Stories from Monday, August 29, 2011

A firetruck is pictured getting the demolition derby track ready at the recent Mississippi County Fair. This photo was submitted to the Courier News by Sydney.

The Gosnell Junior Pirates were one win away from a conference championship last season. They finished with a 5-2 conference record and second place as the conference crown came down to one play against Valley View during the final game of the year...

The Blytheville Junior Chickasaws look to improve upon a 1-9 season last year. While fourth year head coach Ben Fisher isn't making any predictions on how many wins his team will have, he knows one thing is for sure, his team is ready to play. "This is one of best group of kids we've had come through here in a while," he said. "They love to practice and they just want to be out on the field."...

Pardon the pun, but Rivercrest has only one direction it can go in this season. But after winning the schools second state title in football and achieving a perfect 15-0 record last season, it might be a bit unrealistic to expect the Colts to finish the 2011 season holding the state championship trophy. ...

Osceola head coach Russell Leggett is sure his team is in better shape than the one he inherited after the summer departure of longtime Seminole coach Clinton Gore prior to last season. The dissension which plagued the Seminoles much of last season has all but disappeared and the team seems to have, as Leggett put it, "Bought into what we are doing on both sides of the ball."...

New Lions head coach Jerry Castor is bringing the Osceola brand of football to Manila. Castor coached under legendary former Osceola coach Clinton Gore for years, well-versed in the smashmouth style that the state power played. The Lions will look similar -- scheme-wise anyway -- to the old Seminole teams...

The Gosnell Pirates are set to begin the 2011 season as the current defending 3-4A champions. The Pirates finished the 2010 season with a 7-4 overall record and 5-1 conference record. Their lone loss came in a week 7 42-41 loss at Highland despite a 20-point half time lead...

After just missing the playoffs in his first season as head coach of the Blytheville Chickasaws, Maurice Moody had one goal during the offseason -- get stronger. "We made it a point to get in the weight room and get stronger," Moody said. "It's really helped us across the offensive line."...

The local football season kicks off Friday night. All the hard work, dedication and enduring the hot summer will pay off for the local student-athletes. For Blytheville, the Chicks begin their second season under head coach Maurice Moody, who is mixing his patented single-wing offense with a version of the spread...