LITTLE ROCK — Newport Coach Greg Brannon would seem to have some reasons to be positively giddy about the prospect of facing Lonoke for a 2-4A title.
Newport defeated Lonoke 47-0 last season, and Lonoke is entering the game with a sophomore quarterback who made his first start last week.
Plus, the Greyhounds are undefeated and have beaten Class 5A Batesville and 2-4A stalwart Stuttgart.
However, Newport hardly looked stellar in its 22-8 victory against Heber Springs last Friday. And Brannon can probably forget about trying to rattle Lonoke quarterback Jacob Taylor, who coolly threw three touchdown passes in the Jackrabbits' 24-19 victory against Stuttgart.
But at least he has last week's showing to use as a lesson for his team.
"Buddy, believe it," Brannon said. "I was glad it happened."
Brannon hopes his team having to overcome its first halftime deficit of the season snapped the Greyhounds awake in time to face Lonoke (7-2, 6-0), especially since the Jackrabbits are vying to win the conference title.
Lonoke has a shot at its first playoff appearance since 2004 and its first conference crown since 2000. Part of this season's success can be attributed to an offense balanced enough to offset the loss of junior quarterback Rollins Elam, who broke his leg in a Week 8 game against Marianna.
Without Elam, the Jackrabbits were effective in using two running backs against Stuttgart, three if you count junior Clarence Harris, who took handoffs from the receiver position, caught passes and even played quarterback some against Stuttgart.
That's not to say the Jackrabbits have the edge in big-play capability.
"They're unbelievable with their speed," Lonoke Coach Jeff Jones said of the Greyhounds. "They make you play faster thanyou want to."
The Jackrabbits played poor first-half defense against Stuttgart, struggling to bring down running back Tim Reams and quarterback Seth Allison. Jones has made it a priority to cut the yards after contact this week, probably a good move considering Newport has a breakaway run threat in tailback Nico Cox.
But Cox might not be enough if the Greyhounds show the same lack of fire that Brannon saw a week ago.
"Our undefeated season could be gone," Brannon said. "Our conference championship could be gone. Our first-round bye could be gone."
Sports, Pages 26 on 10/31/2007