Curley Wolves, Cobras meet before state playoffs this time

— Let’s do it again.

Class 3A powers Fountain Lake and Prescott will meet for the third consecutive year at 7 p.m. today at Beckham Memorial Field in Fountain Lake.

The winner of the televised game, a rematch of last year’s state final, will have a leg up in the 5-3A Conference race and maintain a lofty statewide ranking.

Fountain Lake (1-3, 1-0 5-3A), No. 4 in Class 3A, snapped a three-game losing streak with last week’s 41-0 victory over Centerpoint.

Prescott (3-1, 1-0), No. 6 in 3A, opened conference play with a 62-14 victory over Cutter Morning Star.

Fountain Lake eliminated Prescott 22-21 in a quarterfinal playoff game in 2008 and beat the Curley Wolves 37-7 in last year’s state championship game at the University of Central Arkansas’ Estes Stadium in Conway.

Prescott represents another challenging opponent this fall for Fountain Lake, which has played one of the toughest schedules in Class 3A.

Fountain Lake was beaten by Class 5A Hot Springs Lakeside, Class 4A Booneville and Class 3A power Harding Academy in nonconference games.

Those three schools have a combined record of 10-2.

“The kids have done well,” Fountain Lake Coach Tommy Gilleran said. “We’re finally healthy overall. Wefigured some things out over these games. Playing good competition, you find all your weaknesses. We’ve worked some things out and, hopefully, we’ll play a lot better.”

Gilleran said he’s shifted personnel at linebacker and in the secondary and settled on junior Dale Smith as the starting quarterback.

But senior Coleman Crawford, a better passer, also continues to see action at quarterback.

“We’re kind of mixing and matching those two,” Gilleran said.

Fountain Lake’s top offensive threat is senior halfback Mark Makin, who has rushed 58 times for 530 yards and 5 touchdowns this fall.

Makin set a single-season school rushing record last fall (2,177 yards), but he has been hampered this season by a broken left thumb, a back problem and a staph infection in his right arm.

“It seems like something happens every week,” Gilleran said. “He doesn’t get a break. It seems like everything that could go wrong goes wrong for him.”

Gilleran said the staph infection was caught early and Makin will play today.

Prescott is led by senior running back Daniel McCoy, who has rushed 61 times for 552 yards and 9 touchdowns this fall.

Junior quarterback Jesse Glass has completed 37 of 71 passes for 535 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Gilleran said the Curley Wolves continue to relay on counter plays, and Glass gives them more of a passing threat this season.

“Still deep on the speed thing in every spot,” Gilleran said.

The schools are meeting as conference rivals this fall after Prescott was moved to the 5-3A for the 2010-2012 cycle after previously playing in the 7-3A.

Fountain Lake will be playing its second game on an artificial playing surface installed earlier this month at Beckham Memorial Stadium.

Sports, Pages 21 on 09/30/2010

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