TEXARKANA -- It was a very eventful week in the Texarkana area.
But the biggest headline this week was Texas High's track-and-field program showcasing its talent during the District 15-5A meet in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
Texas High's junior varsity and freshmen left little doubt on the track about the future of the school's programs.
Against an eight-team field, the JV boys became back-to-back district champions while the freshmen boys also claimed the title. The JV girls finished as runners-up in the district.
On the Arkansas side, track-and-field also made headlines, with Arkansas High's Daquallin Riley continuing his recent success, having two first-place finishes -- boosting him in the state rankings.
This week, there's plenty of events on tap, but watch out for when No. 9 Pleasant Grove and No. 10 Liberty-Eylau square off on the diamond again for Part 2 of their three-game district series.
Here's a look at more headlines that you may have missed in our editions this week:
SATURDAY
Abby Runion went 3-for-4 at the plate and seven complete innings on the mound to lead Pleasant Grove to a 12-2 win over Paris.
The win in a prairie storm moved the Hawks to 4-1 in District 15-4A, second behind Sulphur Springs.
"That was probably the windiest game we've played," said coach Becca Collom. "It's always good to play in different conditions because you never know what we have to play in later."
Texas High romps past Pine Tree
Tanner Ross struck out 10 and Texas High banged out 16 hits to take down Pine Tree, 14-2, in a District 15-5A bout on Friday night on the road.
The Tigers scored all the runs they would need in the first inning before adding three more in the third, five in the fifth and three more in the sixth.
Jacob Yowell got the day rolling when he scored after a Ross single. Cody Reese later scored on an error and Knox Pilgreen drove in Ross with an RBI-single to left field.
Up 3-0 going into the third, the Tigers extended their lead when Ross belted a two-run double to center, scoring Reese and Yowell. In the next at-bat Pilgreen connected with an RBI-single to score courtesy runner Daryon Jackson to extend the lead to 6-0.
PG remains unbeaten in district
Hunter Rose scattered two hits while striking out 11 and Pleasant Grove remains the lone unbeaten in District 15-4A thanks to a 7–1 win over the Wildcats.
The Hawks improved to 15-4-1 and 6-0 in district.
Brenton Clark had another big night for PG with two hits, including a triple. Jarret Halter had an RBI double. JM Long got one hit and drew three walks, scoring three times. Buck Anderson had a hit, drew two walks and had 3 RBI.
Liberty-Eylau put on a hitting clinic against Sulphur Springs.
The 10th-ranked Leopards banged out 10 hits and took advantage of three errors to down the Wildcats, 14-0, and bump their record to 15-3 overall and 6-1 in District 15-4A play.
Liberty-Eylau's bats got hot quick as they scored eight runs in the first two innings.
Liberty-Eylau continued its tear on Saturday with its second straight double-digit run output in as many days, this time a 10-4 win over North Lamar at H.E. Markham Park.
Much like Friday night against Sulphur Springs, the 10th-ranked Leopards put up half its runs against North Lamar in the first two innings while stymieing the efforts of the opposition with good defense and pitching.
North Lamar took the lead in the first inning, 1-0, but that wouldn't last long as Liberty-Eylau answered back with two of its own.
Good teams take advantage of mistakes and that's exactly what Pleasant Grove did Saturday afternoon, capitalizing on a series of Sulphur Springs miscues to notch a 10-0, mercy-rule win over Sulphur Springs.
PG (16-4-2, 7-0) stayed in sole possession of first place in District 15-4A on the strength of effective pitching by sophomore Luke Flanagan and Walker Wright and an error-free defense that came up with a pair of timely double plays to hold the Wildcats scoreless.
"Our defense played great today and, up and down the lineup, we're hitting the ball well," said PG coach Riley Fincher.
Fouke's Jacie Bishop will be taking her talent on the basketball court to the next level.
The senior signed this week to attend Southern Arkansas Community College on a basketball scholarship.
"I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity and it's honestly a dream come true," Bishop said.
SUNDAY
Area gymnist champion in Texas state meet
Texarkana area gymnast Zoie Smith recently competed in the Texas State Gymnastic Championships in San Antonio and was crowned Texas State Champion on the balance beam in her age division.
Smith, a Hope, Arkansas, resident, is one of 11 XCEL Gold athletes that compete for the Northeast Texas Elite Gymnastics team based in Texarkana, Texas. She also received a silver medal in the floor category, a bronze medal on the vault, and placed second in the all-around competition. Smith's placings helped her Northeast Texas Elite team secure the team State Championship as well.
She will now compete in the Regional Championships in Houston against gymnasts from Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Oklahoma.
Texarkana's Wacha helps Padres get first win
Buoyed in part by San Diego State's thrilling win in the Final Four, the San Diego Padres gave a glimpse of how good their superstar-laden lineup can be.
Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer and Matt Carpenter added a two-run double to back fellow newcomer Michael Wacha, a Pleasant Grove graduate, and lead the Padres to their first victory this season, 8-4 against the Colorado Rockies.
Arkansas takes series behind Texarkana's Adcock, bullpen
The University of Arkansas' bullpen trio of Arkansas High gradute Cody Adcock, Dylan Carter and Gage Wood shut down hot-hitting Alabama on Sunday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The No. 6 Razorbacks rallied to win 5-4 with Texarkana native Adcock, Carter and Gage combining to pitch 81/3 innings and hold the Crimson Tide to 2 runs, 5 hits and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts after Alabama took a 2-0 lead in the first inning against starter Ben Bybee.
"We were excited to get into the bullpen early," Alabama Coach Brad Bohannon said. "But they did a good job of throwing strikes and throwing strikes up in the zone.
THS grads Lyles, Sutton give SAU boost
Texas High graduates Chris Lyles had four hits and Chris Sutton had four runs and his first home run of the season over the weekend as Southern Arkansas took two of three from Ouachita Baptist University.
Lyles is batting .325 this season, with 94 hits, including four home runs, and 21 RBIs. Sutton has 32 RBIs, 37 hits and 36 runs scored through 33 games.
The Muleriders split with OBU, winning the series opener, 7-4, and dropping the second game of the doubleheader, 6-5, in eight innings.
THS grad Allred hits grand slam in Ragin Cajuns' win
Texas High graduate Lauren Allred hit a grand slam as No. 25 Louisiana Ragin Cajuns softball team stockpiled eight runs in the first two innings en route to a convincing 9-2 win Saturday over James Madison at Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Allred had a season-high five RBIs to add to her team-high 25 in the victory, and has been lights out since early March, hitting .452 and five home runs.
MONDAY
Lady Backs pulverize Trojans, 25-7
The final score doesn't always reflect the entire story of the game.
Arkansas High (5-6, 2-4) was in a tight contest with Hot Springs with a 10-7 lead in the fourth before breaking loose in the fifth with 15 runs and earning a 25-7 victory.
Each team matched the other with scores in all but one frame. The Lady Backs put the game away for good in the fifth inning by sending 21 batters to the plate. Arkansas High scored 15 runs on eight hits, walked four times and had four hit-batsmen for the ultimate mercy-rule victory, 25-7.
Fowler tosses 2nd no-hitter of season
Genoa Central's Gracie Fowler struck out 14, walked just three and finished with a complete-game, no-hitter in the Lady Dragons' 10-0 win over Centerpoint on Monday.
The no-hitter is Fowler's second of the season.
Genoa Central exploded for seven runs in the second inning and added three more in the fifth in the win.
Arkansas High began last week with a tough loss to Camden Fairview but bounced back and absolutely shellacked Hot Springs twice in a row, helping it hold on to its spot in the SBLive Super 7 rankings.
The Razorbacks, who hold on to the fifth spot in the Class 5A rankings, lead the 5A-South through the season's halfway point.
This week's Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association poll remained the same as last week.
Pleasant Grove holds down the No. 9 spot and Liberty-Eylau remains No. 10 in the rankings.
TUESDAY
L-E sinks Pirates in district matchup
The 10th-ranked Liberty-Eylau Leopards (18-3, 7-1) needed just an hour and a half to finish seven innings of play and keep their pace in the district 15-4A standings Tuesday night at H.E. Markham Field with a win over the Pittsburg Pirates, 6-3.
The Leopards' bats got hot quickly, and junior right-hander W.T. Jones went the distance on the mound in a complete game effort.
The Leopards posted three runs in the first two frames to jump out to a quick 6-0 lead, highlighted by a two-run double from W.T. Jones in the second inning.
AHS tops Sheridan behind Paxton's 7 RBI
Luke Paxton had seven RBIs and a home run, Ty Waid added three hits and another three walks to his totals, and Arkansas High banged out 16 hits and survived a pesky Yellowjacket team, 15-10, on Tuesday evening.
Down 8-7 in the sixth inning, the fifth-ranked Razorbacks got a huge contribution from Paxton when he belted a three-run triple to give Arkansas High the lead.
Sheridan loaded the bases in the seventh with no outs, but only managed two runs to end the game.
Late rally lifts Tyler over Texas High
It was a heartbreaker for Texas High.
The Tigers, who had won three of its last four games coming into Tuesday's bout with Tyler, let the game slip away late as the Lions piled on six runs in the fifth and sixth innings to rally for a 6-2 victory and claim its first victory in District 15-5A play.
Texas High (10-7, 3-4) scored right away in the first inning when Jacob Yowell took advantage of a wild pitch to give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.
With both teams going scoreless through the middle innings, the Tigers put up their second -- and final -- run of the night in the fifth when Yowell drove in Brenden Allred with an RBI-single.
Arkansas High was held to just one run on two hits on Tuesday evening as Sheridan kept its unbeaten Conference 5A-South record going, defeating the Lady Backs, 3-1.
With the loss, Arkansas High drops its overall record to 3-7 and 1-5 in conference play, while the Lady Yellowjackets go to 12-3 and 7-0.
The Lady Backs scored the game's first run in the third inning, but that lead would be short-lived as Sheridan answered back in bottom of the frame with all the runs it would need with two. The Lady Yellowjackets added their final run in the fifth.
WEDNESDAY
PG pair earn all-district superlatives
Pleasant Grove's boys soccer program made history this season by winning its first-ever postseason game, and now their hard work is being recognized.
With the 15-4A All-District awards being announced, Pleasant Grove is well-represented on the list, including a pair of superlatives.
Pleasant Grove freshman James Solomon was named the district's Newcomer of the Year and junior Hayes Lawrence received co-Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Texarkana's Jackson among scrimmage standouts
Defensive end Landon Jackson stood out the most during a recent scrimmage. Arkansas coach Sam Pittman noted the LSU transfer and Pleasant Grove graduate "had as good of a day as he's had since he's been here."
He was the first player mentioned Tuesday when Pittman provided a rundown of the team's weekend work.
"I thought he was so impressive," Pittman said.
THURSDAY
Texarkana teams have shot at postseason
With only a few weeks remaining in regular season, several schools find themselves either in good shape for postseason play or on the hunt for one of the final playoff spots.
All four of the Texarkana schools have the potential for successful postseason runs.
FRIDAY
No. 10 Liberty-Eylau blanks Paris
On a brisk and chilly evening, it took Liberty-Eylau very little time in defeating Paris, 6-0, at H.E. Markham Park on Friday evening.
In a game that only took 1 hour and 35 minutes to play, the 10th-ranked Leopards improved its overall record to 19-3, and remains in second place in District 15-4A with an 8-1 record.
Senior Cal Jones had a superb game on the mound, striking out nine in just five innings, no walks, and allowing just three hits. Richie Plant completed the shutout with two scoreless innings, striking out two and allowing just one hit.
Riley, Arkansas High perform well at meet
Arkansas High's junior high track and field team and saw big-time performances from some of its athletes this week during the Nashville Jr. Scrapper Relays.
The Razorbacks finished fourth in the event in the tightly contested 13-team field and held their own for the most part and had several of their participants making state rankings.
Arkansas High's Daquallin Riley continued his recent success on the track, where he had two first-place finishes.
THS wins two district titles and a runner-up
Texas High's junior varsity and freshmen left little doubt on the track this week about the future of the school's programs.
Against an eight-team field, the JV boys became back-to-back District 15-5A champions while the freshmen boys also claimed the title. The JV girls finished as runners-up in the district.
The Rangers 6U team won the championship game during the Texarkana Arkansas Baseball Association 2023 preseason tournament on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Texarkana, Arkansas. (Photo by Kevin Sutton/TXKSports.com)
Lauren Allred, a Texas High graduate, waits for a pitch this season while playing for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. Allred had a season-high five RBIs and a grand slam in a victory over James Madison on Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. (Photo courtesy of ragincajuns.com)
Zoie Smith, a Hope, Arkansas, resident, is one of 11 XCEL Gold athletes that compete for the Northeast Texas Elite Gymnastics team based in Texarkana, Texas. (Submitted photo)
Texas High's junior varsity and freshmen left little doubt on the track this week about the future of the school's programs. Against an eight-team field, the JV boys became back-to-back District 15-5A champions while the freshmen boys also claimed the title. The JV girls finished as runners-up in the district. (Submitted photo)