LITTLE ROCK — Melbourne next stop for Gore
Osceola will not be Clinton Gore’s final coaching job after all.
Gore, 70, said he has accepted the head coaching position at Melbourne, which is scheduled to play a varsity schedule for the first time in 2012.
Gore is one of the state’s all-time winningest coaches with more 200 victories at Paragould, Helena-West Helena Central, Forrest City (his alma mater) and Osceola, where he has been since 1990.
Under Gore’s watch, the Seminoles claimed state championships in 1995 and 1997 and won or shared 10 conference titles.
Gore said one of the lures to Melbourne was its strong commitment to a competitive program.
The school, which is about 25 miles northwest of Batesville, will play in Class 3A in the 2012 cycle, Gore said.
Melbourne started football two years ago, Gore said, and will field sophomore and junior high teams this fall.
“I really didn’t go up there thinking 100 percent that we might go,” Gore said.
“But those folks up there convinced me this was the place to be. They have great facilities. They’ve really gone to a real effort to try to have a football team. I just thought it was a good place for me right now.”
Gore said it is still tough to leave Osceola, especially with what he believes could be the school’s best team “ina long, long time” this fall.
The Seminoles finished 11-2 last season and reached the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs.
Among their returnees is Korliss Marshall, a highly regarded sophomore running back.
“You’re at a place 21 years, it’s tough to leave under any conditions,” said Gore, whose final day at Osceola is Monday. “We just thought it was time to go, though.
I came up here with the intention of staying about two years and been here 21. I think I’ve done my time.”
Gore said his son, Stacy, an assistant at Osceola, is following him to Melbourne.
GREENBRIER
Hurting hand
Greenbrier Coach Randy Tribble said he expects junior quarterback Neal Burcham to be ready for the start of fall practice in August, despite breaking a bone in his left hand Wednesday playing basketball.
Tribble said Burcham, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sophomore Offensive Player of the Year, has a spiral fracture of a metacarpal bone, which was repaired Thursday.
“He’ll be fine,” Tribble said. “He’ll probably be able to throw in a week or two, probably, some.”
Tribble said the injury occurred when Burcham, 6-2, 181 pounds, was dribblingand a defender hit his left hand.
Burcham, who is righthanded, completed 247 of 377 passes for 3,384 yards and 34 touchdowns last fall.
“They thought maybe it was just a jammed finger at first,” Tribble said. “My son had the exact same thing. He did it the first day of twoa-days, and he played three weeks later. [Doctors] are saying 5-6 weeks, so he’ll be fine.” LITTLE ROCK FAIR
Starting with Earle
Only 12 years ago, Little Rock Fair finished 14-0, won the Class AAAAA state championship and was ranked No. 23 nationally in the final USA Today Super 25.
How far have the Class 6A War Eagles fallen?
Fair will open the 2010 season at Class 3A Earle.
In last year’s opener, Fair snapped a 14-game losing streak with a 26-14 victory over Class 5A Hot Springs.
The War Eagles, however, lost their final nine games.
Little Rock School District Athletic Director Johnny Johnson said he had to scramble to find an opening game for Fair during the 2010-2012 cycle since Hot Springs dropped the War Eagles.
“Since Fair and Little Rock Parkview share the same field, we try to make sure one’s on the road and one’s at home,” Johnson said.
“There weren’t very many schools out there that, No.
1, have that date open and could fit into that schedule, where it would coordinate with Parkview’s.”
Johnson said a school official at Earle had an affiliation with the LRSD and called about scheduling a game.
Earle opened 2009 with a 44-24 victory at Class 2A Conway Christian.
Johnson said Earle also will play at Fair in 2011.
Also factoring into the scheduling decision, Johnson said, was securing nonconference opponents that could help Fair be more competitive.
Fair also will play Class 4A Pulaski Robinson and Pulaski Oak Grove before opening 6A-South play against defending state champion El Dorado.
Johnson said he believes acting coach Rickie Cole will guide the War Eagles this fall.
Cole took over this spring after Donald Harris, who has coached Fair since 2003, took a leave of absence.
FAYETTEVILLE
Farmington import
Junior running back/ linebacker Deon Clay, one of Farmington’s top players last season, has transferred to Fayetteville, Bulldogs Coach Daryl Patton said.
As a sophomore, Clay, 5-11, 230 pounds, ran 58 times for 392 yards and 3 touchdowns, caught 22 passes for 444 yards and 6 touchdowns and had 80 tackles, 5 pass breakups and 1 interception.
Patton said Clay bench presses 340 pounds, making him Fayetteville’s strongest player.
He could be used on the defensive line, Patton said.
“He’s going to play somewhere for us,” Patton said.
Sports, Pages 33 on 06/20/2010