The "one at a time" mantra can be boring to fans, whether it's Nick Saban or the coach of a six-man high school team in Montana spouting it.
They take a cautionary approach because it's been proven repeatedly it's dangerous to look ahead. I made the mistake last week of mentioning Gentry's conference opener with Pea Ridge before Pioneers coach Paul Ernest reminded his team still had to play Greenland.
He was right, of course. Gentry scored 71 points and lost to the Pirates, who scored 76.
Springdale Har-Ber begins 7A-West Conference play at home against Rogers High before playing at rival Springdale the following week. Har-Ber is 3-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class 7A. The Mounties are also 3-0 under coach Mike Loyd, a former NFL player who built a program from scratch at Ponte Vedra, Florida in 2008 and led the team to 11 wins in 2011.
Rogers appears to be on the upswing after reaching the playoffs and finishing 6-5 last season under Loyd, whose son, Hunter, is a sophomore quarterback.
Har-Ber helped restore some state pride with consecutive wins over Jefferson City, Mo., and Jenks, Okla. But conference play and longstanding rivalries bring out the best in teams regardless of their records.
In 2013, Har-Ber was a playoff team that stood at 5-2 over halfway through the season. The Wildcats scored 42 points at Rogers, which scored 59. The win followed consecutive losses to Bentonville and Fayetteville and helped the Mounties make the playoffs.
It's hard to pick against Har-Ber, which has won consecutive championships in the 7A-West. But the Mounties are capable, especially if the Wildcats are not entirely focused on the team in front of them.
RICK'S PICK Springdale Har-Ber
Other games involving teams from Northwest Arkansas (selections are capitalized).
CLASS 7A
FAYETTEVILLE at Bentonville
SPRINGDALE at Rogers Heritage
BENTONVILLE WEST at Van Buren
CLASS 6A
SILOAM SPRINGS at Sheridan
CLASS 5A
Clarksville at FARMINGTON
ALMA at Vilonia
CLASS 4A
SHILOH CHRISTIAN at Berryville
Lincoln at GRAVETTE
PRAIRIE GROVE at Huntsville
Gentry at PEA RIDGE
Pottsville at BOONEVILLE
Dover at DARDANELLE
West Fork at SUBIACO ACADEMY
OZARK at Waldron
CLASS 3A
Greenland at CLINTON
ELKINS at Yellville-Summit
GREEN FOREST at Marshall
Cedarville at CHARLESTON
PARIS at Mansfield
Atkins at LAMAR
CLASS 2A
MOUNTAINBURG at Decatur
Johnson County Westside at LAVACA
Magazine at HACKETT
LAST WEEK 15-7 (68 percent)
OVERALL 49-21 (70 percent)
Sports on 09/22/2017