Exciting football games continued around the county, and the Professional Bowlers Association came to Hot Springs Village.
TUESDAY
TRAINER ORTIZ SCORES HIS 1ST G1 VICTORY
Trainer John Ortiz' first Grade 1 victory came at Saratoga against a filly whose debut at the track made railbirds wonder if they had not seen another Songbird or Ruffian.
An Aug. 6 Grade 3 winner in upstate New York, Brightwork beat 2-5 favorite Ways and Means in the $300,000 Spinaway on the penultimate card of the 40-day season Sunday. William Sparks owns the Outwork filly, whose four wins (no losses) have come at increasingly longer distances.
Ways and Means, one of six in the field making her second start, loomed as the chalk for Saratoga training leader Chad Brown off a 12 3/4-length debut on the same card that Brightwork won the Adirondack at the Spa. Brightwork thrived with leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, getting up by a half-length over Ways and Means (by Practical Joke), himself 6 1/4 lengths clear of Ken McPeek-trained Wonder Ride (Gun Runner). Brightwork clocked seven furlongs in a fast-rated 1:23.17, paying $8 to win.
WEDNESDAY
NATIONAL PARK MEN'S SOCCER EARNS FIRST NATIONAL RANKING
Just in its third year as a program, the National Park College men's soccer team earned its first national ranking in history to kick off the 2023 season.
The Nighthawks came in at the No. 19 spot in the NJCAA Division II national rankings after starting the season with a 3-2 win over No. 13 Pearl River Community College.
National Park also defeated Northwest Mississippi Community College 2-0 and captured a 1-0 win over Paris Junior College to open the season.
THURSDAY
J'VILLE HITS FILM ROOM TO PREP FOR MOUNT IDA
JESSIEVILLE -- Film prep has long been a tool utilized by teams at any level of football.
Coaches use film to game plan for their upcoming matchups. Jessieville utilizes Hudl, which launched in 2006 and helped bring the digital age to how teams exchange their film before football games.
The Jessieville Lions (0-1) will use Hudl to scout Friday's matchup with the Mount Ida Lions (0-1).
FRIDAY
RAMS FACE DEFENDING STATE CHAMPS IN ANOTHER HUGE TEST
Head coach Garren Rockwell and the Lakeside Rams proved they could handle big challenges in their first two games of the season while showing their big personalities.
The huge challenges don't stop for the Rams as Lakeside will face another daunting task Friday night when defending Class 4A state champion Malvern travels to Lakeside Stadium.
The Rams (2-0) started the season with a 49-42 win on the road at Lake Hamilton and then defeated Russellville 36-31 at home.
CUTTER MORNING STAR SET TO MAKE HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE COUNT
The Cutter Morning Star Eagles are going with a "Cutter Cowboy" theme for their home football opener against the Corning Bobcats today.
"It was already set when I got here," Eagles head coach Nick Finley said. "Coach (Beau) Brickell, we like to theme out our games. A lot of our kids are from the country. We are outside the city limits. I think it is just something that kind of stuck. It is for them to have something fun. It is not trying to replace our Eagles or anything. It is more for our theme night. It is something to say, 'We are a little raw, a little edgy. We are a little country but hey, it is OK.' We embrace that with our kids."
Finley said the student section should be rocking at the game tonight.
SATURDAY
PBA DESCENDS ON HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE
HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE -- The Professional Bowlers Association comes to north Garland County this weekend for the Southwest Open.
Liberty Lanes, owned by Larry Rhodes, is hosting the Southwest Open, featuring bowlers from across the region and some familiar local faces.
Jeff Atkins is a hometown guy who is in the Arkansas Bowlers Hall of Fame.
SUNDAY
CORNING LINEMEN TOO STRONG FOR CMS
After starting the season with its first win since October 2021, Cutter Morning Star suffered a 10-point defeat to Corning Friday night.
Cutter Morning Star head coach Nick Finley said the Bobcats exposed the Eagles' offensive and defensive lines, but there were still positives to take from the game.
"Having time to throw was our key," Finley said. "We didn't have time to throw a whole lot. When we did, we made big plays and we had a bunch of guys open after watching film. We've got to get something figured out on offensive line and try to get things going."
GAME-WINNING PLAY FALLS JUST SHORT FOR LAKESIDE
A staple in Lakeside's yearly football schedule, Malvern always proves an interesting game for the Rams.
This year was no different as the Class 4A-7 school punched above its weight and defeated 5A-South Lakeside 35-34.
Despite having home field advantage, the first half of the game was controlled by Malvern with some star players making a crucial difference.
JESSIEVILLE KEEPS MOUNT IDA OFF THE SCOREBOARD
JESSIEVILLE -- No one would be surprised to hear there were 47 points scored between Mount Ida and Jessieville Friday, but they would be surprised to hear Jessieville scored all 47 of those points in a signature win.
The Mount Ida Lions (0-2) out of the Class 2A-3 conference came to town and tried to upset Jessieville (1-1), but the larger 3A-4 classification school prevailed.
These two teams' offenses could not be any more different. Head coach Mike White ran a triple option for Mount Ida and Jessieville ran a balanced Spread attack.