LITTLE ROCK — Wildcats still winning with youth
A youth movement hasn’t kept Watson Chapel from winning, especially in the 5A-Southeast.
Watson Chapel (6-2, 5-0 5A-Southeast) goes for its 16th consecutive conference victory tonight at home against White Hall (5-3, 5-0).
The winner will clinch a tie for the conference championship and earn a No. 1 playoff seed.
Watson Chapel hasn’t lost a conference game since Oct. 16, 2009, at Lake Hamilton (38-35).
The Wildcats won their final three 6A-South games that season and were 7-0 in the 5A-Southeast that fall.
Watson Chapel starts only six seniors, so it will likely be the conference favorite next fall. This year’s team features an influx of talent from a 10-0 junior high school team last year.
“I don’t think I’m surprised,” Watson Chapel Coach George Shelton said. “Our expectations are to win. We felt like we had a very talented group of guys coming in our sophomore class and our senior class, they were about a nine-game winner in junior high as well. So we had a little stability there in our senior class.”
Watson Chapel’s sophomore class is headed by utility back Devonte Battles, who scored two touchdowns in last week’s 53-6 victory at Mills.
White Hall won its fifth consecutive game last week, 42-0 at Helena-West Helena Central.
The Bulldogs are led by senior tight end/defensive end Jeremy Sprinkle, who has orally committed to Arkansas, and senior linebacker Tim Cook.
Sprinkle has nine sacks this fall.
Cook has made 105 tackles.
“Their trigger people are performing well,” Shelton said.
PULASKI ACADEMY Race to 100
Pulaski Academy senior quarterback Fredi Knighten needs five touchdown passes tonight against Pulaski Robinson to reach 100 for his career.
Knighten has thrown for 7,375 yards and 95 touchdowns in just 20 games as a starter. He eclipsed 7,000 career passing yards on Oct.
14 against Bauxite.
Knighten led the state in passing yards (4,318) and touchdowns (54) last season.
He ranks No. 1 in both categories this fall with 2,969 yards and 41 touchdowns, respectively.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK Bolding Bowl III set
North Little Rock and Pine Bluff have agreed to play in Week 3 in the next cycle, Charging Wildcats Coach Brad Bolding said.
The home-and-home series means Bolding will face his older brother, Pine Bluff Coach Bobby Bolding, for the third time.
“You get into a deal where it’s tough finding nonconference games,” Brad Bolding said.
“Luckily, it’s a nonconference game. We don’t enjoy it. We’ve been there, done it.”
Bobby Bolding is 2-0 against his younger brother.
Stuttgart (coached by Bobby) beat Mayflower (coached by Brad) 49-12 in an arranged nonconference game in 2006.
The brothers moved to PineBluff and North Little Rock, respectively, the following season.
The Zebras claimed a 28-0 7ACentral victory in the 2007 regular season finale.
The sibling rivalry ended in 2008 as Pine Bluff dropped to Class 6A.
“I’ve taken it on the chin, I think, every time,” Brad Bolding said. “It’s time to return the favor, I guess.”
Bolding said North Little Rock hasn’t finalized its first two nonconference opponents for the 2012-2014 cycle.
LITTLE ROCK PARKVIEW Moves Week 10 game
Little Rock Parkview and West Memphis will meet Thursday at Quigley-Cox Stadium in Little Rock, Little Rock School District Athletic Director Johnny Johnson said.
Kickoff remains 7 p.m.
The game had originally been scheduled for next Friday at Little Rock Fair’s War Eagle Stadium, where Parkview normally plays home games.
Quigley-Cox Stadium became available after Thursday’s scheduled game between Arkansas Baptist Junior College and Shepherd (Tenn.) Technical College was cancelled, Johnson said.
Arkansas Baptist also play its home games at Quigley-Cox Stadium.
Call us
Please call the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with game reports before 10:30 p.m. each Friday night this fall.
In Northwest Arkansas, call 1-888-223-9846. In other parts of the state, call 1-800-272-4650 or (501) 378-3411. We need records, score by quarters, scoring plays and top rushing, passing, receiving and defensive performances.
The Democrat-Gazette will run statistics each Friday throughout the regular season.
To report statistics, e-mail ryates@arkansasonline.com
Sports, Pages 24 on 10/28/2011