HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Covid postpones West Fork vs. Green Forest
West Fork's scheduled varsity football game for Friday has been postponed and moved to Friday, Sept. 17, because of covid-19 concerns.
West Fork Superintendent John Karnes said the teams agreed to move the game to Sept. 17, when both teams had open dates. The delta variant of covid-19 continues to cause problems around the country, and Karnes said the varsity football team and seventh-grade volleyball teams at West Fork have been particularly affected.
Karnes said moving the game enables West Fork to better follow covid-19 protocols.
"One person with covid can affect 20 people, and we've got too many in quarantine right now," Karnes said. "Green Forest agreed to work with us just like we worked with other teams last year with covid."
-- Rick Fires
BASEBALL
Red Wolves hire pitching coach
Arkansas State University announced the hiring of Alan Dunn as its pitching coach Tuesday afternoon. Dunn, who was honored as the Collegiate Baseball pitching coach of the year in 2015, spent the last 10 seasons in the same role at LSU under former Coach Paul Maineiri.
"Alan is highly respected in all baseball coaching circles, and he is a great teacher and even better person," Red Wolves Coach Tommy Raffo said in a statement. "With his coaching credentials, Alan could have gone anywhere and he chose Arkansas State. This is such a big deal for our university, the community, our program, and most of all, the student-athletes."
Dunn previously spent nearly two decades in various roles among the professional ranks, including four seasons as bullpen coach for the Baltimore Orioles. He played three seasons at Alabama from 1981-83 before being drafted in the fourth round by the Detroit Tigers.
At LSU, Dunn helped the Tigers earn nine NCAA Tournament appearances and three College World Series trips, most notably a runner-up finish in 2017. He also guided 26 pitchers to the MLB Draft, with Aaron Nola (Philadelphia Phillies) and Kevin Gausman (Cincinnati Reds) both hearing their names called in the first round.
-- Mitchell Gladstone