Sports

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team OSCEOLA - The Osceola Seminoles got off to the best possible start Friday night in their “sportsmanship clock” victory over visiting Centerpoint, scoring 33 first quarter points enroute to a 41-22 win. While happy with the victory, Seminoles head coach Robert Hooks, Jr. ...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team Harrisburg (1-0) jumped out to a 21 point lead in the opening quarter and never looked back on their way to a 67-15 win over Palestine-Wheatley in girls’ basketball action this past Thursday at the Hornets’ Nest in Harrisburg...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team After winning their first round games over Melbourne and Centerpoint respectively, the Charleston Tigers (7-4) and the Osceola Seminoles (9-1) will square off in Class 3A second round playoff action Friday at Seminole Stadium...

By DAVID PIERCE Sports Connection Team The 3A State Playoff second round game between the host Rivercrest Colts and Rison Wildcats likely will be unmatched as a game between two of the most tradition-rich programs in the state. Rison has claimed eight state championships and earned playoff berths a state record 49 times. In its football history, Rivercrest has won three state crowns and is tied for fourth in the state with 42 playoff appearances...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team The Osceola Junior Lady Seminoles defeated Forrest City Tuesday 33-31. Tamaya Lee led the Junior Lady Noles with 16 points, while Nyasia Richmond added 10 points. Osceola won despite shooting only 31% from the floor and committing 23 turnovers. Osceola did share the ball though on offense picking up assists on seven of their field goals, while defending hard picking up six blocked shots, grabbing 36 rebounds and getting 14 steals...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team Osceola built a 13 point half time lead and went on to defeat visiting Armorel 71-32 Thursday at Seminole Arena. Osceola led 17-7 after one quarter and 28-15 at the half. Osceola’s lead could have been larger but turnovers plagued the Lady Seminoles in the first half as they committed 13 miscues...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team EPC and Bigelow both come in to the second round of Class 2A state football playoffs with 8-3 records as the Warriors defeated Gurdon 26-20 in Lepanto and the Panthers beat Poyen 21-0 in Bigelow. This game will be a rematch of the 2023 state championship game won 28-14 by Bigelow...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team Dee Buchanan finished with 10 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns to lead the EPC Warriors (8-3) to a 26-20 win over Gurdon in the first round of the Class 2A state football playoffs this past Friday at Warrior Field in Lepanto. The win sets up a rematch of last year’s state title game with Bigelow...

Armorel Tigers boys basketball action - Armorel hosted Palestine-Wheatley in a non-conference game Nov. 11 losing by a final score of 63-56. The Tigers also faced conference foes Crowley’s Ridge Academy and Ridgefield Christian on the road. The Falcons defeated the Tigers 63-40 Tuesday and the Warriors won by an 85-64 county to drop Armorel to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in conference play...

By Joseph Fondren Sports Connection Team BIC Mustangs 53, Armorel Tigers 51 ARMOREL— The host team, the Armorel Tigers, had the opportunity to pull out a dramatic ending to Thursday night’s 2024-2025 season opener against in-county school the BIC Mustangs as senior Logan Crocker had two opportunities to win the game or send the game into overtime in the final seconds as the Mustangs came away with a 53-51 victory...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team The Trumann Lady Wildcats (0-1) opened their basketball season with a 47-20 loss at the hands of the Brookland Lady Bearcats last Monday (Nov. 11) at Wildcat Gym in Trumann. The Lady Bearcats jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Chelsy Jones hit a jumper for Trumann to make it 5-2. ...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team The Rivercrest Lady Colts jumped out to a double digit lead in the first half before surviving a second surge from the Marmaduke Lady Greyhounds in their 60-48 win in the annual Fight Like A Girl Classic this past Saturday in Marmaduke...

By DaVID PIERCE  Sports Connection Team WILSON – Just no mistaking the impact senior quarterback Cavonta Washington has on the Rivercrest Colts offense. As he goes, so do the Colts. Washington threw five touchdowns – four to Jayden Young – as Rivercrest opened the 2024 postseason with a 35-7 win over the visiting Fouke Panthers Friday...

By DAVID PIERCE Sports Connection Team HEBER SPRINGS – A week ago the Blytheville Chicks pushed undefeated Southside to the limit and similarly Friday, had Heber Springs on the ropes. However, neither time were the Chicks able to deliver the knockout punch...

By Joseph Fondren Sports Connection Team Riverside Rebels 85, Armorel Tigers 41 ARMOREL— The Riverside Rebels defeated the Armorel Tigers Friday night 85-41 in an early non-conference game at the Armorel Gym. The Rebels led 26-10 after the first quarter and continued to pull away as they outscored the Tigers 17-4 in the second quarter to lead 43- 14 at the half...

By Joseph Fondren Sports Connection Team BIC Mustangs 53, Armorel Tigers 51 ARMOREL— The host team, the Armorel Tigers, had the opportunity to pull off a dramatic ending to Thursday night’s 2024-25 season opener against in-county school the BIC Mustangs. Senior Logan Crocker had two opportunities to win the game or send the game into overtime in the final seconds as the Mustangs came away with a 53-51 victory...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team EPC (7-3, 6-1) used a dominant ground game to take a 56-30 win over Marked Tree (6-4, 4-2) to claim the stop seed in the 2A-2 Conference in a game stopped in the third quarter. The stoppage was a result of an injury to Marked Tree’s T.J. Hodges with just under three minutes left in the third quarter. The Warriors will host Gurdon Friday in the first round of the 2A State playoffs as Marked Tree will travel to play Murfreesboro...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team The EPC Warriors (7-3) will host Gurdon (5-5) in the first round of the Class 2A state football playoffs. EPC is coming off a 56-30 win over Marked Tree and Gurdon is coming off a 14-13 win over Dierks. EPC has won its last four games as Dierks has won their last three games...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team Andrew England scored Harrisburg’s only touchdown on the night as he rushed for 80 yards on 11 carries in the Hornets (1-9, 1-6 3A-3) 42-7 loss to Newport this past Friday at Jordans Stadium in Harrisburg. Jayvin Thompson added eight carries for 31 yards as Max Tracy completed two-of-nine passes for 35 yards and four interceptions on the night...

The Rivercrest senior high cheer squad competed at Brookland High School Saturday and the ladies came home with a first place finish in the Game Day Division.

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team WILSON - Rivercrest ran only 12 offensive plays, scoring on half of them, in a 54-16 “sportsmanship clock” Conference 3-3A victory over Piggott Friday on Senior Night at Colt Stadium. Before the game the 28 senior members of the Colts football team, cheer squad and band were honored and one of them, Keiran Morris scored the first points of the game...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team Trumann (3-7, 2-5) ended its season on a high note with a 52-30 4A-3 conference win over Cave City this past Friday at RMC Stadium in Trumann. Their finish snaps the Wildcats nine-year state playoffs streak. The Cavemen got the ball first and had to punt the ball away with 10:29 left as the Wildcats took over at their own 40-yard line with 10:20 left. ...

By DAVID PIERCE Sports Connection Team The Gosnell Pirates rallied from a 1-4 start to the 2024 campaign to win four of their last five games and grab a four seed in the 4A State Playoffs. Head coach Lewis Earnest and his squad now head west on a 191-mile trek to face the Clinton Yellowjackets (8-2, 5-2) the three seed from the 4A-4 Conference...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team MANILA - Osceola ended the regular season Friday with a 35-8 “sportsmanship clock” victory over the Manila Lions on Senior Night at Lion Stadium. The Seminoles victory was never in doubt despite some uneasy moments early in the game. ...

By Joseph Fondren  Sports Connection Team BLYTHEVILLE— The Southside Southerners (10-0) possibly came in expecting a mercy-clock victory Friday night against the host Blytheville Chickasaws. However, the seniors in the Chickasaw program had no part in a mercy clock as the game came down to the final drive where Southerners were able to prevent the home team from scoring in a 36-32 victory on senior night. ...

By DAVID PIERCE Sports Connection Team GOSNELL – Isaiah Donnerson wasn’t the Gosnell Pirates quarterback at the start of the 2024 campaign. However, the junior is now the clear choice at the spot. Donnerson tossed four touchdowns in just two quarters of play as the Pirates (5-5, 4-3 4A-3) routed Westside, 45-3, to close their regular season campaign...

By JOSEPH FONDREN NEA Sports Connection ARMOREL— While it was Election Night for the rest of the country Tuesday night in the large gymnasium on the campus of the Armorel School District basketball season began. The annual Orange/Black versus White games between the Senior boys and Junior Boys were played, while the Senior and Junior Girls teams combined for one game...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team LITTLE ROCK - Farm Bureau Insurance is pleased to announce the watch list for the 2024 Farm Bureau Insurance Awards. The Farm Bureau Insurance Awards honor Arkansas' top offensive player, defensive player and coach of the year for each classification as well as the top offensive lineman from around the state. ...

By DAVID PIERCE Sports Connection Team MANILA – The Rivercrest Colts and Manila Lions had nearly a similar amount of first quarter plays Friday in their 3A-3 matchup but had very different results. With their 12 plays, the Lions netted just 39 yards and zero points, while Rivercrest (8-1, 5-1) ran 18 plays and posted nearly as many points as Manila had yards. Those 32 first period points were all that was needed in the Colts 45-6 win, the team’s 11th in 12 games against Manila...

By DAVID PIERCE Sports Connection Team GOSNELL - A week removed from a four-turnover, 13-penalty game, the Gosnell Pirates again had a mistake-filled game but this time couldn’t overcome them in a 50-22 loss to the Southside Southerners. That deficit could be traced to four interceptions, two fumbles and failure to cover two onside kicks as the Southerners (8-0, 5-0 4A-3) turned those miscues into 28 points...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team Trumann (2-6, 1-4) lost to Blytheville (3-4, 3-2) in 4A-3 conference action on Homecoming Night Friday at RMC Stadium in Trumann. The Wildcats started their first drive at the Blytheville 20-yard line after a nice return by Brandon Dohm with a horse-collar penalty added on. ...

By DAVID PIERCE Sports Connection Team WILSON – Even without the hoopla surrounding their high school counterparts, the Rivercrest Junior Colts and Osceola Junior Seminoles matchup proved just as, if not more, exciting than the senior high rivalry game...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team The Harrisburg Hornets (1-7, 1-4) lost to Hoxie 33-14 this past Friday in 3A-3 football action in Hoxie. Jayvin Thompson led the Hornets with three carries for 52 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 24 yards. Thompson also had seven tackles on defense...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team Harrisburg (3-6, 2-4) picked up their second conference with a 30-8 win over Hoxie this past Thursday night at Jordans Stadium in Harrisburg. Hoxie got the ball first and moved the ball to their 40-yard line before they were forced to punt. ...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team OSCEOLA - As the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard Friday on Maurice Carthon Field, Osceola football fans were able to celebrate something they had waited more than 15 years to do, relish a win over rival Rivercrest...

Manila Lady Lions volleyball team hosted the 3A-3 junior high district tournament on Saturday, Oct. 12. Games and scores for the day were: Newport defeated CRA 25-19, 25-19. Hoxie beat Helena 25-5, 25-7. Manila was victorious over Walnut Ridge 25-13, 17-25, 15-12...

The 2024 2A state tennis tournament was held in Fort Smith on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 14-15. Riverside Rebels and Lady Rebels, coached by Terry Conner, assisted by Scott Dunkerson, won state championships. Riverside girls shared the title with co-champions EPC...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team The Trumann Wildcats (2-5, 1-3) will host the Blytheville Chickasaws (2-4, 2-2) in a key 4A-3 conference match-up. Both teams are fighting to make the top five to secure a spot in the Class 4A state playoffs. The Chickasaws beat the Wildcats 30-24 last season. Trumann is coming off a 44-22 loss to Pocahontas and Blytheville is coming off a 44-20 loss to Highland...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team T.J. Hodges rushed for 250 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries as Marked Tree (5-2, 3-1) beat McCrory 38-30 this past Friday in 2A-2 football action. Ken Carter completed 12 of 19 yards pass with two touchdowns as Dawon Smith caught three passes for 80 yard and two touchdowns. Jonah Walker led the Indians’ defense with 19 tackles as Tate Swink finished with 12 tackles, forced fumble and a fumble recovery...

The Harrisburg Lady Hornets volleyball team added the district tournament title to go along with their conference title this season. (Courtesy photo)

Osceola and Harrisburg slugged it out for four quarters and it would be the junior Seminoles who would come away with the shutout victory over the junior Hornets. Osceola would score 21 first half points and tack on a score in each of the final two periods to get the win. ...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team HARRISBURG - Despite playing without several starters including quarterback Tyler Bell and MJ Washington, Osceola was able to defeat the Harrisburg Hornets 47-17 Friday at Jordan Stadium in Harrisburg. The Seminoles (5-1, 4-0) offense led by backup quarterback Johnny Spears rolled up 510 total yards as the Osceola offensive line was able to dictate play. ...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team Trumann was outscored 14-0 in the second half as Pocahontas downed the Junior Wildcats 22-14 in junior high conference action at RMC Stadium in Trumann. The Junior Redskins got the ball to start the game and moved the ball to midfield before the Trumann defense forced a punt with 4:37 left. ...

By COSMO COSSEY Sports Connection Team EPC’s rushed for over 200 yards and scored three touchdowns in leading the Warriors (4-3, 3-1) to a 36-26 win over Earle (2-5, 1-3) in 2A-2 conference action this past Friday in Earle. The Bulldogs recovered EPC’s onside kick to start game taking possession of the ball at midfield. ...

By STEVE KNOX Sports Connection Team WILSON - Rivercrest outscored Walnut Ridge 18-0 in the third quarter to turn a tight Conference 3-3A game into a route as the Colts defeated the Bobcats 51-20 Friday night at Colt Stadium. “It was a big game for us,” said Colts head coach Johnny Fleming. “They were the pre-season number one for a reason. They had everyone coming back and are huge and play so physical.”...

By DAVID PIERCE Sports Connection Team The Gosnell Pirates have won two games in a row with two very winnable games on the back part of their 2024 schedule. Sandwiched in between is the Southside, the 4A-3’s top team with a 7-0 mark overall and 4-0 in conference...