VAN BUREN — The Bryant Lady Hornets soccer team and senior all-State performer Haley Montgomery got some tough news on Wednesday. It was verified that Montgomery had suffered a torn ACL when she was injured in the final seconds of the first half of their match with Mount St. Mary Academy on Tuesday. Ironically, it was just her first game back after joining the team from basketball. She’ll be lost for the season.

The Lady Hornets, nonetheless, made the long trip to Van Buren on Thursday and came away with their third straight win, easing to a 6-0 lead by halftime and letting the JV finish up in a 6-2 win.

VAN BUREN — The Bryant Hornets soccer team bounced back from a disappointing first conference loss to Little Rock Central with a 1-0 win at Van Buren on Thursday night.

Sean Sobba, back in the lineup after being sidelined by injury accounted for the lone goal of the game, off a direct kick with about 22 minutes left in the second half.

By Rob Patrick

BENTON — After giving up a run on a hit and walk in the first inning, Bryant senior right-hander Ben Wells shut out the rival Benton Panthers on just three hits the rest of the way as his team forged a 4-1 win at Panther Field on Thursday night.

It was the first win since the end of the 2005 season for a Hornets team over a Panthers team, part of that was because the previous four meetings that were scheduled between the two schools were rained out over the last two seasons. So the fact that the threat of rain held off and they actually got to play was as much a headline as anything.

To put it into perspective, it was just the second time in the careers of the seniors on the respective teams that they actually got to be involved first-hand in the contentious, old rivalry.

TEMPE, Ariz. — In his second relief of appearance of the spring for the Cincinnati Reds, left-hander Travis Wood of Bryant turned in two more scoreless innings on Wednesday, March 10, against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Wood gave up a hit and a walk. He also fanned a batter. In his bid to be the fifth starter in the Reds' rotation, Wood has now pitched four scoreless innings of relief. He's participating in his first Major League spring training, earning a spot on the 40-man roster after a stellar season last summer for Class AA Carolina and Class AAA Louisville.

BENTON — Carson Holloway hit a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Benton Panthers Junior Varisty team to a 3-2 win over Bryant JV on Thursday evening at Panther Field.

Benton rallied to tie it in the bottom of the sixth on back-to-back doubles by Trevor Nix and Greg Pryor.

Bryant Hornets baseball coach Kirk Bock has verified that the junior varsity game will be held first tonight when his teams visit the rival Benton Panthers. The JV game will commence at 4 p.m., with an hour and a half time limit. The varsity game should begin around 6:30.

Normally, the Hornets' varsity games are played first. 

It will be the first time since the 2008 season that the two varsity teams have played when hey met in the championship game of the Benton Tournament. Both games scheduled for last spring were weathered out as were both regular-season contests in 2008.

The Hornets have not defeated the Panthers since the quarterfinals of the State Tournament in May of 2005. 

In addition, Bock mentioned that the B games scheduled at Lake Hamilton on Saturday, March 13, have been cancelled. There will be a clinic held at the Bryant High School field for the Bryant Athletic Association. 

As promised, State Senator Shane Broadway welcomed the third grade class of Jami Branch at Bryant Elementary School to the State capitol on Tuesday, March 2. The class had been invited during the ceremonies inaugurating the school's Arkansas History Room which was attended by Governor Mike Beebe and several state and local dignitaries. The students met with the Governor again along with other local legislators. 

LITTLE ROCK – Entergy Arkansas, Inc. officials today said that they expect overall residential customer electricity rates to decrease over 10 percent in 2010 even with a requested increase in base rates.

The reduction in electricity rates is the result of a combination of lower fuel costs in 2009 and a sizeable reduction in the amount collected in the line item on customer bills described as “FERC-Imposed Payment.”

The Bryant White Hornets of Bryant Middle School recorded first-place finishes in three eighth-grade events as the team finished fourth overall while the seventh grade took third in its team competition at a track meet held at Bryant Stadium on Tuesday, March 9.

Lakewood won the eighth grade team title while Bryant Blue won the seventh grade level.

The Bryant Blue Hornets of Bethel Middle School produced three first-place finishes in the eighth-grade competition and a whopping 12 in the seventh-grade competition at a track meet held Tuesday, March 9, at Bryant Stadium.

The eighth grade team was third with 114 points. Lakewood won with 186 points followed by Ridge Road with 129. Bryant White was fourth with 86 points followed by Rose City with 14.

The Bryant Blue seventh grade team won the meet with 236 points. Lakewood was second with 155 followed by Bryant White (78) and Ridge Road (64).