Bears hold off Mustangs in preseason scrimmage
For the past several weeks, first year Forrest City Mustang football coach Ronald Lewis has said this year's football team is very young, but also very talented.
Baby steps, if you will for the Mustangs who are working to put last year's very forgettable 2-8 football season behind them. They are doing so with a strong group of sophomores and veterans.
Tuesday night, facing Class 6A power Sylvan Hills, the Mustangs took the first of many baby steps as they work to usher in the 2022 prep season against the Bears, who won the 6A-East conference title last year have been picked to finish fifth in the conference this season.
It was a solid and strong performance by the Mustangs, who came up against the Bears, losing the preseason game 28-18, but doesn't count in the regular season standings.
It was the first football meeting between the two teams since the 2007 season, former head coach Rich Trail's first season, when both teams were members of the 6AEast conference. Sylvan Hills won that game 27-6.
Forrest City dropped down a classification the next year and became part of the 5A-East conference for the 2008 season.
The Bears, this season will return all of their offensive linemen from last season and will have four new assistant coaches to work with third year head coach Chris Hill. The bears, as usual have an arsenal full of running backs.
The Mustangs, under Lewis' gameplan, have two sophomore quarterbacks who have performed almost equally so far this preseason. Both will more than likely see game action once the Mustangs begin the year.
The Mustangs sport one of the biggest lines this season in quite a while, led by 6'8" lineman Elijah Harding, who stands head and shoulders above most of the Mustang linemen.
Forrest City will use the next few days to tighten up what they have learned and worked at for the past month, before opening the 2022 campaign with back-to-back nonconference road trips, first to Little Rock Mills, followed by Joe T. Robinson. All total, the Mustangs have six road games this season.
••••• Palestine-Wheatley held its junior high preseason jamboree Tuesday night at the old Patriot Field.
Palestine-Wheatley was joined by Marianna Lee and Cross County for the controlled and scripted scrimmage.
The P-W Junior Patriots will open the season on Thursday, Aug. 25 at Carlisle while the varsity Patriots will host Carlisle on Friday, Aug. 26 in their season opening game.
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The Lee Academy Cougars will officially open the season on Friday, Aug. 19 when they host Union Academy to open the team's eight-man football season.
The Lee Academy Junior Cougars will compete in a jamboree Thursday night at Marvell and will being their season on Sept. 1, when they travel to DeSoto School.