All-Star Games Allow Foes To Be Friends

CONWAY — When Ashlye Pool’s first pitch didn’t go the way she intended Tuesday evening, the former Fayetteville standout did what she had always done in those situations.

She reached down to get a little dirt on her hand, but there was just one problem. The artificial surface at Farris Field makes dirt almost impossible to find.

“If you rub the turf hard enough, you can get a little dirt to come out,” Pool said. “It’s so hot down here, and you have to find ways to adjust.

“I was struggling out there. We just went to straight fastballs and it ended up being a good thing.”

Another West player, Rachel Box of White Hall, came up with one solution. She provided a towel that Pool tucked in behind her back, then continued to pitch.

“I was reaching back there between every pitch,” Pool said. “I was sweating so bad out here. It was comfortable, and I’m grateful Rachel had it.”

Wiedner Does Her Part

Payton Wiedner recorded the first out of the All-Star Softball Games, but how she did it was anything but easy.

The former Farmington standout, who drew the start at shortstop, retreated into shallow left field and dove in front of one her West teammates to catch a fly ball by Fort Smith Southside’s Ciara Sweeney.

“No one called for it, so I dove for it,” Wiedner said. “It wasn’t a routine play, obviously. Honestly, I think I got a bad jump on the ball.”

Wiedner’s patience at the plate was also beneficial as she drew a pair of walks and scored twice. She scored on Pool’s double in the second inning for the West’s first run, then beat the throw home after Sheridan’s Allison Stipes grounded out for the fifth and final run in the third.

Local Trio Elected Among AHSCA Officers

Three people with local ties have been selected to be officers for the Arkansas High School Coaches Association during the 2013-14 school year.

Debbie Sharp of Siloam Springs, Beau Thompson of Farmington and Shane Patrick of Springdale High were chosen as vice-presidents by the organization during Wednesday afternoon’s meeting at the Farris Center.

Sharp, a former girls basketball coach at Siloam Springs, will be the first vice-president. Thompson, the boys basketball coach at Farmington, will serve as second vice-president, while Patrick, Springdale’s head football coach, was chosen as fifth vice-president.

Heard Positive About Finish

Austin Heard did find one positive aspect out of Thursday night’s boys basketball game despite the West’s whopping 98-50 loss to the East — the largest margin of victory in All-Star history.

“I went out on a good note,” the former Bentonville all-state standout said. “I hit my last shot.”

The game was well out of hand when Heard hit a 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter. That came after missing his first three shots and finished with three points.

Heard was not an original selection for the game, but he replaced Tigers teammate Nick Smith, who had already gone to Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., for summer school. Heard received his invitation about a month before the game, giving him plenty of time to get ready.

“It was a good advance,” he said. “I met with guys who found out the weekend before.

“I went to the gym, every day, for that month. I played pickup games at lunch with the older guys, and I ran on the treadmill to get myself back in shape.”

It marks the end of Heard’s basketball career. He is headed to Arkansas in the fall, where he will pursue a degree in business.

Strickland, Lee Form Friendship

One of the benefits of the All-Star Games is they allow players who have been longtime foes to become teammates — and friends.

Taylor Strickland of Rogers High and Taylor Lee of Bentonville had grown to accustomed to battling each other on the basketball court the past three years, but they were able to see another side of each other as members of the West girls basketball team.

“It was a great bonding experience,” said Strickland, who signed with Missouri-Kansas City. “We roomed together, and I got to know her and who is really is. She’s really nice.”

Lee, who has signed with John Brown, said the game proved to be beneficial as she makes the transition to college and new teammates.

“I really learned how to share the basketball,” Lee said. “They’re all great players here, and they are here for a reason. If we were going to win, we would have to play as a team. This taught me how to share the ball with them and find the open teammate.”

DeLeon Matches Career-High With Kick

Nick DeLeon closed out his high school football career with something worth remembering Friday night.

The former Pea Ridge standout gave the West its first points when he kicked a 40-yard field goal during the All-Star Football Game at Estes Stadium. The kick, which came late in the first quarter, matched his career-high.

“I kicked a 40-harder this past season against Greenland,” DeLeon said. “As soon as I looked up and saw it going straight, I got pretty pumped.”

He admitted he dealt with nerves when he kicked the ball, and nervousness got the best of him when he missed an extra-point attempt in the second quarter. DeLeon regrouped and kicked the extra point after the West’s last-minute touchdown late in Friday’s game, and he also handled the kickoff duties.

“That’s when the butterflies actually affected me, and I shanked it,” DeLeon said. “I came back and hit the second PAT, so that is all that matters, I guess.”

Heritage Receiver Goes On Defensive

Forrest Johnson used his skills as a receiver at Rogers Heritage to turn in a great defensive play and kept the West football team within striking distance Friday night.

Johnson leaped high in the air and knocked away a fourth-down pass attempt, denying an East scoring threat early in the fourth quarter.

“I broke on the ball pretty well and I saw it in the air,” Johnson said. “Playing receiver, we read the ball a lot when it’s in the air, so I jumped up there and swatted it down.

“It felt pretty good knowing you’re an athlete and you can get up there to make a play. It was fourth-and-3. Had I picked it, we would have had worse field position, so I just swatted it down.”

He finished the game with seven tackles (three solos, four assists), putting him in a tie for second place on the West team.

Winn Effective On Special Teams

The only times Dayton Winn touched the ball Friday night were on special teams, but the former Pea Ridge standout made the most of those opportunities.

He returned two kickoffs for 71 yards, including a 50-yard return late in the third quarter. Winn found an opening down the left side and ran until he was pushed out of bounds at the East 47.

“I love doing kickoff returns,” Winn said. “It was just instinct, reaction. You just lead them the opposite way, then usually a lane opens up. You just have to find it.”

He also played defensive back and finished with seven tackles, including five solos. He made the final tackle of the game when he pulled down Akee Johnson of Little Rock McClellan, who was trying to cross the field and get down the sideline for more yardage.

Hang Time Vital For Rose

Peyton Rose of Gravette wasn’t worried about how much yardage he could get out of his kicks as the West’s punter.

He concentrated on keeping the East’s return yardage at a minimum, and it worked. His hang time was more than adequate, with none of his five attempts being returned.

“I didn’t want them to get a good return in,” Rose said. “If they would have taken one to the house, that would be bad.”

Rose received some advance noticed that he would be the West punter and put in some personal work during the spring. He finished with a 31-yard average, with one of his punts being downed inside the East 10.

Area Athletic Directors Honored

Bentonville’s Scott Passmore and Gentry’s Brian Little were both chosen as Athletic Director of the Year in their respective classifications as selected by the Arkansas High School Athletic Administrators Association.

Passmore, who completed his second year as athletic director at Bentonville, shared the Class 7A award with Bryant’s Mike Lee. He has been with the Bentonville school district for 21 years.

Little, who is also the Pioneers head football coach, was selected as the top athletic director for 2012-13 in Class 4A. He has spent six years at Gentry, including three as athletic director.

Fayetteville volleyball coach Jessica Phelan was also selected as the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year for her sport. Phelan guided the Lady Purple’Dogs to their first state volleyball title in school history and also guided the West All-Stars to a 3-2 win in her first stint as a head coach in the all-star match.

In addition, Huntsville girls basketball coach Charles Berry was also honored as the Coach of the Year in his sport.

— PAUL BOYD

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