While baseball and softball might be wrapped up, there’s still plenty to look forward to! Get in the know before games start 👇

🎙️ Fayetteville basketball’s Purple Dog camp
📈 Keeping track of what’s happening around the state
👀 Our One to Watch
⚾️ Web Gem of the Week

Let’s dive right in!

🎙️ Giving Back. The Fayetteville boys basketball team hosted their Purple Dogs camp to help team skills and drills to kids around town. The annual event is not only gives back to the youth, but also helps build team camaraderie with the players.

🏈 Gearing Up. Football season may seem far away, but that isn’t stopping teams from across the state from preparing early. This week, Fayetteville hosted Rogers and Bentonville for a 7-on-7, where we got a glimpse of what to look forward to in the 7A-West. Har-Ber also got in on the action — the Wildcats attended a camp at Tulsa Union, facing off against Union, Jenks, and Edmond North.

🫡 Veteran leadership. Harrison football just hired a new coach to lead the Goblins: Van Paschal. While he may be new to Harrison, Paschal is no stranger to successful football. Last season, he led Cross County to the 2A state championship, now boasting 264 career victories and a pair of state titles. Paschal is Harrison’s 14th head coach in the last 80 years.

⬆️ QB Battle. Who will earn Fayetteville’s starting quarterback job this fall? That question remains unanswered as sophomore Remy Thomas and junior Cade Rogers continue battling for the role left behind by Hank Hendrix, who graduated early to enroll at the University of Arkansas. Both quarterbacks have been getting reps this summer, with Rogers bringing some varsity experience after throwing a touchdown pass in last year’s state playoffs.

🏈 Fort Smith Northside has a new leader in the backfield, welcoming Pocola (OK) transfer Jaseir Posey. The senior QB has two record-setting seasons under his belt, looking to lead the Grizzlies to a state title. With the Indians, Posey threws for over 7,000 yards, leading them to playoffs in two-straight seasons.

⚾️ Valley View relied on their hot offense, racking up 16 hits to take down Benton for their third-straight state title. In the 17-6 victory, senior Noah Ragsdale led the Blazers with three hits, three runs, and three RBIs, while six different players recorded multiple hits. The Panthers attempted a comeback, cutting the lead to one run, but Valley View answered with a massive six-running inning to seal the win.

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