Pulaski Academy is leaving Pulaski County for a playoff game for the first time in almost eight years.
Kevin Kelley said he isn't concerned about that fact.
Class 5A semifinals
Pulaski Academy at Nettleton
WHEN 7 p.m. today
WHERE Raider Field, Nettleton
RECORDS Pulaski Academy 12-0 (No. 1 seed 5A-Central); Nettleton 12-1 (No. 1 seed 5A-East)
COACHES Pulaski Academy: Kevin Kelley; Nettleton: Steven Hampton
Despite being 12-0 and the 5A-Central Conference's No. 1 seed, it's the Bruins that will be the road team in their Class 5A semifinal game against Nettleton today in Jonesboro.
When two teams have the same seed in a matchup in Arkansas, the home team is the team that is listed on the top line of the bracket.
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Nettleton (11-1), the No. 1 seed from the 5A-East Conference, ended up on the top line of the bracket and earned the home game against Pulaski Academy. Today's winner will play Little Rock McClellan or Wynne in the Class 5A state championship game at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
The Bruins played at Little Rock Christian in the 2015 Class 5A semifinals, but the last time they left Little Rock for a playoff game was Nov. 27, 2009, when they traveled to Monticello in the Class 4A semifinals. That game ended in a 34-20 defeat for the Bruins, while the Billies went on to win the 4A title.
This will be Pulaski Academy's first trip to Nettleton.
"Everybody likes the challenge of going somewhere and trying to beat someone in their own stadium," Kelley said. "Our kids are excited for the opportunity."
Nettleton, which ended the regular season in a three-way tie for the 5A-East title with Batesville and Wynne, is in the state semifinals for the first time since 2006, when it lost to Greenwood in the Class 5A playoffs. The Raiders' 2017 success has energized the Jonesboro school, Coach Steven Hampton said.
"It's huge for our kids," Hampton said. "It's huge for our program. It's generated a lot of excitement for our school and our fanbase."
Nettleton was 5-5 each of the past two seasons. Hampton said this year's senior class was not going to allow the Raiders to go through another .500 or below season.
"As soon as last season was over, they were the senior group. I saw a change in them," Hampton said. "They wanted to step up and become the leaders. I'm really proud of those guys."
Raiders senior running back Detavion Turner has rushed for more than 1,700 yards and 25 touchdowns. He has totaled 396 yards and 7 touchdowns on 55 carries in the Raiders' two Class 5A playoff victories over Sylvan Hills and Greenbrier.
"Datavion has come on in the past three or four weeks," Hampton said. "He's carried a lot more of the load. He's really ignited our offense on some long runs. He's been consistent. He runs hard."
Quarterback Deondre Henry, also a senior, has more than 1,900 yards passing for the Raiders.
Pulaski Academy's offense leads the state in scoring offense with 58.1 points per game. The 697 points the Bruins have scored in 2017 are 56 shy of Junction City's state record in 2003 and 24 short of the school record set in 2011.
Senior quarterback Layne Hatcher (331-of-451 passing, 4,953 yards, 58 touchdowns, 8 interceptions) set the state career records for yards (14,657) and touchdowns (177) earlier this season. He's 358 yards away from breaking the state's single-season record for passing yards, set by Pulaski Academy's Spencer Keith in 2008 and 58 completions shy of the Bruins' Stefan Loucks' 1,006.
The Bruins feature one of the top wide receiver duos in the state in seniors Tra Johnson and Brett Lynch. Johnson (85 receptions, 1,301 yards) and Lynch (66 receptions, 1,126 yards) have combined for 35 touchdown catches, Lynch with 19 and Johnson 16.
With Hatcher, who is 40-1 as a starter at Pulaski Academy, Hampton said it will be a huge challenge defensively for the Raiders against the defending three-time Class 5A state champions.
"We have to defend four downs every time," Hampton said, referring to the Bruins' philosophy of not punting. "We have to get some pressure on the quarterback. If he has five, six, seven seconds, it's hard to cover those guys for that long. Hopefully, our defensive line can get some pass rush and some pressure. We have to tackle well. We have to give them no run after the catch. Our kids know that."
Pulaski Academy is attempting to become the first team since Barton in 1990 to win at least four consecutive state championships. That achievement is still in play for the Bruins, who have lost twice since the start of the 2014 season and have won 44 in a row against in-state teams with its last loss coming in the 5A quarterfinals in 2013 against Morrilton.
However, the Bruins are focused on today's game and how they can reach their fourth title game in a row.
"They're not thinking about championships right now," Kelley said. "They're thinking about Nettleton. It's the right way. It's one game at a time. They know Nettleton is very talented. If you've won that East conference, you've done something.
"We've got a tough task at hand."
Sports on 11/24/2017