LITTLE ROCK — Dollarway forfeits four games
Pine Bluff Dollarway has forfeited four victories this fall, including three in the 8-4A, because of an ineligible player, Cardinals Coach Cortez Lee said Tuesday afternoon.
Lee said school officials became aware of a potential problem Friday morning, and the player was held out of Friday night’s 32-27 victory over Hamburg.
Lee didn’t want to identify the player, but said he was a transfer and wasn’t a starter.
The player was ineligible because he was competing in his ninth semester, Lee said.
According to rules of the Arkansas Activities Association, the state’s governing body for high school athletics: “A student is limited to eight consecutive semesters of opportunity for eligibility beginning with the student’s first enrollment in the ninth grade.”
“He came in from another school,” Lee said. “He didn’t play ball or anything like that. It was just a pretty much overlooked situation, where his age and gradepoint average were accurate.
It was just a matter of his semesters.”
Dollarway forfeited a victory over Gosnell (26-17) to open the season and 8-4A victories over Warren (29-24), Dumas (22-14) and DeWitt (47-34).
The forfeits drop the Cardinals from 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the 8-4A to 1-6 and 1-4.
Dollarway was stripped of its 8-4A title after using anineligible player during four victories in 2008.
Those forfeits also involved a player competing in his ninth semester.
Dollarway is still recognized as Class 4A state runner-up in 2008 because it would have advanced to the playoffs as the conference’s No. 4 playoff seed - even with the forfeits.
BEARDEN
Lowe out indefinitely
Defonta Lowe, Bearden’s standout senior quarterback/ safety, is out indefinitely after spraining his left ankle in Friday night’s 41-0 victory over Hampton, Bears Coach Ernie Horstkamp said.
Horstkamp said Lowe was injured late in the first quarter when he was tackled going into the end zone on a 21-yard touchdown run.
Horstkamp said Lowe saw an orthopedist Monday and is in a walking boot.
Lowe ran six times for 48 yards before hurting his ankle.
“Pretty bad sprain,” Horstkamp said. “Justwaiting for him to heal. Not going to take any chances with him. Got too much to lose.”
Lowe, who has orally committed to Arkansas, moved to the varsity in Week 5 of his freshman season after Michael Belin, then Bearden’s starting quarterback, broke his hand.
Horstkamp said sophomore Javeaz Sledge will start at quarterback Friday night at Parkers Chapel.
Sledge ran 9 times for 61 yards and 1 touchdown and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass against Hampton.
“The job’s his,” Horstkamp said. “We’ll go from there.”
Horstkamp said a “number of players” figure to contribute in the secondary following the loss of Lowe.
Bearden (6-1, 3-1 8-2A) is No. 4 in Class 2A and closes the regular season at home against Norphlet.
“We know we won’t have him this week,” Horstkamp said of Lowe. “We’ll just playit by ear from there.” CONWAY CHRISTIAN Smooth transition
Conway Christian lost two 1,000-yard rushers to graduation.
But the Eagles are flying even higher this fall with one of the most potent passing attacks in Class 2A.
Junior quarterback Tanner Stevenson, a linebacker last season, has completed 121 of 181 passes for 1,662 yards and 22 touchdowns as Conway Christian has won six consecutive games heading into Friday’s 5-2A showdown at Magnet Cove.
First-year Eagles Coach Michael Carter said he wasn’t sure how his players would grasp the Spread offense philosophy after Chuck Speer left in the offseason to coach Corning.
The Eagles were 6-5 last fall.
“I knew our quarterback was a very smart kid, but didn’t know exactly how he would do,” said Carter, previously an assistant at Little Rock Christian. “He has exceeded my expectations. Our skill kids have come around and done some good things. It’s been nice.”
Conway Christian opened the season with losses to Class3A power Arkansas Baptist (49-20) and Quitman (46-43) in the 5-2A opener.
But Conway Christian (6-2, 4-1 5-2A) has won every game by at least 15 points in its winning streak.
In Friday night’s 41-0 victory over Hector, the Eagles finished with 470 total yards - 241 rushing and 229 passing.
Junior wide receiver Andrew Dather caught 4 passes for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Dather has 39 receptions for 574 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.
Carter said Conway Christian is committed to the Spread because of a wealth of skill talent “from the seventh grade up.”
Carter said there are 23 seventh-graders in the program- “basically unheard of around here” - and the junior high team is 7-1 this fall.
A victory over Magnet Cove (7-1, 5-0) would likely create a three-way tie for the conference lead.
Conway Christian closes the regular season at home against Bigelow (5-2, 4-1).
The Eagles are seeking their second conference championship since abandoning eight-man football and joining the Arkansas Activities Association for the 2008 season.
Call us
Please call the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with game reports before 10:30 p.m. each Friday night this fall.
In Northwest Arkansas, call 1-888-223-9846. In other parts of the state, call 1-800-272-4650 or (501) 378-3411.
We need records, score by quarters, scoring plays and top rushing, passing, receiving and defensive performances.
The Democrat-Gazette will run statistics each Friday throughout the regular season.
To report statistics, e-mail Robert Yates at ryates@arkansasonline.com.
Sports, Pages 27 on 10/26/2011