The Arkansas Activities Association announced finalized rosters for next month’s all-star games Wednesday, and both the football and boys basketball games will include Jefferson County athletes.
The football rosters were previously announced but have since been updated. As before, four Jefferson County athletes are listed: Makryin Goodwin and Leon Williams from Pine Bluff, and Sema’j Walker and Braeden Bell from White Hall.
Those four will play on the East team along with five other southeast Arkansans. Warren’s Ervin Rivera, Fordyce’s Any Luna and Hamburg’s Stratton Herring were previously announced. Joining them now are Monticello’s Quay Rhodes and Crossett’s Brandon Urbina. Woodlawn’s Brayden Kitchens will play on the West team.
Crossett coach Vincent Newton will be one of the East team’s assistant coaches under head coach Tom Sears of Hoxie.
In boys basketball, Pine Bluff’s Billy Dixon will be the West team’s head coach. He will be joined by manager Braylin Morden. One of his players, Randy Emerson Jr., will play for him one last time in Conway.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Dumas’ Tommy Reddick will play for the East team. His coach, Larry Harris, will be one of the East assistants.
Southeast Arkansas will not be represented at the girls basketball or volleyball all-star games.
From the spring sports, state championship-winning pitcher Callie Kilburn will represent Sheridan at the softball game for the West. In baseball, Woodlawn coach Tommy Richardson will be one of the East assistants. Two Bears, Brayden Jones and Dillon Lunsford, will join Star City’s Christian Carnal on the East team.
Sheridan’s Chase Taylor will play on the West team for boys soccer, with coach Carson Ayers serving as an assistant. Hamburg coach Miguel Mondragon will be an East assistant, with the roster including Hamburg’s Jorge Bravo and Star City’s Carlos Gaona.
In girls soccer, Stuttgart’s Paige Dean and Hamburg’s Peria Yanez will play for the East.
Finally, two McGehee students, Canaria Powell and Cy’Nara Robinson, will be on the East dance team. The East cheerleaders will include Fordyce’s KyLeigh Turner and Woodlawn’s Chloe Hargis.
The Arkansas High School Coaches Association all-star games will be played June 19-22 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
The soccer games will be played June 19, girls at 5 p.m. followed by the boys at 7 p.m. Baseball and softball will each play doubleheaders on June 21 starting at 4 p.m., with volleyball playing the same day at 6 p.m.
The boys basketball game will tipoff at 1 p.m. on June 22, with the girls game to follow at 3 p.m. The all-star football game will wrap up the weekend with a 6 p.m. kickoff the same day.