FAYETTEVILLE — ALLEGATIONS, SUSPENSIONS ROCK RAZORBACKS HOOPS
Following a dismal 2-14 performance in the Southeastern Conference, it was hard to imagine 2009 could get any rockier for coach John Pelphrey and the Arkansas basketball program.
But soon after the season ended, several players left the team, including Jason Henry, Brandon Moore and Andre Clark. Then Pelphrey suspended Marcus Britt indefinitely after the player was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated on May 30.
These developments, however, didn’t affect the program nearly as much as the situation three Razorbacks got themselves into in late August.
When the details of an Aug. 27 fraternity party incident went public on Sept. 9, the particulars were simply shocking. An 18-year-old freshman accused Britt, Glenn Bryant and former UA walkon Nick Mason in a rape complaint. She said sex acts were forced upon her by two of them while the other watched.
Charges were dropped soon after the complaint was filed, but the damage was done. The police report described a consensual scene that - while not criminal - made fans cringe.
Pelphrey initially announced suspensions on Sept. 17 - without naming names.
“Although the student-athletes involved have been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, we expect Razorback student-athletes to adhere to a higher standard and code of conduct,” Pelphrey said. “I can assure you that there will be meaningful consequences for those individuals who have violated team rules and have not met the expectations of conduct required of our studentathletes.”
The university announced at the time it would hold its own extensive review of the situation, as well. The particulars of the suspensions weren’t revealed until Nov. 10.
That’s when Pelphrey said a total of five players would start the season suspended - including Courtney Fortson and Stef Welsh, for reasons unrelated to the Aug. 27 incident.
- RYAN MALASHOCKFAYETTEVILLE’S PERFECT SEASONS
If it seemed like Fayetteville could do no wrong during the 2008-09 basketball season, it was with good reason.
Both the Bulldogs (30-0) and Lady Bulldogs (32-0) won Class 7A state championships, and they did so inperfect fashion - capping undefeated seasons with championship game victories in Hot Springs.
“They’re simply remarkable,” said Fayetteville coach Bobby Smith after a 72-61 win in the championship game over North Little Rock that gave the Lady Bulldogs their first title since 1994. “...They’ve worked so hard individually and sacrificed so much collectively that anything that happens to them, they deserve.”
Fayetteville became the 10th school in state history to win both the boys and girls state championships in the same season - though none could recall such a remarkable season in the state’s largest classification.
“Our kids have been very supportive of each other,” Smith said. “They could have very easily have said ‘We’re having a great year and darnit, they’re talking about the boys too.’
“But it’s never been that way with either team.”
The Bulldogs capped their perfect season with a 40-34 win over Rogers High in the championship game, earning their first title since 1987.
- KURT VOIGT
MALLETT LIVES UP TO
Ryan Mallett’s arrival at Arkansas was met with plenty of hype, but there were still questions as to whether the former Michigan quarterback could live up to the expectations.
In his first year as Arkansas’ starter, Mallett proved to be the strong-armed quarterback that coach Bobby Petrino had been looking for to run his explosive offense.
The 6-foot-7, 238-pound sophomore has set or tied 16 school records this season, and he’s had such a strong showing that there’s talk that he could leave early and enter the NFL Draft.
“Seriously, the wins and losses (are) my main concern, especially playing for my hometown team,” said Mallett, who grew up in Lincoln before moving to Texarkana. “They don’t like losses around here, and I don’t, either. So that’s what I try to maintain.”
Mallett leads the Southeastern Conference in passing (285.2 yards per game), total offense (282.2 ypg) and pass efficiency (157.8 ypg).
And while throwing for a school-record 3,422 yards and 29 touchdowns, the sophomore has proven to be the big-play quarterback that Razorback fans had been waiting for since Matt Jones left town.
Mallett’s impact was apparent in a season-opening rout of Missouri State. He completed his first nine passes, recorded his first 300-yard game and combined with backup quarterback Tyler Wilson to set an Arkansas single-game record with 447 yards passing in the win.
It was a glimpse of what was to come.
- ALEX ABRAMSHOGS REACH COLLEGE WORLD
The Razorbacks entered the 2009 season with lofty aspirations. They openly talked about wanting to compete at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. But by the time NCAA regional play began, a trip to the CWS seemed highly improbable.
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn’s team started the season 24-6, but theorbacks finished the regular season with eight consecutive theastern Conference losses. Still, Van Horn refused to eve his Razorbacks couldn’t reach their ultimate goal.
I still believe in (our players), and that’s why there’s tseason play,” Van Horn said after their regular season
finale against Ole Miss. “Anything can happen. You have to lose two times in the (SEC) tournament, and you have to lose two times in the regional if we’re fortunate enough to get in one.” The Razorbacks’ late-season swoon cost them a chance ost a regional in Fayetteville. Traveling on the road didn’t t them, however. Arkansas earned its first trip to the CWS e 2004 by winning three straight games at the Norman la.) Regional and sweeping two Super Regional contests at ida State.
dramatic two-run double by Andrew Darr in the bottom he ninth clinched the last victory, setting off a wild bration at Dick Howser Field in Tallahassee, Fla.
rkansas then showed it wasn’t just in Omaha to take inthe sights, winning for the first time IN Omaha since 1989. The Razorbacks defeated Cal State Fullerton 10-6 in their CWS opener, boosted by home runs from Zack Cox and Andy Wilkins.
They then sufferedthe first of two CWS defeats to eventual champion LSU. But on June 17, the scrappy Razorbacks bounced back, toppling Virginia 4-3 in 12 innings the most dramatic fashion.
Brett Eibner’s two-out, two-strike, two-run home run tied the game in the ninth. Dallas Keuchel shut down the Cavaliers with four shutout innings in relief, and Darr produced another game-winning double. Despite losing two days later to LSU, senior Ben Tschepikow said 2009 was a season to cherish and remember.
“I’ll most remember going through all the struggles we went through as a team, going through the battles, the adversity, and not letting that define out season,” Tschepikow said. “That made it all that much better. It showed so much character about our team.”- RYAN MALASHOCK
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER WINS FIRST STATE CHAMPIONSHIPWith a solid running game and a defense that was unmatched by any other team in the state, Springdale Har-Ber completed its 2009 season with the program’s first state championship.
The Wildcats (12-1) won nine games during the regular season, including a share of the 7A-West Conference championship, and defeated both Russellville and Cabot, respectively, in the playoffs to reach their second state title game in three years.
In the state championship, which was held on Dec. 5 in Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium, Har-Ber limited Fort Smith Southside to only 100 yards of total offense and defeated the Rebels 27-6 for the historic victory.
“It’s a feeling none of us will ever forget again,” senior defensive back Houston Pruitt said. “Winning a state championship is something we’ve all been thinking about for three years. We finally got what we wanted.”
During the season, Har-Ber held its opponents to an average of only 171 yards of total offense, 54.3 rushing yards and 11.7 points per game, by far the best in the conference.
“This team was extremely special this year,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said.
“We did some things that were incredible. This was such a close-knit team. It was a lot of fun.”- NATHAN ALLENSAINTS ADD ANOTHER TITLE, NA
In terms of pure drama, there really was none for the Shiloh Christian Saints in 2009. They did exactly what was expected of them in rolling though Class 4A and repeating as state champions.
What wasn’t expected was that the Saints would end the year
ranked No. 1 overall in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
prep poll and No. 23 in the final USA Today national
prep poll. Usually those honors are reserved for the
largest schools.
But the Saints are not like most small schools when
it comes to the football program. Shiloh, which posted
a 13-1 mark in 2009 and ended the year on an
11-game winning streak, had a team loaded with
Division I recruits. And the
scary thing is many of those prospects are
underclassmen.
Shiloh opened the season with a huge televised
home game against former national power Shreveport
(La.) Evangel Christian and claimed a heart-stopping
37-36 win. The only loss was a 54-51 shootout inWeek 3 against Greenwood. Eleven s followed, including one of the greate in Arkansas playoff history when the a 35-0 deficit and defeated Nashville
In the semifinals and finals, the Sa past outmanned Bald Knob and Lonocombined 104-27 margin to wrap up second consecutive 4A state title.
With the return of dual-threat quarterback Kiehl Frazier, who compiled more than 4,500 yards passing and running with62 total touchdowns, two of its three and most of its dominant line, the Sa make an even bigger national splash
“It was fun from start to finish,” Fr “Beating Evangel was kind of the hig season and then winning the state c had some low points like when we lo So it was kind of a bumpy road, but i fun year for everybody.”PURPLE’DOGS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT STATE T
Just when people thought it couldn’t be done, the Fayetteville Purple’Dogs proved them wrong f the fourth straight year.
Fayetteville won its fourth straight state baseball championship on May 8 with a 2-0 victory ove Fort Smith Southside in Baum Stadium.
The victory made Fayetteville (23-9) only the second team in the state’s history to win four strai titles, as Pine Bluff accomplished the same feat from 1983-86.
Since 1999, Fayetteville is 264-99 - an average of 24 wins per year under longtime coach Vanc Arnold.
“Four in a row, and it’s certainly not getting old,” Arnold said after the game.
Fayetteville’s victory in the title game was surrounded by controversy when Southside’s Chris Bruick hit a fly ball to left field in the sixth inning that was fielded by Alan Spencer. Although the ball apparently hit the ground before landing in Spencer’s glove, umpires ruled the ball was caught, giving Fayetteville its third out of the inning and endin Southside’s chances of tying the game.
Both of Fayetteville’s runs came off a two-run double from senior Franco Broyles while starting pitcher Mike Sisco picked up his eighth victory of the year by allowing only five hits and striking out two.
- NATHA
NATURALS
ADVANCE
TO FINALS The Northwest Arkansas
Naturals took the next step
in their second season in
Springdale. A year after
Kansas City’s Double-A
affiliate qualified for the Texas League playoffs, the Naturals again won the 2009 second half Texas LeagueNorth Division championship, but this time the team advanced to the Texas League Championship Series.
After outdueling Tulsa for the second half title, the Naturals swept Springfield 3-0 in the best-of-five North Division Series. The Naturals scored 20 runs in the three games while the pitching staff compiled a 2.33 earned run average.
But the Naturalsfell short of the Texas League title series, losing the best-offive championship series 3-1 to the Midland Rockhounds.
While the Naturals will lose several key players from the 2009 team, the future looks bright. Top prospects Mike Moustakas (third base), Eric Hosmer (first base) and Aaron Crow (pitcher) all could spend some time in the Texas League during the upcoming season.
“This could be the most talented roster we have had,” said Naturals manager Brian Poldberg said. “Moustakas is a good player.” - PAUL NIELSENSILOAM WINS SIXTH STRAIGHT
The Lady Panthers volleyball team extended its state record this year by winning a sixth consecutive state championship.
Led by two-time statetournament most valuable player and University of Texas signee Hannah Allison, Siloam Springs swept 5A-West conference foe Greenwood 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-20).
The Lady Panthers (36-3) rolled through the state tournament without dropping a set and now have a record of 192-29 (.869) during their six-year state championship run.
They now have seven state volleyball titles, second only to Jonesboro’s 10.
However, Siloam coach Rose Cheek acknowledged she and her team carried a bit of a burden with the streak.
“They’ve been carrying a lot of pressure,” Cheek said. “It’s tough to keep their composure and fight like they did. I think it says a lot about them and a lot about the character and grit they have.”
Siloam was forced to rally from a 9-1 deficit in the second set, but still managed to pull it out.
The 5-foot-11 Allison, who was also named to a pair of All-American teams and honored as the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year for the second straight time, just dominated.
She had two kills, two block assists and a couple of assists during a key 9-1 run.
Allison finished with a match-high 13 kills, 16 assists, three solo blocks and five block assists in the championship match.
- PAUL BOYD
BIG YEAR
FOR D-I
RECRUITS
Fred Gulley and Aaron Hawley will finish 2009 playing Division I basketball, but it wasn’t long ago thetwo standouts were lighting up courts in Northwest Arkansas.
The pair signed scholarships in November 2008 - Gulley to Oklahoma State and Hawley to Drake - before the 7A-West rivals and friends met on the court four times.
Gulley and the Fayetteville Bulldogs swept the league series before beating Hawley and the Rogers Mounties in the state championship game in Hot Springs in March.
“I felt like (Gulley) did a great job early containing Aaron Hawley, who is a great, great, great player,” Fayetteville coach Barry Gebhart said. “We felt like that was going to be a big key. I don’t think Aaron ever really got on track and part of that was because of the job Fred ... did on him.”
The Division I pair put on another college showcase in June, teaming up for a 101-88 West win during the Arkansas High SchoolCoaches Association All-Star Week in Bud Walton Arena.
Hawley and Gulley returned from their colleges for the game.
Hawley scored 11 points on the way to MVP honors.
Gulley had 16.
The two joined collegebound teammates Cable Hogue (Drury), Coleson Rakestraw (John Brown University) and Kendell Pinkney (Arkansas Tech) to run away with the win in the second half.
- TOM GLAVE
Sports, Pages 7 on 12/26/2009