By Paul Glover
Guard Sports Editor
Batesville Coach Stuart Smith didn’t try to complicate things.
“Some other team will have to step up and have some great performances, and we would have to falter,” was his straightforward answer when asked what would have to happen for the Lady Pioneers to not win their fifth straight state track and field championship.
They really are that much of a favorite in the Class 5A State Meet in Paragould on Saturday, and it has very little to do with the previous four state championships.

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GENOA — Indoors and outdoors, Emily Carroll is among the fastest Arkansas high school distance runners in the state.
The Melbourne Lady Bearkat followed up the indoor state championships she won in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races back in February by winning the same races in the Class 2A State Meet here Wednesday.
The junior finished the 1,600 meters in five minutes, 42.03 seconds — 13 seconds ahead of Amanda Mazzone of Johnson County Westside.
Carroll won the 3,200 in 12:44.81 — 14 seconds in front of Katy Carter of Magazine.

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The Guard sports department’s policies regarding the publication of youth league baseball, tee-ball and softball scores and highlights, ordinarily published under the headings “Sandlot summary” or “Sandlot,” include the following:
The deadline for submitting scores and other information at the Guard sports desk is 1 p.m. the day after the game.

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FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Michael Washington has reportedly decided to pass on the NBA and return to Arkansas for his senior season, although Razorbacks officials indicated Tuesday he has not officially withdrawn his name from the NBA draft.
Arkansas spokesman Kevin Trainor said the school had no immediate announcement planned, and that any announcement would come only after Washington completed the necessary paperwork to pull his name out of the draft.

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Wednesday
High school track and field: Cedar Ridge and Melbourne at Class 2A State Meet in Texarkana (Genoa Central High School), 11 a.m.

Friday
Auto racing: points racing at Batesville Motor Speedway (Locust Grove), grandstands open at 5:30 p.m., racing, 8

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Zach Malone, 6-foot, 193-pound pitcher/corner infielder from Richland, Tenn., has signed with the Lyon College baseball team, according to a news release from the college.
“Zach is an excellent student as well as a talent on the field,” said Lyon Assistant Coach Tony Roepcke, “We’re lucky to have such an athlete and a quality person on our baseball team.”

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Cedar Ridge and Melbourne high school track and field athletes and their coaches left today for Texarkana and the Class 2A State Meet, which is scheduled to get started with a coaches meeting at 9:30 Wednesday morning.
The event is set for Genoa Central High School. The first field events are scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
The Cedar Ridge Timberwolves won the 2A-2 District Meet team title last week. Coach Stephen Gould said winning another team title at the state level will be considerably more difficult.

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Maribeth Waters, Katee Castleman and Sam Neal won the top honors at Lyon College’s annual sports awards banquet, according to a news release from Lyon’s sports information department.
Waters and Castleman are co-Winnie Marable Award winners and Neal is the Dick Winningham Award recipient. Each award is presented to the most outstanding athlete for its respective gender.
Castleman, who ran cross country for the Pipers, also collected the John T. Dahlquist Scholar Athlete Award for her work in the classroom.

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When I came aboard the Guard staff several years ago, one of the first people I had the pleasure of meeting was Lyon Baseball Coach Kirk Kelley.
Right off the bat, no pun intended, I knew the man was passionate about the sport he coached. A few months later, when the season started, that was made even more evident. The Scots were steamrolling the competition, and although I’m supposed to have a non-biased opinion, I instantly became a fan of Coach Kelley and his program.

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CALICO ROCK — The Calico Rock Organization for Revitalization Efforts (CORE) has announced Phase II of the welcome banner project. The navy blue banners will be similar to those already in place on the streetlight poles on Main Street. A total of 25 banners will be placed along Highway 56 from Main Street to Park Street and along Park Street to the Veterans of Foreign Wars bridge.
The banners will be attached to attractive metal poles that will be alternated along both sides of the road. Sponsors of each banner awill be honored at the pole.

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A tryout for Batesville’s American Legion baseball teams is set for Sunday afternoon at the Batesville Recreation Complex, announced Coach Tony Roepcke.
Athletes 19 years old and younger are eligible. The tryout is to start at 2.
For more information, call Roepcke at (870) 307-7566.

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Cecilia Vinson, John Vinson and Jed Porter teamed to win the Southerner Scramble golf tournament at The Course at Eagle Mountain on Saturday, according to information provided to the Guard.
The trio fired an 11-under-par 61 to edge Jay Crumpler-Mike Graf-Terry Phillips by one stroke.
Crumpler helped his team secure second when he aced Hole 3. He scored the hole-in-one with a wedge.
Listed below are the results from each flight:

Championship flight

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