Two former conference rivals separated by 31 miles will play for the first time in 10 years Friday night.
Malvern will face Lake Hamilton at Wolf Stadium in Pearcy. The Leopards are ranked No. 2 in Class 4A and the Wolves are No. 5 in Class 6A.
The two teams last played in 2004, with the Wolves winning 38-7. They were rivals in the 5AAA-South in 1979-1990 and the AAAA-Southwest in 1993-1999.
Malvern Coach Mike Scarbrough, who has been an assistant or head coach at the Hot Spring County school for 23 years, said he is eager to face Lake Hamilton after an extended absence.
"It's exciting for us on Friday to go to Lake Hamilton," Scarbrough said. "They've grown so much over the years. It's going to be fun going over there. We know each other a bit."
Malvern has played Hot Springs Lakeside and Glen Rose in recent years, which has benefited the Leopards from a competitive and travel standpoint. Now they'll get to play a familiar opponent from the past.
"The nonconference schedule prepares us for our conference schedule," said Scarbrough, whose team plays in the 7-4A. "Luckily, they're [the nonconference teams] within 30 minutes of our school."
The Leopards are coming off a 38-0 victory at Glen Rose last Friday.
Junior quarterback Trace Tollie threw four touchdown passes against Glen Rose, including three to senior receiver Devon Bradford. Bradford caught four passes for 171 yards. Kedric Dickens also had a 57-yard touchdown catch.
Scarbrough said Glen Rose's decision to play the run defensively helped open up the Leopards' passing game, in part because of Malvern's reputation as a running football team.
Senior running back Monte Hernandez rushed for 78 yards on 10 carries and didn't play much in the second half.
"Monte did what we needed him to do," Scarbrough said.
The rest for him as well as other skilled players can only help Malvern, Scarbrough said.
"If you don't have to get them beat up early, that's huge, especially at running back," he said. "He's going to take a beating early on."
BATESVILLE
Not road weary
Batesville has only four starters back on offense from last year's Class 5A state runner-up team, but that didn't stop the Pioneers from winning their season opener at Watson Chapel last Friday.
The Pioneers beat Watson Chapel 34-6 in Pine Bluff as senior quarterback Kenton Crawford threw for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Junior Michael Robinson rushed for two touchdowns, and senior receiver Justin Gallent caught three passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. Senior cornerback Sam Scaggs also returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown.
Osvaldo Espericueta, a senior, made field goals from 30 and 31 yards. Batesville Coach Dave King said Espericueta is being recruited by Arkansas State and Ouachita Baptist, among others.
Beating Watson Chapel, which has been a perennial playoff team in Classes 5A and 6A in recent years, was a confidence booster for his team, King said.
"It was a good first game," King said. "It was a good road win for us."
King credited the leadership of senior center John Howard and Crawford for the Pioneers' early success.
"We have some talented faces, but they haven't seen Friday night action," King said.
The Pioneers host Searcy on Friday in a Class 6A/5A nonconference game. Searcy shut out Greene County Tech 53-0 last Friday.
SHILOH CHRISTIAN
Lowe out for season
Shiloh Christian senior wide receiver/defensive back Reed Lowe is out of the season after injuring his knee last Thursday against Charleston in the Saints' season opener at Fort Smith.
Lowe was injured after catching a 25-yard pass on the Saints' first offensive series. He had season-ending MCL knee surgery Wednesday.
"It was one of those awkward plays," Saints Coach Jeff Conaway said.
Lowe caught 40 passes for 598 yards and 7 touchdowns and had 44 tackles and 2 interceptions last season.
" We can't replace him," Conaway said. "He's that valuable to us. He's that important. He has a lot of experience over the last three years of high school football"
Shiloh Christian (0-1) hosts First Baptist Academy of Naples, Fla., on Friday night. First Baptist Academy is 1-1 with a 28-0 victory against Vero Beach (Fla.) St. Edwards and a 48-47 loss to Cape Coral (Fla.) Ida Baker.
"They have great size," Conaway said of First Baptist. "They're a big, fast football team. They run the ball well. They have some good athletes. We have to play good football against these guys to have a chance."
Conaway said the Saints played eight sophomores against Charleston, including quarterback Connor Reece and four starting offensive linemen and four defensive linemen.
"You can be pessimistic and look at it as a bad thing," Conaway said. "Or you can be optimistic that these guys are getting quality reps against quality competition."
Sports on 09/11/2014