Hardwood Blackhawks dive into season
Getting past the holidays and football playoffs, the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams are all in for the 2020-2021 basketball season, hosting a pair of games this week.
Veteran coaches Heath Neal and Trent Loyd will again head up the girls’ and boys’ basketball programs this season with the girl coaches welcoming two new faces.
Eighth-year head coach Neal is joined by fifth-year coach Reed Smith with the two new coaches being Dylan Kinney and Kyndra Meeker. Coach Loyd is also in his eighth year, having teamed with Dalton Palarino over the past four seasons. Shay Baldwin and Blake Rudolph are in their second year as assistant coaches on Loyd’s staff.
Neal has a roster of 19 athletes with 10 of them in their senior season. Josey Goldberg, Aidan Dayberry, Ravin Cawthon, Blakelee Winn, Jordyn Allison, Hayley West, Samantha Yeager, Samantha Huffman and Sierra Huffman will be graduating this spring.
The junior athletes consist of Allie King, Lauren Wright, Paige Brown, Isabella Cates and Mikayla Humphrey. Sophomores are Sydney Spears, Jadyn Spivey, Reilly Ingram, and Raegan Bleything.
Coach Loyd has a large roster with 23 cagers listed. Nine seniors are in the mix including Jake Ingram, Jacob Talley, Mac Bowen, Cooper Tillman, Greydon Edwards, Malik Bagsby, Cole Brown, Samual Tillman, David Andrus and Michael Ericson. Junior players are Joe Adams, Trey Reed, Jared Brewer and Will Anderson. Sophomore athletes include Bric Cates, Brittin Gamel, Jakob Booher, Colton Thurman, Lane Morales, Evan Anderson, Joshua Walker, Tristan Thompson and Jeriah Gomez.
The Blackhawks have been on the road, awaiting the opening of the new court in the just finished high school complex. The Blackhawks new roost will be one of the best basketball venues in this part of the state regardless of classification.
4A-1 Schedule this week Girls and Boys Tuesday Dec.1
Bentonville vs. Farmington Harrison vs. Springdale Gravette vs. Lincoln Huntsville vs. Rogers
Pea Ridge vs. Alma Gentry vs. Elkins Berryville vs. Bergman
Thursday Dec. 3
Shiloh vs. Cedarville
Pea Ridge vs. Lavaca Gentry vs. Lifeway
Friday Dec. 4
Farmington vs. Van Buren Berryville vs. Bentonville west Shiloh vs. Lincoln Harrison vs. Siloam Springs
Saturday Dec. 5
Gentry vs. Clarksville
4A-1 Scores last week
Boys
Fayetteville 73, Prairie Grove 35 Berryville 55, Yellville-Summitt 27 Cedarville 42, Pea Ridge 31 Berryville 63, Green Forest 35 Farmington 55, Rogers Heritage 50
Girls
Gravette 75, Rogers 71 Cedarville 64, Pea Ridge 59 Berryville 76, Yellville-Summitt 28 Berryville 52, Green Forest 19
Football playoffs nearing the end
The 5A West Champion Harrison Goblins are still in the hunt for a 5A title following their 38-35 quarterfinal victory over White Hall last week. The Gobs were trailing 29-23 going into the fourth quarter but pulled it out to get to the semis.
The Gobs were not expected to be as good as last year’s star studded senior lineup but they are on the verge of making it to the state finals, though Little Rock Christian is one of the states top-ranked teams. The Warriors of LRC lost two games this year, a 52-49 thriller to Magnolia. Their next loss was decidedly not a thriller as they were blasted by Pulaski 60-28 in their conference matchup. The winner gets to play the survivor of Pulaski/Wynne.
Pulaski started the year on a down note, getting run over 42-21 by 7A Bryant, before going on a tear, averaging 50 points to blow out their seven conference opponents. Their quarterfinal match was forfeited by Jacksonville due to covid concern. The Bruins play upstart Wynne, an undefeated team from the northeast of the state. Not many good teams come out of that part of the state, but the Yellow Jackets’ 28-0 thumping of Texarkana last week does give them some cred going into Friday.
I think it will be a Harrison/Pulaski final with the Bruins taking still another state title.
NFL’s Brady vs. Mahomes has flipped
After losing his first two starts against Tom Brady and his old New England team, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes has come back to win the last two, throwing for nearly 500 yards last Sunday against Brady’s new team in Tampa Bay.
The Brady-less Patriots have a losing record (5-6) and the ascendant Chiefs are 10-1, just behind the Pittsburg Steelers 10-0 record, all AFC teams. The NFC has only one team New Orleans (9-2) with just two losses. The NFC East is perhaps the worst division in football, with
the leaders (New York and Washington) having losing records at 4-7.
Razorback basketball starts hot
The men’s basketball team is off to a great start, crushing Mississippi Valley 142-62 last week then beating North Texas 69-54 last Saturday. The team would have been a Top 20-ranked one if their top two players in Isaiah Joe and Mason Jones had decided to come back rather then turn professional. Coach Eric Musselman went a long way with a little last season, so I would not be surprised if he takes at least 20 wins again this year.
The 14th-ranked Lady Razorbacks reeled off three straight wins to start their campaign. They whipped Oral Roberts 96-49 at home, Wake Forest on the road at a Florida tournament 98-82, and then host Florida Gulf
Coast 86-80. Their third game in the tournament was their first loss as they were outscored by No. 12-ranked Maryland 115-96.
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Editor’s note: John McGee, an award-winning columnist, sports writer and art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, writes a regular sports column. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. He can be contacted at prtnews@nwadg.com.