Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – Northeast Arkansas schools brought home multiple state championships over the last weekend while two Brookland teams made deep postseason runs before falling just short of titles.
Leading the way was Valley View School District and the Valley View baseball team, which completed a rare three-peat Friday night by overpowering Benton 17-6 in the Class 5A state championship game at Hot Springs.
The Blazers pounded out 16 hits and ended the game in six innings to capture their third straight state baseball title. Arkansas State commit Keaton Mathis was named the game’s Most Valuable Player as Valley View continued one of the most dominant stretches in Arkansas high school baseball.
Valley View’s title run included tournament wins over Alma, Greenbrier and Van Buren before the championship victory against Benton.
Another area state title came from Jackson County School District, where the Tuckerman Lady Bulldogs rolled past Woodlawn 14-4 to win the Class 2A softball championship.
Tuckerman captured its third softball state championship in the past six seasons, ending the title game in six innings after an offensive explosion. Maegan Richardson earned MVP honors after a standout performance that included a home run.
The Lady Bulldogs battled through a difficult postseason bracket, defeating Magnet Cove, Bigelow and Horatio before taking down Woodlawn for the championship.
Earlier this month, Marked Tree School District added another state championship trophy to the region’s collection when the Indians captured the Class 1A boys state track and field championship.
Marked Tree’s depth proved to be the difference, as the Indians piled up points across multiple events on their way to the team title at the Arkansas Activities Association state meet.
Meanwhile, Brookland came close to bringing home championships in two sports.
The Brookland School District baseball team battled through three separate weather delays in the Class 4A state championship game before eventually falling to Pulaski Academy 6-3. Pulaski Academy claimed its first baseball state championship in 13 years after outlasting the Bearcats in the rain-interrupted contest.
Brookland’s girls soccer team also reached the state finals before losing 4-1 to Robinson in the Class 4A championship match, capping another strong postseason run for the Lady Bearcats.
In all, Craighead County and surrounding area schools combined for three state championships and two state runner-up finishes in a memorable stretch of spring sports competition across Arkansas.