Kevin Kelley got a taste of what Texas high school football was like when he was an assistant coach in the mid-1990s.
The Glenwood native and current Pulaski Academy head coach worked at Carrollton Farmers Branch in 1993-1996.
Tonight’s game
Pulaski Academy at Highland Park (Texas)
WHEN 7:30 p.m.
WHERE Highlander Stadium, Dallas
COACHES Pulaski Academy: Kevin Kelley; Highland Park: Randy Allen
RECORDS Pulaski Academy (0-0); Highland Park 1-0
“It’s different down there,” Kelley said. “They take it seriously. The equipment, the training, the coaches, they put a lot into it. It’s more like a small-college atmosphere.
“I was in awe as a kid from Arkansas seeing that. There’s more pressure on them. It’s a gung-ho football state.” Kelley will return to the Lone Star State with Pulaski Academy tonight as the Bruins play their season opener against Highland Park in Dallas. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Highlander Stadium.
The Pulaski Academy-Highland Park game was arranged by West Coast-based Hercules Sports Management. The group also arranged the Bruins’ 2012 game at West Hills (Calif.) Chaminade. The school is being paid $15,000 by Hercules for the two-year series which also will be played at Highland Park in 2015.
While Class 5A Pulaski Academy, a private school in west Little Rock with an enrollment of 291 according to the Arkansas Activities Association’s 2014-2016 reclassification cycle, is in the state’s third-largest classification, Highland Park (enrollment of 2,106) is in Texas’ largest classification, Class 6A, which features four regions with 32 districts.
The Highlanders (1-0) defeated Frisco Centennial 47-0 last Saturday at SMU’s Ford Stadium. Senior quarterback Brooks Burgin completed 17 of 23 attempts for 326 yards and had 3 touchdowns passing and 3 rushing. While Kelley calls the matchup “David vs. Goliath”, the Bruins, who averaged 49.5 points per game last season, have held their own in two previous out-of-state matchups. The Bruins lost 49-39 at West Hills in 2012 before winning 37-29 last season against Memphis University Studies in Little Rock.
“It’s something that we’re looking forward to,” said Kelley. The Bruins will be without two key starters for an extended amount of time after they were injured in a scrimmage against Bryant last week.
Junior receiver Zack Kelley, the coach’s son, injured his shoulder and will miss at least six weeks and possibly the entire regular season. Kelley had 1,584 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. Senior linebacker Reid Bartholomew tore his medial collateral ligament will miss at least three weeks and could return for Pulaski Academy’s 5A-Central opener Sept. 26 at North Pulaski.
Kelley said that with the absence of Zack Kelley, running backs Myles Fells, Tre Bruce and Jaren Watkins need to step up.
“We’re rotating around until we get the right combination,” he said. The Bruins also will play out of state next Thursday at New Smyrna Beach, Fla. “We’re trying to do our part,” Kelley said of representing the state these two weeks. “Hey, Arkansas football is very good. We take a lot of pride in that.”