. Four teams in the conference have tallied 10 wins or more in a season, and five teams have advanced to the state semifinals, including two playing for a championship. The East has one championship under its belt, thanks to Pine Bluff’s win in 2015. Although the East is usually strong at the top, it does have a bit of a depth issue. For the last three years, two teams have finished with two or fewer wins at the bottom of the conference, and the 4 seed has been mostly made up of teams that are .500 or below. Despite that, the conference still has teams like Pine Bluff, Jonesboro and Searcy, who always seem to be competitive, and both the west and east have placed the same number of teams (6) in the semifinals since 2015.

On the other side of the coin, the west has taken the last two state championships. Four teams have finished the season with double digit wins, while Greenwood has gone a combined 37-2 since the start of the 2015 season. Despite the fact that Greenwood has a hold on the league, much like PA does on the 5A-Central, the division has shown it’s depth over the last three seasons, as Greenwood is the only team to finish top-3 in the conference in multiple years. Much like the East, there is a huge drop-off at the bottom of the conference. Outside of Greenwood, the conference is very similar to the east, they just happen to have a dynasty. Does that make them better than the east? Perhaps. But, let’s not forget both divisions have sent six teams to the semifinals in the last three years, and the state championship is just 2-1 in favor of the west. 

Every year is the same for football in the natural state. No matter how much success teams in the east have, they can never seem to get the recognition that teams in the west and central get, but maybe it’s time to look up and see that there is no one dominant division in the 6A or 5A. 

NEA Tournament….Is Change Coming?

By: Ryan Fletcher

            The Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament is the annual tournament that all of our local fans look forward to.  Folks from around the area will take off work to spend a day out at First National Bank Arena with the opportunity to watch some of the top talent play.  The tournament often presents opportunities to see unlikely matchups with teams from different conferences and classifications pitted against one another.  Sometimes you get lucky to see some of Northeast Arkansas’ top rivals faceoff in a key matchup deep into the tournament.  It’s an event that is a tradition that needs to carry on for years to come.  However, as the game has changed, the tournament has not.  Multiple administrators, coaches, and fans have clamored for much needed change for many years but those changes have fallen on deaf ears.  The committee has stuck to their guns over the years, but that may all change come this December.

            Multiple suggestions have been made over the years.  In the past, the NEA tournament hasn’t had the competition it faces now.  Teams have opted to find tournaments in other parts of the state along with more local tournaments coming into competition with the NEA Tournament.  The Bad Boy Mowers Classic is the latest edition to the new local tournaments that have come into play.  That specific tournament has been named after a long time NEA legend Ronnie Brogdon.  Ironically, Brogdon sits on the NEA Tournament committee.  This tournament, like many others, offers teams more guaranteed games.  Trumann, Rivercrest, and Manila all rallied together to head to Highland leaving the NEA Tournament in the dust.  Supposedly, the primary reason was the guarantee of at least three games, win or lose.  The NEA Tournament Committee has always countered that if you win you will guarantee yourself games.  However, upsets occur and so do down seasons.  The idea that a team could play their first tournament game in mid-December, get beat, and not play again until the start of the new year is not good for teams.  It’s time to guarantee games and move away from the archaic idea that “we are going to keep it the same because that’s the way it has always been!”

            Something that fans would love to see more is a change in seeding.  In recent seasons, the tournament has been split up into two divisions in both boys and girls.  Those divisions have been separated mainly by classification/school population.  That often separates some of the tournaments top teams and creates an imbalance in competition.  A prime example would be the Bay Yellowjackets.  They have won four state championships over the course of the last eight years.  They are clearly a top team in the Northeast Arkansas Region.  However, their classification puts them in the lower division.  Why seclude great teams to the lower region only to trounce teams in the first two rounds.  Why have Nettleton play in the upper division and face teams in the first and second round that they will also destroy?  The first round and often the second round has become so unbearable to watch as games are so lopsided.  If you want to truly make it a tournament of champions, you dump the present alignment and seed the entire tournament from top to bottom.  Forget hurt feelings! 

            Another suggestion has been the location.  I will be the first to admit that it is very cool to house the event in the biggest gym on the eastern side of the entire state.  The “Convo” seats around 10,000.  The facility not only makes it a sports event, but it makes it a social event for the student athletes, coaches, and fans.  Honestly, I would hate to see it moved, but the good folks at First National Bank Arena charge an arm and a leg renting the place out on a daily basis.  On top of that, the tournament committee has to work their schedule around Arkansas State basketball and their home schedule.  If you are going to guarantee more games, can you then play all of those games in its present location?  The arena charges rent on top of getting all of the money from the concession stands.  Valley View and Brookland have recently built extra-large state of the art facilities, and of course Don Riggs Hurricane Gymnasium is another top facility that could house the tournament.  From a financial and logistical stand-point, would it be such a bad idea to move the tournament?  With the move, it creates the possibility of having more games and far more competitive games.  Personally, I want to see the tournament stay where it is, but it is high time the arena works with the committee in terms of cost and/or generating income (concessions).  

            In March of this year, the committee invited all of the area coaches out to meet about proposed changes that could occur.  The newest idea was to create three divisions in which the tournament committee would place each team into one of the three divisions and base it solely on how good each team was in that given year.  With that being said, once the committee makes a determination, schools will have an opportunity to appeal whether or not they should be in a higher or lower division.  This idea is splendid!  It gives fans what they have clamored for in terms of seeing far better games in nearly every round.  It also allows schools the chance to move up or down if the committee feels they are deserving.  Could seeding get political? Absolutely!  However, when coaches seed a bracket, politics often play a role and sometimes teams get a poor seed because of it.  

            Another intriguing proposal was to have a two-game guarantee.  This is something that has needed to occur for quite some time.  It’s is something that has caused many teams to find tournaments in other locations.  While there are some coaches in opposition to it, I don’t envision teams dropping out of the tournament if they were forced to play in a consolation bracket.  This is simply a no brainer.  I am sure many of these consolation games wouldn’t attract big crowds; however, the tournament has got to find away to bring the teams back that they have lost over the years.  Paragould, Greene County Tech, Manila, Trumann, Rivercrest, etc. are schools that should be in it every year.  Hopefully this guarantee would bring them back where they belong.  In addition, this tactic could possibly bring in some other schools from outside of the NEA area.  How fun would that be to see other top teams from other parts of the state traveling to play in the most popular tournament in our region and in Arkansas.  

Finally, because there is a two-game guarantee, there is simply no way all of the games can be played at the First National Bank Arena.  Therefore, it was proposed that another school or schools would help host these added games.  However, teams that go deep into their consolation bracket can work there way back into playing in the arena which is an added incentive.  I previously mentioned some potential places.  Brookland School District actually hosted the meeting that was held in March.  Could it be possible that this is the location where the consolation games will be held?  Sources close to NEA Sports have indicated that Brookland is the top candidate to be the added host.  They certainly have the facility for it.  

I think it is safe to say that the NEA Tournament is headed in the right direction.  It certainly has taken a while, but it seems changes are ahead.  While it’s only July, I for one cannot wait to see our top local talent play in a newly structured system that should leave fans on the edge of their seats.   

The Problem with Youth Sports.

By: Cade Carlton 

            We’ve all heard it before, the constant chatter of “my child is the next Lebron or Tom Brady or Mike Trout” and so on and so forth. Even at an early age, the pressure is on kids to succeed and perform at a high-level night in, night out in their respective sports. We’ve put so much stock in youth sports that it leads to burnout from great athletes before they reach the high school level.

            According to a study from 2017, there were over 36,000,000 kids that participated in youth sports, while the number of athletes participating in high school sports nationwide is just below 8,000,000. Yes, there are a number of kids that drop off because they aren’t talented enough to compete at the high school level. But, there are also a number of kids that drop off because they’re burnt out. The two major sports that see athletes drop due to fatigue are basketball and baseball, because they are played all throughout the summer months.

            Let’s examine the game of baseball first. In addition to playing in the spring, the hardcore baseball players pick it up in the summer as well. Not only do they play anywhere from 30-40 games in the spring, some are also playing 40 games in just June and early July with summer ball. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say you play 70 games from February 15th to July 15th. That’s 70 games in a roughly 150-day span, which averages out to be right at a game every two days. At ages 15-18, most youth baseball players are playing an MLB-like schedule once the summer months begin. 

            Now, we’ll shift to basketball. Unlike baseball, you do have some time off in between regular season ball and summer ball. When looking at a summer schedule, you may think it doesn’t look like much, as most teams typically only have 4-6 tournaments lined up to participate in. But, when you dig into the tournaments and look at the brackets, there isn’t just two-three games played, and then everybody heads home. In most every AAU tournament, you begin by playing a couple games in the preliminary round, a game in your bracket, and then move on to the semifinal and final rounds. Most weekends you’re talking about 5-7 games in a three day or fewer span, and that’s before we throw in travel time because very few of these AAU tournaments are played in Jonesboro. 

            The dynamic of youth sports has evolved from a good time for athletes, playing a sport they love, to a business if you are talented in said sport by age 15. Putting a spotlight on young kids and putting pressure on them to succeed at such an early age also results in injuries. According to a study conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control, more than 3.5 million kids under the age of 14 suffer an injury playing youth sports every year. Over half of those injuries are caused by overuse and fatigue. 

            My proposal is not to end youth sports and leagues like AAU and American Legion Baseball. I firmly believe youth sports are very important to the development of youth athletes. My proposal is to limit the number of games young athletes are playing early on. Children aged 13 and below should play no more than 30 games in a respective sport over the course of a calendar year. That includes their middle school games and their summer leagues. Until you walk through the doors of a Junior High School, playing over 30 games in respective sports seems a bit excessive.

            My last proposal to help better youth sports is to prevent kids under the age of 13 from lifting weights. That, more so than anything else, leads to injuries at a young age. Entering a “strength training” program before your muscles have fully developed is a very dangerous way to try and get ahead in your respective sport. According to a study that was conducted by Dr. Paul R. Stricker, the most common injuries from beginning a strength training program at a young age are: herniated disks in the back, muscle strains and tears, bone fractures, growth plate injuries, and cartilage damage. 

            Most of the injuries listed are hard for professional athletes to recover from much less someone who isn’t fully grown.

            Youth sports are essential to the development of athletes in all sports, but it seems to me that starting out going 100 miles per hour isn’t the best solution. Sometimes more isn’t the best option.

NEA Basketball Officials a Dying Profession?

By: Ryan Fletcher

            Over the course of the last several years we have seen more and more high school basketball officials either retire or simply leave the profession.  It is an issue that many local officiating veterans have expressed concern about for quite some time.  As the veterans get older, Northeast Arkansas (and really the entire state) isn’t seeing younger guys step in to the role of being a referee.          This past season, KAIT’s former sports director Jason Hurst did a segment called “Out of Bounds.”  He did an excellent job and brought an interesting perspective to the table in regard to why high school officiating in Northeast Arkansas might be a dying breed.  The main focus was on poor sportsmanship being shown by our local fans.  Additionally, he added that the newest aspect of poor sportsmanship carries over on to social media after a game. 

            While I thought it was a great segment, I agreed with about 25% of it.  Bad sportsmanship, angry parents, irate coaches, and your typical crazy fans that are “well known” have been around forever.  Absolutely nothing has changed in that regard.  For every bad, unsportsmanlike event that an official can bring to the table from this past season, I can assure you that I can find a similar story from previous decades.  As the old saying goes, “you can’t fix ignorance.”  

            I did partially agree with the portion about the added aspect of social media.  Facebook has become a way for fans to continue to bash officials after a game has ended.  With that being said, it is typically the same people every night that are doing the bashing.  For those specific individuals, if their team loses, it is always the officials fault and after they have berated the officials during the game you can make a sure bet they will head to social media when they get home.  I can always expect that to be the case around 10:00 p.m. when I have heard a certain team has lost.  While I do agree that it is ridiculous that folks want to bash officials online, again you can’t change the unchangeable.  However, Facebook Co-Founder Mark Zuckerburg created the block button for a reason.  On top of that, online bashing has been going on for years.  Fearless Friday and Topix are places that folks have gone to in the past to wreak online havoc.  I agree Facebook is more accessible and far more instant than the online technology of old, but it is still the same thing that has been around for quite some time.  

            So, if I disagreed with K8’s reasoning for a lack of local officials, then what is the real problem?  To me that answer is very simple.  It is the pay!  Should a local high school referee be able to quit their day job because officiating night games is that lucrative? No, I am not saying that.  However, something is wrong when baseball, softball, volleyball, and football pay better.  Additionally, something is even more wrong when you can earn more money officiating three elementary basketball games in one night than you can a junior and senior high basketball game.  By the way, in both instances I know of multiple officials that either referee elementary games or officiate the other sports but refuse to do junior and senior high basketball.  There are some great officials out there that we are missing out on.

For the record, I have spoken to officials, coaches, and athletic directors around the area.  The pay scale for officiating a junior high basketball game is typically $35 with some schools paying $40.  Senior high games paid between $40 and $50.  The typical number I kept hearing was $35 for junior high and $45 for senior high which led to an amount of $80 per night.  That is simply not nearly enough to put up with what these guys endure on a nightly basis. 

            Let’s start with the pay in the other sports.  Softball pays anywhere between $100-$110 if an umpire works a seven-inning game followed by a three-inning junior varsity contest.  A seven-inning double header would pay around $135.  Volleyball pays anywhere between $115-$135 dollars per night depending on the number of matches.  It should be noted that there could be 5 matches in a night but the dollar value is still higher.  In football our local officials make anywhere between $85 to $110 per evening.  Every local sport pays more!  Might you spend an extra 30-60 minutes calling volleyball or football games?  It’s possible.  Then again you might get out quicker because there are certain nights when basketball officials are at the gym from 5:30 to 9:30 depending on the type of game they have called. 

            What I find even more laughable is that a guy that purchases an Arkansas Officials Association card can referee three elementary basketball games at $30 per game and make more than the licensed high school official that has been to training camps in the summer and has been in the business for years.  Am I saying elementary officials should be paid less? Heck no! They put up with all kinds of stuff.  However, they are typically out of the gym quicker, have a much smaller crowd, and typically don’t face the ridicule that our high school officials face.  

            So, if I am a young guy wanting to get into he officiating business, why would I pick junior and senior high basketball?  Or if I’m going to officiate basketball why would I not pick elementary over the higher levels?  In either scenario you get paid better!  It is simple arithmetic.  What’s the answer to get younger and even better officials on the court?  To me the answer is obvious.  It is time to pay up! Whether that means raising the price of admission (hello Arkansas Activities Association) or our athletic programs profiting a little less, it’s time to make a change because the bottom line is that if you don’t have referee’s then you won’t have a basketball game to play. 

NEA Sports Announces Annual Scholarship Winners.

By: Ryan Fletcher

            NEA Sports Media received over 60 applications this year for its two annual scholarships.  A committee through NEA Sports narrowed the list of applications down to 13 finalists.  The 13 finalists were placed into an online voting contest through the company’s website and the NEA Sports Facebook page allowing the fans to cast their vote for who they believed was most deserving of each scholarship.  The list was then cut to eight finalists as they were brought in for interviews as the final step to the process.  Over $3,500 were awarded to five of the finalists.  

The first scholarship known as the Brian Stallings Memorial MVP Scholarship is a yearly scholarship valued at $1000.  The scholarship honors former Riverside Rebel Brian Stallings and the life he lived while battling cystic fibrosis.  The award is given to the most deserving candidate that has persevered through various obstacles in life while being an upstanding citizen along with being an outstanding student athlete on and off the court/field.  The scholarship is open to any type of student athlete that competes in an accredited sport sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association.  Previous first place winners of the scholarship include: Caleb Reinhart (Manila, 2015), Brandon Clifford (Paragould, 2016), and Taylor Layne (Bay, 2017).  Runner-up winners include: Synteria Ward (East Poinsett County, 2015) and Travon Cobb (Buffalo Island Central, 2016).  This year’s scholarship was sponsored by Fat City Apparel in Jonesboro, Arkansas.  

The winner of this year’s scholarship was Riverside Lady Rebel Brittney Sain.  Sain impressed the committee while garnering the most votes through the NEA Sports website.  Brittney put together an impressive senior season which capped off an outstanding career.  Sain dealt with struggles off the court as her father passed away during Riverside’s postseason run.  The Lady Rebel managed to push through these extreme circumstances while helping her team to a conference and district championship.  She recently played in the Arkansas Activities Association all-star game.  Sain received first place and a $1000 scholarship.  She becomes the first female to win the scholarship award in its fourth year.  “Brittney was honored to receive the Brian Stallings Memorial Scholarship,” said Riverside Lady Rebel Coach Spencer Hoffman.  “She has accomplished so much on and off the court in high school.  She demonstrated courage and perseverance and truly embodies what the scholarship represents.  I’m excited about what the future holds for her.”

Additionally, Gosnell Lady Pirate Z’kiah Kuykendall finished as the scholarship runner-up.  Kuykendall graduated as class valedictorian while excelling on the court as one of the top basketball players in the Northeast Arkansas area.  Z’kiah receives a scholarship in the amount of $500.   

NEA Sports and the family of Donald Ellison announced its scholarship winners for the second consecutive season.  Ellison was a valued member of the Jonesboro/NEA community.  He owned his own tile business and was a self-made man.  Mr. Ellison was a sports fanatic that loved the Arkansas Razorbacks and followed the various sports teams in the Northeast Arkansas community.  While applicants can be multi-sport athletes, they must participate in high school basketball.  Last year, Gavin Stone of Riverside became the first ever winner of the scholarship.  

The first-place winner for the scholarship was Manila Lion Bradey Woodall.  Woodall’s tremendous play and exceptional attitude/work ethic led to the committee’s decision to name him as this season’s winner.   Ironically, Woodall has been raised by his grandparents just like Donald Ellison.  Woodall receives a $1000 scholarship.  Manila Lion Coach Lee Wimberley had this to say about Bradey winning the scholarship.  “There are certain things we look for in our players; work ethic, mental toughness, team-first attitude, competitiveness, and an ability to overcome adversity.  If you can manage three of those five then you will go far.  Bradey Woodall nails all five.  He is the epitome of Manila Basketball.  You don’t replace kids like him.  You hope that others can emulate him, but no one replaces that type of kid.  It’s been my pleasure to coach him for six years, and I’m so excited to see what his life has in store for him.”  

Additionally, two other recipients finished as scholarship runner-up.  Kayne Wilson of Greene County Tech and Markel Perry-Washington of Marked Tree will receive scholarships valued at $500 apiece.  Wilson impressed the committee with his scholarship application and essay but overwhelmed the committee with an impressive interview along with his desire to further his education in the medical field.  Markel helped lead the Marked Tree Indians to their second consecutive state runner-up.  He too expressed strong aspirations to further his educational career at the next level.  

NEA Sports is proud of this season’s scholarship winners and believes these winners will continue the tradition of excelling in their academic and occupational careers like past winners while honoring the value Brian Stallings and Donald Ellison had on the NEA community. 

Williams Looks to Lead Hurricane to State Championship

By Cade Carlton

For Tyson Williams, last season was a whirlwind of emotions. Williams entered the year as the number two quarterback on the depth chart, but due to a broken collarbone injury sustained by AJ Aycock in week two, Williams assumed the role of starting QB in week three, and never relinquished it. 

Williams, who split time with Aycock at QB his sophomore season, finished his junior campaign  going 153-220 (.695) for 37 passing touchdowns, an average of 3.7 per game. Williams helped the Hurricane air attack average nearly 285 yards per game. 

Williams’s great season sparked in-state schools to start in on recruiting him. Since taking over as the starting quarterback, Williams has received interest from Ouachita Baptist, Hendrix, Arkansas Tech, Arkansas Monticello and more. 

“I've had some interests from some instate schools, but, there is no really specific destination that I'm set to go to or anything like that,” Williams said. “For next year I feel like I need to make plays. I need to continue to get stronger, faster and better.”

Despite all of his success, and the team’s success on the field last year, it was ultimately a disappointment for Williams. The Hurricane defeated Pine Bluff in week six, 41-34, which was instrumental in cinching a regular season conference championship. Despite going 9-1 in the regular season, Jonesboro was ousted in the playoffs by Benton in their opening round game.

“I still remember the playoff game last year a lot,” Williams said. “We had a really, really good group of seniors last year and we were planning on going really far. We really wanted to do good for them. Just looking back on that loss and how heartbreaking it was, it just makes us want to work harder.”

“It's very important to me and our team to go out and win a state championship this year,” Williams continued.

Despite being the starter last year, Williams will still have to work to retain his position as Jonesboro’s starter this year. Although he will find a place in the starting lineup, even if it is not at the quarterback position, Williams credits lasts season as a big help to his confidence. He is fully confident he can be a successful starting QB this year if the opportunity arises. 

“I just need to keep doing what I'm doing,” Williams said. “I need to work hard, make plays and perfect our play book. If I'm not the guy, there has been talk about me playing receiver. Going back to last year, though, one thing that stood out to me was my confidence. I felt like it boosted a lot and I was never worried or nervous, because I felt like I could help us do whatever we needed to do in order to win. I think being able to play last year made me want to work harder.”

While Williams is working to maintain his starting position at quarterback, he also has his eyes on something else.

“My goal is definitely to be the starting quarterback for JHS,” Williams said. “But, I also want to become a captain, become a great leader and win ball games.”

As for becoming a captain for the Hurricane, it would be the ultimate honor for a member of the Jonesboro football team.

“We have a team vote,” Williams said. “Basically, there is just one day during the summer where we don't go to practice and we all go eat breakfast, and while we're there we all vote for 4 guys we think should be captains.”

As Williams looks ahead to the upcoming season, it is clear he has improved this offseason, thanks in large part to the Jonesboro coaching staff. 

“Coach Marty Riley, our quarterback coach is a person that I'm really close to, and I spend a lot of time with. He's a great coach that really cares about his players. Coach Coleman is also someone I spend a lot of time with. He's a great leader, great play caller, and a really good person.”

Looking ahead to this season, the Hurricane should be loaded on the offensive side of the ball again. Despite the loss of their top three receivers of Jonathan Adams (Arkansas State), Jakaylen Jackson and Courtney Orsby, the Hurricane still return some dangerous targets at wideout, along with Jake Slayton, who will move from receiver to running back this year. 

“Jake Slayton is our halfback,” Williams said. “He’s gonna be able to block for us, but he's also gonna be able to get out and catch some balls. Deshaun Fountain is a senior. He was a running back last year, but since we lost all of our receivers besides Jake, we had to make some changes. He is now going out to receiver, and I think he's gonna be really good. He's really fast and he runs good routes. Jeremiah Tobar, who is a junior, is pretty good. He is really athletic and there are not a lot of balls he isn't going to catch. He has the ability to go up and make spectacular plays.”

For Williams, he has been inspired by some great local and professional athletes to work hard and become the best at the sport he loves.

“Ty Huggins, who used to play basketball at Valley View, and is now a coach at Nettleton is someone I've really looked up to,” Williams said. “Tucker Hydrick, who played football and baseball at Valley View is also someone I look up to. I got to know him well my freshman year. As for professionally, Tom Brady is my all-time favorite professional player. He's the greatest of all time. I like the way he handles himself. He is really relaxed.”

Williams and the Hurricane will kick off the season on Aug. 31 at Centennial Bank Stadium against the Batesville Pioneers.

Three Year Veteran Waleszonia Ready to Cap-Off Senior Season

By: Ryan Fletcher

Joseph Waleszonia steps into his final season at Valley View as one of Northeast Arkansas’ most experienced quarterbacks.  Waleszonia assumed the position to begin his sophomore season and never let go.  “Throughout the summer before my sophomore season Coach Cockrell came to me and told me that they were going to turn me into a quarterback,” stated Joseph.  “He told me to start working on it and to be prepared for it.  After that I just continued to work on it all summer and in practice and then they named me the starter.” 

Waleszonia admits that his strength is in his legs and it is his arm that he has had to improve over the course of the last two football seasons.  “That’s what I have tried to improve on the most.  The legs are always going to be there, but I definitely tried to improve in my throwing.  It makes us a more dynamic offense.” 

The Blazers moved up into class 5A two seasons ago.  It was evident that it would not be an easy transition.  Because of that, Blazer Coach Sean Cockrell made changes to the offense that has been known for running the spread.  Instead, Cockrell moved to the wishbone.  “We did run that kind of wishbone offense.  At the time that was the type of offense that we needed to run.  During that time, we had a lot of inexperience and running the football was good at that point because we didn’t really have a quarterback that could throw all that well.”  Cockrell decided to abandon the wishbone offense the following season and return to the spread.  “As the season went along coach realized that we could throw it, and that’s why we moved back to a spread offense.  We are still a run first team. We run it a lot, and we established that last season even when we moved to the spread.  We will take some shots deep to throw teams off guard.  We have definitely settled into this offense.  Coach (Kole) Carpenter has done a great job to make it simple so that everybody knows their jobs.”

Valley View returns multiple starters on offense and will not have to worry about the implementation of a new offensive scheme.  Additionally, Coach Carpenter will return as the team’s offensive coordinator for a second consecutive season.  The role of offensive coordinator changed names three seasons in a row so familiarity will be a nice change of pace for Valley View.  Because of these factors, Waleszonia has his eyes set on a postseason run.  “It is definitely a big deal since we have several seniors returning as most of us already know what to do on offense.  That allows Coach Carpenter to put in a lot of different plays that we can run because we know all the basics of the system.  It just really opens up a lot more options.  For the team we definitely have a goal of a playoff berth.  After you make the playoffs you just never know what could happen.  Upsets can happen but just getting there I think would be great for the program.  You can see our numbers have just gotten bigger after finishing just 5-5 last season.  We want to get as many kids out there to play for the future to build this program up.”  The Blazers picked up their biggest win near the end of the season against cross town conference rival Nettleton.  “It was definitely a big confidence boost for our team.  It showed that we can compete with these types of good teams in the 5A East, and we are capable of playing at that level.”

Joseph has been raised in a family that shares a love for sports particularly football.  “Football is my favorite.  Since I have been a little kid I have always loved football.  My dad and I watched it since I was little.  We are big (Pittsburgh) Steelers fans.  I have looked forward to putting pads on since I was six.”  Joseph’s father won a state championship in boys’ basketball at Trumann High School back in the 1980’s. Both his dad and grandfather played sports at the collegiate level which is an aspiration that Joseph has set for himself.  “My dad was a good athlete at Trumann from what I understand.  I can’t tell it today,” said Joseph with a big laugh.  “He went and played at the Coast Guard Academy.  He loved football and loves the game just like I do.  My grandpa (Joe Waleszonia) played as a receiver at Arkansas State University.  I have always loved playing at the receiver position, and I really look up to him.  My grandmother was a track star in California.  My grandparents moved from California to here so my grandpa could play football at Arkansas State.  Sports is an important part of my family.”

Joseph will be joined by his brother Jacob on this season’s football team.  “It is a great thing that I get to play with him.  As much as we fight, we love each other.  We are going to love getting to play with each other.  He will play at linebacker so he has a big role on this team.  Our defense will be young this year, but I am trying to make sure he walks the line because he is going to have to be a big-time player for us this season as a sophomore.  I am going to love getting to play with him.  He’s a bigger guy so he could see some time in the backfield in short yardage situations.  It will be really cool having him in the backfield with me.”  While Joseph and Jacob are brothers, they are very different both on and off the field.  “We are very different!  Any time anyone ask us who is better, we can’t ever really give an answer because we are so different, and we are both good at different things.  It’s two different aspects of the game.  He is a bigger power guy and I’m the smaller more agile guy.  It’s hard to compare because we are so different.  Oh for sure!  He’s more like my mom.  He’s the nicer sweetheart.  He’s a teddy bear that everyone loves.  I am more of the talker and louder.  I’m like the life of the party more like my dad.”

Partying will definitely be in the plans of the Waleszonia brothers and the Blazers if their dreams of making a deep run into the playoffs come true.  Expect Joseph to cap off his senior high career in style as Valley View could easily find themselves in contention for the 5A East top prize while making a run at a state title.  

Henry Looks to Lead Young Raiders Back to the Playoffs

By Cade Carlton

For Deondre Henry and the Nettleton Raiders, the 2016 season was not what they hoped it would be. The Raiders started the season 3-0, with wins over Pocahontas, Mountain Home and Star City, respectively. But after an impressive start, the Raiders went on a skid, losing five of their final seven games, and effectively ending their hope at a playoff berth.

Although the overall performance of the team suffered, Henry’s never did. The sophomore QB completed 50 percent of his passes for 997 yards in just seven games started. He threw for 10 touchdowns and accounted for over half of the yards per game between his passing and rushing. Perhaps the most impressive stat was that the first year starter threw just one interception all year.

“My first year was very tough,” Henry said. “I didn't start the first two games, and I came in the third week against Mountain Home and took over the starting role for the rest of the season. It was difficult, but my coaches helped me through it. My teammates were a big help, in that they were very supportive of it. Now, being a three year starter I feel very comfortable with the offense, and I'm ready to lead those guys into battle every single week and hopefully win a state championship.”

Last season, Nettleton looked to be one of the teams to beat after the non-conference slate concluded, but a week four loss at Batesville shook the Raiders, and they could never truly recover. 

“The first three games we had a head full of steam,” Henry said. “We played really good and were together as a team. The Batesville game kind of sucked the wind out of us and from that point on everything got difficult. Some guys put their head down, and we weren't in that brotherhood mindset anymore. This year, myself especially, I want to do a better job of keeping that brotherhood and family mentality together. Last year, the two big games that really hit us to not making the playoffs, were the Forrest City game (week eight) and the Valley View game (week nine.) The Forrest City game was ultimately the deciding game, but we ended up losing 30-15. The week after, we dropped the Valley View game which put us completely out of the playoffs.”

Although they are coming off of a disappointing season, you couldn't tell it by the Raiders attitude this off-season. Coach Hampton has said this team reminds him of the 2014 squad that won seven games in the regular season (still a record for this century) and qualified for the playoffs, Henry sees some of the same things from this team.

“On the offensive side of the ball, we won't lose as many as we will on the defensive side of the ball,” Henry said. “Most of our key guys, and our big play guys that really stepped up last year will be coming back. On the O-line we lose just one player that played significant minutes last year. Everyone that is coming back has experience. I feel like this year, with those guys having experience, it will be a lot easier.”

“Somebody I grew up with, and I’m really close with and have good chemistry with, is Jaron Northern,” Henry continued. “He will always be my No. One target. Will Joyner is entering his second year with us. He’s a really, really good player. He’s a real good deep threat, and he can take the top off the defense. You can get him in short routes, intermediate routes, and he can do just about anything. My running back, Tay Turner, he’s just a bull when he runs the ball. He can do anything. He can outrun you, he can run you over, and he can do almost anything with the ball in his hands.”

For Nettleton, this summer has been different than most, in that the Raiders have attended a 7-on-7 camp. With a young squad this year, Coach Hampton has elected to sign the team up for more helmets and shoulder pad, and sometimes full pad, team camps to insure they are ready for the start of the season. For Henry, the summer has been a bit different, in the fact that he has begun going to individual camps to try and improve his recruiting stock. 

“The summer has been really busy,” Henry said. “We got a week off after school ended, and we came back and hit it hard after that. We lifted a lot, we conditioned a lot, and we did a lot of things to get better. We had team camps this year, and didn't go to any 7-on-7s, just to see what guys were like with pads on. As far as camps go, I’ve been to about five so far as an individual. I’ll be at Jackson State on July 20th. Southern Arkansas and Arkansas Monticello will be later on in the summer.”

Not only has Henry traveled around the state this summer to participate in camps, he’s also worked on perfecting his craft with some of the Nettleton coaching staff. While the future certainly looked bright for Henry last season, he is not content with just the on field numbers, Henry also wants to become more of a vocal leader on the team.

“Being a leader is something I've really looked to improve on,” Henry said. “I want to be a better teammate to my teammates. As far as throwing, my footwork and my deep balls have improved as well.”

“In terms of coaches that have helped me, Coach Moss, who is now our defensive backs coach, was my ninth grade coach,” Henry continued. “He built my confidence as a quarterback, and I only played three games that year because I had an ACL injury and that ended my season, but, him being there for me really helped me grow as a man and as a quarterback. My current quarterback Coach, Clint Wilson, has helped me tremendously. He has helped me a lot with my form, technique and everything you can think of to help me be a better quarterback.”

Although Henry is a great football player, he also has another sports in which he excels in. Henry spent last spring playing for football assistant coach John Proffitt on the soccer team. Henry helped lead the Raiders to a great regular season and a playoff appearance. 

“Last year’s soccer teams were really good,” Henry said. “We finished second in conference behind Valley View. We got to host a state tournament game at home, but lost to Clarksville, so our season ended early. This year, we've got a lot of talent coming back, so, I feel like if some guys can grow up and step up this season could be really good.

While Henry continues to excel in two sports, and receive offers from Jackson State, UA Monticello, Southern Arkansas and others, he will always look up to a family member that inspired him to play football. 

“My brother, Winsley Henry, has been a big inspiration to me,” Henry said. “He used to play quarterback at Nettleton, and he graduate in 2012. He has always been someone that has inspired me since I was little, and someone I always look up to.”

The Raiders will kick off the season on Fri. Sept, 1 when they take on Pocahontas. 

Gartman Looks to Continue Newfound Success at Trumann

By Cade Carlton

Under the direction of Scott Waymire, the Trumann Wildcats have started to right the ship on the gridiron in each of the last two seasons. The Wildcats went a combined 13-9 and qualified for the 4A state playoffs in both years, thanks in large part to their do it all running back, senior Cade Gartman.

Gartman, who also plays linebacker and has every game since 7th grade, finished his junior campaign with 1,595 rushing yards on 183 carries, and accounted for 22 touchdowns on the ground, an average of 2.2 per game. Although dominant on offense, he was just as successful on the defensive side of the ball, accounting for 38 total tackles, three of which were for a loss.

Although, Gartman and the Wildcats have begun the process of getting Trumann back to the power it once was, he is not satisfied with last year’s 7-5 campaign. 

“The ups of the season last year were that everybody stuck together,” Gartman said. “Unfortunately we had one injury, which is going to happen. The downs of the season were that we were very close in two games to win the conference title. The turnovers killed us, and we beat ourselves. With the 45-21 loss to Pocahontas in week four, we were down 21-0 with four minutes to go in the game. We had three turnovers back to back to back, so that killed us. We tried to make a comeback, but we just couldn't execute. The Gosnell game in week six, we were back and forth the whole time. We had five minutes there at the end, and we just couldn't get it in the end zone and they won 18-13.”

Despite some setbacks last year, the Wildcats look to be a power this year, thanks in part to their offseason regiment, coupled with the fact only two seniors exit from last year’s team.

“The weight room has helped us,” Gartman said. We’ve been in the weight room every day. The week after school ended, we started open weight room and we went to pad camps at Nettleton and War Memorial, along with 7 on 7s at Heber Springs.”

Not only have the Wildcats gotten stronger as a team, but Gartman might have found a calling as a weightlifter this offseason as well. Despite being just 5’10 185, Gartman showed he could compete in any weight class this offseason.

“Our football team went to Alma, which is the state weightlifting meet. Two years ago we finished third, and our goal this year was to come back and win it. We fell short by 40 pounds, and we got second place. But, as an individual I won the 181 weight class and my total was 580. I benched 315, and power clinged 285.”

The Wildcats offseason regiment may differ from other teams, because frankly, they aren't like most other teams. While many teams in this era rely on the passing game and the hurry up offense, the Wildcats are a throwback to the smash mouth football era, in that the running game is their number one weapon on offense. 

“We're a smash mouth football team,” Gartman said. “We’re not gonna throw the football but maybe once or twice a game. We're gonna run it right at you all game.”

While is seems as though the Wildcats are ready to take the next step this season and win their conference, along with a playoff game, Gartman knows every night in the 4A-3 conference will be a battle.

“Every game is gonna be tough,” Gartman said. “We’re not gonna take one of the top teams more seriously than others. To win the conference, we’re gonna have to take it one game at a time. We can't worry about the next one until we get the first one done. We need to all stick together and just stay healthy.”

Although Gartman is an excellent football player, he does have two other passions: fishing and baseball. Gartman has found success in the junior fishing circuit, and is also a member of the Trumann baseball team.

“My buddy Jay Taylor Morgan and I always like fishing. One of my other friends found out about these high school bass tournaments and told us about it. So, our first tournament we went to Lake Hamilton and we got fifth place. We fished four or five more tournaments, and there was one where you had to finish in the top four to qualify to go to the national fishing tournament, which is in Alabama, and we got fourth place. So, that qualified us to go to nationals June 27-July 1.” 

“As for baseball,” Gartman continued. “Last year we really didn't have the season we had hoped for. The baseball coaches all left after the season, and Coach Wallace came back from Marked Tree.  He will be the baseball coach and assistant football coach this year. We look to have a little better year this year.”

Although Gartman is a man of many talents, he hopes to continue playing football at the next level. His success running the ball last year has caused some schools in the state to take notice in his talent. 

“I've been going to a lot of camps this summer and trying to get opportunities to play somewhere,” Gartman said. “I don't care where it's at, I just want to continue to play the game.”

Gartman and the Wildcats will kick off the 2017 campaign on Sept. 1 when they host the Hoxie Mustangs.

Friends, Rivals, and Friday Night Lights.

 By: Ryan Fletcher 

When I think about the Hoxie Mustangs and the Walnut Ridge Bobcats, I think of instant rivalry.  After all, it has served as one of Northeast Arkansas’ top and most bitter rivalries for many years.  The two towns are side by side.  There are past stories of actions that have occurred on but mainly off the field that give bystanders the impression that there’s not much love that exist between the two cities.  The two schools even took a hiatus from playing one another.  Last season that break ended as Walnut Ridge moved up into class 3A which put the two schools back in the same conference.  The rivalry was reignited. 

             For Walnut Ridge Bobcat Colin Phillips and Hoxie Mustang Diamani Davis, it has always been a different kind of story.  Of course, they both want to beat one another, but at the end of the day, they are both really good friends.  Phillips serves as the team’s starting running back and also plays at the linebacker position on defense.  Ironically, Davis plays the exact same positions.  So, in a rivalry so heated, how did the two become pals?  It was over a nice game of XBOX.  They both happened to be playing online at the same time.  They were talking to a mutual friend that connected them.  “We met online playing XBOX,” said Davis.  “So eventually we became closer, and we’d hang out, and go to Jonesboro or go grab something to eat.  We play basketball together and go swimming.  It is really a nice friendship for such a big rivalry.’’ 

             Last season Davis rushed for nearly 1,400 yards.  He returns as one of the top running backs in Northeast Arkansas.  While it was his third year to be a starter, it was his first year as the team’s full time running back.  He played on both sides of the ball and never really took a break.  Davis will be expected to do the same again this season and will look to eclipse the numbers he put up a season ago. 

             Phillips will do what Davis did in 2016 and that’s take over the running back spot.  Phillips carried the ball 91 times and ran for 535 yards.  He is certainly not new to the position.  However, he has the task of taking over for all-state tailback Luke Harper who rushed for 1,651 yards and 25 touchdowns.  He has big shoes to fill.  “Harper had 1600 yards, and I was the closest to him,” told Colin.  “I only had about a fourth of what he had.  I do believe I am capable of meeting the challenge, but I can’t try to do too much.  I am going to have to stick to what I have been doing.  If I try to end up doing too much, then I’ll hurt my team.  Personally, I would like to rush for over 1200 yards for the reason being that if I feel like I can break that total it means I am helping my team win games.” 

             The Bobcats made the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 seasons last year.  As for Hoxie, they struggled to the tune of 2-8 and finished with their worst record in nearly 20 years.  Diamani has one thing on his mind.  “I want to get us back to the playoffs.  To do that you got to keep people from scoring.  I want to have more tackles than I did last year.  I play linebacker on defense.  We want to get back to the playoffs, have a winning record, and get back to playing Hoxie football the way it is supposed to be played.”  In order to meet those expectations, Davis believes he needs to improve from a year ago.  “I definitely have to do better than I did last year on both sides of the ball.  As a senior, I feel like I will find out who I really am as a running back.  My junior year I felt like I had to replace James Johnson who had graduated.  I tried to make plays that ended up not working out.  Now, I realize that if I made just the little plays, they can end up with big results.” 

             Both players were quick to show gratitude to their families for being inspirational in where they are today.  “As a person I’m grateful to my parents, but as an athlete I’m definitely grateful to my brother (Teague Phillips),” proclaimed Phillips.  “I grew up six years younger than him.  He was a very good running back for Walnut Ridge.  He graduated in 2012.  I was always playing against people older and bigger than me.  Even now, it has taught me that I’m never going to be the biggest person on the field.  I’m 5’6, 165 pounds.  Of course, then I was even smaller.  I was a fifth grader playing football with high school kids and my brother.   He has taught me that competitive nature and that just because you are small doesn’t mean you can’t be good at sports.  I really looked up to him in sports.  He has just really made me want to be the best that I can be.”  As for Diamani, he spoke very fondly of his mother.  “She keeps me going,” said Davis.  “She makes sure that I am ready every morning.  Even if she’s off that day, she’s up early making sure that I’m awake to get to football practice.  Sometimes when I am going through drills and feeling a little bit tired, she gives me that second boost of energy.  If I were to one day be a professional athlete or at least to get a college offer, I would love to be able to give her that first car and that first house.  I want to make sure that she doesn’t have to work her entire life.” 

             In terms of being remembered, Colin continued to discuss his family’s ties to Walnut Ridge football.  “I want to be remembered not only as a great athlete but also a good person.  I want to be remembered for just being myself.  My dad was a standout football player and so was my brother.  So, it has always been my last name.  I want people to know my first name.  I’ve always kind of stood in the shadow of my brother.  When I run the football some of the coaches tell me that I run just like Teague, but I don’t want that to be said anymore.  I want it to be said that I run like Colin.  I want people to compare themselves to me like the people before us.  I want to be that guy.”  As for Diamani, he wants to go out as a Hoxie legend.  “I want to be remembered as someone that came into this town as a nobody and embraced the environment.  Not many people talk about small towns like Hoxie and Walnut Ridge, but it is such a great environment.  I came from the big city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  I went from 600,000 to 2,000 people.  I feel very welcome in the town of 2,000.  Some games you look into the crowd and you see folks wearing face paint and some folks wearing number four on their faces.  We do this thing called the “Mustang Walk.”  I’ll go by and people are there to shake your hand and people are pulling me into the stands.  They want me to do better and be better, and they love me.  I just want to be remembered for a long time.” 

             Before I concluded the interview with the gentlemen, we had to discuss the renewed rivalry game between the Bobcats and Mustangs.  Phillips gave a rundown of what he remembers the rivalry being like before the game was halted several years ago.  “It got pretty dangerous at one point.  I can’t remember if Diamani was around yet, but we had a kid get injured and there was a cheap shot.  It was just bad.  There were fights.  Things were getting damaged.  Car windows were being broken out.  It wasn’t good for either town.  It wasn’t something you would want to bring your family to.  It is different now.  In the past, the kids hated each other.  The parents hated each other.  If you were from Walnut Ridge before this time, then you did not hang out with a kid from Hoxie.  Ever since that break, it is kind of different now.  Now, I feel like we are playing more for town pride.  I mean Diamani and I are good friends.  I’m friends with other guys from Hoxie.  On that week, we are just playing for pride.  When Diamani is on the football field, I just see number four.”  Davis added to the discussion about town pride.  “When that Thursday comes and it is the last game of the season, you are fighting for pride.  It is more important than all the other games just slightly.  I mean we are just two miles away, and it is going to be discussed for the next 365 days.  It is important to me because I want to bring the pride back to Hoxie.  I have one more chance to do that, and I’m going to try to do it.”  Phillips went on to discuss how the rivalry is so distinct in comparison to surrounding schools that are considered rivals.  “I think our rivalry is different from others when you compare them to the Jonesboro schools.  Jonesboro is a big town of like 76,000 I think.  I mean you can avoid folks from other schools.  In Walnut Ridge, you cannot do that.  You are going to run into people from Hoxie.  I think that has a lot to do with why the rivalry got as bad as it was.  You can’t physically avoid folks from the other town.  You are going to see people that you are going to play.  I think especially the week leading up to the game, things just seem to get testy.  You have to socialize with the person you are supposed to be going to war with on that Thursday.  It just builds it up.”

             The season has yet to start, but you can write it down that they both are looking forward to competing against each other one last time.  That game will be played on November 2^nd at Walnut Ridge as Hoxie looks to avenge the 44-0 blowout loss they suffered to the Bobcats from a year ago.  As for Diamani and Colin, they look to remain friends except for maybe one night out of the year. 

Mustangs Pound Maynard 76-29.

By: Ryan Fletcher

The number two seeded Buffalo Island Central Mustangs took on the 15^th seeded Maynard Tigers Friday night in the first round of Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament. It took 68 seconds for the mighty Mustangs of
BIC to get things going, as Adrian Lopez nailed a three point jumper from the corner, turning on the green light, and Bill Taylor’s Ponies never looked back. BIC manhandled Maynard by a final of 76-29.

Cory Turner and Austin Pike chipped in a pair of baskets before Trey Depriest nailed a fade away three point bucket to put BIC up 10-0. On the following offensive possession, Pike sent a no look pass to Alan Carmichael for a layup with 3:59 to play in the quarter giving BIC a 12-0 lead. Maynard finally got on the board as Dakota Loggains converted one of two free throws making the score 12-1. That was the Tigers only basket of the quarter as BIC torched the nets for 13 more first quarter points ending the period 25-1.

Trey Depriest allowed the Mustangs to pick up right where they left off in the second quarter scoring on a running six foot jumper which was immediately followed by an Austin Pike steal that resulted in another score for BIC. The Mustangs forced a pair of turnovers later in the quarter which allowed Carmichael to score four points worth of layups. Austin Pike nailed a fade away jumper with 2:17 to play in the half giving BIC a 35-6 lead. The Tigers scored the final seven points of the quarter making the halftime score 35-13.

The Mustangs scored 41 second half points getting contributions from multiple players. BIC outscored Maynard in the second half 41-16 as the Mustangs never let off the throttle. 

Alan Carmichael and Austin Pike tied for a team high 13 points to lead the way for BIC. Eatmon scored 10, Depriest had eight, Turner, Adrian Lopez, and Trevor Couch each scored six, while Bobby Mondragon knocked down five. Tyler Parker scored four, Dax Hurst hit a three, and Lane Crites made a bucket of his own.

BIC advances to the quarterfinals to take on conference rival East Poinsett County tomorrow night at 7:30.

Marmaduke Surges Past Ridgefield 58-23.

By: Ryan Fletcher

The Marmaduke Greyhounds used a strong third quarter to push their way past the Ridgefield Christian Warriors 58-23 Friday afternoon at the Convocation Center. Both teams struggled offensively during the first two quarters playing a sloppy half of basketball. However, Marmaduke played an entirely different game in the second half of play to secure the win and advance to the quarter finals of the Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament.

Both teams entered into a see-saw battle to begin the game. Turnovers and missed shots consumed the majority of play to begin the contest. Eddie Page and Hayden Winberry both scored four points apiece for the Greyhounds in the first quarter, while Mason Griffin, Will Scholtens, and Heath Shatzer each scored a bucket for the Warriors. Griffin nailed a jumper with 2:01 to play in the quarter to make the score a one point affair at 7-6. However, Eddie Page completed a crowd pleasing alley-oop to allow the Greyhounds to go up 9-6 with 35 seconds remaining in the period. Ridgefield failed to score on their final possession of the period and that’s how the quarter would end.

Both teams continued to struggle to find any offensive rhythm in the second period. With 5:59 to play, Will Sholtens nailed a two point bucket, but Marmaduke immediately responded on their following offensive possession as Cody Ails knocked down a three to make it 12-8 Greyhounds. Marmaduke’s Eddie Page began to come alive with 4:42 remaining
in the half as he scored inside, drawing a foul, and completing the three point play by making his free throw. Page scored the Greyhounds next four points, and Lucas Dixon nailed a fade away jumper with less than 30 seconds on the clock to allow Marmaduke to take a 22-14 lead into the locker room.  

Steve Richey’s halftime pep talk must have lit a fire in his Greyhounds, because Marmaduke came out an entirely different team to start the third quarter. Greyhound Andrew Church nailed a three to get the scoring started in the second half. The Greyhounds turned up the pressure in the quarter, and Ridgefield began to turn the ball over. With 4:20 remaining, Tyler Vowell scored on an inside play. Page forced another Warrior turnover on the following possession and ran the floor for a layup. The Greyhounds went up by a score of 30-16. Ridgefield tried to slow the Marmaduke momentum by calling a timeout, but Tyler Vowell swished a long distance three point basket to allow the Greyhounds to take their biggest lead of the night at 33-16. Marmaduke continued to increase their lead ending the third quarter at 40-20.

Tyler Vowell nailed two more three’s and totaled eight fourth quarter points to allow Steve Richey to put things on cruise control as the mercy clock began to run in the final quarter. Page scored a game high 21 points, while Tyler Vowell totaled 16 points for the Greyhounds. Mason Griffin led the Warriors with 11 points.

Marmaduke advances to the quarterfinals and will take on the Walnut Ridge Bobcats tomorrow afternoon at 4:30.

Marked Tree Slips by ICC 54-51.

By: Ryan Fletcher

The number four seeded Izard County Cougars took on the fifth seeded Marked Tree Indians in quarterfinals action Saturday night at the Convocation Center.  The 68^th Annual Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament had not seen an upset in boy’s action, in either division, thus far, but that changed as Barbara Wilburn’s Indians of Marked Tree surged past the Cougars in the final quarter of play.  While the two teams were closely seeded, it was the underdog that came out victorious as Marked Tree won 54-51.  

          The first half of play was slowed by very tight officiating as both teams combined to shoot 33 free throws during the first two quarters.  The game seemed to drag on throughout much of the half.  Izard County was able to take advantage of their free throw opportunities nailing 15 out of 21 in the half.  Marked Tree took their first lead of the night at 8-7 as Terry Carter nailed two free throws, but Izard County came roaring back by ending the first quarter with a 14-10 lead.  Clay Mosely scored six first quarter points for ICC to help the Cougar cause. 

          ICC built leads of 27-16 and 30-18 in the second quarter.  The Cougars used the inside presence of 6’7 junior Andy Markovic to score five points early in the quarter.  Senior Michael Gleghorn scored on three different occasions in the second quarter as well to add to Izard County’s lead.  Marked Tree standout D’Angelo Griffin picked his game up in the final three minutes of the quarter accounting for the Indians final five first half points.  ICC went into halftime leading 30-20.

          The Indians came out of the gate hot to start the third quarter as Jaylon Gunn and Edward Brown struck on back to back three pointers to pull the Indians within four at 30-26.  Marked Tree flirted with a comeback the entire third quarter, but ICC contained their lead and ended the third period at 41-36.

          The Cougars got up by six points on a three from Taylor Reynolds with 6:11 left to play, but that’s when the Indians began to turn up the pressure and force some turnovers.  Marked Tree went on a 10-0 run.  Griffin ended the huge run by stealing the ball running nearly the entire floor to score on a layup to allow the Indians to take a 48-46 lead.  The Indians never relinquished their lead again.  The Cougars had to foul to stop the clock, and Marked Tree made enough of their free throws to seal the deal. 

          Griffin scored a game high 17 points for Marked Tree, and Tirek Young pitched in 13.  Gleghorn led ICC with 14 points, while Mosely added 12.  Marked Tree advances to the semifinals and will take on the number one seeded Bay Yellowjackets. 

 By: Ryan Stuck

      In the final game of tonight’s quarterfinal games, Bay and Augusta matched up, each competing for a spot in the semifinals of the NEA Tournament.  Fighting through a tough first half, the Bay Yellowjackets came out strong the second half to post a 23 point victory over the Augusta Red Devils. Colton Watson put up an impressive 30 points, making him Bay’s leading scorer in tonight’s final matchup.

     The first quarter began with a 5-0 run for Augusta after Eric Tripp sunk a three, followed by a two-point basket made by Ke’ Andre Munns for the Red Devils. Colton Watson then took over for the Bay Yellow Jackets by scoring Bay’s first points with a three from the corner. Watson put up 13 points in the first quarter. However, Bay would still be down going into the second with a score of 19-18.

     Bay would tie it up with 6:30 to go in the second after Tyler Pritchett and Colton Watson each put up two points, making the score 22-22. Jonathan Crain, number 44 for Bay, would put the Yellow Jackets up by their biggest lead in the quarter after finishing a two point basket with 52 seconds left in the half.  The score would be 30-27 Bay at the half. Crain led the quarter with a total of six points.

     The third quarter was all about the number one seeded Bay Yellowjackets, who came out hot after a not so impressive first half. Watson, himself, started off the quarter with a 6-0 run after swishing two threes in a row. After Munns for Augusta made a two point basket, two minutes into the quarter, Bay would go on another run. The run consisted of Taylor Layne, Dustin Utley, and Jonathan Crain leading the Yellow Jackets to a 10-0 surge that lasted for about two and a half minutes respectively. The score at the end of the quarter was 46-35 Bay who outscored Augusta 16-8 in the third frame.

    The last quarter of tonight’s final matchup was much like it’s previous, as it was once again, all about Bay. Crain began the quarter with an “and one” basket and made his free throw for a three point possession with 7:35 remaining.  Tripp for Augusta would answer with a three-point basket, but it wasn’t enough to give them the edge over Bay.  Watson would go on to add ten more points to Bay’s lead, while Jonathon Crain and Tyler Pritchett added four points each respectively.  The final score was 70-47 with the first-seeded Yellowjackets on top.

     Bay will go on to play fifth-seeded Marked Tree, who defeated Izard County, on December 30^th at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals of the tournament.  The other semifinal game in the Division I Boys Tournament will be played at 4:30 p.m. and is also on December 30^th.  This will include a matchup between the Warriors of East Poinsett County and the Marmaduke Greyhounds.

Cedar Ridge Avoids Major Upset

By: Logan Meurer

It was very close and physical contest this evening in the Convocation Center that featured a lot of fouls and a lot of free throw attempts but in the end, the Cedar Ridge Timberwolves were able to hold on and avoid the upset from the Rivercrest Colts 53-51. After a very impressive offensive performance in the first round of the NEA Tournament, the Timberwolves offense seemed very stale in the early going in the game and the Colts took advantage, or rather Marquez Chew took advantage. Taking the reins of the offense, Chew scored every point for his team in the opening frame and single handedly outscored the Timberwolves 13-11 in the opening quarter and the Colts would lead by that score after one.

Cedar Ridge would begin to pick it up in the second quarter. A layup from Cade Crabtree would put the Timberwolves up 24-14 with about 4 minutes to play in the half. Cedar Ridge’s star player, Austin Reeves, would pick up his third foul shortly after and be forced to sit for the remainder of the half. The Colts would take advantage and close the quarter on an 8-3 run. The Timberwolves would lead 27-23 at the break.

The third quarter would belong to Marquez Chew and the Colts. Chew would score 12 of his team’s 17 third quarter points to bring Rivercrest back on top 40-33 entering the final quarter of play. Then the fourth quarter began and things got interesting. Cedar Ridge put the ball in the hands of their best player and he delivered for them in a big way. Reeves would start the quarter on with a tough layup and connect with two shots from the free throw line to cut the lead to 3. Rivercrest would pick up their tenth team foul early on in the 4th quarter, guaranteeing the Timberwolves two shots on every foul from then on out. Nate Easley would pick up a technical foul with about 5 minutes to play for the Timberwolves, putting Chew on the line where he would hit the back end of two shots, pushing the Colt lead to 44-41. The Timberwolves would respond with a 5-0 run to regain the lead 46-44 with just over 4 minutes to play. The teams would trade baskets back and forth until the game came to a tie at 49 with about 2 minutes to play. The Timberwolves would call on Reeves again on the next possession as he hit a tough lay in to put them up 51-49 with about a minute and a half to play. The Colts gave the ball to Chew on the next play and he would come up big again as well, as he hit a tough runner in the lane and was fouled on the play, sending him to the line with a chance for the Colts to take the lead with 1:05 to play. He would not be able to convert the three point play though and the Timberwolves would regain possession with the game tied at 51. Reeves came down the floor and delivered a nice pass to Cade Crabtree who hit a layup with 40 seconds to play to bring the lead to 2. The Colts would dribble down quickly and miss the shot on their next possession and the Timberwolves could dribble it out, but they committed their only turnover of the quarter giving the Colts possession of the ball. After some questionable passes, the ball would be knocked out of bounds by the Timberwolves with 3.6 seconds to play. Rivercrest would call a timeout to set up one last play. Chew would inbound the ball, but the Timberwolves would get a hand on the pass and dribble it out to close the game. Cedar Ridge had avoided the upset and escaped with a win 53-51.

The Colts were led by Chew who put up a game high 33 points. Cedar Ridge was led by Reeves with 25 points. The Timberwolves advance to the semifinals and will take on the Westside Warriors, setting up a highly anticipated matchup, on December 30th at 6 p.m.

Westside Advances to Finals Beating Cedar Ridge 50-36.

By: Ryan Fletcher

          Mark Whitmire’s Westside Warriors utilized a strong first half performance to advance to the finals of the Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament.  The Warriors defeated the number two seeded Cedar Ridge Timberwolves by a final of 50-36 Monday night at the Convocation Center.

          Warrior Caleb Price scored the Warriors first five points, while Austin Reeves put down the Timberwolves first six points.  Westside went up 9-6 on a Rico Mayo running jumper with 3:04 to play in the opening quarter.  Reeves continued to generate most of the offense this time sending a pass to Taylor Ford for a layup.  Price nailed his second long three of the quarter and finished the period with a layup to give Westside the early 14-8 first quarter advantage. 

          Cedar Ridge got the ball to start the second quarter and couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn missing four shots but grabbing four offensive rebounds.  Reeves grabbed the fourth and final rebound of the possession tipping in a basket to pull the Timberwolves to within four.  Mayo got fouled and nailed both free throws to put the Warriors right back up by six.  Reeves scored Cedar Ridge’s next four points making it 16-14 Westside.  The Warriors next put together a game changing 13-4 run that would allow Whitmire’s bunch to take a 29-18 lead into the locker room. 

          Cedar Ridge came out with a refocused intensity level.  Taylor Ford kicked things off with a three point basket, but Price answered with his third long distance three of the night making it 32-21 Warriors.  However, Cedar Ridge wouldn’t go away.  The Timberwolves went on a 10-2 run that was led by Reeves and Cade Crabtree.  Reeves scored on a pull up 10 foot jumper with 5:46 and again scored on a “Kobe Bryant like” fade away baseline jumper to shorten Westside’s lead 34-29.  Crabtree, who already scored inside earlier in the quarter, ended the period on a pump fake and layup to tighten the game up 34-31 going into the final quarter. 

          But it was a game of runs and Westside got the last laugh.  Senior Zac Preston got fouled with 7:05 left to play and made both of his free throws.  Chase Mickelson scored on a finger roll layup, and then Preston found a loose ball and scored on a layup with 4:37 to play putting the Warriors back up by nine.  Reeves missed his first five shots to start the final quarter, although that had a lot to do with some very good defense that was played by the Warriors.  Reeves drew a foul with 2:25 to play and made both free throws to make the score 40-33, but that is as close as the Timberwolves would get.  Cedar Ridge was forced to foul, and Westside was a free throw shooting machine which allowed the Warriors to go on and finish the game out. 

          Austin Reeves scored a game high 21 points while Crabtree added eight.  The Warriors had multiple players score in double digits.  Chase Mickelson and Caleb Price tied for a team high 13 points while Zac Preston and Rico Mayo both tallied 10 a piece.  Westside shot a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line.

          Westside will face off tomorrow night in the finals at 9:00 p.m. against their long time nemesis the Valley View Blazers which will be the final match up of the tournament. 

Bay Hammers Marked Tree 75-53 to Advance to Finals.

By: Ryan Fletcher

          While the Bay Yellowjackets may only be a class 1a school, they continued to show fans why they are one of Northeast Arkansas’ finest.  The Yellowjackets cruised to a 75-53 victory Tuesday night in their semi-final matchup against Barbara Wilburn’s Marked Tree Indians. 

          The game remained close for one quarter.  Marked Tree jumped out to an early lead as Terry Carter scored the game’s first four points.  Tyler Pritchett answered with a three from the right side corner, but then D’Angelo Griffin went on to score five unanswered Indian points.  Marked Tree led 8-3.  Bay scored the game’s next seven points when Colten Watson, Dustin Utley, and Jonathan Crain all got in on the action for Bay giving Brad Brannen’s Jackets a 10-8 lead.  Tirek Young tied it up for Marked Tree scoring off a turnover, but Bay answered with four more points from the tandem of Crain and Utley.  Griffin knocked down a three with 2:16 to play in the opening quarter.  Watson played pick pocket and ran the entire floor to score which was followed by another three point basket from Tyler Pritchett on Bay’s next offensive possession.  Carter ended the quarter for the Indians hitting a six foot jumper with 10 seconds remaining to end the quarter with Bay leading 19-15.

          The second quarter was all Yellowjackets.  Bay went on a 12-5 run to open up the quarter.  D’Angelo Griffin nailed a long distance three pointer with 3:20 left in the half, but Watson and Utley both added six more points to allow the Yellowjackets to lead 38-25 at the half.

          Bay maintained their lead in the second half and then some.  The Yellowjackets led 56-44 to end the third frame.  Utley scored eight third quarter points, while Watson scored four more.

          Bay dominated in the final period.  The Yellowjackets outscored the Indians in the final period 19-9.  Colton Watson led all scorers with 26 points.  Tyler Pritchett added 19 while Dustin Utley chipped in 15.  Terry Carter was Marked Tree’s leading scorer with 17. 

          Bay advances to the finals to take on the number seven seeded EPC Warriors tomorrow night at 7:30. 

Osceola wins in Overtime over Raiders

By: Ryan Stuck

In the third Division II boy’s game of the evening, the number four Nettleton Raiders faced the number five Osceola Seminoles.  Nettleton would lead at the end of the first and second quarters, but it was Osceola who came out on top after a much better second half.   This was the first boy’s game of the tournament to go into overtime, and the Seminoles clenched their way to the semifinals after coming out on top in OT.

The first basket of the game came about a minute and thirty seconds into the first quarter and was made by Nettleton’s Adrian Burnett. Osceola’s first points came from Harold Weeden with six minutes to play in the first to tie the game up at 2-2. Osceola would gain a four point lead with two minutes to remaining, but it was Nettleton who came out on top after Silas Finch for Nettleton produced three threes in the last 1:40 to give the Raiders a 17-11 lead at the end of the first period.

Once again, Nettleton started the quarter with the first points. Wesley Anderson for the Raiders hit a two point basket 20 seconds into the quarter to increase Nettleton’s lead to eight points.  Finch produced three more three point baskets in the second to give the Raiders a 12 point lead.  Four seeded Nettleton would get up by 14, their biggest lead of the game, with about 3:30 remaining in the half. Osceola, however, would cut that lead to single digits before entering the locker room at halftime.  The score at the half was 32-24 with Nettleton still up.

Osceola came out hot in the third period of the game.  Mark Thomas started the quarter with a two point basket for the Seminoles, followed by another two point basket from teammate Tevin James.  Osceola would outscore Nettleton 12-2 the first four minutes of the quarter, putting them up 36-34.  Their lead would eventually get to seven but would be cut to four as the quarter came to a close.  Osceola led going into the fourth with a score of 42-46. The Seminoles out rebounded the Raiders 10-5 in the quarter.

The final quarter of the game called for some of the most exciting basketball seen in the tournament yet. Nettleton began the quarter with a 6-0 run, putting them up by 2 with 5:25 left to play.  Osceola soon tied it back up after Darion Gilmore scored two for the Seminoles. The Seminoles gained a lead with three minutes remaining with a score of 52-50. No one would score again until 57 seconds left in the game. That basket went to Anderson from Nettleton, who tied the game up at 52.  Nettleton regained possession of the ball with 22 seconds left to play, and Coach Mark McCord called a timeout. However, Osceola would receive the ball with 3 seconds to play as their coach, Coach Frankie Gather, called a timeout, followed by another timeout.  The Seminoles would get two very good shots off before heading into overtime, scaring the Raiders.  Both shots rimmed out and with the score tied at 52, overtime began.

The Seminoles scored the first five points in overtime, putting them up 57-52 with two minutes remaining. Osceola would never lose their lead and would eliminate the Raiders from the tournament after outscoring the Raiders 9-5 in OT. The final score was 61-57 Osceola.

Osceola was led by Tevin James, who had 23 points. Nettleton was led by Silas Finch, who hit seven threes and ended up with 28 points.  Osceola moves on to the semifinals of the Division II Boy’s tournament and will play the number one seeded Valley View Blazers on December 30^th at 9:00 p.m. in the night’s final matchup to determine who will move on to play in the finals on New Year’s Eve.

Valley View Eases past Manila to the Semis

By: Ryan Stuck

Number one Valley View faced number eight Manila in tonight’s final matchup of the NEA Tournament.  The Blazers swept past the Lions with a score of 79-56. Valley View never lost the lead in this quarterfinal game and showed why they were the one seed of the tournament.

The first quarter began with a 9-0 run for the Blazers after Alexander Gorton began the game with a three, followed by two points from Matt Owens, and four points from Will White.  Manila’s first points came from Matthew May who made a two point basket with 4:30 left in the quarter. Seth Grissom added five for the Lions in the first after making an “and 1’’ basket and making the free throw for a three point play with two minutes remaining.  The score going into the second would be 18-11 Valley View.

Although the Manila Lions came out hot with a 5-0 run, the second quarter was still all about Valley View, as they would only extend their lead.  Junior, Matt Owens, added 11 points for Valley View in the second. The Blazers held Manila to 12 points in the quarter, whereas Manila allowed the Blazers to put up 23 points.  The score going into halftime was 41-23 with Valley View being on top.

The third period offered no change for the Manila Lions, hoping for some kind of turn around coming out of the half. Owens for Valley View came out on a solo 5-0 run. Caleb Reinhart would put up nine points for the Lions in the third, but it still was not enough to give them the edge.  Valley View would lead going into the final quarter 62-38.

Valley View would put in their subs with about 5:30 remaining in the final quarter. Manila would outscore the Blazers 18-17 in the fourth, but it would be Valley View who came out on top with a score of 79-56.

The Blazers were led by Matt Owens who put up 24 points. Manila was led by Caleb Reinhart who had a total of 18 points. Number one seeded Valley View will move on to the semifinals to play number five seeded Osceola on December 30^th at 9:00 p.m.

Horn leads Blazers to Finals as Valley Stomps Osceola.

By: Ryan Fletcher

          The number one seeded Valley View Blazers faced off against the number five seeded Osceola Seminoles Tuesday night at the Convocation Center in the final match of the evening.  Jason Manchester’s Blazers absolutely owned the Seminoles in every facet of the game during the semi-final contest.  The Blazers won 74-37.

          Osceola scored the game’s first three points.  Adam Horn proved why he is one of Northeast Arkansas’ best during the game, however.  Horn scored the Blazer’s opening bucket.  Seminole Harold Weeden nailed a three from beyond the arc with 5:45 to go in the opening quarter giving Osceola a 6-2 advantage.  That lead quickly disappeared as Alexander Gorton and Horn nailed back to back three pointers to allow Valley View to go up 8-6.  From that point forward, Valley View never trailed.  The Blazers went on a 12-2 first quarter run that included four points from Will Huber and culminated on a layup by Coltan Clift with 5.8 seconds to go.  The Blazers led 14-8 to end the first quarter.

          Horn kicked off the second quarter on a finger roll layup by driving straight through the center of the lane.  Horn scored four more points off of four consecutive made free throws.  The Blazers led 20-10.  With 2:08 left, Horn continued to pound his way inside and scored on a layup, drew a foul, and completed the three point play by making his fifth consecutive free throw of the night.  The junior Horn showed off his versatility by nailing his second three of the evening with 1:37 to play that put the Blazers up 30-15.  Huber knocked down a short jumper with 1:09 to go and then Horn ended the half on a layup at the buzzer that put the Blazers up by 19 with a score of 34-15 at the halftime break.

          Much like the first half, it was all Blazers in the final two quarters.  Valley View continued to poor it on outscoring the Seminoles 40-22 in the second half.  The Blazers won the game 74-37. 

          Valley View advances to the finals of the Northeast Arkansas Invitational tournament and will take on their cross town rival Westside Warriors at 9:00 p.m. Wednesday night.  Westside is the number three seed in the tournament and this will be a matchup that will give all basketball fans something to look forward to before the start of 2015.    

NEA Invitational Tournament Division 1 Championship Preview and Prediction

The Teams:

Bay Yellowjackets – The Bay Yellowjackets are arguably the best team not only in the division one bracket, but also in the division two bracket.  The Jackets can bring a high scoring attack with all five starters being capable of scoring in double figures.  Colton Watson is the obvious go to player for Brad Brannen, but Dustin Utley continues to impress and Jonathan Crain is a massive figure on the inside that will be hard for EPC to matchup against.  Tyler Pritchett is also one of Northeast Arkansas’ best players and quietly continues to put up great numbers behind Watson.  Oh, and just when you believe you have the Yellowjackets fully guarded, three point specialist Taylor Layne can easily light a team up for 20 plus points.

East Poinsett County Warriors – If there ever was a Cinderella story for this tournament it would have to be the EPC Warriors or would it?  EPC got a late start to the basketball season as the Warriors went deep into the playoffs in football.  They also have a new coach in Mackenzie Pierce that brings a new system to the program.  EPC should’ve been seeded higher!  The Warriors finished as district runner-up to the BIC Mustangs last season and return several players from the team including Aaron Scales, Clay Malone, and Zach Maddox.  Xzavier Reed is an additional player for EPC that brings another component to the Warriors offensive attack. 

NEA Sports Prediction:

The Warriors have put together a nice run.  They upset the number two seeded Buffalo Island Central Mustangs in the quarter finals and defeated the Marmaduke Greyhounds in the semis, even though BIC’s Austin Pike and Marmaduke’s Eddie Page lit up the score board.  They have a great team that could end up making a run later in the post season in class 2a.  However, they have a daunting task at hand tonight.  Even if EPC is able to contain Watson (20 points or less), they will still have to stop some of the Yellowjackets other great scoring options.  The Warriors only hope is to slow the game down and not allow Bay to get into an offensive rhythm.  However, Mackenzie Pierce has upset two big opponents, so I wouldn’t count him out.  Brad Brannen is searching for a big tournament championship, and at the end of the day, I don’t see the Yellowjackets losing.

Bay Yellowjackets -9 vs. EPC Warriors +9

NEA Invitational Tournament Division 2 Championship Preview and Prediction.

The Teams:

Valley View Blazers:  The Valley View Blazers have had a cakewalk to the finals.  They got a bye in the first round, and followed that up with slaughtering Manila and Osceola.  They are truly one of Northeast Arkansas’ best.  I have failed to give them enough credit.  Jason Manchester has two scoring options in Alexander Gorton and Adam Horn.  If one has an off night the other can pick up the slack.  If they both get going then all bets are off and the Blazers are an unstoppable force.  Horn scored 32 points last night.  Will he carry his momentum into the next game or will Gorton be the star of the finals for the Blazers?  Valley View brings a run and gun offense that can shoot!

Westside Warriors – My apologies to Mark Whitmire and the Westside Warriors.  First off, you should never write off Mark Whitmire.  While I didn’t exactly write them off before the tournament started, I failed to give them enough credit.  This is a team that is well composed.  They play with extreme heart, play incredible defense, and have several scoring options.  The Warriors contained Austin Reeves for Cedar Ridge in the semifinals.  The shots Reeves did make, at minimum, had a hand in his face as Whitmire’s crew played excellent defense.  Rico Mayo, Chase Mickelson, and Caleb Price are all scoring options that will be a great challenge for the Blazers to defend.  The Warriors controlled the majority of the game against a very good opponent in the Cedar Ridge Timberwolves.  I expect Westside to give Valley View a great game.

NEA Prediction:

I quietly rooted for Westside to win their semifinal matchup against Cedar Ridge.  I have nothing against the Timberwolves, but the thought of Jonesboro’s two biggest cross town rivals getting to play one another in the finals of the NEA Tournament was very intriguing.  Unfortunately, the Blazers and Warriors do not get to play in their regular season schedule as Valley View moved up to class 5a.  However, everyone’s wishes have come true and this final will be the absolute showdown of the night.  Westside has the capability of defeating Valley View.  They will need to slow the game down.  If the Blazers turn it into a shoot out, I don’t think Westside will win.  Valley View must have strong performances from either Horn or Gorton in order to win.  This game is really hard to predict especially considering it is a rivalry matchup in the finals of the NEA Tournament.  Since the coaches of Northeast Arkansas believe Valley View is number one, I’ll go with their word for it and take the Blazers in a very close game.

Valley View Blazers -2 vs. Westside Warriors +2

Division 1 Girls NEA All Tournament Team

Marmaduke Lady Greyhounds

Sidney Bopp

Madison Price

Shelby Blackbum

Marked Tree Lady Indians

Lexi Perry

Tullia Tull

East Poinsett County Lady Warriors

Syntria Ward

Becca Bishop

Rector Lady Cougars

Marla Crancer

Buffalo Island Central Lady Mustangs

Hannah Poe

Karline Thomas

Bailey Owens

Izard County Consolidated

Jen King

Kennedy Cooper

Laura Jones

Sloan Hendrix Lady Cougars

Alyssa Nichols

Division 2 Girls NEA All Tournament Team.

Nettleton Lady Raiders

Ali Tucker

Katerra Sharp

Tashanescii Walker

Miah Kimbrough

Valley View Lady Blazers

Ashleigh Guthrie

Amanda Meister

Harleigh Jones

Allegra Melton

Tuckermann Lady Bulldogs

Hannah Dilday

Deria Ratliff

Katelyn Jackson

Cedar Ridge Lady Timberwolves

Elizabeth Henderson

Cheyenne Brooks

Rivercrest Lady Colts

Jordan Elder

Kristen Varnes 

Division 1 Boys All Nea Tournament Team.

BIC Mustangs

Seth Eatmon

Austin Pike

Marked Tree Indians

Terry Carter

DeAngelo Griffin

Augusta Red Devils

Ke’Andre Mums

Marmaduke Greyhounds

Eddie Page

Hayden Winberry

Izard County Consolidated

Andrew Walker

Bay Yellowjackets

Tyler Pritchett

Taylor Layne

Jonathan Crain

Colton Watson

East Poinsett County Warriors

Xzavier Reed

Clay Malone

Montrell James 

Division 2 Boys All NEA Tournament  

Valley View Blazers

Adam Horn

Alexander Gorton

Matt Owens

Westside Warriors

Rico Mayo

Chase Mickelson

Zach Preston

Caleb Price

Cedar Ridge Timberwolves

Austin Reeves

Cade Crabtree

Manila Lions

Caleb Reinhart

Nettleton Raiders

Silas Finch

Rivercrest Colts

Marquez Chew

Riverside Rebels

Kolin Stone

Luke Baker

Osceola Seminoles

Tevin James

EPC Completes Cinderella Story and Wins NEA Championship.

By: Ryan Fletcher

          The East Poinsett County Warriors had the toughest road of any team to win the 68^th Annual Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament, but New Years Eve proved to be the night they finished their Cinderella story by beating the number one seeded Bay Yellowjackets 73-61.  The Warriors road to the finals included wins against the number two seeded Buffalo Island Central Mustangs and the number three seeded Marmaduke Greyhounds.  EPC’s biggest task came in the finals against the clear favorite Bay Yellowjackets, but Mackenzie Pierce’s Warriors defied the odds and won the NEA championship.

          The first quarter was dominated by the Bay Yellowjackets.  The Yellowjackets started the game on a 16-4 run that included seven points from Colton Watson.  After starting the game off cold, EPC started to inch their way back into the contest.  With 2:08 remaining Zach Maddox tipped in a bucket off a rebound to cut the Jacket lead in half.  On the next possession center Jonathan Crain scored on a turnaround four foot jumper for Bay.  Xzavier Reed scored on a running jumper to make it 18-10.  Crain and Reed continued their own little see-saw battle both providing points for their respective teams on the following two possessions.  That made the score 20-12.  Dustin Utley, the NEA Tournament’s biggest all tournament team snub, ended the quarter by running the entire floor and making a layup as the buzzer went off to give Bay a 22-12 first quarter lead.

          The game went back and forth for the first three minutes of the second quarter.  Warrior Dez Barnes got involved scoring five points in that particular time frame and totaled eight for the second quarter.  With 4:43 left, Watson drove the right side and scored off the glass to put Bay up 30-19.  The two teams exchanged points to make it 32-21, but that’s when East Poinsett County came alive.  The Warriors put together a 15-2 run.  Junior Clay Malone got hot for the Warriors nailing two three pointers, and Barnes nailed his second three of the quarter during the stretch.  The run culminated as Xzavier Reed got fouled going to the basket.  That was a followed by a technical foul that was charged to Bay’s Colton Watson.  Reed went on to nail all four of his free throws giving EPC their first lead of the night at 37-34 and changing the entire tempo of the basketball game.  As a result of the technical foul, Watson didn’t play for the rest of the game.  Bay scored on their final two offensive possessions, but EPC scored on their final offensive possession as well.  That resulted in the Warriors taking a 39-38 lead into the halftime break.

          Reed jumped all over Bay to start the second half by nailing a three pointer 40 seconds into the quarter.  Crain scored 18 seconds later on spin move down low to make it 42-40 EPC.  Then, EPC went on another run.  The Warriors scored 10 unanswered points to end the third frame.  The run included five points from T.J. Young, three points from Malone, and a fast break layup from senior Aaron Scales.  The Warriors took a 52-40 lead into the final quarter.

          The fourth quarter was owned by the EPC Warriors.  The Warriors built leads by as much as 16 with 6:15 to play and by as much as 15 on two other occasions.   Bay cut the Warriors lead down to 11 with 2:43 remaining when Tyler Pritchett nailed a pair of free throws, but that is as close as the Yelowjackets would come.  EPC went onto the win the game by a final of 73-61. 

Warrior Coach Mackenzie Pierce had this to say about tonight’s win.  “It’s big for our confidence.  We needed it.  We struggled slowly out of the gate.  We had three days to get ready for our season.  With a new coach preaching about completely different things from the past, we knew we would probably start slow.  It’s huge for our psyche.  Our first two losses were by a combined three points and our first three losses were a combined seven points.  We lost on a buzzer beater, and we lost by ten going into the fourth quarter, so we weren’t putting ourselves in position to finish games.  The thing I am most proud about tonight is that they jumped on us.  They came out to a 12 or 13 point lead.  We didn’t get our heads down, and in the past we would’ve got our heads down.  That just kind of shows that we have turned a corner.  We are becoming a more mature basketball team.  With that said, I still don’t think we are playing our best basketball.  We want to be the ultimate team.  The sky is the limit for us, and we just gotta keep believing that and keep working.” 

Xzavier Reed led all scorers with 26 points.  Clay Malone had a big night scoring 21 for the EPC.  Taylor Layne led the Yellowjackets with 15 points, while Tyler Pritchett scored 12 and Watson added 11 in limited action. 

The two teams will meet one final time this season which will be later toward the end of the month in January at Bay. 

Blazers Take down Rival Warriors to Win NEA Tournament.

By: Ryan Fletcher

          Fans of Northeast Arkansas could not have asked for anything better.  The finals of the Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament are always special, but to have Jonesboro’s biggest cross town rivalry meet in the Convocation Center made for a very eventful evening.  The number one seeded Valley View Blazers took on the number three seeded Westside Warriors in front of a very large crowd in the final game of the night.  It was a close game from start to finish, but in the end Jason Manchester’s Blazers took home the 68^th annual NEA Invitational Tournament Trophy. 

          Matt Owens led things off by scoring on a left side lay in 18 seconds into the game to give the Blazers the early two point advantage.  Warrior J.T. Shwarz followed that up by driving the baseline and scoring to knot things up at two apiece.  Senior Tyler Hart nailed a three pointer to allow Westside to go up 5-2, but lefty Matt Owens knocked down a three of his own to tie the game up 5-5.  Westside went on a 6-0 run that ended on a layup from Chase Mickelson with 4:34 to play to make it 11-5.  After the Westside run, the two teams entered into a see-saw scoring battle.  Caleb Price ended the quarter by hitting a three point basket from way down town to allow the Warriors to lead 20-13 after the first quarter. 

          Alexander Gorton drove the middle of the lane to score for the Blazers to get the scoring started in the second quarter, but Rico Mayo grabbed a steal and went the distance for a layup to put the Warriors back up by seven at 22-15.  Adam Horn, arguably the tournament’s most valuable player, took control for the Blazers in the second period.  Horn scored on a layup with 5:24 to play and then nailed a three with 4:37 remaining in the half.  Gorton scored on a right side layup, got fouled, and completed the three point play by making the additional free throw.  That put the Blazers up 23-22 with 3:47 to go in the second frame.  Reid Fishbacher ended what turned out to be 9-0 Blazer run by knocking down one of two free throws and making the score 24-22.  The two teams mostly exchanged points throughout the remainder of the quarter, but Valley View was able to extend their lead to 33-27 going into the halftime break. 

          The Blazers outscored the Warriors 12-11 in the third quarter.  Alexander Gorton started the scoring in the third quarter with an impressive razzle dazzle drive that resulted in a layup.  Horn ended the quarter on a layup of his own.  The Blazers took a seven point 45-38 lead into the final quarter of play. 

          The last quarter had lots of points and the most of any period of the game.  Gorton scored on a fast break layup to kick off the period giving the Blazers a nine point lead.  The Warriors fought back!  Westside went on a 6-0 run getting four points from Mickelson and two from Rico Mayo.  That made it a 47-44 game.  Will Huber ended the Blazers short lived scoring drought by nailing a three with 6:20 to go in regulation.  Westside failed to score on their next possession, and Adam Horn took advantage by driving the lane and drawing a foul.  He went on to swish both of his free throws putting the Blazers back up by eight, 52-44.  Zac Preston drove the left side and scored on an “and one” knocking down the free throw to complete the play.  On the Blazers next offensive possession, Matt Owens spent seconds unattended on the left side of the floor begging for a three point opportunity.  Gorton finally recognized the wide open Owens who nailed a wide open three putting Valley View back up 55-47.  Valley View was able to add a free throw to the score, but then Westside’s Zac Preston scored the game’s next six points, however, scoring on two different drives, getting fouled both times, and making each additional free throw.  The score was 56-52.  Adam Horn was able to put the Blazers back up by seven knocking down three out of four free throws on two separate trips to the free throw line.  With 1:44 remaining Rico Mayo knocked down a pair of free throws which was followed up by a Blazer turnover that resulted in a big time three pointer from Chase Mickelson making it a 59-56 game and forcing Manchester to call a timeout.  Junior Alexander Gorton was fouled, out in the front court, with 1:03 to play, and he made both of his free throws putting the Blazers back up by five, 61-56.  The Warriors marched back down the court, and Caleb Price nailed another long three with 52.8 second left.  That is as close as Westside would come, however.  The Warriors attempted to force turnovers, but had to foul.  Will White, Gorton, and Fishbacher all went to the free throw line, knocking down all of their free throws, which resulted in the Blazers scoring the game’s final six uncontested points.  The Blazers pulled away to win 67-59. 

          “You have to give a lot of credit to Coach Whitmire and Westside.  They fought us tooth and nail like I thought they would.  I was proud of our guys for fighting through adversity.  We got into foul trouble at sometimes, but I thought our defensive effort was outstanding,” said Blazer coach Jason Manchester.  The Blazers effort couldn’t be won without strong efforts from “all tournament team players” Gorton and Horn.  “Those two guys we know what they can do offensively.  I am really proud of them for getting better defensively, but what I am really proud of them is that they are starting to rebound on both ends a lot better.  Last night Adam had a big night and a lot of that is because of offensive rebounds.”

          This is the first Northeast Arkansas Tournament championship since 1986 for the Valley View boys and the first championship for Coach Manchester.  “I think this is the first championship since 1986.  To have both our teams (Valley View girls won earlier in the evening against Nettleton) win the NEA Tournament, it is a great day for the Valley View community.” 

NEA Sports Game of the Week

Osceola Seminoles at Manila Lions

Date:  1-8-15

Location:  Manila High School in Manila, Arkansas

VS.

The Teams:

Manila Lions – The Lions return to the court for the first time since losing on December, 29^th in the quarter finals of the Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament to the Valley View Blazers.  Manila has had an up and down season in non-conference play with a pair of wins over Riverside.  They finished runner-up in the Gerald Jennings Tournament to Valley View.  The Lions unfortunately have had to play the class 5a Blazers three times this season which have all resulted in losses.  The Lions will need a strong showing from senior Caleb Reinhart who was the lone Lion to be selected to the all-tournament team at the NEA Tournament.  The Lions have a strong three point shooter in Thomas Davis that can light up the score board as well.

Osceola Seminoles – The Seminoles last game and loss also came at the hands of the Valley View Blazers in the NEA Tournament.  That loss came in the semi-finals of the tournament, and it was an absolute thrashing.  Osceola has loads of talent but has played a Jekyll and Hyde type of season thus far.  Osceola has wins against Nettleton and Clarksville, but has lost to Corning.  Tevin James and Mark Thomas are two key players that Coach Frankie Gather will need to utilize in order to score a win at Manila.

The NEA Sports Pick: 

This is a huge game for both teams that could potentially have a huge impact on the conference standings by season’s end.  At home, Manila has got to find a way to win.  This game presents extra-large matchup problems for the Lions because they are a very small team, and Osceola has great size.  Manila will need to not only be able to shoot the three, which they often do well, but they need a strong presence from guys like Seth Grissom, Kyle Joyner, and Erik Navarro down low.  What they do inside, in terms of not allowing second chance shots off of offensive rebounds, will play a significant factor in the outcome of this game.  There’s no doubt in my mind that Manila coach Lee Wimberley will have preached this for the entire week they have had to prepare.  Recently, Manila has owned Osceola winning three of the last four meetings and five of the last seven.  I am going with the home team in this game. 

Osceola Seminoles +3 at Manila -3. 

NEA Sports Game of the Week 

Earle Bulldogs at BIC Mustangs

Date:  1-9-15

Location:  Mustang Athletic Complex

at Monette, AR 

                    VS.                              

The Teams: 

BIC Mustangs – The Buffalo Island Central Mustangs suffered what some would have thought to be a shocking loss at the hands of the EPC Warriors.  However, when I talked to Coach Bill Taylor earlier in the year, he had EPC as a team to beat in the conference.  That loss shouldn’t deter fans from thinking the Mustangs are not still highly capable of finishing the second half up strong.  Austin Pike is still one of the premier players in the conference and the return of Trey Depriest adds a new element to a team that struggles to shoot outside.  The Mustangs need senior Seth Eatmon to step up during the second half and be another scoring threat along with center, senior Alan Carmichael.  

Earle Bulldogs – The Earle Bulldogs are a team that many people do not know much about.  They defeated EPC in mid-December, but suffered an early loss to Riverside at home.  Their most highly touted and talked about player is freshman Gerry Bohanon.  He stands at 6’4 and weighs 220.  Bohanon is a dual sport athlete that played football and got a late start to the basketball season as he led the Bulldogs at quarterback and defensive end.  He also has nice speed for a guy of his size.  Look for the Mustangs to try and shut him down. 

The NEA Sports Prediction:

The mighty Mustangs will be put to the test tonight against the Earle Bulldogs to get things rolling in conference play during the second half of the season.  Earle comes back into the 2A-3 conference as one of the top teams, and this game very well could determine who finishes at the very top of the standings by the end of the season.  This is Buffalo Island Central’s homecoming game tonight, so I would expect there to be a great crowd with an electric atmosphere, especially knowing that there is a lot on the line.   With that being said, this game should end up being very close and it could come down to who has the ball at the very end. 

Earle Bulldogs +1 at BIC Mustangs -1

Earle Earns Big Conference Win on the Road at BIC.

        It was the tale of two different Buffalo Island Central Mustang teams last night at the Mustang Athletic Complex in Monette, Arkansas.  BIC started the game slow and ended the game in a near coma, whereas their second and third quarters made them appear to be one of the conference’s top contenders.  The Mustangs played catch up from the very first quarter and trailed by as much as 14 in the first half.  With 6:38 to go in regulation, BIC made it a two possession basketball game on free throws from Cory Turner, but that would be as close as they would come.  While the final score was not indicative of the majority of the basketball game, Earle pulled away and ended up trouncing the Mustangs on homecoming night 90-60. 

        Buffalo Island got off to a very slow start to begin the game.  The Mustangs tallied only seven first quarter points, while the Bulldogs came out smoking hot.  Earle’s Marcus Brown came off the bench to score 33 points!  His reign of terror quickly started as he lit the nets up for 11 first quarter points including a trio of three point baskets. 

        BIC started their climb back into contention in the second quarter.  The Mustangs were able to put together an offensive scoring drive that amounted to 23 second quarter points.  The only problem was that Earle never stopped scoring.  The Bulldogs consistently scored in the twenty’s every quarter of the game.  Austin Pike scored ten second quarter points, while Trey Depriest added eight included a pair of three pointers.  Earle led at the half 40-29.

        The Mustangs continued to scorch the nets in the third quarter.  BIC knocked down another 23 points in the quarter, but yet again, Earle couldn’t be stopped.  The Bulldogs scored 22 points.  Pike scored 10 more points including shooting a perfect six for six from the charity stripe.  By the end of the third quarter, BIC had pulled to within a ten point game at 62-52.

        Things went south for BIC in the final quarter of play.  While the Mustangs scored the quarter’s first four points, all from the hands of Cory Turner, Earle posted their highest scoring performance of the night.  Earle outscored BIC in the final quarter 28-8 and went onto secure a huge win to kickoff the second half of the season. 

        Oddly enough Earle’s leading scorer was a player that didn’t even start the game as Marcus Brown led all scorers with 33 points.  Cortez Banks chipped in 18 for the Mustangs, while Elijah Dunn added 13.  Austin Pike led the Mustangs with 24 points and sophomore Trey Depriest added 17.  Cory Turner netted eight. 

        The much anticipated appearance of Earle’s freshman standout Gerry Bohanon did not occur.  Sources say that Bohanon was out because of an illness.  The Mustangs are scheduled to take on the Riverside Rebels next Tuesday night in a highly anticipated rivalry game.  BIC defeated the Rebels earlier in the year. 

Osceola Beats Manila on the Road 63-56. 

        The Osceola Seminoles squared off against the Manila Lions Friday night in Manila, Arkansas in front of a loud and raucous crowd.  The Seminoles trailed nearly half of the ballgame, but pulled out a victory defeating the Lions, and earning a big conference win 63-56.

        The Seminoles jumped out to early leads of 6-1 and 8-2.  Tevin James scored the first four points of the game allowing Osceola to have an early advantage.  While Manila started the game very cold, including missing shots on their first four scoring opportunities, the Lions ended the quarter on a 9-2 run.  The run was aided by Patrick Tanner who nailed a three from the left side corner with 4:53 in the period.  Thomas Davis missed a three from way off the mark, but immediately recognized that his shot would be off and followed it, grabbing the rebound, and scoring on a layup with 3:42 to play.  Davis nailed a long distance three pointer off a screen from the right side with 53 seconds remaining in the quarter to the tie the game up 10-10.  Caleb Reinhart gave Manila their first lead of the night with 22.6 seconds left hitting the front end of a one and one.  Manila ended the quarter leading 11-10.

        The game remained close for the majority of the second quarter.  Both teams battled back in forth.  One of Osceola’s big post players, Ladarian Bradford, came off the bench to hurt the Lions.  Bradford scored on an offensive rebound (something he did all night) to take back the lead at 12-11.  Manila took back the lead on another right side three from Davis.  Manila continued to hold their lead and then extend it.  After James scored on a right side layup for the Seminoles with 3:22 to play, Manila went on a 9-2 run.  Caleb Reinhart scored six of the nine points during the drive to allow Manila to take a 29-22 lead.  James ended the quarter by scoring on a buzzer beater and cutting into the Lions lead 29-24.

        There was very little scoring for the first five minutes of the third quarter.  Both teams came out cold to start the half.  With 3:09 to play in the third frame, Manila led 34-30 after scoring on one of two free throws.  James did what he does best and drove to the bucket on the Seminoles next possession scoring and cutting the Lions lead down to two.  Manila turned the ball over on their next possession and James ended up with it on the other end of the floor once again scoring, but this time splitting two defenders with some razzle dazzle action and knotting the game up at 34 all.  The Lions had lost what was a seven point lead, and Lion coach Lee Wimberley was forced to take a timeout.  Manila failed to score on their following possession, and Osceola scored on another offensive rebound and stick back by Bradford.  The Seminoles took a 36-34 lead.  Manila fought back, and as Seth Grissom gave the Seminoles a taste of their own medicine scoring off of an offensive rebound.  Thomas Davis forced a turnover and scored on a layup to give Manila the lead back 38-36, but Terrance Wilson scored on a turnaround jumper inside the paint giving the Seminoles their second buzzer beater of the night.  The third quarter ended in a dead lock at 38 apiece. 

        The final period was all Osceola as they carried their third quarter surge over into the final frame.  The Seminoles went on a game altering 10-2 run.   The game continued to go back in forth between a six and eight point lead for Osceola until Manila was finally able to pull the game to within five points when Matthew May scored on a layup with exactly three minutes remaining on the clock.  Unfortunately for the Lions, that is as close as they would come as Osceola went back up by nine after James scored on four foot jumper, the Seminoles forced a turnover on the Lions next possession, and Darion Gilmore scored on an impressive slam over a Manila defender with 2:12 to go.  That run pretty much put things away as Manila simply had run out of time with too many points to make up. 

        Osceola shot a putrid 9-31from the charity stripe.  The dagger into the heart of the Lions was Osceola’s overwhelming height advantage.  The Seminoles shot poorly from the field but was able to grab multiple offensive rebounds that resulted in too many second chance points.  Ten of Bradford’s thirteen points came off of second chance stick backs for the Seminoles.  James led all scorers with 24 points, and Darion Gilmore chipped in nine. 

        Manila was led by Caleb Reinhart who netted 22 points.  Thomas Davis was the only other Lion to score in double figures with 13.  Manila has another huge conference game next Friday night against the Rivercrest Colts, and it will be the NEA Sports Game of the Week. 

NEA Sports Game of the Week – A. 

Riverside Rebels at Bay Yellowjackets

Date:  1-16-15

Location:  Bay High School at Bay, Arkansas

        VS.     

The Teams:

Riverside Rebels – The Riverside Rebels suffered a devastating conference loss on Tuesday night against their arch nemesis the BIC Mustangs.  They played with tons of heart and fought back after being down.  Kolin Stone led the charge that almost earned Riverside a big victory on the road.  Riverside brings a diverse attack.  The Stones’ are the go to players, but the Rebel’s Brandon Sain and Luke Baker are two other players that can make things happen if they are on.  Riverside plays strong defense and gets on the boards which is typical for a Buster Campbell team.   

Bay Yellowjackets – Since their loss in the finals of the NEA Tournament, Bay has absolutely thrashed their competition.  Just this week, the Yellowjackets already have two conference wins against Armorel and Hughes.  It’s clear the Yellowjackets are on their way to another consecutive conference championship after putting the mercy rule to the Tigers and Blue Devils.  Bay still has a few big non-conference games left on the schedule including this particular game against rival Riverside.  Colton Watson continues to be the big time scorer for Bay.  The only person that can stop Colton is himself as he has to continue to work to stay out of foul trouble.  After Colton, the Yellowjackets have a plethora of players that can score 20 plus points.  

The NEA Sports Prediction:

Riverside (15-8) is a team that you cannot take for granted.  They have defeated some very good teams on the year.  The only way Riverside has a chance to win this game is if they slow the pace of the game down.  Another interesting factor will be the fact that Riverside will be coached by assistant Kevin Hall because of Buster Campbell being ejected at Monette against the Mustangs.  He now has to serve a suspension of one game based on rules set forth by the Arkansas Activities Association.  It will be interesting to see how the Rebels respond to Hall’s completely different personality.  The Yellowjackets are ranked as the states number one team in class 1A, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, with a record of 22-3.  Bay controlled the previous matchup at Lake City earlier in the season.  Both teams have improved since that game, but unless Riverside can slow down the potent Yellowjacket offense, look for Bay to win at home.

Riverside +16 at Bay -16 

NEA Sports Game of the Week – B

Rivercrest Colts at Manila Lions

Date:  1-16-15

Location:  Manila High School at Manila, Arkansas 

       VS.     

The Teams:

Manila Lions – The Manila Lions lost a tough one last week to the Osceola Seminoles at home which was featured as the NEA Sports Game of the Week.  The Lions led much of the game but faltered in the end.  The Lions will look to bounce back in a heavy way as the Colts are the other team to beat in the conference.  Caleb Reinhart led the way last week leading his team in scoring.  He got most of his points from driving to the basket, drawing fouls, and making his free throws.  He is Manila’s most consistent player.  Thomas Davis is an additional scoring threat that Coach Lee Wimberley will utilize to get points.  Davis has an excellent shot and can nail three pointers from long distances.  Wimberley will need his other players to step up an aid the Lion effort.

Rivercrest Colts – The Colts will enter Friday night’s game with a losing record, but they presently sit at a perfect 3-0 in conference play.  In all reality, that is all that matters.  The Colts nearly pulled an upset off against the highly touted Cedar Ridge Timberwolves in the Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament.  Senior guard Marquez Chew has played very well lately for the Colts and is an offensive weapon that Rivercrest coach Johnny Fleming will look to use against the Lions. 

The NEA Sports Prediction: 

Manila desperately needs to win this game after leading much of last Friday night’s game against Osceola and then losing it.  The Lions will need a more consistent offensive effort in order to win this game.  It will be fun to watch two very athletic 5’8 guards in both Reinhart and Chew go at it.  As it is most of the time for the Lions, size will be a definite issue for Manila as Rivercrest has several players standing at over six feet tall.  Manila gave away too many second chance points off of offensive rebounds against Osceola and cannot do that against Rivercrest if they want to win.  I believe this game will be close, and as always, the electricity from the fans of Manila will be as good as ever.  However, I am going to give Rivercrest a slight advantage in this one.

Rivercrest -5 at Manila +5.

Interim Coach Kevin Hall Leads Rebels to Upset Over Bay.

By:  Ryan Fletcher

          The Riverside Rebels traveled to Bay, Arkansas on Friday night to take on their bitter rival the Bay Yellowjackets.  Riverside was fresh off a devastating loss earlier in the week to their biggest rival the Buffalo Island Central Mustangs.  Rebel coach Buster Campbell was ejected (in addition to a fan from BIC) in Tuesday night’s titanic struggle, and therefore had to serve a one game suspension based on rules set forth by the Arkansas Activities Association.  Since mid-way through the second quarter of the Tuesday night game, assistant coach Kevin Hall has ran the show for Riverside.  The Rebels nearly pulled out a huge come from behind win, on the road at BIC, but simply ran out of time.  That loss was bad for Riverside in the conference standings, but in terms of Friday night’s game, Riverside’s loss might have been worse for the Bay Yellowjackets as the Rebels came into town fuming and anxious to prove a point.  Hall took control of a hungry Riverside team, and the Rebels pulled out their biggest non-conference win of the season defeating Bay 77-69.

          Words cannot truly depict the animosity that raged throughout the gymnasium on Friday night.  Bay has had a relatively meek and quiet fan base for much of the season, but that drastically changed as Riverside brought the biggest visiting crowd of the season.  That alone set the tone for the night turning the atmosphere into something similar to a World Wrestling Entertainment pay per view event.   

          The first quarter proved that this particular game would be one that would see lots of scoring.  Riverside won the opening tip, and immediately scored on an excellent drive and layup by senior Kollin Stone.  Bay flew right down the court and standout Colton Watson nailed a three to give Bay a 3-2 advantage.  The game would continue to go back and forth with neither team letting up.  Luke Baker knocked down a three point basket of his own to give Riverside a 5-3 lead.  Tyler Pritchett later scored on a drive that resulted in a three point play, in which he completed, giving Bay back the lead.  The see-saw affair continued throughout much of the quarter.  With the game tied up at 11 all, Tyler Pritchett netted a three pointer to make it 14-11.  Gavin Stone, the games leading scoring, got his first points of the night on the following possession nailing a three pointer with 2:11 remaining in the quarter.  It took all but seven seconds for Bay’s Colton Watson to dribble down the floor and launch a long distance three from the right side to give Bay a 17-14 lead.  Bay finally was able to put together a small run as the Yellowjackets finished out the first quarter with a 22-15 lead thanks to three pointers from Pritchett and Nolan Smith. 

          While it appeared that the momentum of the game had shifted in Bay’s favor, the Stone brothers decided to take matters into their own hands.  Gavin Stone knocked down the quarter’s first points netting a three pointer with 7:14 to play.  He followed that up with a layup off of a forced turnover.  Sophomore Braden Overman fed off of the younger Stone brother’s energy and grabbed a steal and went the distance for a layup.  In a matter of two minutes the Rebels had clawed their way back into the game tying it at 22 apiece.  The two teams exchanged buckets and then Riverside (the Stone brothers) went on a 17-4 run to end the quarter.  The run was capped by Kollin Stone who netted nine points followed by Gavin Stone who chipped in the other eight.  Riverside shocked the Yellowjackets taking a 41-28 lead into the halftime break.

          Halftime proved to have as many fireworks as the actual game.  Before exiting the floor, the officials requested that a fan be ejected from the game based on something that had occurred during the course of the second quarter.  That caused uproar within the raging Rebel faithful which ignited the atmosphere to a new level and set a new precedent for the remainder of the game.  The game would later see three more fan ejections from both fan bases. 

          The second half started off similar to the first half as points were almost immediately placed on the scoreboard.  Colton Watson drew a foul and sank both of his free throws to get things rolling for the Yellowjackets.  Bay scored again to cut the lead to nine, but Braden Overman buried a three from beyond the arc to put Riverside back up by 12 at 44-32.  With 6:39 remaining, Gavin Stone went back to work knocking down another three pointer, making the score 47-32, and giving Riverside their biggest lead of the night.  Dustin Utley scored on a layup but Braden Overman lit the nets up for his second three point basket of the quarter.  Riverside went up by 16 points leading 50-34.  Riverside’s hot hands finally began to cool down mid-way through the third quarter, and Bay’s started to get hot.  The Yellowjackets were able to close out the quarter outscoring Riverside 18-8.  That run was helped by Bay’s only two seniors in Colton Watson and Cade Prince.  Watson scored six points including shooting four for four from the charity stripe.  Prince stuck in eight points for the Yellowjackets.  The third quarter ended with Riverside clinging to a 58-52 lead. 

          The final quarter proved to be as exciting as the other three periods.  After the two teams went back and forth scoring on several possessions, it was the Yellowjackets that took control of the driver seat.  Taylor Layne netted one of two free throws pulling Bay to within three points at 62-59.  The Rebels failed to score on their next possession, and Tyler Pritchett buried another three to tie the game 62-62.  Riverside’s lead of 16 points had been evaporated.  Coach Hall was able to compose his Rebel troops and place them back on track for the final moments of the game.  Gavin Stone showed that composure as the young sophomore sank a three pointer with 3:49 to play.  After Bay failed to connect on their next possession, Overman was able to connect on one of two free throws.  Riverside was back up 66-62.  Dustin Utley drilled a seven-footer with 3:20 remaining, and Taylor Layne followed the games next points up with one of two free throws to make the score 66-65 Riverside.  Unfortunately for Bay that would be as close as they would come.  While the Stone brothers carried the heavy lifting for the Rebels, Braden Overman continued his clutch performance sinking a huge three from the corner with 1:49 to play allowing the Rebels to go back up 69-65.  Utley knocked down two free throws after getting fouled with 1:25 to play but front court pressure by the Rebels forced additional Yellowjacket turnovers.  Gavin Stone took a page out of former Rebel star Garrett Weaver’s old playbook snow birding his way down the floor and scoring back to back layups with 54 and 38.2 seconds on the clock.  That allowed Riverside to go up 73-67.  The Rebels went on to close out the game and win by a final of 77-69.

          Gavin Stone led all scorers with a whopping 27 points.  Kollin Stone knocked down 19, while Overman scored 15.  Tyler Pritchett led Bay with 24 points, Watson added 16, and Taylor Layne chipped in 11. 

          Bay lost only their fourth game of the season.  The Yellowjackets went into this week ranked as the state’s number one team in class 1A and a loss to a very good Riverside team shouldn’t change their position.  One thing is for sure and that’s Bay is not the same team without Colton Watson on the floor especially in pivotal matchups like this one.  Watson spent a ton of the game on the bench due to getting into foul trouble.  The veteran star plays an aggressive type of basketball and forces lots of turnovers, but his offensive presence is far more valuable, and that is something that the Yellowjackets will need in order to win a state championship. 

          Riverside continues to be a very mystifying team in terms of some of their wins and losses.  Kollin Stone is playing like a senior should, as it would appear he is playing every game like it is his last.  That will pay huge dividends for Riverside in the long run.  He has taken the Rebels under his leadership and playing with surreal heart which is something no coach can instill in any player.  Younger brother Gavin Stone literally was all over the court Friday night.  He nailed huge shots, garnered multiple steals, and induced an added shot of adrenaline in the Rebel basketball club.  Then there’s Braden Overman.  It is a question I have pondered all year long as to why the young sophomore has not had more playing time.  He has a beautiful shot.  He’s young and probably a bit inconsistent, but the only thing that will solve inconsistency is playing time and his added shot is something Riverside needs to go along with a quality spot shooter in Luke Baker. 

          Finally kudos has to go to long time assistant coach Kevin Hall.  His coaching performance cannot be denied in this one.  He kept his team composed calling timeouts in key situations when Bay made big runs to regain the lead.  He also wasn’t afraid to utilize Overman’s three point shooting presence.  Most importantly, it is a new level of basketball that I have not seen the Rebels play at in quite some time.  It was quite a scene to watch Coach Hall pump his fist at a very excited Rebel crowd who gave him an extended standing ovation after the game was over which included a swarm of former Rebel players that congratulated him on his big win. 

          The Yellowjackets head back into conference play next week as they are set to take on the Maynard Tigers Monday night and will then play their homecoming game live on Suddenlink channel 15 against the Ridgefield Christian Warriors on Friday night. 

          Riverside is set to take on the Rector Cougars at home on Tuesday night and then will square off against the Earle Bulldogs on Friday night at Lake City.  Riverside defeated Earle earlier in the year on the road. 

Rivercrest Earns Big Conference Win Over Manila.

By:  Ryan Fletcher 

        For the second Friday night in a row, the Manila Lions suffered a tough loss to a conference opponent.  The Rivercrest Colts traveled to Manila High School and grabbed a big conference win to keep their undefeated streak in the 3A-3 Conference alive.  Unfortunately for the Lions, Friday night’s loss makes things an uphill climb for the remainder of the 2014-2015 season. 

        Rivercrest best quarter came during the very first period of play.  Initially, the score teetered back in forth.  Both teams exchanged buckets to start the game.  Thomas Davis did what he is known for by drilling a three pointer which gave Manila a 5-4 lead with 6:38 to go in the opening frame.  Marquez Chew quickly responded by nailing a jumper that put the Colts back on top 6-5.  Manila tied the game up on a free throw, but Cecil Langston put Rivercrest back on top 8-6 on a lay in.  Manila senior Caleb Reinhart netted a three to give the Lions the lead back with 5:07 remaining.  With 4:52 to go, Robert Banks went to the line scoring on his first free throw.  Banks missed the second, but 6’3 center Carl Williams grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put Rivercrest up 11-9.  Kyle Joyner tied the game back up on a layup with 4:35 on the clock.  Unfortunately for the Lions, it would be the last time they would score in the quarter.  The Colts went on a 9-0 run to end the quarter, and Rivercrest led 20-11. 

        It was a different game during the second period in terms of who dominated.  While Manila fell behind to an early nine point deficit, Lee Wimberley’s Lion’s roared back into the game.  Manila went on a 14-2 run in which Patrick Tanner netted a three to start the quarter.  After Kyle Joyner nailed an eight-footer, Tanner struck again this time swiping a steal and scoring on a fast break layup.  Reinhart added to the run by making one of two free throws.  Davis got his hot hands to rolling and drilled consecutive three pointers with 4:54 and 3:17 on the clock for the Lions.  At that point Manila led 25-22.  Rivercrest finally ended their long drought scoring the games next seven points. That 7-0 run culminated on a three point basket from junior Carl Williams.  With six seconds remaining in the half, Manila’s Matthew May busted a three.  Rivercrest went into halftime with a 29-28 lead.

        The game continued to remain tight in the third period of play.  May picked right back up where he left off starting the quarter by nailing another three pointer with 7:18 on the game clock.  Merely 19 seconds later, Chew fired right back with a three of his own putting the Colts back on top by one.  Hunter Malone scored the Colts next four points, while Manila’s Seth Grissom bottomed two free throws.  Rivercrest led 36-33 with 5:04 to play in the third frame.  Thomas Davis knocked down his fourth three pointer of the night tying the game up at 36 all.  Chew nailed a long two, and Robert Banks added a free throw, before Lion Patrick Tanner converted on a long distance two point basket.  Tanner’s bucket pulled Manila back to within one point at 39-38.  With 55 seconds on the clock, Langston scored on a pass from Chew, which allowed the Colts to lead 41-38 going into the final period of play.

        Rivercrest was able to extend their lead to five, but Caleb Reinhart got hot becoming the Lions go to scoring threat in the final quarter.  Reinhart scored on a lay in to make it 43-40 and then converted a three pointer from beyond the arc with 4:50 to play to tie the game up 43-43.  The Colts, who shot a horrific 3-15 from the charity stripe, converted one of their three free throws to go back up by one.  Reinhart again drilled a three pointer with 3:53 remaining to make it a 46-44 Manila.  The Colts were able to quickly tie the game back up on the very next possession, however.  That was the first points of what turned into a 7-0 run.  Manila struggled to place points on the board for the remainder of the game.  Matthew May scored Manila’s final bucket of the evening on a free throw with 20 seconds remaining.  Chew added salt to the wound by hammered down a one handed slam dunk with 15 seconds to go in regulation.  Rivercrest extended their lead and went on to win by a final of 54-47. 

        Marquez Chew and Carl Williams tied for a game high 16 points for the Colts.  Ironically, Manila’s Caleb Reinhart and Thomas Davis tied for a team high 12 points.  Matthew May and Patrick Tanner both added seven points apiece, while Kyle Joyner scored six, and Seth Grissom chipped in three. 

        The Lions will not play a game early in the week next week, but are set to take on the Hoxie Mustangs in Manila next Friday night. 

NEA Sports Game of the Week

1-23-15

Greene County Tech Golden Eagles at Valley View Blazers 

Vs. 

The Teams:

Valley View Blazers – The Blazers suffered their first loss of the 2014-2015 season at home to the Forrest City Mustangs.  The Blazers will look to bounce back in conference action against the Golden Eagles.  Adam Horne was voted player of the week (by 95.3 the ticket/the drive) last week for some outstanding performances against Batesville and Paragould.  He averaged 24.5 points against the two teams.  Valley View is clearly a contender to go deep and potentially win the state tournament in class 5a.  Alexander “X” Gorton and Matt Owens are two other players that can easily score in double digits for the Blazers.  Valley View has lots of depth that Jason Manchester will continue to utilize in order to keep his Blazers with fresh legs throughout the game.  

Greene County Tech – The Golden Eagles will bring a very balanced attack to Valley View tonight.  GCT has three quality guards that can shoot the ball well and will have to be guarded.  Gunner Faulkner, Landon Long, and Cade Gramling have the ability to shoot the “3,” and the Eagles will also be able to employ the inside presence of 6’6 center Andrew Tarry.  The Blazers will definitely have a challenge when it comes to guarding the big man on the inside. 

NEA Sports Prediction: 

Jason Manchester will look to rebound after losing a very tough game to Forrest City in which the Blazers totaled 88 points but failed to win.  I can imagine that defense was a main focus at practice this week.  While the Eagles have a very balanced team and one of the best fan bases in Northeast Arkansas, I do not believe it will be enough to come out victorious.  I think the game will be relatively close.  I am going with the Blazers! 

GCT +7 at Valley View -7

NEA Sports Game of the Week

1-23-15

Earle Bulldogs at Riverside Rebels 

      Vs.     

The Teams:

Riverside Rebels – Just days after Coach Kevin Hall led the Rebels to earn their biggest non-conference upset of the season, against the Bay Yellowjackets on the road, Riverside suffered a shocking loss to the Rector Cougars at home.  Rector, who is having a down season this year, earned just their third conference win of the year.  Kollin Stone continued to put on a show and scored 25 of Riverside’s 46 points.  He also pulled down 17 rebounds.  Kolin will need a great deal of help from his teammates in order to defeat the Earle Bulldogs.  Younger brother Gavin Stone will have to play like he did against the Yellowjackets last Friday night.  Riverside will also need contributions from a third party such as: Braden Overman, Luke Baker, or Brandon Sain.   

Earle Bulldogs – The Earle Bulldogs have arguably the best team in the 2A-3 Conference.  In terms of who to guard, that is often a mystery as they have multiple players that can score in double digits.  Marcus Brown led the Bulldogs with 27 points Tuesday night against Marked Tree.  He poured in 33 points against the BIC Mustangs.  Brown seems to be a key figure for Earle.  The most talked about Bulldog is still Gerry Bohanon.  He didn’t play against BIC, so much of NEA is still itching to see the young freshman play against a quality opponent like a team in Riverside.  He too is a key player that Riverside will have to watch out for.

NEA Sports Prediction:

It should be noted that the only time Earle has lost this year came against the Riverside Rebels and that was on the Bulldogs home court.  There is loads of talent between the two communities of Lake City and Caraway.  Not a single team should underestimate their ability to win.  It is a true toss-up between Marmaduke and Riverside in terms of who is the most confusing team.  One night these two teams can look like potential champions and the next night they look mediocre.  Buster Campbell will need to find the fire that Kevin Hall found last Friday night in order to upset Earle.  The Bulldogs are the real deal.  They are now tied for the conference lead with BIC.  Lake City will be a very hostile environment for Earle to come play in.  I expect this game to be close, but I anticipate that the Bulldogs will enact revenge and earn another conference victory. 

Earle Bulldogs -8 at Riverside +8.  

Earle Avenges Early Season Loss to Riverside 71-56.

By: Ryan Fletcher

        The Riverside Rebels have accomplished something no one else in the 2A-3 Conference has been able to do.  That achievement is handing the Earle Bulldogs a conference loss.  Not only did Riverside defeat Earle, but they did it on the Bulldog’s home floor.  Earle traveled to Lake City on Friday night seeking revenge, and they came away victorious 71-56.

        Earle controlled the game from the very first quarter.  Riverside hung with the Bulldogs with 3:28 left in the opening quarter as senior Kolin Stone knocked down a pair of free throws.  Beyond that point in the game, Earle extended and maintained their lead.  The Bulldogs went on a 12-4 run to end the quarter.  Riverside dug an early grave and trailed 26-13.

        Riverside got down by as much as 34-16 in the second quarter, but attempted to mount a comeback.  The Rebels went on a 14-5 run to close out the first half.  Riverside scored a handful of points from the charity stripe in the quarter.  Both Brandon Sain and Kolin Stone maneuvered their way around inside drawing fouls and completing seven out of eight free throws.  Two of the completed free throws came from Kolin Stone with 1:22 remaining in the half.  That cut the Bulldog lead down to seven at 35-28.  With 52 seconds to play standout freshman Gerry Bohanon answered the call ending Riverside’s rampant run scoring on a five foot jumper.  The Bulldogs were able to put an additional bucket before Gavin Stone nailed a 12-foot baseline jumper to end the first half with a score of 39-30 Earle. 

        Kolin Stone scored the Rebels first four points of the second half.  Sain scored on an offensive rebound with 6:23 in the third quarter pulling Riverside to within six at 42-36.  Unfortunately for the Rebels, that’s as close as they would come to tasting the lead.  The Bulldogs closed out the third quarter on a 13-6 run.  Bohanon scored six of the 13 points during the run as Earle led 55-44 to end the third quarter.

        Kolin Stone cut the Rebel deficit to eight with 4:54 to play as he scored on two more free throws, but the Bulldogs were simply too much.  Earle had multiple players score in the final quarter and had three players score in double digits for the game.  Bohanon led the Bulldogs with 16 points followed by Marcus Brown with 15.  Tevin Scott added 12 for Earle.  Kolin Stone scored a game high 21 points and Brandon Sain knocked down 15 for the Rebels. 

        One thing is for sure and that is Earle is the team to beat in the conference.  With that being said, they are a beatable team, and there’s more than one team in the conference that could do it.  It’s going to be fun to see how things pan out in the 2A-3 Conference.  Once again Marcus Brown had another high scoring game for the Bulldogs, and the highly touted Bohanon was a difference maker in the contest. 

        Riverside has now dropped two games in a row after upsetting the highest ranked team in the state for class 1A in the Bay Yellowjackets.  They are 1-4 in the conference to start the second half the season.  While Brandon Sain had an outstanding first half for the Rebels (scoring 13 points), he was only able to add two more points in the second half.  Kolin Stone continues to be a total beast for the Rebels.  It is safe to say you can expect him to play like that the rest of the season as he has simply played his heart out as of late.  As previously stated, Riverside has loads of talent, but they have to find a way to get more consistent play from someone other than the oldest Stone.

        The Rebels are schedule to take on Marked Tree, Tuesday night on the road and will face the CRA Falcons at home next Friday night as they will celebrate homecoming festivities. 

Blazers Beat Golden Eagles 56-52.

By: Ryan Fletcher

        The Valley View Blazers have gotten off to a tremendous start to the 2014-2015 season.  Up until Tuesday night, the Blazers were undefeated at 14-0.  Forrest City ended the Blazers hopes of a perfect season winning 90-88 on Valley View’s home court.  There’s absolutely no easy win in this particular conference in class 5A, so Jason Manchester’s Blazers knew that they would not find an easy win against the Greene County Tech Golden Eagles Friday night in Jonesboro.  Manchester’s troops got back to their winning ways defeating the Golden Eagles in a close one 56-52.

        After scoring 88 points against Forrest City on Tuesday night, one might expect that the Blazers wouldn’t put up as many points in consecutive games.  Only 17 combined points were scored in the opening quarter between both teams.  The Blazers led 9-8 to end the first quarter and 27-24 to end the first half. 

        Alexander “X” Gorton was a key contributor in this particular game.  The Blazers clung to a 40-39 lead to end the third quarter.  Gorton was able to knock down a jumper with 7:34 in the final frame to give the Blazers a three point lead.  Gorton had been relatively quiet in the game, but scored the Blazers first ten points of the final period.  He tied with teammate Matt Owens scoring a team high 16 points.  Because of Gorton’s hot hand in the final period, the Blazers were able to extend and maintain their lead allowing them to come out victorious.  Landon Long scored a game high 20 points for GCT while Gunner Faulkner added 11. 

        Before the season even began, Coach Manchester hinted that the Blazers had other weapons that he planned to introduce to the Northeast Arkansas community.  There was no surprise in the fact that Gorton and Adam Horne would be key figures for the Valley View ball club.  Matt Owens has been the third figure to step up giving Manchester a three-headed monster that could allow this team to go very deep in post-season play.  Owens earned all-tournament honors at the NEA Tournament and continues to post impressive numbers. 

        The Blazers next two games will come on the road.  Tuesday night, Valley View will travel to Wynne and next Friday night will face cross-town opponent Nettleton.  The Friday night game will be the NEA Sports Game of the Week. 

 NEA Sports Game of the Week

East Poinsett County Warriors vs. Bay Yellowjackets

Location:  Bay High School in Bay, Arkansas

Date:  Tuesday, January 27, 2015

VS. 

 The Teams: 

EPC Warriors – There hasn’t been a more interesting team to follow since the Northeast Invitational Tournament than the Warriors.  EPC has been rolling as of late picking up big conference wins against Buffalo Island Central at home and against Riverside on the road.  Mackenzie Pierce has had to play catch up in the 2A-3 Conference standings after getting off to a slow start.  However, they have been one of Northeast Arkansas’ hottest teams over the course of the last month.  Young sophomore Xzavier Reed is a talented specimen that will be a challenge for Bay to contain.  The Warriors also have a brute inside presence in Zach Maddox that might not score a ton, but will be able to potentially match up well against 6’5 center Jonathan Crain.  Clay Malone is the Warriors best pure shooter.  Coach Pierce has an arsenal of weapons that he can use ranging from his starting lineup down to his third and fourth men off of the bench. 

Bay Yellowjackets – The Bay Yellowjackets have only lost four games this season.  One of those losses came against the Warriors in the finals of the NEA Tournament.  The Yellowjackets absolutely destroyed their competition last week against Maynard and Ridgefield Christian.  The Yellowjackets scored 97 points against Maynard and the mercy rule was invoked mid-way through the third quarter against Ridgefield.  Coach Brad Brannen has had time to prep for this particular game.  Colton Watson continues to be a continual double digit scorer for the Yellowjackets.  That trend should continue as long as Watson stays out of foul trouble and in the game.  Truthfully, the Warriors (or anyone else on Bay’s schedule for that matter) can’t stop Watson.  He’s unbelievably talented and can change the momentum of a ballgame in the blink of an eye.  Tyler Pritchett has steadily played good basketball all season long for the Yellowjackets and will continue to be one Bay’s main contributors offensively and defensively.  Crain, Dustin Utley, and Taylor Layne are the other three starters that can all score in double digits as well which makes things very difficult for an opposing defense.   

The NEA Sports Prediction: 

This is a tough one to call.  EPC is red hot, but Bay is playing at home.  The Yellowjackets will be seeking revenge after losing to the Warriors in the finals of the NEA Tournament.  Both teams are very talented.  I believe that Bay has the two best players of the two teams in Pritchett and Watson.  However, EPC has so much depth, and they have multiple players that can hurt their opponent.  I think it will definitely be a high scoring contest.  There are two keys to this game in order for Bay to win.  Watson has to stay out of foul trouble and in the game.  If he does this, the Yellowjackets will win.  Secondly, Bay has to handle the defensive pressure that the Warriors will bring to the table.  A big reason why EPC won at the NEA Tournament was because they forced several turnovers and were able to convert points off of the Yellowjacket’s mistakes.  I expect there to be an electric crowd on hand.  I also fully expect this game to stay close.  It honestly could come down to who has the ball to end the game.   

EPC Warriors +3 at Bay Yellowjackets -3.

Watson Leads Yellowjackets Past Warriors 52-48.

By:  Ryan Fletcher 

        The Bay Yellowjackets squared off against the East Poinsett County Warriors Tuesday night at home in a rematch of the finals from the Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament.  The Yellowjackets were seeking revenge from the loss they suffered to the Warriors on New Year’s Eve which cost them the NEA Invitational Tournament trophy.  While EPC led the vast majority of the game, it was the Yellowjackets that came out victorious in a very close contest. 

          Initially the game lost a bit of its pre-game luster when it was reported that EPC would be without three of their key players.  Those players were serving a suspension.  However, both teams played sloppy and came out flat which resulted in a surprisingly low scoring game and one that came down to the wire.

          The Warriors started the game on an 8-0 run.  Montrell James scored five of the Warriors first eight points.  James nailed a three with 5:12 to go in the opening quarter, Clay Malone nailed a nine foot jumper with 4:37 to go and James garnered a steal and ran the floor to score on a layup on the following possession to complete the early run for EPC.  The Yellowjackets struggled immensely to get anything going offensively.  Colton Watson finally put points on the board with 4:10 on the clock, and it was the “Colton Watson Show” for nearly remainder of the game.  The Warriors tallied eight more points in the period, while Watson scored all 12 of Bay’s first quarter points.  After one quarter of play, it was EPC 16 and Colton Watson 12.   

          Trey Malone got things started for the Warriors to begin the second quarter busting a three from the left side corner with 7:05 on the clock.  Quinn Young took advantage of poor rebounding by the Yellowjackets and scored on a lay in after grabbing an offensive rebound.  That put the Warriors up 21-12.  Bay/Watson begin to battle back.  Watson scored from the right side and on the following Yellowjacket possession drove through the lane and scored yet again.  With 3:35 remaining, Watson drew a foul on a drive to the bucket and knocked down both of his free throws.  That made the score 24-18 Warriors.  Watson at that point had scored all of the Yellowjackets points.  James added another bucket on a left side layup, but Bay ended the quarter on a 4-0 run.  Tyler Pritchett finally became the first Yellowjacket other than Watson to put points on the board scoring on a lay in with 2:12 to play.  Senior Cade Prince ended the quarter scoring on a left side lay in with five seconds to play cutting the Warrior lead down to four at 26-22. 

          The Yellowjackets were able to pick up right where they left off to begin the third quarter.  Tyler Pritchett begin to pick up the pace scoring the quarters first four points.  That tied the game up at 26.  Warrior senior Aaron Scales scored on a layup, but Yellowjacket Taylor Layne followed that up with a layup of his own.  The see-saw battle continued as Scales once again scored, this time off of an offensive rebound, but Watson drew contact and completed a pair of free throws to knot the game back up at 30.  Quinn Young and Scales scored the game’s next four points putting the Warriors back on top 34-30 with 2:37 to play in the third frame.  Watson drove the left side of the lane and missed a shot that came up short but was able to grab the rebound and stick the ball back in the hoop for two points.  EPC responded with two points, but with 43 seconds to go, Pritchett nailed a huge three point basket shortening EPC’s lead at 36-35.  Neither team would score the remainder of the quarter. 

          Merely 14 seconds into the final quarter Jonathan Crain, who had spent the majority of the game on the bench due to being in foul trouble, powered his way inside for two points.  For the first time of the night, Bay had the lead.  Watson netted a three pointer giving the Yellowjackets a four point lead.  Malone responded with an eight foot jumper, but Watson drove down the floor and put together a “Michael Jordan like” spin move that resulted in an added two points for Bay.  Pritchett extended the Yellowjacket lead on a baseline jumper putting Bay up 44-38 with 4:59 to go.  Over two minutes surpassed when Malone drove the baseline and scored making it 44-40.  The Yellowjackets scored off an offensive rebound, but Malone continued to carry EPC in the final quarter knocking down a nine-footer with 1:11 remaining.  EPC began to foul and Watson nailed four straight free throws, on the Yellowjackets next two offensive possessions, putting Bay up 50-42.  Quinn Young nailed a three with 25 seconds on the clock cutting the lead to 50-45.  Pritchett made one of two free throws and Young netted another three with eight seconds to play.  At that point it was a one possession game with a score of 51-48, but it was simply too late as Pritchett drew a foul and knocked down one other free throw giving the Yellowjackets a hard earned 52-48 victory. 

          Colton Watson scored a game high 31 points, while Pritchett chipped in 13.  Quinn Young scored a team high 13 points for the Warriors while Malone had 11, Scales added 10, and James tallied nine. 

          The Yellowjackets were able to cut down on their turnovers in the second half.  The biggest factor was that Colton Watson was able to play as much of the game as Coach Brad Brannen needed him to as he never got into foul trouble.  His 31 points coupled with a solid offensive performance by Pritchett allowed Bay to pick up the non-conference win.  Credit should also be given to Cade Prince and Nolan Smith for stepping into the game in the absence of center Jonathan Crain.  They both came in and helped to make a difference on the boards in his absence. 

          The Warriors continued to play with total heart and determination.  Mackenzie Pierce almost found another way to beat Bay and this time without three of his key players. The Warriors very easily could give conference opponent a run for their money in the District Tournament in which EPC will host beginning February 16. 

Watson drops 50 as Yellowjackets Sting Mustangs 78-62.

By:  Ryan Fletcher

          After scoring the first 18 points of the game for Bay last Tuesday night against East Poinsett County, Colton Watson put together a performance that will leave many Mustangs fans with nightmares for the days ahead.  Watson dropped 50 points, a season high, and the Bay Yellowjackets surged to their 28^th win of the year while handing the Buffalo Island Central Mustangs their fifth consecutive loss.

          The Mustangs came out firing on all cylinders to begin the game jumping out to an early 8-0 lead.  However, Watson responded by scoring Bay’s first 10 points and 16 of the Yellowjackets 22 first quarter points.  Bay led 22-15 with 1:29 to play in the opening quarter, but BIC fought back.  Alan Carmichael knocked down two free throws with 1:07 to go and Seth Eatmon nabbed a steal with less than two seconds on the clock and scored on a layup at the buzzer to tighten things up 22-19.

          The Yellowjackets lead wavered back and forth between two to seven points for much of the second quarter.  Watson continued to impress scoring all but two of Bay’s points in the second frame.  The biggest lead of the quarter came with 4:03 to play in the half when Watson drove and scored on a layup making it 32-25.  BIC would battle back.  Senior Seth Eatmon continued to be the key player that kept the Mustangs in the game.  Eatmon netted six in the quarter, nailing three point baskets on two different occasions that would keep the score close.  With 1:11 to go, Watson nailed a pair of free throws giving Bay a 36-29 lead.  Eatmon hit his second three of the quarter on the following possession.  Watson responded yet again scorching the nets for another three with 37 seconds on the clock.  Sophomore Trey Depriest busted a three point shot of his own with two seconds on the clock sending BIC into the locker rooms with momentum.  Bay led 39-35 at the half.

          The third quarter began with Tyler Pritchett getting in on the action.  Pritchett scored Bay’s first five points, as the score teetered back and forth for the first three minutes.  Cory Turner scored off of an offensive rebound with 5:05 to play cutting the Jacket lead down to 45-42.  However, that would be as close as BIC would come.  Bay took control beyond this point.  The Yellowjackets went on a 17-11 run.  After the Turner bucket, Watson scored nine consecutive points for the Yellowjackets.  Mustang Dax Hurst came in off the bench to nail a trio of three point buckets, but by the time the dust had settled Bay had built a 62-53 lead to close out the third period.

          Buffalo Island only managed to score nine fourth quarter points.  Jonathan Crain began the final frame by hitting a five-footer.  Eatmon responded with a long two, but that would be the last time the Mustangs would score for the next 3 ½ minutes. Utley, Crain, Watson, and Pritchett all managed to put up points during the final 6 ½ minutes of play as Watson netted eight fourth quarter points.  The game’s final basket came with exactly one minute on the clock.  Watson scored on a lay in underneath allowing him to reach the 50 point plateau and sealing the Yellowjacket victory 78-62.

          Aside from Watson, Pritchett netted 12, Utley quietly added eight, Crain posted six, and senior Cade Prince pitched in two.  For the Mustangs, Eatmon scored a team high 21 points while Hurst and Pike added 12 apiece. 

          Colton Watson is approaching some of his final games of his high school career, and he’s putting on a show for all of Northeast Arkansas to witness.  His performance, especially in the first half, was unreal.  He nailed shots while being heavily guarded and knocked down three pointers well beyond the arc.  Buffalo Island’s defenders did all that they could do.  Watson was simply too much.  It is a performance like this that will have the Yellowjacket faithful drooling at a chance to reclaim the class 1A state championship. 

          The Mustang loss only adds to the flurry of confusion in regard to who will receive what seed for the upcoming 2A-3 District Tournament.  The Mustangs begin the second half with a conference record of 7-1 and tied for the lead.  Now that they have dropped their last four conference matchups, Buffalo Island Central’s chances at a second straight conference title have diminished.  Coach Bill Taylor will search for answers over the next couple of weeks before the District Tournament begins on February 16 at East Poinsett County School District in Lepanto. 

Warriors Take Down Rival Mustangs

By: Logan Meurer

It was a clash of 2A-3 conference rivals in the quarterfinals of the NEA Tournament this evening as the Warriors from East Poinsett County and rookie head coach McKenze Pierce took on the Mustangs from BIC and veteran head coach Bill Taylor. The two teams that faced off in the District Finals the year before would meet again. It was a battle of young versus old but in the end it was coach Pierce’s Warriors who topped coach Taylor’s mighty Mustangs 65-62. This was a rivalry game if there ever was one. If any of the fans didn’t know that these teams didn’t like each other when they walked in tonight they knew it within minutes of the start of the contest. It was a battle from the opening tip to the final horn. It would be the Warriors who would come strong out of the gate. They put pressure on the Mustangs early and often, giving up little on the defensive end as they dominated the battle of the boards, out rebounding BIC 12-4 in the frame. The Warriors would lead after one 20-11.

EPC would start hot in the second quarter as well. Right out of the gate, guard Montrell James would drain his second three pointer on the night to force coach Taylor to call a timeout. The Warriors would continue to build up a nice lead until a tough lay in from senior forward Austin Pike with 5 minutes to play would cut the lead to 10. The teams would trade baskets as the Mustangs would be able to cut into the lead. EPC led the Mustangs 35-28 at the halfway point.

Fans of NEA basketball have come to expect strong third quarters from a coach Taylor team, but it would again be the Warriors who would make the strong start. T.J. Young, the hero for the Warriors first round win, would hit a shot from beyond the arc to start the frame, pushing EPC’s lead back to 10. A late steal from the Warrior’s full court press would lead to a layup at the buzzer by Young to give EPC a 51-42 advantage entering the last quarter of play.

Now it was Buffalo Island’s turn to make a run as Austin Pike scored 7 consecutive points leading the Mustangs on a 9-3 run to start the 4th quarter, pulling the Mustangs within 5 of EPC. That run would set up a very interesting few minutes of basketball. With just over 3 minutes to play, Cory Turner would hit a layup to pull the Mustangs within three, the closest they had been since the first quarter. The teams would trade points from the foul stripe making the score 62-59 with EPC holding the lead. Warrior guard Clay Malone would be fouled on a layup with just over 30 seconds to play. He would hit 1 of 2 from the free throw line to put the Warriors up 63-59. With only a few ticks left on the clock the Mustangs put the ball in Pike’s hands and hoped for a miracle. Pike took the inbound pass and dribbled the length of the court where he launched a three with a defender in his face and he got nothing but net, pulling the Mustangs within 1 with just 9 seconds to play. Coach Taylor immediately called a timeout to set up a full court press in hopes of getting a steal. The Warriors gave the ball to forward Dez Barnes to throw in the inbound pass. BIC did an excellent job of denying the close inbound pass but they left the other end of the court open and the Warriors took advantage. Barnes threw a pass the length of the court to guard Xavier Reed who put the ball in the basket with 3 seconds to play. After another timeout from coach Taylor, the Mustangs fired one last three but it would hit nothing but air and as the final buzzer sounded, the EPC bench and crowd erupted in applause. The Warriors had taken down the mighty Mustangs and moved on.

The Mustangs were led by Austin Pike who put up a game high 30 points, followed by guard Seth Eatmon with 19. EPC had a balanced scoring attack and were led by Clay Malone and Xavier Reed, each with 15 points apiece. Also in double figures for the Warriors was Montrell James with 11 points as well as Dez Barnes with 10. The Warriors advance to the semifinals where they will take on Head Coach Steve Richey and the Marmaduke Greyhounds on December 30th at 4:30 p.m.

Hornets Pummeled by Timberwolves

By: Logan Meurer

Many of the contests in the NEA Tournament were one sided affairs this evening and the final matchup was no exception. Cedar Ridge dominated Harrisburg in their first round matchup defeating the Hornets 64-29. Harrisburg scored on their first possession of the game with a layup from forward Malik Versie. It was about the only thing that went right for Harrisburg all night. The Hornets held their only lead of the game at 2-0 early on but the Timberwolves star point guard Austin Reeves wanted to eliminate any thoughts of an upset on this night with a steal followed by a hard slam dunk to put Cedar Ridge up 8-2. He went on a scoring spree early and often in this game going for a game high 22 points. The Timberwolves led 19-6 after one frame.

Reeves again dominated the second quarter as well. A three pointer from the left wing with 4 minutes to play would put the Timberwolves up 32-11. Harrisburg would only connect on three field goals for the quarter as Cedar Ridge led Harrisburg 38-14 at the half.

The Timberwolves defense was just as impressive as their offense this night as they constantly upset the Hornet offense, causing turnovers and bad shots alike. The Hornets were never able to score 10 points in a quarter. Cedar Ridge would would force the clock to run in the final frame and go on to win 64-29.

Harrisburg could not put anyone in double figures but were led by Cade Condra with 7 points. The Timberwolves were led by Reeves with 22 points, followed by guard Taylor Ford with 10 points. Cedar Ridge advances to the quarterfinals where they will take on Rivercrest on December 29th at 6:00 p.m. in the Convocation Center.

Westside Dominates Salem in First Round

By Logan Meurer

Perhaps the most glaring number that fans are interested in from this contest is 17. That’s how many turnovers the Salem Greyhounds committed during the first quarter of their matchup against the Westside Warriors. Westside poured on a deadly full court press to start the game and it worked to perfection as they went on to defeat Salem 57-25.

The Warriors forced 31 turnovers from the Greyhounds on the game and they were able to capitalize on just about every one of them. It didn’t take them long to do it either as Westside guard Rico Mayo scored the team’s first basket inside of ten seconds on the game clock and they never looked back. Westside led Salem at the end of one 31-2.

The second quarter was again all Warriors. Westside Head Coach Mark Whitmire pulled his starters after about a minute into the second quarter, but it didn’t matter. The Warriors could do no wrong on this night. A 3 point basket from Tyler Hart with a couple of minutes to go would push the Warrior lead as they led 40-7. Westside led at the half 45-8.

Salem showed some fight early in the second half as Mason Kinder would hit 4 consecutive shots from the foul stripe sending them on a 10-2 run to start the third quarter and trim the lead below 30, but Westside continued to play great on the offensive end and would lead 54-23 entering the final frame. With the clock running in the fourth quarter there was little time for teams to score with only 6 points scored in the entire period. There would be no miracle comeback in this game. When the final horn sounded, the Warriors emerged the winners, leaving no doubts in the minds of the spectators as to who was the better team.

The Greyhounds were unable to put anybody in double figures but were lead by guard Brandon Layne with 8 points. Westside had a balanced scoring attack and were lead by Zac Preston off the bench with 14 points followed by guard Rico Mayo with 13.

Westside advances to the quarterfinals where they will take on the sixth seeded Riverside Rebels on December 29th at 4:30 p.m.

Raiders Win Low Scoring Affair

By: Logan Meurer

The Nettleton Raiders were only able to put up 44 points in the first round of the NEA Tournament, but it was enough to secure them the victory as they went on to defeat the Tuckerman Bulldogs 44-30.

The game began much slower than most would have anticipated with the teams trading the lead for the first 4 minutes of play before a layup from Wesley Anderson Jr. would give the Raiders the lead for good. The Raiders would lead 13-8 after one quarter.

The second quarter was just as slow as the first, with the team failing to combine for even 20 points in the frame. Nettleton was able to maintain 10 point advantage for the majority of the period and led the Bulldogs at halftime 24-14.

The Bulldogs showed some fight to start the second half as center Donnie Stapleton hit consecutive layups to pull Tuckerman within 6. Nettleton would respond with two consecutive scores of their own to bring the lead back to 10. Turnovers plagued the Bulldogs throughout the game and they just seemed to never be able to recover.

Nettleton would score 5 quick points to start the final period building their lead to 15 over Tuckerman. A layup from Anderson Jr. with 5 minutes to play would build the Raiders lead to 20 and served as the nail in the coffin for Bulldogs. Shortly after, each head coach would pull his starters and that would be all she wrote. Nettleton had secured the win.

The Bulldogs were lead in the game by center Donnie Stapleton with 13 points, followed by guard Hunter Tubbs with 7 points. Nettleton was led by senior guard Silas Finch with 14 points, followed closely by Anderson Jr. and Chris Nicholson with 12 and 10 points respectively.

The Raiders advance to the quarterfinals of tournament where they will take on the Osceola Seminoles on December 29th at 7:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center.