The MaxPreps/CBS-Freeman Arkansas High School Basketball Poll thinks well of this years roundball contingent as they have ranked Pea Ridge in the boys 4A division, even though the ‘Hawks have suffered a number of losses.
Pea Ridge has played a number of large schools this year, like the five 7A schools in Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville. Some larger Missouri schools have beaten the Hawks, as well as the outstanding Southwest of Washburn team this season.
Pea Ridge has owned the Southwest Holiday Classic for several years until this season as the Trojans have one of their best ever teams in 2012.
Interestingly, MaxPreps/ CBS ranks Gravette as the best team in the 4A-1, ranking them in the No. 8 slot.
Shiloh has run through their conference slate undefeated as far as I can tell, but they are tabbed as second best in the district and 14th overall just four spots ahead of Pea Ridge. The 4A-1 is thought to be a tough league this year with five teams ranked in the top 19 in Arkansas 4A.
The polling data that the MaxPreps/CBS system uses comes from a battery of computers that supposedly figures in strength of schedule, score margins, etc.
Their system was pretty accurate through the recently completed football season.
The computers may have had a headache when it spit out the state’s top ranked team as Pulaski Academy.
While Pulaski may be undefeated, the only reason the defending state champion Clarksville Panthers are ranked second is because the team has five losses, supposedly. However, those losses were to 7A schools Jonesboro, Little Rock Parkview, Jacksonville, Little Rock Hall and St. Louis Maplewood.
The schools Clarksville has played in their own classification have been crushed, thrashed, run over and obliterated. The Panther coach wanted his team to play schools that that could beat his kids in order to bring their own level of play up a notch.
The Clarksville team just got past Pea Ridge in a close encounter last year, but improved mightily over the month long playoffs last year to take an unexpected 4A championship, beating defending champ Jonesboro Westside. This years Panther team is basically juniors and sophomores and they might not have a competitive game through the whole 4A playoffs this season.
They should be ranked No. 1.
Arkansas State 4A boys top 10
Pulaski
Clarksville
Jonesboro Westside
Valley View
Heber Springs
Osceola
Pocahontas
Gravette
Waldron
Pine Bluff Dollarway
4A-1 District rankings
Gravette
Shiloh Christian
Berryville
Pea Ridge
Ozark
Farmington
Prairie Grove
Gentry
Tebow fever over for now
A football story that gathered steam from the fifth week of the NFL season until this past weekend has run its course in the 45-10 victory the New England won over the Denver Broncos.
With the Broncos languishing in a 1-4 start to the season, the team’s coach reluctantly started University of Florida graduate Tim Tebow with the second-year player rallying his team to a 7-4 finish to claim a divisional championship and a first round win in the playoffs. As the season progressed, it seemed the top story from week to week was about Tebow.
Millions of American became Tebow fans with quite a lot of people becoming Tebow haters at the same time. He had this annoying (to some) habit of thanking God for his every blessing as well as never returning evil for evil. When reporters would quiz him on some hateful or derogatory statement sent his way, Tebow would always answer in respectful, deferential ways.
The former Gator never criticized his fellow players, never second guessed his coaches and would never try to pry more money out of the team owners. Buried as a third-string quarterback last year, he just bided his time until he got a chance. The quarterback who was benched in favor of Tebow angrily asked for his release so he could quit the team, a request he was granted.
The way Tebow rallies his team to victories in the most dire of circumstances can’t help but attract fans.
His Boy Scout image and proud of it rankles a lot of people involved with football and that probably says more about them than it does about Tebow.
At dinner one day, my wife (Debbie) made a comment about the Tebow situation. She would not know one team from another no matter the sport and cares little about sports, but she made an interesting analysis. She reminded me of the Biblical presence of adversarial spirits, with people thus afflicted having incalcuable rage or hate towards things held out as morally good or righteous.
There have been a lot of so called inadequate quarterbacks come and go in the NFL with most of them barely making a ripple in the in the news or atmosphere that is professional football. Why so much animus toward Tebow? Saying “the devil made me do it” has been used a lot as a joke or throwaway line, but really ... did it?
4A-1 girls district a state powerhouse
The Lady Blackhawks have improved this season but have the misfortune in playing in the toughest girls league in the state.
Half of the top six teams reside in the good ’ole 4A-1 with Prairie Grove currently holding down the No. 1 position among Arkansas 4A high schools. Neighbor and rival Farmington holds the No. 3 state ranking with Shiloh listed in the No. 6 ranking.
While ranking only sixthin the conference, the Lady ’Hawks have a respectable 25th place ranking among all 4A high schools. Ozark is ranked 20th while Gravette is barely ahead of Pea Ridge with a 23rd state ranking.
4A-1 girls district rankings
Prairie Grove
Farmington
Shiloh
Ozark
Gravette
Pea Ridge
Gentry
Berryville
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Editor’s note: John McGee is the art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at [email protected].
Sports, Pages 8 on 01/18/2012