Bruins Dominate Tourney Field

Pulaski Academy put on an impressive show this weekend as they ran the table through pool play and the tournament winning all 11 games they played. Averaging 35 points per game, the Bruins scored on 46 of their 50 possessions. Quarterback Spencer Keith was given the Top Gun Award for best quarterback at the tournament as he threw 46 touchdowns and 1 interception. Wide Receiver Neal Barlow was named MVP of the tournament.

Wide receiver Greg Jackson of Sherman (TX) won the Sticky Hands Award for the top receiver, and Hot Springs' Lakeside junior Andre Wesley was named the Lock-Down Corner, awarded to the top defensive back.

The impressive teams from today's tournament includes 3rd seeded Sherman, who lost to PA in the finals and another out of state team that they defeated in the semis, 10th seeded Blue Valley (KS). Springdale was able to notch some impressive wins coming after being a 16 seed. They defeated 13th seeded West Fork, 4th seeded Little Rock Christian, and 5th seeded Lake Hamilton before losing to top seeded Pulaski Academy.

From this writer's perspective, the most pleasant surprise of the weekend has to be Hot Springs Lakeside, led by wide receiver Ben Crumpton and defensive back Andre Wesley. They entered the tournament as a 9 seed after posting a 5-2 record in pool play. They defeated 20th seeded Harrison and 8th seeded Rogers before giving Pulaski Academy their toughest game of the weekend in a 9-point loss. Lakeside would go on to defeat 2nd seeded Shiloh Christian in the consolation bracket before losing to Rogers.

Gravette, the 19th seed, had an impressive day as well as they defeated 12th seeded Siloam Springs in the first round before losing to Lake Hamilton. They would then defeat Little Rock Christian and 11th seeded Nashville before losing to 6th seeded Har-Ber, 20-14, in the consolation bracket.

Click the pictures below for all the results and scores from today's championship and consolation brackets.

This tournament was the largest in the state and took a lot of organization and volunteers. Tournament organizer Rhett Lashlee and his staff have to be commended on doing an excellent job keeping the tournament running smoothly, on-time, and with little conflict. Even heavy rains, which forced games to be played at multiple sights on Friday, couldn't mess up the efforts of VYPE's staff and volunteers. The inaugural event couldn't be called anything less than a great success.