Friday’s Games:
CLASS 7A
Cabot 35 Searcy 18
Conway 38 Fayetteville 21
LR Christian 57 LR Central 35
CLASS 6A
Maumelle 27 Sylvan Hills 21
Russellville 15 Morrillton 10
CLASS 5A
Greenbrier 55 Beebe 6
LR Hall 7 Hope 0
Pulaski Academy 48 Joe T. Robinson 35
CLASS 4A
Central Arkansas Christian 34 Mayflower 20
(All Games Start at 7pm unless otherwise noted)
FRIDAY’S GAMES:
CLASS 7A
Searcy at Cabot
Fayetteville at Conway
LR Christian at LR Central
CLASS 6A
Sylvan Hills at Maumelle
Russellville at Morrillton
CLASS 5A
Beebe at Greenbrier
Hope at LR Hall
Joe T. Robinson at Pulaski Academy
CLASS 4A
Central Arkansas Christian at Mayflower
Saturday’s Game
Benton vs. Bryant 7:30 pm (War Memorial Stadium)
VARSITY SCORES
Episcopal defeats St. Joseph’s 3-0 (12-25, 9-25, 10-25)
KILLS – Presli Webb 2, ACES – Olivia Williams 2, DIGS – Savannah Mooney 1, BLOCKS – Williams – 1
Records: Episcopal (2-0) St. Joseph’s (1-1)
Next Match: St. Joseph @ Abundant Life – Thursday, August 27
VARSITY
Conway (1-0) defeated Russellville 25-10, 25-20, 25-16
CONWAY: KILLS – Kennedi Wyrick 13, ASSISTS – Abby Masters 22, ACES – Olivia Wiedower 5, DIGS – Karis Scott 18, BLOCKS – Madison Holloway 3
NEXT MATCH: Thursday, August 27 @ Benton
St. Joseph’s (1-0) defeated Marshall 25-10, 25-15, 25-15
ST. JOSEPH’S: KILLS – Olivia Williams 10, ASSISTS – Chloe Skinner 12, ACES – Williams 12, DIGS – Savannah Mooney/Sydney Pham – 1 each, BLOCKS – Williams – 1
NEXT MATCH: Wednesday, August 26 @ Episcopal
JUNIOR VARSITY
Conway (1-0) defeated Russellville 25-7, 25-14
CONWAY: KILLS – Peyton Sedlacek 5, ASSISTS – Kenley Jordan/Emma Frazier 12 each, ACES – Olivia Harris 3, DIGS – Audrey Kendrick 6
By Mark Rico
Focus Sports Editor
Months of uncertainly has led to this — the start of the 2020 high school volleyball season in Arkansas.
It began on Monday with all five Faulkner County schools in action, marking the official restart to high school athletics in the area.
The high school state basketball tournament was halted in Mid-March after only one day of play and all spring season thereafter were eventually cancelled altogether as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the state.
Weeks later, Governor Asa Hutchison shut down school campuses for in-person learning in April.
Until Governor Hutchinson and the Arkansas Activities Association announced return-to-play plans last month, it was not known when high school sports would return in Arkansas.
The Mayflower Lady Eagles were especially eager to return after finishing 19-10-2 last season – including an impressive 10-2 clip in conference play – but then were upset in the opening round of the state tournament by Piggott High School.
“We lost two important players (outside hitter) Jaci Braswell and (middle hitter) Haylee McGuire to graduation but we have six players returning who all played a significant role on last year’s team.” said Mayflower third year head coach Candice Lawless. “The restrictions kept us from being able to really practice or scrimmage so we did a lot of conditioning and skill work. Also, I had Stephanie Irwin (from Central Baptist College) come in July and run a two-day clinic to break up the monotony.”
Though defending champion Harding Academy has departed the 3-A Central Conference – the league has added state powerhouse Episcopal, along with Ashdown, Baptist Prep, Harmony Grove, Jessieville, Lisa Academy and Perryville – expanding from a six-team conference to ten.
After a long off-season away from the court, Mayflower can now begin preparations in working towards fullfilling a bold prediction made by current senior setter Autumn Fuller, who was then in her first season under Lawless.
Winning a state championship.
“Our off-season was interesting this year for sure.” Lawless said. “In the spring, my assistant coach and I posted workouts to Google Classroom trying to keep the girls active. We would also post individual drills they could do at home and challenges occasionally. But once June rolled around and we were able to get back in the gym things were still a bit weird.”
Covid restrictions aside – the Lady Eagles are poised for success with Fuller, in addition to athletic libero/defensive specialist Summer Faught, a senior.
Senior middle hitter Avery Muse and junior middle hitter Armani Sims are the other mainstays who will be looked upon to help the Lady Eagles compete for a possible state run.
Mayflower will play a 22-game schedule with in-conference match-ups with Episcopal and Baptist Prep cited by Lawless as important games along with former league foe Central Arkansas Christian.
“I expect us to continue to be competitive this year but the changes in the conferences will make things a little more interesting.” Lawless said.
TEAM AT A GLANCE:
MAYFLOWER LADY EAGLES
Head Coach: Candice Lawless (Third Season)
Last Year’s Record: (19-10-2, 8-2 3-A Central)
Last Year’s Finish: Lost in First Round of State Tournament to Piggott (3-1)
Key Departures: Jaci Braswell, Haylee McGuire
Key Returning Players: Autumn Fuller (S, Sr.), Summer Faught (L/DS, Sr.), Avery Muse (OH, Sr.) Armani Sims (MH, Jr.)
WEDNESDAY: GREENBRIER LADY PANTHERS
By Mark Rico
Focus Sports Editor
Conway – Sports teams in Arkansas will be counting themselves lucky to be suiting up in each of their respective sports in 2020.
Given the uncertainty of the 2020-21 school year due to COVID-19, coaches and players weren’t sure if a volleyball season would even happen this year.
Things were touch-and-go for a while, but on July 31 Governor Asa Hutchison announced a series of new safety protocols and several starting dates for the season.
Now that fall sports are now a go for the time being, it has yielded a different set of circumstances and forced changes in preparation for high school volleyball coaches like St. Joseph’s Athletic Director and Head Volleyball Coach Luke Davis.
“To sum it up in one word I would have to say – different.” Davis said. “We lost our spring training and early summer workouts that are huge for our younger players. We were finally able to start practicing in mid-July but to was very difficult to practice staying twelve feet apart as the guidelines stated. We had modify a lot of our drills and really focus on player safety and spacing.”
For a team that lost three key seniors to graduation including All-State selections Emily Briggler and Abbie Flake along with All-Conference pick Gracie Keathley, each missed day was a missed opportunity to gain experience on what will be a young Bulldog squad.
“This year we are a young team but I feel as though we have lots of potential.” said Davis. “My two seniors have a lot of experience and I am expecting them to lead my sophomores that we will be relying on a lot.”St. Joseph’s finished second in their conference in 2019, finishing 8-2 during the regular season.
After an early loss in the opening round of the district tournament to Conway Christian, the Bulldogs defeated Ridgefield Christian and Cotter in straight sets during state tournament play before bowing out to eventual state champion Hackett in the semi-finals in four sets.
“We made a run in the semi-finals of state for the second year in a row and lost to the team that went on to win it all.” said Davis. “Not knowing if we are going to be able to play the whole season means that every game will be a key game. We have some new conference teams this year so it will be interesting to see how it plays out.”
The Central 2-A conference now features Abundant Life, Cutter Morning-Star, Lisa Academy North, Maumelle Charter and Quest Academy of Little Rock and St. Joseph’s.
“We are just focusing on taking advantage of every day.” Davis said. “We are using the mentality that we might not play tommorrow so every day is like a tournament.”
The Bulldogs open the season Wednesday, August 26 at Episcopal.
TEAM AT A GLANCE:
ST. JOSEPH BULLDOGS
Head Coach: Luke Davis
Last Year’s Record: (22-8-1, 8-2 Conference 2A)
Last Year’s Finish: Lost in State Semi-Finals to Hackett (3-1)
Key Departures: Emily Brigger (All-State), Abbie Flake (All-State), Gracie Keathley (All-Conference):
Key Returning Players: Savannah Mooney (Libero, Sr.), Amy Lambe (Outside Hitter, Sr.), Maggie Mooney (Setter, Jr.), Chloe Skinner (Setter/OH, Soph.), Olivia Williams (Middle Hitter, Soph.)
TUESDAY: MAYFLOWER LADY EAGLES
Hot Springs – After a cold start from the field early on, the Melbourne Bearkatz used a blistering 26-9 second quarter spurt to take the suspense out of the Class 2A Girls State Championship Game as three players finished in double figures in a runaway 47-28 win over Quitman on Thursday night at the Bank Of Ozark Arena.
It was the second consecutive state championship for Melbourne – who beat Riverside 48-23 a year ago to win their first title in 46 years.
Dani Hardaway’s three-point basket with 2:08 left in the first quarter was Melbourne’s first bucket of the night and knotted the score at 3-3 after Lucy Holland’s three-point play gave Quitman the first points of the contest just seconds before.
But from there, the Bearkatz poured it on by shooting a blistering percent from the field and never looked back on a night where the threat of cancellation hung over the only high school state tournament in progress with the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the country.
Melbourne shot 2-for-12 (16.7%) from the field and Quitman went 1-for-9 (11.1%) in the opening six minutes of the game.
Melbourne’s relentless press forced several Bulldog turnovers during the run and forced Quitman to play catch-up for much of the way.
Freshman Jenna Lawrence paced Melbourne (34-2) with 11 points and seven blocks while Hardaway and Kenley McCarn each added eight points for the Bearcatz.
Fayetteville – The search took nearly a month but Arkansas has gone back to a familiar name to take over the Razorbacks football program.
Current Georgia associate head coach and offensive coach Sam Pittman will be the next Hogs head coach, replacing Chad Morris who was fired after posting a 4-18 record in two uneventful seasons.
“Sam Pittman has been an integral part of successful teams that have competed at the highest levels, including for SEC and NCAA Championships,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek said. “As one of the nation’s premier offensive line coaches, he has built a remarkable body of work thanks to his tremendous passion for his student-athletes, including teaching the fundamentals and developing his players on and off the field. Sam instills in his players the motivation, grit and determination required to compete and win. Throughout this process, I heard from many of his former players about the tremendous influence he had on them as a player and as a man.
Pittman was an assistant with the Razorbacks under head coach Bret Bielema during the 2013-15 seasons.
Yurachek had been rumored to have interviewed nearly a half dozen candidates but that number is expected to be much higher than has been reported.
Having nearly a month and settling on a coach with no head coaching experience, it shows the lack of interest or appeal on a national level in the job as Arkansas is now on their fifth head coach this decade.
Pittman as spent the past four seasons at Georgia and has 12 years of experience as an assistant at the power five echelon.
Pittman’s Resume
Years Position School
1994-95 Offensive Line Northern Illinois
1996 Offensive Tackles/ Tight Ends Cincinnati
1997-98 Offensive Line Oklahoma
1999 Assistant Western Michigan
2000 Offensive Line Missouri
2001 Offensive Line Kansas
2003-06 Offensive Line/Asst. HC Northern Illinois
2007-11 Offensive Line/Assoc. HC North Carolina
2012 Offensive Line Tennessee
2013-15 Offensive Line/Asst. HC Arkansas
2016-19 Offensive Line/Assoc. HC Georgia
Class 6-A State Championship Game
Searcy (11-1) vs. Benton (9-3)
Saturday, 6:30 pm – War Memorial Stadium
The Lions defeated Greenwood 50-38 last week to advance to their first 6A state title game since 1984.
Now they’ll get an opportunity to capture the school’s second ever state championship when they battle Benton on Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium.
Searcy returns to the state championship game for the first time since losing 28-21 to Crossett in the Class AAA final nearly 35 years ago.
The Lions were on a mission after Hooten’s Arkansas Football Magazine picked them to finish no higher than sixth in the 6A East conference this season.
But all the Lions did was soar to an electrifying 7-0 start and eventually secure their first conference title since 1991 with their only loss of the season coming at home against Jonesboro 44-34 on October 25.
Searcy rolled up 754 yards in last week’s semifinal win over Greenwood with senior quarterback Bryce Dixon’s lighting up the Bulldogs for five touchdowns and 456 yards.
On Saturday, Mark Kelley’s squad will attempt to stay consistent with what got them to this point in the season.
“The biggest thing we have told them is to enjoy the experience and go down there and have fun.” Kelley said. “We are the only team that wasn’t here last year so it’s kind of a different feel for us but we are excited to come here and compete and represent our town.”
Senior running back Johnson Guthrie ran for 185 yards and a TD against Greenwood.
Dixon has passed for 3,648 yards and 41 TDs in his first season behind center while Guthrie rushed for 1,089 yards and 15 TDs averaging six yards per carry.
There are five different receivers for Searcy who have caught 24 passes or more, paced by senior Tanner Leonard’s 81 receptions for 1,295 yards and 11 TDs.
Junior Marlon Crockett has caught 59 passes for 941 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Defensively, seniors Hayden Miles and Brandon Benson have logged 130 tackles apiece.
Meanwhile, Benton is in the final for the third time in six seasons, but it has not won a state title since Max Graham’s Panthers earned the 1977 crown with a 13-7 win over Conway.
The Panthers lost to Greenwood in last year’s final 45-14.
Benton opened the season with three straight losses – including a 42-14 loss to rival Bryant in the annual Salt Bowl – to open the season.
But the Panthers have rebounded nicely and currently hold a nine-game winning streak after capturing their first league title since 2014.
Benton erased an early 14-0 deficit last week for a 63-35 win over West Memphis.
The Panthers managed to cash in on eight of their final nine possessions against the Blue Devils in amassing 569 yards on 55 plays against West Memphis.
Benton junior QB Garrett Brown has completed 60 percent of his passes this season for 2,824 yards and 25 TDs.
Gavin Wells’ 56 catches for 694 yards and eight scores are tops on the Panthers while senior Peyton Hudgins collected 46 passes for 670 yards and two TDs in 2019.
Senior DeAnthony Harper and sophomore Casey Johnson have rushed for more than 780 yards apiece.
The defense has been equally is good with Benton senior cornerback Cade Clark intercepting six passes and classmate Austin Drewry four this season.
“A lot of people probably counted us out (after an 0-3 start), but we knew the guys that we had in our locker room and we knew we were ready to make a run at some point and those guys have been really locked in all year.” Benton coach Brad Harris said. “Our guys looked in the mirror after Week 4 and have done a really good job of just punching the clock every day.”
Jackson, Miss. – Freshman Ali Isbell registered 12 points and eight rebounds for Hendrix but the Warriors fell 68-56 to Austin College for the second time in eight days at the 2019 Millsaps Classic.
The Warriors only trailed by six after the end of the third – to the Roos who have garnered votes in the D3Hoops.com Top 25 poll.
Hendrix forward Caroline Wendt’s jumper early in the second period knotted the game at 15-15, before a 13-0 Austin College run gave them a 28-15 advantage midway through the quarter.
Just a day after recording a career-high 13 points against Louisiana College, Isbell keyed an 8-0 spurt with back-to-back 3-pointers and Cassidy Salyer also added a bucket to bring the Warriors back within 37-36 midway through the third stanza.
Wendt had 11 for the Warriors and Kassie Jenkins added nine in the loss for Hendrix.
Hendrix travels to St. Louis, Mo. to take part in the Washington University-St. Louis Tournament. The Warriors battle Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Friday at 5 p.m. in the event.
Hendrix drops to 2-5 while Austin College improves to 5-0.
Jackson, Miss. – Brooks Cartwright sank four straight free throws down the stretch while forward Seth Stanley poured in a team-high 20 points and corralled nine rebounds as Hendrix beat MUW 70-66 win in the first game of the Millsaps Invitational Classic.
Hendrix (3-4) who led 31-26 at the break also got 14 points from Carl Fitch and a double-double from Jacob Link (11 points, 11 rebounds).
Stanley’s fast break dunk with 4:11 remaining in the first half helped the Warriors surge to a 36-26 advantage.
MUW tied the game at 57-57 on a short jumper by Tyler Jackson with 3 minutes and 58 seconds left.
But a pair of free throws by Link followed by a traditional three-point play by Fitch on Hendrix’s next possession helped the Warriors regain the lead for good at 62-57.
Jackson scored 21 points to lead the Owls (2-4).
Little Rock – With one of the most explosive offenses in the state in Pulaski Academy facing off against dual threat Jacolby Criswell and his Morrilton squad, the scoreboard at Bruin Stadium was destined to get a workout.
And that notion certainly rang true after the dust settled in the Class 5A semi-final game between the two powerhouse teams.
Senior quarterback Braden Bratcher passed for 529 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 91 yards and another score as Pulaski Academy out-dueled Morrilton in a shootout 68-41 to advance to their fifth consecutive state championship game.
Bratcher finished 28-of-55 passing attempts with 619 all-purpose yards as the Bruins (11-2) will now prepare for a rematch with defending state champion Little Rock Christian, who halted a Bruins repeat in last season’s title game with a 52-38 win to end hopes of an unbeaten season for Pulaski Academy last year. The two teams will meet next Saturday, October 7 at War Memorial at noon.
Little Rock Christian (13-0) beat White Hall 42-14 in the other Class 5A semi-final.
Pulaski Academy scored on five first half offensive possessions to put the game out of reach early in cruising to a 32-13 cushion at intermission over a Devil Dogs team that had struggled most of the season but found its way over the last few weeks, winning four straight games entering Friday’s contest.
Bratcher tossed an 81-yard TD bomb to Mason Kolb to spark a four touchdown first quarter for the Bruins.
Sophomore tailback Joseph Himon added a 19-yard rushing touchdown on the next Pulaski Academy and then preceded to catch a 10-yard TD strike from Bratcher as the Bruins extended their lead to 18-0.
Bratcher would score his lone rushing touchdown from 27 yards out on their fifth possession to counter Criswell’s 19-yard touchdown run to get Morrilton on the board and the Bruins never looked back.
Criswell – a North Carolina commit – scored five touchdowns in his final high school game for Morrilton (8-5) to surpass 1,000 rushing yards on the season as he rushed for 252 yards on Friday.
Himon rushed for 99 yards on ten attempts to pace the Bruins.
Faulkner County Focus Sports 
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