Aug. 29— at Westside Sept. 12 – Pocahontas Sept. 19- Bald Knob Sept. 26- at Wynne 0ct. 3 – Nettleton Oct. 10 – GCT Oct. 17— at Valley View Oct. 24— Batesville Oct 31. – at Paragould Nov. 7 – Harding Aca.
The Brookland Bearcats enjoyed a school record six wins last year but fell just short of the playoffs. This season, Coach Mark Hindsley will lean on his team’ s experience up front on the offensive and defensive lines to punch their ticket to the postseason. All but one offensive lineman returns to the starting lineup for the Bearcats, which is vital in their two running back system. Senior Nash Farmer, and juniors Hudson Owens, Garrett O’ Brien, Riley Hicks and Brock Brewer will look to create holes for the backfield. Junior Layton Byler and sophomore Elijah Hammond have worked at quarterback and will continue to battle for the starting job. Seniors Nathan Murray and Rickey Robinson should get a lot of touches from the running back spot, while classmate Gabe Carter will line up all over the field to give him space to make a big play. Carter had nine touchdowns in both receiving and rushing fashion. Brothers Tyler( junior) and Jackson Fleerv( sophomore) along with senior Caden Wrinkle and junior Andy Ladd will provide some weapons at receiver. Senior Easton Cunningham moves from guard to tight end to provide a big target in traffic. Up front defensively is where the Bearcats are strong as well., Seniors Issac Barrea and Ethan Moss join juniors Aiden Carter, Max Wilcoxson, and O’ Brien in anchoring the Brookland 3-4 defense. Murray and Cunningham will team with seniors Drake Higgins and Garrett Mays, and juniors Ethan Clark and Aiden Heath to make up the linebacking corps. Senior Dot Aloh returns at safety and will handle all the kicking duties for the Bearcats. Joining Aloh in the secondary will be senior Austin Hammett, Jackson Fleer, Tyler Fleer, Ladd and Wrinkle. As Coach Hindsley and the Bearcats keep moving towards higher goals, they keep the playoffs in sight. Look for Brookland to battle for one of the final playoff spots in the rugged 5A East.
Aug. 29- at Gosnell Sept. 5- Pocahontas Sept 12- Beebe Sept. 26- at Harding Aca. Oct. 3- Wynne Oct. 10- at Brookland Oct. 17- at Nettleton Oct. 24- Valley View Oct 31- at Batesville Nov. 7- Paragould
The Greene County Tech Eagles are ready to flip the script in 2025. After a brutal 1-9 campaign a year ago— one derailed by a staggering 15 broken bones and a rash of injuries— head coach Nathan Morgan believes his team is finally healthy, deeper, and primed to make noise in the 5A East. The offense will be guided by quarterback Tucker Beasley, who has the luxury of handing off to a proven 1-2 backfield duo in Ashton Addison and Brett Boone. Add in three returning starters at wide receiver, and the Eagles have weapons ready to stretch defenses. Up front, size and power won’ t be an issue. Evan Cooper( 6’ 4”, 300 lbs) anchors the line at guard, while Gad Stanley( 6’ 4”, 245 lbs) provides a massive presence at tight end, both bringing experience and toughness to the trenches. On defense, expect Lane Compton, Hayden Stokes, and Brock Branch to set the tone with their physicality and leadership. If this unit can stay healthy, the Eagles will be much tougher to move the ball against. The path to the playoffs runs through key battles with Wynne, Brookland, and Batesville, but the one every Eagle fan circles is the“ Battle for the Bell” against Paragould. That rivalry clash could not only bring bragging rights but also determine Tech’ s postseason fate. Bottom line: Greene County Tech has been waiting for a season where health and talent align. If the Eagles can keep their playmakers on the field, don’ t be surprised if this group soars into the playoff conversation in 2025.
There’ s a new head coach in South Mississippi County as Brett Hardin slides over from the offensive coordinator position to take over as Johnny Fleming retired after a fabulous career. As for the Colts, they are looking to get to Little Rock after an 11-2 season last year where they fell in the quarterfinals to eventual state champion, Salem. Rivercrest will have to replace some key pieces this year, but have several talented players coming back. Junior Jayden Ralph will step in at quarterback, and will have one of the best targets in the state. All-State receiver Buddah Harris had an amazing 51 catches for 1050 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Fellow senior Jayden Young was not far off with his 53 catches for 873 yards and 14 touchdowns. Harris and Young create a matchup nightmare on the outside for the Rivercrest run / pass option based offense along with running backs Tekylun Sanders, Lexx
Sept. 5 – at Gosnell Sept. 12 – at EPC Sept. 19 – Forrest City Sept. 26 – Harrisburg Oct. 3- – Newport Oct. 10 – at Hoxie Oct. 17 –@ Walnut Ridge Oct. 24 – Osceola Oct 31 – Manila Nov. 7 – at Piggott
Lathum, and Terry Gentry. Jenarius Brownless and Demanuel Harris lead a young offensive line for the Colts. Defensively, Sanders is the leader coming off a 71 tackle season with nine being for loss. He will lead a young defensive line, with Jameson Johnson, Kayden Schwantz, and Latham. Demarius Facon will head up the linebackers lining up with Lathan Bolden and Luke Barnett. Young recorded 87 tackles and seven interceptions in the secondary last season. Hunter Ellis will be at safety opposite Young and will handle the kicking duties for the Colt’ s special teams along with lining up in a receiver spot with his sure hands. Ralph, Mykia Diggs, Aden Lucius, and Layne Luff will rotate throughout the secondary as well. Coach Hardin believes his team can be there in the end.“ We will have to replace a lot of key spots on offense with our quarterback and O-line but still have some talent on the outside,” Coach Hardin said.“ I think we can be very good offensively by the end of the season. Defensively, I think we have a chance to be really good. We will have to throw a lot of sophomores out into the fire early, but they are a very talented group. Overall, we have grea t leadership across the board, and our guys are excited to get the season going.” The 3A-3 just may be the toughest conference in the state in 3A, and the Rivercrest Colts is one of the favorites to take the league title. Look for the Colts to battle at the top of the league and make a run to War Memorial Stadium come November.