Sports

Odds are good that Harding Academy’s girls soccer team will be competing in Class 4A next season. They won’t be missed in Green Forest.

The 2022 soccer season has been about one thing for the Green Forest Tigers: getting back to the Class 3A state tournament and defending the state championship they won a year ago. On Thursday, the quest begins in earnest.

The Green Forest Lady Tigers have had a little bit of extra motivation for the 2022 soccer season. The Lady Tigers have bounced back with an outstanding season after a 6-2 loss to Harding Academy in the championship game of last year’s Class 3A state tournament.

Green Forest senior Paco Rangel took third place in the 3,200-meter run at the Class 3A state track and field championships on Tuesday, May 3, in Lincoln. Rangel finished with a time of 10:46.42.

It was business as usual last week for the Green Forest Tigers. The Tigers picked up a pair of shutout victories, defeating Eureka Springs 5-0 on the road on Tuesday, April 26, before blanking Life Way Christian 8-0 at home two days later.

If there’s any soccer team in Arkansas riding more of a hot streak than the Green Forest Tigers, it might be the Lady Tigers. Green Forest’s girls picked up two more wins last week — beating Eureka Springs 11-0 and Life Way Christian 7-0 — and have now won seven consecutive games and 11 of 12 against in-state competition.

The Green Forest Lady Tigers’ 2022 softball season ended with a 25-0 loss to Elkins on Thursday, April 28, in the second round of the 3A-1 West district tournament — but not before the Lady Tigers picked up a blowout win of their own in the first round.

A late goal lifted Dardanelle to a 3-2 victory over Berryville in the second round of the 4A-1 boys district soccer tournament on Saturday, April 30.

An early lead didn’t hold up for the Berryville Bobcats as Gravette rallied for an 11-3 win in the first round of the 4A-1 district baseball tournament on Wednesday, April 27. Berryville took a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning.