State FBLA winners Francy and Johnson

State FBLA winners, Francy and Johnson

Congratulations to State FBLA winners Dana Francy and Heather Johnson.  Dana placed 3rd in Job Interview.  Heather placed 1st in Hospitality Management and 2nd in Organizational Behavior and Leadership.  Both are now eligible to compete in these events in June at the National FBLA Conference in Orlando, Florida.

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Students inducted into honor society

Students inducted into honor society

Students will be inducted into the South Arkansas College chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa academic honor society at 6 p.m. Thursday (April 4) at the Mahony Family Library Auditorium.

The Alpha Gamma Iota Chapter spring 2024 inductees are, from El Dorado, Courtney Adkins, Camillian Brown, Zachary Bubblis, April Cartwright, Eric Gonsalez, Jillian Gorman, Tavia Harrell, Anastasia Lamijan, Tess Monteith, Jalisia Norman, Cassundra Rester, Lillian Trujillo, Julia Upton; from Monticello, Kiya Blanks, Jamie Wall; from Smackover, Ashley Braswell; from Hamburg, Marialy Chavez; from Fordyce, Jaliyah Cooper; from Junction City, Michaela Gross; from Magnolia, Ashlynn Hinshaw, Norrissa Sharp; from Waldo, Landyn Huffman; from Hermitage, Britney Johnson; from Strong, Charles Johnston; from Fountain Hill, Bailey Melton; from Crossett, Patricia Owen; from Warren, Ashley Pascual-Cortez, Ana Romero; from Jersey, Diana Sullivan; from West Monroe, Louisiana, Jodi Allbritton, Candie Moore, Louie Ponce; from Spearsville, Louisiana, Patricia Crosby; from Lillie, Louisiana, Nancy Hargraves; from Farmerville, Louisiana, Noah Jones, Miranda Taylor; from Quitman, Louisiana, Lisa Renee Livingston; from Eros, Louisiana, Verennia Prestridge; from Minden, Louisiana, Patricia Sterling; from Ruston, Louisiana, Dawson Szymanski.

Opportunity for El Dorado High School students

Beginning with the EHS Class of 2024, the El Dorado Promise will cover tuition and mandatory fees at SouthArk for full- or part-time enrollment in

  • Teacher Education
  • Automotive Service Technology
  • Diesel Truck Service Technology
  • Forestry Technology
  • General Technology
  • Industrial Engineering Technology
  • Welding Technology

For more information fill out the form at www.southark.edu/info

Stars win district title, advance to NJCAA Tournament

Stars win district title, advance to NJCAA Tournament

The South Arkansas College Stars punched their ticked to the NJCAA Division II Tournament with a 94-75 defeat of St. Louis Community College in the Central Plains District Championship on Saturday at Wildcat Arena on the campus of El Dorado High School.

It marks the first time that a SouthArk basketball team, in its five-year history, has advanced to the national tournament.

SouthArk (21-8), champions of Region 2, combined superior depth with an active defensive presence which led the Archers (22-10), champs of Region 16, to struggle to find consistent offense. Meanwhile, defensively, St. Louis keyed heavily on Star sophomore point guard Troy Ramos, an All-Region performer and SouthArk’s leading scorer all season. The tactic kept Ramos’ shooting at bay through much of the game—though eventually he finished with 16 points—but his impact still was felt as a distributor, with a 10-assist performance.

St. Louis, however, had no answer for Stars sophomore guard Damian Garcia, who had a career night and game-high in scoring, with 22 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal. He was eight of 14 from the floor including two of three from the three-point line. He added four of six on free-throw shooting.

The Archers also struggled to contain sophomore forward Jamarian Cato, who scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds off of the bench.

The game was tight through the first half, with many lead changes. St. Louis went up by as many as six points nearing the five-minute mark of the period. SouthArk then went on a 13-2 run to reclaim the lead, and from there, trailed only once more, by 29-28, for less than 30 seconds. Garcia’s three pointer with 2:26 left in the half put SouthArk on top for good, but the score still had several snug moments in first 10 minutes of the second half

The lead first grew to double digits at the 14:35 mark of the second half, 48-36, on Garcia’s second three. The Archers managed to trim the deficit to as little as five points, but Ramos’ two free throws at 9:47 tipped off a run that broke the game open for SouthArk. After scoring five more points consecutively in the next minute, the Stars never were in significant danger again.

Braedon Edison scored 13 points on six of 10 from the field to round out double-figure scoring for SouthArk, and added five rebounds and five assists.

The national tournament features 20 teams and is double elimination. SouthArk’s first game will be on March 18, but seeds and pairings will not be revealed until a live selection show, presented by the NJCAA, at noon on Tuesday.

Ramos selected to All-Region 2 Team

Ramos selected to All-Region 2 Team

South Arkansas College point guard Troy’reon Ramos (Pine Bluff) has been selected for the NJCAA Division II All-Region 2 team.

Ramos, a sophomore transfer from Arkansas Baptist, made his presence felt immediately for the SouthArk Stars as the fulcrum around which the Region 2 Tournament champions have pivoted all season. He led the team in scoring with 17.4 points per game (fourth in Region 2) and shot 84.3 percent from the foul line (first in Region 2) and 41.7 from three (third in Region 2). He also averaged 6.4 assists (third in Region 2).

“It’s a great accomplishment,” SouthArk head coach Cam Robinson said, “and one that is well-deserved.”

The guard is the first player in SouthArk basketball program history to be selected first-team All-Region.

Ramos’ time in a Stars uniform isn’t finished yet, as his team will host St. Louis Community College on Saturday in the championship game for the Plains District.

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