Fayetteville went undefeated through Friday's pool play and rolled through Saturday's tournament before finishing with a 49-48 nail biting victory over Arlington (TX) Bowie to win the Baptist Health Shootout of the South Championship. Bowie scored with 40 seconds left to pull within one point but failed on their two-point conversion as Fayetteville's Nathan Grady knocked down the pass for the championship.
Pine Bluff defeated Greenbrier, 30-28, to take home the Chenal Heights Nursing and Rehab Shootout Consolation title. Lake Hamilton defeated Captain Shreve (Shreveport, LA) to win the SportStop Shootout Consolation bracket.
Brandon Allen of Fayetteville was given the Top Gun Award for best quarterback. Montrae Nelson of Arlington Bowie won the Most Outstanding Receiver Award, and Fayetteville's Nathan Grady was recognized as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Day 1 - Shootout of the South
Day 1 at the fifth annual 7-on-7 Shootout of the South concluded Friday evening with the end of pool. The standings for Pools A-D can be found below. The standings show that the two Texas teams (Allen and Arlington Bowie) are among the class teams in the field. North Little Rock, Pulaski Academy, Fayetteville, and Pine Bluff are among the Arkansas teams that showed strong during pool play.
The Shootout of the South features a one-of-a-kind setup for its participants. Friday's pool play determines the four sectional brackets, but a poor showing during pool play does not prevent a championship run. Once the sectional seedings are determined, the Shootout (or single elimination tournament) for each team is decided on the field. Sectional round 1 losers compete in the SportStop Shootout. Sectional semi-final losers are placed in the Chenal Heights Nursing and Rehab Shootout. While the sectional winner and runner-up are both eligible to compete in the Baptist Health Shootout of the South Championship.
Pool A
1. Allen (5-0-0)
2. Nashville (4-1-0)
3. Russellville (2-2-1)
4. Central Arkansas Christian (2-2-1)
5. Greene County Tech (1-4-0)*
6. Little Rock Hall (0-5-0)**
*GCT will not compete in Saturday's Tournament.
**Little Rock Hall will compete as the Fifth Seed from Pool A.
Pool B
1. Arlington Bowie (4-0-1)
2. Pulaski Academy (4-1-0)
3. Greenbrier (3-2-0)
4. Watson Chapel (2-3-0)
5. Dumas (1-4-0)
6. Harrisburg (0-4-1)
Pool C
1. North Little Rock (4-1-0)
2. Rogers Heritage (3-2-0)
3. Lake Hamilton (3-2-0)
4. Magnolia (3-2-0)
5. Fountain Lake (2-3-0)
6. Robinson (0-5-0)
Pool D
1. Fayetteville (5-0-0)
2. Pine Bluff (4-1-0)
3. Arkansas Baptist (2-3-0)
4. Lakeside (2-3-0)
5. Captain Shreve (1-3-1)
6. Mayflower (0-4-1)
The winner of the Baptist Health Shootout of the South Championship will qualify to attend the National High School Coaches Association 7-on-7 National Championship in Hoover, Alabama on July 23-25.
SCORES
11:00
Nashville 30, GCT 9
Allen 35, Hall 14
Russellville 21, CAC 21
Lake Hamilton 22, Robinson 9
North Little Rock 8, Fountain Lake 20
11:35
Heritage 23, Magnolia 16
Lakeside 28, Captain Shreve 23
Pine Bluff 35, Mayflower 30
Fayetteville 35, Arkansas Baptist 28
Pulaski Academy 39, Harrisburg 20
12:10
Allen 39, Nashville 9
NLR 28, Lake Hamilton 26
Greenbrier 35, Watson Chapel 30
Russellville 38, Hall 0
CAC 21, GCT 7
12:45
PA 30, Dumas 21
Pine Bluff 21, Captain Shreve 9
Rogers Heritage 35, Fountain Lake 28
Magnolia 30, Robinson 7
Fayetteville 41, Mayflower 21
1:20
Arlington Bowie 27, Greenbrier 23
Russellville 34, GCT 7
Arkansas Baptist 25, Lakeside 14
Watson Chapel 48, Harrisburg 16
Nashville 25, Hall 0
1:55
NLR 21, Magnolia 7
Captain Shreve 23, Mayflower 23
Allen 39, CAC 9
Lake Hamilton 30, Fountain Lake 28
Heritage 39, Robinson 7
2:30
Arlington Bowie 30, Watson Chapel 20
Dumas 28, Harrisburg 15
Nashville 35, Russellville 34
Fayetteville 37, Lakeside 21
Pine Bluff 37, Arkansas Baptist 21
3:05
Lake Hamilton 28, Rogers Heritage 23
Arlington Bowie 35, Dumas 28
PA 21, Greenbrier 14
Allen 32, GCT 14
CAC 23, Hall 9
3:40
NLR 42, Robinson 14
Magnolia 30, Fountain Lake 28
Fayetteville 28, Captain Shreve 14
Pine Bluff 29, Lakeside 28
Arkansas Baptist 35, Mayflower 28
4:15
PA 23, Watson Chapel 14
Nashville 41, CAC 20
Arlington Bowie 28, Harrisburg 28
Greenbrier 16, Dumas 14
Allen 44, Russellville 7
4:50
NLR 28, Heritage 21
Magnolia 28, Lake Hamilton 25
GCT 14, Hall 4
Fountain Lake 27, Robinson 11
Captain Shreve 21, Arkansas Baptist 14
5:25
Fayetteville 42, Pine Bluff 34
Arlington Bowie 21, PA 16
Watson Chapel 30, Dumas 21
Greenbrier 44, Harrisburg 19
Lakeside 35, Mayflower 28
The Shootout of the South features a one-of-a-kind setup for its participants. Friday's pool play determines the four sectional brackets, but a poor showing during pool play does not prevent a championship run. Once the sectional seedings are determined, the Shootout (or single elimination tournament) for each team is decided on the field. Sectional round 1 losers compete in the SportStop Shootout. Sectional semi-final losers are placed in the Chenal Heights Nursing and Rehab Shootout. While the sectional winner and runner-up are both eligible to compete in the Baptist Health Shootout of the South Championship.
Pool A
1. Allen (5-0-0)
2. Nashville (4-1-0)
3. Russellville (2-2-1)
4. Central Arkansas Christian (2-2-1)
5. Greene County Tech (1-4-0)*
6. Little Rock Hall (0-5-0)**
*GCT will not compete in Saturday's Tournament.
**Little Rock Hall will compete as the Fifth Seed from Pool A.
Pool B
1. Arlington Bowie (4-0-1)
2. Pulaski Academy (4-1-0)
3. Greenbrier (3-2-0)
4. Watson Chapel (2-3-0)
5. Dumas (1-4-0)
6. Harrisburg (0-4-1)
Pool C
1. North Little Rock (4-1-0)
2. Rogers Heritage (3-2-0)
3. Lake Hamilton (3-2-0)
4. Magnolia (3-2-0)
5. Fountain Lake (2-3-0)
6. Robinson (0-5-0)
Pool D
1. Fayetteville (5-0-0)
2. Pine Bluff (4-1-0)
3. Arkansas Baptist (2-3-0)
4. Lakeside (2-3-0)
5. Captain Shreve (1-3-1)
6. Mayflower (0-4-1)
The winner of the Baptist Health Shootout of the South Championship will qualify to attend the National High School Coaches Association 7-on-7 National Championship in Hoover, Alabama on July 23-25.
SCORES
11:00
Nashville 30, GCT 9
Allen 35, Hall 14
Russellville 21, CAC 21
Lake Hamilton 22, Robinson 9
North Little Rock 8, Fountain Lake 20
11:35
Heritage 23, Magnolia 16
Lakeside 28, Captain Shreve 23
Pine Bluff 35, Mayflower 30
Fayetteville 35, Arkansas Baptist 28
Pulaski Academy 39, Harrisburg 20
12:10
Allen 39, Nashville 9
NLR 28, Lake Hamilton 26
Greenbrier 35, Watson Chapel 30
Russellville 38, Hall 0
CAC 21, GCT 7
12:45
PA 30, Dumas 21
Pine Bluff 21, Captain Shreve 9
Rogers Heritage 35, Fountain Lake 28
Magnolia 30, Robinson 7
Fayetteville 41, Mayflower 21
1:20
Arlington Bowie 27, Greenbrier 23
Russellville 34, GCT 7
Arkansas Baptist 25, Lakeside 14
Watson Chapel 48, Harrisburg 16
Nashville 25, Hall 0
1:55
NLR 21, Magnolia 7
Captain Shreve 23, Mayflower 23
Allen 39, CAC 9
Lake Hamilton 30, Fountain Lake 28
Heritage 39, Robinson 7
2:30
Arlington Bowie 30, Watson Chapel 20
Dumas 28, Harrisburg 15
Nashville 35, Russellville 34
Fayetteville 37, Lakeside 21
Pine Bluff 37, Arkansas Baptist 21
3:05
Lake Hamilton 28, Rogers Heritage 23
Arlington Bowie 35, Dumas 28
PA 21, Greenbrier 14
Allen 32, GCT 14
CAC 23, Hall 9
3:40
NLR 42, Robinson 14
Magnolia 30, Fountain Lake 28
Fayetteville 28, Captain Shreve 14
Pine Bluff 29, Lakeside 28
Arkansas Baptist 35, Mayflower 28
4:15
PA 23, Watson Chapel 14
Nashville 41, CAC 20
Arlington Bowie 28, Harrisburg 28
Greenbrier 16, Dumas 14
Allen 44, Russellville 7
4:50
NLR 28, Heritage 21
Magnolia 28, Lake Hamilton 25
GCT 14, Hall 4
Fountain Lake 27, Robinson 11
Captain Shreve 21, Arkansas Baptist 14
5:25
Fayetteville 42, Pine Bluff 34
Arlington Bowie 21, PA 16
Watson Chapel 30, Dumas 21
Greenbrier 44, Harrisburg 19
Lakeside 35, Mayflower 28
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
2009 Shootout of the South Preview
The fifth annual 7-on-7 Shootout of the South presented by Baptist Health will be held this weekend in Little Rock at the Mighty Bluebird Complex. Twenty-four teams will compete in the two-day event. Friday’s pool play will begin at 11 a.m. and will wrap up at 6 p.m. Saturday’s tournament will begin at 10 a.m. with the finals slated for 4 p.m. The winner of the event will qualify to attend the National High School Coaches Association 7-on-7 National Championship in Hoover, Alabama on July 23-25.
This tournament will feature two 5A teams from Texas, Bowie (Arlington) and Allen. Bowie is ranked in the top 20 pre-season for all of Texas, and has just qualified for the Texas 7-on-7 State Championship by winning their own 24-team tournament. Allen won the 5A Division 1 State Title last year and is ranked fifth in the 2009 pre-season rankings. The other out-of-state team this year is Captain Shreve out of Shreveport.
Twenty-one Arkansas teams grace the tournament field. Fayetteville, North Little Rock, and Pine Bluff may be the favorites at first glance. Both 6A State Champion Lake Hamilton and 5A State Champion Pulaski Academy (Little Rock) lost a large senior class, but new faces will be trying to make their mark. Lake Hamilton won the 7-on-7 tournament at the Ouachita Baptist camp earlier this month, and Pulaski Academy won the Sonic Air Raid at Searcy.
Other teams to look out for will be Russellville, Watson Chapel, Heritage (Rogers), Nashville, and Greenbrier, who finished as the runner-up at the Air Raid. The remaining teams will be Arkansas Baptist (Little Rock), Central Arkansas Christian (North Little Rock), Dumas, Fountain Lake, Greene County Tech (Paragould), Harrisburg, Lakeside (Hot Springs), Hall (Little Rock), Magnolia, Mayflower, and Robinson (Little Rock).
There will be outstanding quarterbacks in abundance this year as we will see some of the top signal callers from across the state lead their teams. However, the best quarterback may be from out of state as Texas 5A All-State performer Matt Brown, who has committed to Arizona, leads Allen. He will split time with his backup and 5A State Championship MVP Tucker Carter. Arlington Bowie’s Deric Davis is also being recruited to the next level as a dual-threat quarterback.
In-state quarterbacks will show off their talents highlighted by Pine Bluff third year starter Claude Johnson, who has a scholarship offer from Louisiana Monroe. Other senior signal callers to watch are Benson Jordan of Lake Hamilton, Logan Quinn of Arkansas Baptist, C.J. Branch of Watson Chapel, Will Warren of Lakeside, and Wil Nicks of Pulaski Academy.
There may never be a group of quarterbacks in this state like the 2011 class. Although not all of them will be at the Shootout, a few of them will be represented led by Brandon Allen of Fayetteville, who was the MVP at the Harding University 7-on-7 camp this past weekend, and Darion Griswold of Dumas, a 6’5” 200 pounder who runs a 4.6 40-yard dash. Zach Davis of Harrisburg and when he is not playing receiver, Kyle Coleman of Watson Chapel are both juniors in that deep class. One sophomore to watch will be Greenbrier’s Neil Burcham, who was as poised as a veteran at the Air Raid on June 6.
Although this Shootout is loaded with quarterbacks, it will not be without some great receivers. Arlington Bowie will line up a receiving corps that would be the envy of many college coaches. They are led by Oklahoma State commit Montrae Nelson (6’4” 215 lbs, 4.6 40-yard dash). The other three are seniors Emmanuel Davis (6’4” 190, 4.4) and Langston Williams (5’8” 160, 4.4) and junior Cameron White (6’2” 175, 4.5). Pine Bluff’s Jonathan Frazier, North Little Rock’s Devante Rich, Fayetteville’s Jawan Mahone and Josh Hale, and Greene County Tech’s Standrick Williams and Caleb Hartwig are all senior receivers inside the Natural State border. Junior standouts attending will be Watson Chapel’s Larry Pace and Mitch Lane, Allen’s Jonathan Lee, and Fayetteville’s Demetrius Dean, who has already committed to the Razorbacks.
Defensive players causing havoc will be linebackers Bud Spears of Allen, David Smith of Pine Bluff, Barry Jackson of Watson Chapel, and Bryan McCleary of North Little Rock. Defensive back standouts include Kelsey Collins of Pine Bluff, who ran a 4.28 laser 40-yard dash, Andrew Tryon of Russellville, who has an offer from Arkansas State, Demetris Lasker of Mayflower, Colby Miller of North Little Rock, Nick Hopkins of Nashville, Antonio Jenkins of Watson Chapel, and the entire secondary of Arlington Bowie, Zyrron Walton (4.5 40-yard dash), Quentin Sargent (4.5), Zeke Asiegbu (4.6), Anthony Dorsey (4.5), Malcolm Surrell (4.4), and reserve Ananius Hudson (4.4).
Mighty Bluebird Complex is off Highway 10 West on Pinnacle Valley Road. Admission to the tournament is $5 per car each day. Concessions will be available.
24 teams- Allen HS (TX)
- Arkansas Baptist (Little Rock)
- Captain Shreve (Shreveport, LA)
- Central Arkansas Christian (North Little Rock)
- Dumas HS
- Fayetteville HS
- Fountain Lake HS
- Greenbrier HS
- Greene County Tech (Paragould)
- Hall HS (Little Rock)
- Harrisburg HS
- Heritage HS (Rogers)
- James Bowie HS (Arlington, TX)
- Lake Hamilton HS (Pearcy)
- Lakeside HS (Hot Springs)
- Magnolia HS
- Mayflower HS
- Nashville HS
- North Little Rock HS
- Pine Bluff HS
- Pulaski Academy (Little Rock)
- Robinson HS (Little Rock)
- Russellville HS
- Watson Chapel HS
Mighty Blue Bird Field is located at 6800 Pinnacle Valley Road off Hwy 10 (Cantrell Road).
2009 Harding University Camp Results
As mentioned in a previous post, the Harding University Bison coaching staff held a 7-on-7 camp last weekend (June 12-13). After 2 days of tough competition, Trinity Christian Addison (TX) Trojans took home the overall championship (Wal-Mart Division). The Trojans are coached by Steve Hayes and they defeated West Memphis in the Wal-Mart division finals. The team from Heritage Hall (OK) coached by Andy Bogert took home the Aramark Division championship.
The outstanding QB award was garnered by Fayetteville's Brandon Allen. Johnny Catalano of Trinity Christian Addison took home the Best WR award. The outstanding defensive player award was won by Deontae Mitchell of West Memphis.
The outstanding QB award was garnered by Fayetteville's Brandon Allen. Johnny Catalano of Trinity Christian Addison took home the Best WR award. The outstanding defensive player award was won by Deontae Mitchell of West Memphis.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Bryant Sweeps Showdown
The Bryant Hornets took home their second 7-on-7 Summer Showdown trophy in three years as they won all six games they played at Robinson High School on Thursday, June 11. The Hornets won the inaugural event in 2007.
Bryant defeated England (48-17), Jacksonville (10-9), and Pulaski Academy (21-20) in pool play to grab the number one seed from pool A. They would then blank Robinson in the first round, 23-0. In the semifinals, the Hornets were tied 14-14, and would drive down and score a last second touchdown to defeat the defending Showdown champion, Lakeside Rams, 21-14. The Hornets would have zero problems in the finals as they would score on their first play from scrimmage and intercept the first Pulaski Academy pass to take a 10-0 lead with less than two minutes off the clock. They would extend the lead to 27-0 and cruise to a 34-22 victory.
Other than Bryant, three other teams were impressive at the Showdown.
SYLVAN HILLS
The Bears were undefeated in pool play and defeated England in the first round of the tournament before dropping the semifinal game to Pulaski Academy. They have a strong-armed quarterback and some nice, athletic targets to pick from at receiver. They also have some speed and size on the defensive side of the football.
LAKESIDE
Lakeside graduated one of their best classes in history, but they have some young talent ready to fill that void. The Rams’ only loss in pool play was by a touchdown to Sylvan Hills, and their tournament defeat came on a last second touchdown by Bryant.
JA FAIR
The War Eagles only victory was against Robinson in pool play, but it was nice to see them involved in summer 7-on-7. They have a lot of potential, and it will be interesting to see if Coach Harris can develop that this summer and translate that into success this fall.
POOL PLAY SCORES
Pool A
Bryant 48, England 17
PA 28, Jacksonville 12
Bryant 10, Jacksonville 9
PA 21, England 8
Jacksonville 18, England 7
Bryant 21, PA 20
Pool B
Lakeside 21, Robinson 0
Sylvan Hills 20, Fair 3
Sylvan Hills 17, Robinson 7
Lakeside 31, Fair 24
Fair 17, Robinson 14
Sylvan Hills 24, Lakeside 17
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
First Round
Bryant 23, Robinson 0
Lakeside 21, Jacksonville 7
Sylvan Hills 24, England 10
PA 35, Fair 14
Second Round
Bryant 21, Lakeside 14
PA 32, Sylvan Hills 13
Finals
Bryant 34, PA 22
Bryant defeated England (48-17), Jacksonville (10-9), and Pulaski Academy (21-20) in pool play to grab the number one seed from pool A. They would then blank Robinson in the first round, 23-0. In the semifinals, the Hornets were tied 14-14, and would drive down and score a last second touchdown to defeat the defending Showdown champion, Lakeside Rams, 21-14. The Hornets would have zero problems in the finals as they would score on their first play from scrimmage and intercept the first Pulaski Academy pass to take a 10-0 lead with less than two minutes off the clock. They would extend the lead to 27-0 and cruise to a 34-22 victory.
Other than Bryant, three other teams were impressive at the Showdown.
SYLVAN HILLS
The Bears were undefeated in pool play and defeated England in the first round of the tournament before dropping the semifinal game to Pulaski Academy. They have a strong-armed quarterback and some nice, athletic targets to pick from at receiver. They also have some speed and size on the defensive side of the football.
LAKESIDE
Lakeside graduated one of their best classes in history, but they have some young talent ready to fill that void. The Rams’ only loss in pool play was by a touchdown to Sylvan Hills, and their tournament defeat came on a last second touchdown by Bryant.
JA FAIR
The War Eagles only victory was against Robinson in pool play, but it was nice to see them involved in summer 7-on-7. They have a lot of potential, and it will be interesting to see if Coach Harris can develop that this summer and translate that into success this fall.
POOL PLAY SCORES
Pool A
Bryant 48, England 17
PA 28, Jacksonville 12
Bryant 10, Jacksonville 9
PA 21, England 8
Jacksonville 18, England 7
Bryant 21, PA 20
Pool B
Lakeside 21, Robinson 0
Sylvan Hills 20, Fair 3
Sylvan Hills 17, Robinson 7
Lakeside 31, Fair 24
Fair 17, Robinson 14
Sylvan Hills 24, Lakeside 17
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
First Round
Bryant 23, Robinson 0
Lakeside 21, Jacksonville 7
Sylvan Hills 24, England 10
PA 35, Fair 14
Second Round
Bryant 21, Lakeside 14
PA 32, Sylvan Hills 13
Finals
Bryant 34, PA 22
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Arkansas Sports Performance Center Summer Showdown
Pulaski Robinson will host the 3rd Annual Summer Showdown on Thursday, June 11. This is an 8-team tournament featuring teams from Central Arkansas and is sponsored by the Arkansas Sports Performance Center. When trying to find dates to host a tournament, Coach Todd Eskola realized three years ago that open weekends were at a premium and were difficult to avoid conflicts with other football tournaments as well as summer baseball and AAU basketball, so he started the tradition of hosting his tournament on the second Thursday in June.
This year's field is divided into two pools of four teams. Beginning at 2 p.m., teams will play each member of their pool for seeding in the tournament. The 8-team single elimination tournament will start at 5:30 with the finals beginning at 7:20.
Pool A appears to be the stronger of the two pools with this past weekend's Sonic Air Raid Champion, Pulaski Academy, the 2007 Showdown champion, Bryant, as well as a couple of traditionally athletic teams in 6A Jacksonville and 3A England.
Pool B includes three 5A schools in Sylvan Hills, Robinson, and last year's Showdown champion, Hot Springs Lakeside, as well as 6A JA Fair.
Click the image below for a complete pool play schedule and tournament bracket.
This year's field is divided into two pools of four teams. Beginning at 2 p.m., teams will play each member of their pool for seeding in the tournament. The 8-team single elimination tournament will start at 5:30 with the finals beginning at 7:20.
Pool A appears to be the stronger of the two pools with this past weekend's Sonic Air Raid Champion, Pulaski Academy, the 2007 Showdown champion, Bryant, as well as a couple of traditionally athletic teams in 6A Jacksonville and 3A England.
Pool B includes three 5A schools in Sylvan Hills, Robinson, and last year's Showdown champion, Hot Springs Lakeside, as well as 6A JA Fair.
Click the image below for a complete pool play schedule and tournament bracket.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Pulaski Academy Wins 2009 Sonic Air Raid
Pulaski Academy reeled off 7 straight victories at the Sonic Air Raid on Saturday to take home their second Air Raid championship. The Bruins also won the Air Raid in 2007. They did not attend the tournament in 2008.
Pulaski Academy defeated Lonoke (26-18), CAC (34-0), and Searcy (28-12) in pool play to earn their way as a one seed in the championship bracket. They would defeat Heber Springs (30-8) in the first round and Greene County Tech (36-22) in the second round to setup a matchup with Pine Bluff in the winners bracket final. Although the Bruins won by 9 points, 29-20, it took a defensive stop and a touchdown in the last minutes to seal the victory. Greenbrier would defeat Pine Bluff with a touchdown with 30 seconds left in the losers bracket final to earn the right to play the Bruins in the championship. Greenbrier led 10-0 early and 20-10 with 10 minutes left to play. The Bruins would go ahead 23-22 with 3 minutes to play, and relied on great plays by their defense to keep the Panthers out of the endzone. Greenbrier would fall short as Pulaski Academy would knock down a pass on 3rd down from the one-yard line to seal the victory and the championship.
Other than Pulaski Academy, there were lots of nice surprises from the tournament.
PINE BLUFF: The Zebras were undefeated before dropping their last two games to PA and Greenbrier. QB Claude Johnson had their offense looking like a machine at times, and their defense made some fantastic plays.
GREENBRIER: The perennial doormat of the 5A West are making strides to move up that ladder. They were led by a heady quarterback that made few mistakes and receivers that just did not drop many balls and made some very good grabs.
DES ARC: Although they were in what we considered to be a very weak pool, they held their own in their first meeting with 5A Greene County Tech in pool play in a 14-9 loss, then defeated them in the tournament 17-14. They also defeated Lonoke, 18-12. Not bad for a 2A school with a new head coach.
BALD KNOB: They were in the toughest pool and lost by just 7 points to Pine Bluff and 2 points to Little Rock Christian. After going 0-3 in pool play, they would not lose another game as they went on to win the consolation tournament. They defeated Conway Christian, Conway, and Little Rock Christian twice to win the consolation bracket.
Pulaski Academy defeated Lonoke (26-18), CAC (34-0), and Searcy (28-12) in pool play to earn their way as a one seed in the championship bracket. They would defeat Heber Springs (30-8) in the first round and Greene County Tech (36-22) in the second round to setup a matchup with Pine Bluff in the winners bracket final. Although the Bruins won by 9 points, 29-20, it took a defensive stop and a touchdown in the last minutes to seal the victory. Greenbrier would defeat Pine Bluff with a touchdown with 30 seconds left in the losers bracket final to earn the right to play the Bruins in the championship. Greenbrier led 10-0 early and 20-10 with 10 minutes left to play. The Bruins would go ahead 23-22 with 3 minutes to play, and relied on great plays by their defense to keep the Panthers out of the endzone. Greenbrier would fall short as Pulaski Academy would knock down a pass on 3rd down from the one-yard line to seal the victory and the championship.
Other than Pulaski Academy, there were lots of nice surprises from the tournament.
PINE BLUFF: The Zebras were undefeated before dropping their last two games to PA and Greenbrier. QB Claude Johnson had their offense looking like a machine at times, and their defense made some fantastic plays.
GREENBRIER: The perennial doormat of the 5A West are making strides to move up that ladder. They were led by a heady quarterback that made few mistakes and receivers that just did not drop many balls and made some very good grabs.
DES ARC: Although they were in what we considered to be a very weak pool, they held their own in their first meeting with 5A Greene County Tech in pool play in a 14-9 loss, then defeated them in the tournament 17-14. They also defeated Lonoke, 18-12. Not bad for a 2A school with a new head coach.
BALD KNOB: They were in the toughest pool and lost by just 7 points to Pine Bluff and 2 points to Little Rock Christian. After going 0-3 in pool play, they would not lose another game as they went on to win the consolation tournament. They defeated Conway Christian, Conway, and Little Rock Christian twice to win the consolation bracket.
Monday, June 1, 2009
2009 Sonic Air Raid Preview
The Sonic Air Raid hosted by Harding Academy and Searcy High School will again serve as the 7 on 7 season’s first tournament. The tournament expanded from 8 to 16 teams three years ago and is the state’s 3rd largest tournament behind the Shootout of the South (24 teams) and the VYPE Select (32 teams). The 2009 edition of the Sonic Air Raid can boast about a very solid field. The tournament, which takes place June 6, is the first leg of the Arkansas 7 on 7 Triple Crown. The Shootout of the South and Vype Select tournaments complete the state's triple crown competition.
The tournament features 4 pools of 4 teams. Each team will play the other teams in their pool (3 games). The top two teams from each pool will advance to the Land O’Frost Championship bracket (8 teams). The bottom two teams will compete in the Sonic Consolation Bracket (8 teams).
POOLS:
Division “A”: Conway, Greenbrier, Harding Academy, Heber Springs
Division “B”: Central Arkansas Christian, Lonoke, Pulaski Academy, Searcy
Division “C”: Bald Knob, Little Rock Christian, Pine Bluff, Watson Chapel
Division “D”: Conway Christian, Des Arc, Greene County Tech, Rose Bud
The standouts in this year’s field figure to come from Division C. That pool boasts NCAA Division 1 athletes Michael Dyer from Little Rock Christian, Claude Johnson and Jonathan Frazier from Pine Bluff, and a few athletes from Watson Chapel that will receive some looks from college coaches. Bald Knob is the 4th team in that pool and will try to win games using the Tony Franklin System that they implemented two years ago.
Other interesting stories going into the tournament will be how Conway will perform this early under new head coach Clint Ashcraft. Greenbrier will be another team to watch as Coach Randy Tribble will be in his second year. The Panthers also employ the Tony Franklin System.
Absent from this year’s tournament is last year’s champion Lake Hamilton. Lake Hamilton used their win from the Air Raid to propel them to a Shootout of the South victory a week later. They went on to win the 6A state title.
Pulaski Academy did not attend last year’s Air Raid, but they won the VYPE Select 7 on 7 last July. They are the only state champion that will be in attendance.
The tournament features 4 pools of 4 teams. Each team will play the other teams in their pool (3 games). The top two teams from each pool will advance to the Land O’Frost Championship bracket (8 teams). The bottom two teams will compete in the Sonic Consolation Bracket (8 teams).
POOLS:
Division “A”: Conway, Greenbrier, Harding Academy, Heber Springs
Division “B”: Central Arkansas Christian, Lonoke, Pulaski Academy, Searcy
Division “C”: Bald Knob, Little Rock Christian, Pine Bluff, Watson Chapel
Division “D”: Conway Christian, Des Arc, Greene County Tech, Rose Bud
The standouts in this year’s field figure to come from Division C. That pool boasts NCAA Division 1 athletes Michael Dyer from Little Rock Christian, Claude Johnson and Jonathan Frazier from Pine Bluff, and a few athletes from Watson Chapel that will receive some looks from college coaches. Bald Knob is the 4th team in that pool and will try to win games using the Tony Franklin System that they implemented two years ago.
Other interesting stories going into the tournament will be how Conway will perform this early under new head coach Clint Ashcraft. Greenbrier will be another team to watch as Coach Randy Tribble will be in his second year. The Panthers also employ the Tony Franklin System.
Absent from this year’s tournament is last year’s champion Lake Hamilton. Lake Hamilton used their win from the Air Raid to propel them to a Shootout of the South victory a week later. They went on to win the 6A state title.
Pulaski Academy did not attend last year’s Air Raid, but they won the VYPE Select 7 on 7 last July. They are the only state champion that will be in attendance.
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