Nobody can say Smackover is easing into its football season.
The Buckaroos, who made it to the Class 3A state championship a year ago, open the season with games against two defending state champions in a span of five days.
Tonight, Smackover steps up in class to play Class 4A champion Warren, then returns Saturday to play Junction City, the defending Class 2A champion.
"It's an opportunity to see where our program is," Smackover Coach Brian Strickland said.
The Smackover-Warren matchup is one four games scheduled to kick off the 2015 high school football season in Arkansas tonight -- two at Golden Lion Stadium Pine Bluff and two at War Memorial Stadium Stadium in Little Rock.
The Buckaroos will play the Lumberjacks in the second game of the Pine Bluff doubleheader. Bearden and Lafayette County will play the first game at 5:30 p.m. with the Buckaroos and Lumberjacks immediately following.
The doubleheader at War Memorial Stadium features Arkadelphia vs. Stuttgart at 5 p.m. followed by Sylvan Hills vs. Vilonia at 7:30 p.m.
Strickland could only joke about the difficulty of playing Warren and Junction City in a five-day span.
"I'm not looking forward to playing the defending 4A champion and 2A champion," Strickland said.
But the Buckaroos, who lost to Charleston in their first state championship game since 1949, are a team to be reckoned with in their own right.
Smackover is led by senior wide receiver Jordan Jones, an oral commitment to the University of Arkansas. Jones caught 37 passes for 808 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.
The Buckaroos will face a Warren team that is coming off its first state championship since 2002.
The Lumberjacks, led by Coach Bo Hembree, will have a new quarterback, junior Hayden Lassiter, who replaces Justin Gorman.
"It's another fine Warren ballclub," Strickland said. "They've got tradition over there. Coach Hembree does a great job. He puts them in a position to win ballgames."
Strickland said he is excited about the opportunity the Buckaroos have in front of them, but he is concerned about injuries with having two games in a span of five days.
"You have to give the kids time to rest, but then you have to prepare for Junction City," Strickland said. "We don't want to get anybody injured. Our kids are in pretty good shape. We've prepared for this."
Things don't get easier for Smackover after the Warren-Junction City start.
There is a meeting with Class 2A contender Gurdon, led by running back/defensive back Jackie Harvell, on Sept. 11.
"They light up the scoreboard quickly," Strickland said. "We can't get our heads down."
Smackover is the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's No. 1 team in Class 3A and it hopes to play well in the first three weeks before opening 6-3A Conference play.
"The kids are eager," Strickland said. "They're excited. We look forward to it. We know it's two tough tests. Two outstanding ballclubs."
Sports on 08/31/2015