The state basketball tournament fields are set with Providence Academy and Life Way Christian making their first-ever appearances this coming week, The Shiloh Christian boys and girls teams swept their regional tournaments while the Greenland girls also won.

Baseball and softball seasons get underway this week. We visit with Rogers baseball coach Matt Melson, Bentonville softball coach Kent Early and Pea Ridge softball coach Josh Reynolds, whose teams are defending state championships.

The state swim/dive meets took place with Bentonville sweeping the boys and girls 6A championships while the Providence Academy girls defended their small-school title and move up in class next year.

We recap the district basketball tournaments among the smaller classification teams and preview the regional tournaments this coming week.

We recap the wrestling seasons with Bentonville coach Jason Adams and Rogers coach Willie Wright,

We also preview the state championship meets and look back at past winners on our 479 Time Machine.

The regular season wrapped up for Arkansas basketball teams Class 4A and smaller as conference tournaments get underway. Providence Academy boys coach Velton Kennedy speaks about the team's performance as it enters its second season as a member of the Arkansas Activities Association after playing in the Heartland Christian Athletic Association, which consisted of private and parochial schools in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

The state bowling and wrestling tournaments took place during the week with the Bentonville boys and Rogers girls winning state wrestling championships while bowlers from Central Arkansas starred.

The swim and dive conference championships also took place this week.

The second half of the basketball season for the larger classifications in Arkansas started this week, while the smaller classifications were approaching the district and regional tournament stage, Shiloh Christian girls coach Heath Petten and boys coach Jonathan Bullington speak about the success of their squads over the past two years.

We recap the regional wrestling and bowling tournaments, and visit with Rogers coach Mike Leafgreen about the success of his teams.

We also had several athletes announce their college plans with the winter signing days taking place.

Much of the schedule this week was limited due to the first winter storm of 2026. Bentonville West Lady Wolverines coach Ryan Johnson spoke about the team's historic season.

We also recap the 6A wrestling dual tournament. which was won by the Bentonville boys and the Rogers girls.

The conference basketball season is around the midway point as January winds down. Har-Ber girls' coach Kimberly Jenkins and Fayetteville boys' coach Brad Stamps speak about their early success in league play.

The regular season in wrestling is winding down with dual tournaments taking place this week for the 4A and 5A classifications. Meanwhile, the winter storm over the weekend cancelled the Arkansas state indoor track meets January 24.

We also visit with Bentonville swim and dive coach Lyndsay Watts about the continued success of their program as it closes in on the Conway Invitational.

Among the highlights, Farmington's Eli Schwartzman set a new state record for assists in a single game January 13 at Harrison. We speak with coach Johnny Taylor about the team's success to date.

The Arkansas Activities Association voted on state tournament sites for the coming winter, spring and volleyball seasons.

Conference play returns in Arkansas basketball as teams work toward the chance to play in March. We visit with Rogers boys' coach Jason McMahon, who returned to head coaching after spending the last several years in Mali, Africa.

Wrestling ramps up with dual meets during the week and tournaments over the weekend. The Rogers girls earned a major win at the Will Rogers tournament in Tulsa, where the top five teams hailed from Arkansas, including third-place Fayetteville and fourth-place Har-Ber. Shiloh Christian hosted area teams at the Shiloh Duals, and Bentonville and Heritage competed in the Inola Invitational while the Rogers and Bentonville West boys were at the Larry Wilkey Invitational at Jenks.

Area athletes also competed at the Prentiss Gudgen Invitational at Pittsburg, Kansas, where Marcus Myhan pf Bentonville West claimed the high jump title.