Little Rock McClellan enters its regular-season finale with a Class 5A postseason berth in hand.
It's a stark contrast to a year ago.
McClellan found itself in position to advance to the Class 5A playoffs last November but had to forfeit two 5A-Central Conference games against Beebe and Little Rock Fair after it was discovered the Lions had used an ineligible player. That violation left the Lions out of the playoffs as they finished 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the 5A-Central.
The Lions (6-2, 4-1) will be the No. 2 seed from the 5A-Central this season and will host a first-round playoff game. They'll travel to Jacksonville on Thursday with a chance to win seven games for the first time since an 8-3 season in 2002.
"We've come together at the right time," Coach Maurice Moody said. "The kids worked extremely hard in the offseason. They've come together as one. They believe. The attitude and effort have been brilliant. "
McClellan is led by junior running back Pierre Strong, who has rushed for 1,509 yards and 18 touchdowns on 103 carries. He had 311 yards and 5 touchdowns on 14 carries in a 44-32 victory at Sylvan Hills on Oct. 23.
"He has great vision as a running back," Moody said. "He's a great kid to coach. He's a great kid to be around. We're excited for him. He's one of those guys who stays well-grounded. He's humble. He goes about his business like he's a regular kid. We love them for that."
Sophomore linebacker Joseph Lewis leads the Lions in tackles with 89 and has nine sacks.
"He's a tackling machine," Moody said.
Moody has been pleased with the Lions' progress since he took over the program in 2013. The Lions won one game in 2013 and two years later are a top-two seed from the 5A-Central.
"McClellan has always had athletes," Moody said. "There's athletes across the school district of Little Rock. We're fortunate to have guys like Pierre and Joseph Lewis and those type of kids of our squad. They bring an excitement not just to McClellan, but the district as a whole."
The Lions will play Morrilton or Vilonia in the first round of the playoffs. It's an event Moody and the Lions are excited for considering the program's struggles over the past decade. The last time McClellan advanced to the playoffs was 2011, when they were in the Class 6A playoffs with a 1-8-1 record and lost to Searcy in the opening round.
"The community is thirsty for it. They're hungry for it," Moody said. "To be able to play at home in the playoffs, it's huge for the community. It's huge for our program. It's a great bridge builder for us."
PULASKI ROBINSON
Senators down, not out
Pulaski Robinson Coach Todd Eskola said his team is refocused after two consecutive losses following a 7-0 start.
The Senators (7-2, 4-2 4-4A) lost at Dardanelle 44-20 on Oct. 23 and blew a 27-7 lead in the fourth quarter last Friday to Pottsville in a 28-27 loss.
Eskola said the Senators had their best practice of the year Tuesday afternoon, and he hopes it's a springboard to a possible No. 2 seed from the 4-4A and a home playoff game at Charlie George Stadium in Little Rock.
"You can't go back," Eskola said. "You learn from it."
Robinson led 27-21 with less than four minutes left when senior quarterback Brennen Johnson was intercepted by Josh Dugger. The Apaches went 82 yards in 12 plays, with Jake Duggar throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Austin Bell with 36 seconds remaining to give Pottsville the 28-27 lead. Robinson had two passes knocked down at the goal line in the closing seconds en route to its second consecutive loss.
"When you play good football teams, they take advantage of them," Eskola said of his team's turnovers and penalties. "We were in complete control. You can't do that and expect to close out ballgames."
The Senators travel to Ozark on Thursday needing a victory and for Dover to beat Baptist Prep by at least seven points to earn the conference's No. 2 seed. Robinson has 52 tiebreaker points in the 4-4A standings, while Dover has 47 and Pottsville 40. The maximum amount of points a team can earn for tiebreaker purposes is 13. If Robinson, Dover and Pottsville -- all 4-2 in the conference -- all win, there will be a three-way tie at 5-2.
"I hate counting on other people," Eskola said.
But that's the situation the Senators are in going into their final regular-season game.
"It will be the same game plan," Eskola said. "If we take care of us, we can beat anybody in the state."
BENTON HARMONY GROVE
Parker ceremony
Benton Harmony Grove will hold a pregame ceremony honoring retiring coach Jimmy "Red" Parker on Thursday night at Jimmy "Red" Parker Field at Sykes Stadium in Haskell.
Athletic Director Ricky Mooney said all players and coaches who played for and coached with Parker during his 62-year career are invited to join him for a ceremony that will begin at 6:15 p.m. before the Cardinals' 5-3A Conference game against Horatio.
Parker, 84, announced his retirement from coaching last Wednesday, effective at the end of the season. He did not coach the Cardinals last Friday night at Episcopal Collegiate after being hospitalized at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock. Parker's defibrillator went off six times before the game and he was transported to Baptist Health, where he was hospitalized until Monday.
Parker has coached at Harmony Grove since 2010. He has coached at Fordyce, Rison, Bearden and Woodlawn on the high school level and coached at Clemson, The Citadel, Arkansas-Monticello, Ouachita Baptist University and Southern Arkansas on the college level.
The winner of Thursday's game will clinch a berth in the Class 3A playoffs.
Sports on 11/04/2015