FOOTBALL
Kelley resigns from Searcy
After leading Searcy to a Class 5A state championship last season, Coach Mark Kelley is making the jump to a higher classification.
The 33-year-old resigned Thursday to become an assistant coach at Class 6A Conway. The announcement was made on the school district's website and its Twitter page.
Kelley was Searcy's offensive coordinator for two years before taking over as head coach in 2015 after Jeromy Poole resigned. In his five seasons at the helm, the Lions went 44-17 while advancing to the playoffs each season.
Searcy captured its title since 1933 when it beat Benton 28-27 in December at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Prior to that, the last time the Lions played in a final was 1984.
-- Erick Taylor
BASEBALL
Tamez enters transfer portal
Arkansas catcher Dominic Tamez has entered the NCAA's transfer portal.
Tamez started twice and played in eight games during a shortened freshman season for the Razorbacks. He was 4 of 10 at the plate and scored 3 runs.
He struggled some defensively, notably during a midweek game against Illinois State on March 3 when he allowed three passed balls in six innings.
-- Matt Jones
ATHLETICS
UA's Doyle, Smith honored
University of Arkansas soccer player Stefani Doyle and defensive lineman T.J. Smith were named Thursday as the 2019-20 Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award winners for the Razorbacks.
The award winners at each of the SEC's 14 member schools are eligible for the male and female Brad Davis Community Service leaders of the year, which will be announced next week. The school winners will each receive a $5,000 post-graduate scholarship provided by the SEC, and the leaders of the year will receive $10,000 post-graduate scholarships.
Doyle, the UA leader in games played, became the first Razorback in school history to play in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments last fall. The Lewisville, Texas, native was a four-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and she also served for the National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the Peace at Home Family Center and was a mentor for the UA's EMPOWER program to help young adults with intellectual disabilities.
Smith, of Moultrie, Ga., has participated in Lift Up America, the Boys & Girls Club, volunteered with Blue Cross Blue Shield to pack meals for the Fearless Food Fight and visited the Arkansas Children's Northwest Hospital on may occasions.
-- Tom Murphy
Sports on 05/29/2020