VIDEO: Winning ways follow Lassiter

East wide receiver Marquis Pleasant (left) of Conway hauls in a pass behind West defensive back Tucker Hall of Foreman in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star football game Friday night. The East opened up a 35-point lead at halftime and cruised past the West 55-14.
East wide receiver Marquis Pleasant (left) of Conway hauls in a pass behind West defensive back Tucker Hall of Foreman in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star football game Friday night. The East opened up a 35-point lead at halftime and cruised past the West 55-14.

CONWAY -- Hayden Lassiter went undefeated in 2016 as the starting quarterback of the Warren Lumberjacks.

photo

West running back Caleb Dean (center) of Hot Springs Lakeside tries to break away from East linebacker Payton Hydron of Bald Knob during the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star football game on Friday night at Estes Stadium in Conway.

photo

East running back Dennis Daniels (left) of Warren collides with West defensive end Chris Cowling of Prescott in Friday night’s game at Estes Stadium. Daniels scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter for the East. The game was delayed for 38 minutes because of lightning in the area.

His winning ways continued in his final high school event with the East All-Stars on Friday night.

Lassiter completed 9 of 15 passes for 117 yards and 3 touchdowns as the East routed the West 55-14 in the 62nd Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star football game at Estes Stadium.

Warren went 15-0 and won the Class 4A state championship with Lassiter at quarterback. Including Friday's game, Lassiter, who earned the game's most outstanding back award, was 16-0 wearing the orange and black Lumberjacks helmet in 2016-2017.

Lassiter, who also had 46 yards on four carries, gave credit to his teammates.

"There were a lot of freak athletes out here tonight," said Lassiter, who will play college football at Ouachita Baptist University. "You've got to let them go to work and feed the ball."

The East, which leads the series 34-26-1, led 42-7 at halftime and jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead. While the East has the series advantage, the West was 14-4-1 since 1997 coming into Friday's game, with one cancellation in 2015.

That fact wasn't lost on East Coach Randy Coleman, who is the head coach at Jonesboro.

"We have pride on the East side of the state," Coleman said. "I know it's been lopsided over the last 20 years or so where the West has typically won this game.

"To get a win for the East was really important. You have pride in your school and you have pride in your team. But you have pride on the East side of the state."

Hampton's Monta Thomas earned the game's MVP award. Thomas, who was Hampton's quarterback for its 2016 Class 2A runner-up team, played wide receiver Friday and caught 4 passes for 95 yards and 3 touchdowns. He will play college football at Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Jonesboro's Jonathan Adams caught a 28-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Adams will play college football at Arkansas State University.

"Monta is a freak," Lassiter said. "People doubt him because he's a 2A guy. But I told him all along that he's special.

"Jonathan Adams, he's great. He's proved himself."

Forrest City's Kendriel Johnson gave the East a 7-0 lead with an 87-yard kickoff return.

Thomas caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Lassiter to make it 14-0 East with 8:21 left in the first quarter. With 8:11 left in the quarter, the game was delayed 38 minutes because of lightning.

Two plays after the game resumed, Lassiter threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Adams for a 21-0 East lead with 7:25 left in the first quarter.

The West All-Stars got on the scoreboard with 7:00 left in the second quarter. Camden Fairview's Chris Hargraves rushed 40 yards for a touchdown to pull the West within 21-7. Hargraves finished with 95 yards on 12 carries.

The East responded when Sylvan Hills' Jordan Washington scored from 41 yards out for a 28-7 advantage with 5:58 left in the second quarter.

Washington's 33-yard pass to Conway's Marquise Pleasant set up Warren's Dennis Daniels' 1-yard touchdown run with 2:10 remaining in the first half, extending the East's lead to 35-7.

The East closed out the first half with a 71-yard touchdown pass from Washington to Thomas, making it 42-7 at halftime.

West Coach Billy Dawson said the first half was too much to overcome.

"They've got great athletes," said Dawson, who led Russellville to the Class 6A state championship in 2016 and is now at Fayetteville. "They hit us with the opening kickoff. We go three-and-out, boom, they scored.

"They did a good job. They were hard to tackle in space. They've got some good dudes."

Lassiter threw his third touchdown pass of the game, this one a 6-yarder to Jonesboro's Jakaylen Jackson, to make it 48-7 East with 8:58 left in the third quarter.

Russellville's Cale Fulsom, who started for the West and completed 16 of 28 passes for 160 yards, threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Bentonville's Hadley Gregg with 1:24 left in the third quarter to cut the East's lead to 48-14.

Thomas' third score Friday capped the onslaught. He hauled in an 11-yard pass from Washington for a 55-14 advantage with 10:03 to play.

Washington, who will play at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, threw 2 touchdown passes and finished 4-of-7 passing for 91 yards and 1 interception.

Final all-star results

TUESDAY

BASEBALL

East 10-9, West 10-6

SOFTBALL

East 6-5, West 2-3

WEDNESDAY

SOCCER GIRLS

East 3, West 1

BOYS

West 3, East 2

VOLLEYBALL

West 3, East 2

THURSDAY

BASKETBALL GIRLS

East 68, West 58

BOYS

West 110, East 98

FRIDAY

FOOTBALL

East 55, West 14

Sports on 06/24/2017

Upcoming Events