Red Wolves picked 3rd in Sun Belt
Appalachian State, co-champion last year, is the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference football title, according to the league’s 12 head coaches and selected members of the media.
In a poll released Thursday, the Mountaineers received seven of 12 first-place votes and tallied 136 points from the coaches. Troy was picked to finish second, receiving two first-place votes and tallying 127 points.
Appalachian State (Boone, N.C.) won its second consecutive bowl game last year, 3128 over Toledo, and finished 10-3, 6-2 in the Sun Belt. Troy won 28-23 over Ohio in its first bowl game since 2010.
Arkansas State was selected third by the coaches with 122 points and one first-place vote, followed by South Alabama in fourth with 98 points. A-State reeled off seven consecutive wins last season, finishing 8-5 after a 31-13 victory over UCF in the AutoNation Cure Bowl.
The Red Wolves have back-to-back league championships under coach Blake Anderson, set for his fourth season in Jonesboro. He is the first head coach to win 24 or more games in his first three seasons at the school, 22 victories coming by a double-figure margin.
Louisiana-Lafayette (95 points) was picked fifth, Idaho (84) sixth and Georgia Southern (82) seventh, followed by Georgia State (48), Louisiana-Monroe (46), New Mexico State (41), Texas State (31) and Coastal Carolina).
A-State begins an ambitious early-season schedule Sept. 2 at Nebraska, followed a week later by Miami’s visit to Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro. The Red Wolves’ conference opener is Oct. 4 at Georgia Southern, a Wednesday-night game.
As in 2016, A-State does not play Appalachian State. The Red Wolves face Troy Dec. 2 at Jonesboro in the regular-season finale. Other A-State home games are Sept. 16 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Oct. 14 vs. Coastal Carolina, Oct. 19 (Thursday night) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette and Nov. 18 vs. Texas State.
Moon, LR’s Smith takes ASGA crowns
LITTLE ROCK — Runner-up a year ago, Elizabeth Moon, of Forrest City, captured the Arkansas State Golf Association Junior Match Play title here Thursday.
Taking the 18th hole, Moon prevailed 2-up over North Little Rock’s Mackenzie Lee at Eagle Hills Golf & Athletic Club.
No. 9 seed Miles Smith, of Little Rock, won 4 and 3 over Cabot’s Connor Gaunt in the junior boys’ championship match. Smith went 19 holes against Lake City’s Thomas DePriest III in the morning semifinal while Gaunt, the reigning state high school champion, advanced 2 and 1 against recent Baptist Prep graduate Hunter Hickingbotham.
Moon, seeded third, won 4 and 3 over Sherwood’s Hannah Bakalekos and Lee, seeded fifth, 5 and 4 over defending champion Brooke Matthews in the morning semifinals. Matthews, of Rogers, won 3 and 2 over Moon in last year’s final on the same course.
Moon’s six victories on the ASGA junior circuit include a 36-hole tournament at Hot Springs Country Club ending June 1. She leads the ASGA junior girls player-of-theyear standings with 1,045 points.
Despite his defeat Thursday, Gaunt leads the ASGA junior boys standings by 245 points over Harrison’s Jackson Marseilles.