The Ben Argento Basketball League in Fayetteville will have sign-ups from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 18 at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building.

Divisions of competition are: Division 1, ages 5-8; Division 2 (boys), ages 8-12; and Division 2 (girls), ages 8-12.

Cost is $30 per child, and $10 for each additional child. Registration after Dec. 7 is $40.

Also, a meeting for coaches will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 18.

Try-outs will be at 2 p.m. Nov. 30 at the SSMB.

For more information, call Bill Fenton at 304-574-3477 or Richard Meadows at 304-575-8850.



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WVU Tech lost for the 10th time this season on Nov. 8, a 17-14 verdict at the hands of visiting Pikeville College. Pikeville got a late 27-yard field goal from Kyle Chilton to nail down the road win at Martin Field.

The Tech rushing attack was led by Branden Little, who gained 85 yards on 19 attempts. Jamel Shelton, a former Mount Hope High standout, rushed seven times for 73 yards.

The Golden Bears (0-10) played their season finale at Georgetown (Ky.) College Saturday.



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Beyond the Backyard, a Bobby Warner charitable youth foundation based in Charleston, recently made a $1,500 donation to the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) to purchase a state-of-the-art scoring system for the organization’s Archery in the Schools (AIS) program.

“This generous donation, made by Beyond the Backyard, will allow our AIS program to run a highly efficient state tournament in March 2009,” said Curtis Taylor, chief of the DNR’s Wildlife Resources Section. “Through this donation, our state will be using the same scoring system the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) uses at the national tournament in Louisville, Kentucky.”

In the West Virginia program, instructor teach Olympic-style target archery in participating grades 4-12 public and private school physical education classes. The AIS program has grown at a phenomenal rate in West Virginia, going from just 19 schools in 2004 to more than 150 in 2008. In that span, it is estimated that more than 30,000 West Virginia students have experienced archery through the program.

Because of the success, the WVDNR has been able to host an annual state tournament over the past three years. These tournaments have grown from 280 archers the first year to more than 500 participants this past spring. Due to the rate of growth, it has become logistically impossible to continue the current tournament scoring process, officials say.

“The new scoring system will undoubtedly expedite and improve the scoring process — leading to a flawless, thoroughly enjoyable event for hundreds of state youths each year,” said Taylor.

Beyond the Backyard is West Virginia’s first and only outdoor youth organization dedicated to both children and parents. Totally free, members receive quarterly newsletters of upcoming outdoor-oriented events and can post their stories and photos on the Web site. For more information, visit www.beyondthebackyard.org, call 1-866-WV-WOODS, or e-mail cwalls@beyondthebackyard.org.