Fountain Lake today hosts what it bills as the state's oldest 7-on-7 football tournament, in its 21st year, on Allen Tillery Field at Beckham Memorial Stadium.
Teams will be divided for pool play starting at 9 a.m., the tournament beginning immediately afterward. Admission is free with concessions available.
Besides two Fountain Lake and Benton squads, schools entered are Bismarck, Danville, Dierks, Magnet Cove, Mount Ida and Poyen.
Seven-on-seven is a passing-only version of touch football with five receivers, a quarterback and a center on offense and seven backs and linebackers on defense. Each game is played on a 40-yard field with first downs every 15 yards and scoring similar to regular football.
Fountain Lake's tournament sponsors are Sonic of Fountain Lake, Greeson's and Climate Control, First Security Bank of Hot Springs and Rev'd Up Ink.
A-State places 11
on SBC elite team
Although projected to finish second in the conference standings, Arkansas State placed a league-high 11 athletes for 12 selections on the preseason all-Sun Belt Conference football team announced Friday.
The Red Wolves had a league-best eight players on the first team. Junior cornerback Blaise Taylor made the first team as a return specialist and the second team on defense.
Other ASU first-team offensive selections were junior wide receiver Dijon Paschall and senior offensive linemen Jemar Clark and Colton Jackson. Senior offensive lineman Devin Mondie made the second team.
The Red Wolves' first-team defensive selections are senior lineman Waylon Roberson, junior end Ja'Von Rolland-Jones, senior linebacker Xavier Woodson-Luster and senior safety Cody Brown. Junior linebacker Khari Lain and senior safety Chris Humes joined Taylor as second-team picks.
New Mexico State junior running back Larry Rose III (offense) and Appalachian State senior linebacker John Law (defense) were named Sun Belt preseason players of the year.
Appalachian State edged defending champion Arkanas State by four points (114-110) for first place in the SBC preseason poll released Thursday. The teams do not play each other this season.
Arkansas State's season and home opener is Friday, Sept. 2 against Toledo, an 8 p.m. game airing on ESPNU. The Red Wolves' conference opener is Wednesday, Oct. 5 against Georgia Southern at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro.
Ex-Hog Cobbs avoids
prison time on charge
LITTLE ROCK -- Former Arkansas and NFL running back Cedric Cobbs has been sentenced to three years of probation on a drug-related charge, avoiding prison time after telling a federal judge that he's undergoing treatment for a brain disease.
Cobbs faced up to four years in prison after pleading guilty to using a phone to facilitate a drug offense. In court papers, Cobbs says he's receiving inpatient treatment for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which has been tied to repeated brain trauma and is associated with memory loss, depression and progressive dementia.
U.S. District Judge Price Marshall sentenced Cobbs to probation and 150 hours of community service Thursday. Prosecutors didn't oppose the sentence for Cobbs, who played for Arkansas from 1999 to 2003 and one season each for the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos.
Sports on 07/23/2016