Seven Booneville Lady Bearcat softball team and Bearcat baseball team members will be playing at the 12:30 games of their respective Class 3A State tournaments Thursday, finishing just a few hours before they graduate from high school.
As seeded through regional play last weekend, the Lady Bearcats would have been in a 3 p.m. time slot but Arkansas Activities Association officials allowed tournament officials to alter the bracket times to avoid conflicts with graduation ceremonies for teams in the tournaments.
That was also the case in Lincoln last weekend as Providence Academy needed the early slot on Friday, which pushed the Bearcat baseball team into the second game of the day.
The opponent, of course, did not change as the Lady Bearcats will face Salem with the winner of the game facing the winner of the Genoa Central versus Rose Bud at 12:30 on Friday.
The Bearcats game time did not change as they will be facing Walnut Ridge with the winner of the game advancing to Friday’s 3 p.m. game against the winner of Perryville versus Smackover.
The Bearcats and Lady Bearcats will also be playing at the same complex in Greenland, who is hosting the Class 3A state tournaments, though half of the first round of each bracket is being played at Fayetteville High School.
The Bearcats are 2-3 against teams in the tournament with wins over Perryville and Providence Academy and losses to Greenland and Charleston, twice.
