Fayetteville and Bentonville West will play a deciding third match this season to determine the top girls soccer team in Arkansas' largest classification.
Saturday's game in Benton is a rematch from last season when Fayetteville earned the Class 6A state championship with a 3-0 win over Bentonville West. Both teams are back in the finals after finishing behind Bentonville in the 6A-West Conference standings.
Fayetteville eliminated Bentonville 4-3 while Bentonville West stopped Fort Smith Northside 3-1 in semifinal games at Conway. Saturday's championship game will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Benton Athletic Complex.
"Our team is extremely focused right now," Fayetteville coach Joe Thoma said. "When you're focused and have that belief in yourself you always have a chance. But we know Bentonville West is focused as well. They've got some super stars on their team up front and we know they're going to be amped up. It's going to be a battle, for sure."
Bentonville West opened 6A-West Conference play in March with a 2-0 win over Fayetteville, which beat West 1-0 when the teams played again in March. West will carry an eight-game winning streak into Saturday's match that includes a 3-0 win over rival Bentonville to end conference play.
The Lady Wolverines are led by Tianna Jones, who has 19 goals and nine assists on the season. Kate Cater is second with 15 goals 11 assists. Fayetteville will counter with top players like Caroline Bertalotto and Lauren Magre, the team's leading scorer who has scored four times in three state tournament games.
"Fayetteville is a very good side and are well-coached," Bentonville West coach Kerry Castillo said. "I have no doubt the game will be closely contested. We're telling our young ladies to just find joy everyday and be grateful for the opportunity and to go fight their hearts out for one another."
-- Rick Fires
SILOAM SPRINGS
Lady Panthers have history with Searcy
Siloam Springs and Searcy's girls soccer teams have played in several meaningful games over the last few years.
The Lady Panthers and Lady Lions will add another chapter at noon on Friday when they meet in the Class 5A state championship game at the Benton Athletic Complex.
It will be the sixth time to the two teams have played since originally playing for a state championship in 2013, which Searcy won 3-1.
Siloam Springs defeated the Lady Lions 1-0 in the 2015 state finals and hammered Searcy 5-1 in the 2018 semifinals.
Searcy has won the last two meetings, defeating Siloam Springs 1-0 in the 2019 state quarterfinals at Searcy and 1-0 in the quarterfinals at Siloam Springs in 2021. Searcy went on to win the Class 5A state championship in 2021.
Certainly there's plenty of history between the two teams.
"This is the team we wanted to face in the finals," said Siloam Springs head coach Abby Ray.
Siloam Springs (20-3) enters the state tournament on a 17-game winning streak, including a perfect 14-0 run through the 5A-West Conference.
The Lady Panthers' three losses came to Class 6A powers Fayetteville, Bentonville and Bentonville West, who all reached the semifinals of the largest classification's state tournament.
Searcy, meanwhile, went 17-2-1 and went undefeated through the 5A-East Conference.
"Searcy won't be the best team we have faced this season, but we will be the best team they have faced," Ray said. "They watched all three of our state games, with zero assurance that either of us would even be in the finals. That shows the respect they have for us."
The Lady Panthers are led offensively by sophomore Jetta Broquard, who leads the team with 28 goals and 14 assists.
Senior Halle Hernandez has 17 goals and 10 assists, while senior Karen Flores has 13 goals and 12 assists.
-- Graham Thomas
BASEBALL
HARRISON
Senior-led Goblins show toughness
Third-year Harrison coach Matt Rodden kept coming back to one word to describe his team when asked about their personality: Tough.
"These kids are tight-knit and they are tough," said Rodden, who is making his first state championship game appearance as the Goblins are set to take on defending Class 4A state champion Valley View at 7 p.m. Friday in Benton. "This is a blue-collar team. They have been through battles together in football and baseball. There's not much they haven't seen."
The Goblins (21-12) won a 17-11 slugfest with fellow 4A-1 Conference foe Huntsville to reach the championship game.
Senior Dylan Block, who has signed with St. Louis Community College, will take the mound for the Goblins today. Block, also a standout football player, is 8-0 on the hill with 5 saves and a 1.71 ERA. At the dish he is even more impressive with a .539 batting average, 10 homers and 56 RBIs.
"Block has been solid all year," said Rodden. "He won't walk a lot and we play good defense behind him. When you have a guy on the mound filling it up, it just keeps you in the game."
Block is one of three Harrison players who will play at the collegiate level next season. Cy Madden (.406, 3HR, 12 doubles) is headed to Grayson Community College in Sherman, Texas, and Sloan Barrett (.402, 24 RBIs) has signed with Arkansas Tech.
The Goblins have nine seniors on the roster, many of whom played on the Harrison football teams that made deep playoff runs in recent seasons.
"These kids are battle-tested," said Rodden. "They are focused."
-- Chip Souza
BASEBALL
VAN BUREN
Pointers have deep pitching staff
The senior pitching trio of Eli Gilreath, Devin Gattis and Connor Brady pitched the Van Buren Pointers into the Class 5A state championship game with masterful performances.
Van Buren will play Marion at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Benton Athletic Complex.
The three were pitchers of record in wins over Maumelle, Jonesboro and Batesville, respectively, in the state tournament at Majestic Park in Hot Springs last week.
In the opener, Gilreath started and relieved, throwing a combined five innings and 89 pitches. He allowed a single run and struck out five.
Gilreath also provided the needed punch at the plate in the 4-1 win over Maumelle with his triple that sparked a three-run sixth inning.
Gilreath then pitched out of trouble in the seventh and struck out the final batter to nail down the win.
"I thought we only got two runs that inning," Gilreath said. "When I saw we got three, I was just like let's go finish this game."
In the second game against Jonesboro, Gattis went all eight innings, needing 110 pitches, after pitching 2 innings of relief against Maumelle.
"Devin pitched his guts out," Van Buren coach Luke Weatherford. "I'm so glad we got him the win and didn't get a no-decision because he deserved the win."
Gattis also drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth with a run-scoring double deep into the right-field corner.
"I was planning on leaving it all on the field," Gattis said. "This is my senior year and my last games, so I did what I had to do. I'm just glad to get the win."
Those two outings left Gilreath and Gattis, the starters in the 5A-West conference doubleheaders all season, done on the mound so Weatherford turned to his group of seniors to pick a starter for the semifinal game.
"I brought the seniors in and sat them down," Weatherford said. "I told them it was their season and it was their deal, who do they want to go with? They wanted to give Connor a chance, and we did. It worked out."
Brady has caught 185 innings this season for the Pointers and has thrown out 13 of 25 base runners, allowing just one stolen base over the past five weeks so his time on the mound had been limited. Brady had thrown just 18-1/3 innings before Saturday and had made only four starts.
Brady, though, gave up two runs in an ugly manner in the top of the second inning.
"I went out in the second inning and I was going to take him out," Weatherford said. "He looked me right in the eye and said, 'Coach, I got this and if the next guy gets on base, you can take me out.' He got out of it, and he just mowed on from there. He talked me out of it, and I'm glad he did."
In the second inning, Brady walked two, made a throwing error, threw a wild pitch and allowed a single as Batesville tied the game at 2-2.
"He told me he was going to take me out," Brady said. "I said, 'No, you can't.' and he listened."
Brady allowed just one more run and pitched to just two batters over the minimum over the final five innings. He finished with a complete-game victory, throwing 100 pitches and striking out 12 in Van Buren's 12-3 win.
"He settled in," Weatherford said. "That's what he's capable of. To come out in the state semifinal when he hadn't thrown any more than he had and throw a complete game is just unbelievable."
-- Leland Barclay