MANSFIELD
Red Tigers still looking for a kicker
Mansfield is off to a 3-0 start and averaging more than 40 points per game, but instead of enjoying a bye week coach Tim Cothran is still looking for a consistent kicker.
“We’ve been miserable on extra points,” Cothran said. “We were 5 of 8 last week, and I think that’s the best we’ve looked. We’ve left a lot of points out there, and that’s very frustrating. “We’re repping four different kids in practice,” Cothran said. “We give them reps in practice and try to put some pressure on them. We’re looking for that guy who has ice water in his veins who can poke it through. But we haven’t found that guy yet.”
The Red Tigers were forced to rally to defeat Waldron 38-34 two weeks ago and several missed PATs made their task more difficult, Cothran said.
“We had our first one blocked and were down 22-12 at halftime, so we were chasing points,” Cothran said. “We’ve got a kicker in junior high, and we’re trying to groom him.” Senior quarterback Ethan Stovall is off to a great start, throwing for 717 yards and 10 touchdowns with only one interception. He has also completed more than 75 of his pass attempts. Stovall has a talented group of receivers to throw to led by senior Layton Howard. He has 18 catches for 355 yards and five touchdowns. Howard also returned a kickoff for a touchdown last week.
Mansfield has some of those same athletes on defense, too. Ball-hawking safety Tyler Holmes already has three interceptions.
Cothran said Holmes, who also has eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver, has a nose for the ball.
“He knows how to position himself and knows where the ball’s gonna be,” Cothran said. “And he goes and gets it.”
— Paul Boyd • @NWAPaulB
PARIS
Eagles showing mettle with strong start
Coach Tyler Clark acknowledges a group of talented sophomores are a reason for his Eagles’ 2-1 start, but five seniors are also determined to put last year’s 0-10 season behind them.
“These seniors have set the tone every day in practice and in the offseason,” Clark said. “They are holding people accountable, and they’re a big reason we’re going in the right direction. It’s nice to get off to this start to show the kids that hard work does pay off.”
The Eagles, who have 27 on the roster and eight players going both ways most of the time, have also shown some resilience already, too, rallying in the second half for both wins. They trailed 13-0 to Perryville only to come back for a 20-13 win, which included pitching a shutout in the second half. Paris trailed 18-6 at halftime last week to Waldron but persevered and got the win after senior Patrick Richardson picked off a pass late.
Clark said getting the players to understand what coaches wanted when he came in last season wasn’t easy.
“When I got here we were a wing T football team and switched to the spread,” Clark said. “It was not as simple as just teaching new plays.
“I was hired in late June and didn’t have a lot of time for them to learn what we were trying to do. We’re a better team of course because we have a little better players. But the kids understand what we’re trying to accomplish on offense, and they’re flying to the football on defense.”
— Paul Boyd • @NWAPaulB
CEDARVILLE
Pirates find success with ground game
Not every team is infatuated with the spread offense.
Cedarville (3-0) is winning games the old-fashioned way, by lining up and whipping its opponents on the line of scrimmage. The Pirates have rushed for more than 1,300 yards, and seven different ball carriers have gained at least 80 yards. Sophomore Darryl Kattish leads the way with 409 yards rushing, and junior Kelin Mitchell is close behind with 379 yards on the ground. Cedarville has attempted only 13 passes and completed five for 74 yards.
“We have two main guys, but we feel we have multiple guys who can come in and give someone a breather when they need it,” Cedarville coach Max Washausen said. “Kelin is like a tradition halfback with a lot of speed and vision. Kattich plays the fullback position, but he can go inside or outside. He likes to hit people.”
Center Alex Ascencio (5-10, 275) and tackle Kevan Jones (6-7, 280) are leaders up from who provide running room for the Pirates, who piled 593 yards rushing in a 65-27 victory over Bigelow last week.
“Alex is our center, but he can play guard or tackle for us,” Washausen said. “He’s a leader.”
Cedarville is off this week, which gives the Pirates extra time to prepare for its 3A-1 Conference opener at Lamar on Sept. 27. Lamar is 2-0 heading into this week’s game at Johnson County Westside.
“We have a lot of confident this year,” said Washausen, whose team finished 4-6 last season. “We tel our guys to trust the process and keep doing what you’ve been doing.”
— Rick Fires • @NWARick
CLARKSVILLE
Panthers rolling with fast start
Khris Buckner has been waiting for four years for this year’s senior class to arrive. With a 3-0 start to the season, the wait has been worth it as the Panthers are off to their best start in years.
Clarksville is open this week after its 15-12 win against Ozark last week. For the Panthers, wins this season over defending 3A state champion Booneville and the favorite in the 4A-4 Conference in Ozark are the signature wins Buckner has been looking for.
“The kids came up with a motto this year that we’ve really bought in to,” Buckner said. “Their thing is to expect to win, not hope to win. Confidence is huge and right now our kids have gained a lot of confidence.”
Clarksville’s old school single-wing offense is way more diverse than the 1930s model. The Panthers are a run-first team with brothers Nicholas Buckner and Bryce Buckner, both sons of the coach. But Miles Castleman, a move-in from Prairie Grove who had to sit out last season, has given the Panthers a passing threat. In the win against Ozark, Castleman hit Jamie White on a big pass to set up a touchdown.
Clarksville will open 5A-West action at Farmington next week and the magnitude of this game is not lost on Khris Buckner. “It’s a huge game, no question,” Buckner said. “It’s important to open conference play with a win. Farmington is a good team, and it’s a home game, so we know they will be ready, and I feel like our kids will be ready.”
— Chip Souza • @NWAChip
SHILOH CHRISTIAN
Wiedemann’s loss a gain for Saints
Cam Weidemann lost almost 40 pounds since the end of the 2018 football season, going from around 220 pounds to a rock-solid 180, said Shiloh Christian coach Jeff Conaway. The big weight loss has led to a huge production increase as the junior is averaging 7.1 yards per carry.
The Saints graduated highly productive back Jaret Russ and lost athlete Jaiden Henry, who moved to Van Buren. Conaway said Wiedemann made a vow to be the featured back and put in the work during the offseason to prove it.
“When you lose a guy like Jaret Russ, a guy that scored six touchdowns in the conference championship game, you always wonder who is going to fill that void,” Conaway said as his team prepares to travel to Beggs, Okla., this week. “Cam has stepped up and taken over the reins. We’ve been able to hand him the football and throw him the football. You never replace a guy like Jaret Russ, but Cam has done a really good job of being that running back for us.”
Wiedemann scored three touchdowns last week in a 48-18 win against Smackover and had an 80-yard touchdown run in the opening win against Moore Haven, Fla.
Offensively, the Saints were expected to be explosive with returning quarterback Eli Reece and several playmakers. But it has been the play of the Saints’ defense that has fueled the 2-0 start heading into the final nonconference game of the season, Conaway said.
“Walker Williams, that D1 baseball guy, has played really well for us at D-End,” Conaway said. “He’s leading the defensive production chart. But we’ve had a lot of players on the defensive side really play at a high level, and that’s been huge.” Conaway said Beggs will be a tough matchup this week with a little extra motivation after Shiloh Christian claimed a 28-21 win last season.
Following the road trip to Beggs, the Saints will open 4A-1 Conference play on the road next week at Berryville.
— Chip Souza • @NWAChip
FARMINGTON
Cards face future league opponent
Farmington will host Pea Ridge in a final tuneup Friday before the start of 5A-West Conference against Clarksville. Pea Ridge is the perfect springboard considering the Black-hawks will join Farmington next season in the 5A-West. The Blackhawks, who won at least 10 games between 2014 and 2017, are 0-2 after losses to Harrison and Maumelle, both Class 5A schools.
Pea Ridge started 0-2 last season then beat Farmington 42-0 to begin a seven-game winning streak.
“Pea Ridge beat our tails off last year,” Farmington coach Mike Adams said. “They beat us every which way. They played Harrison, which is one of the best teams in 5A, if not the best, and Maumelle is one of the most athletic teams in 5A. We know we have our hands full.”
Farmington is 2-0 with wins over Prairie Grove and Gravette. Senior Drew Sturgeon continued to display his playmaking ability with four touchdowns in the 49-19 victory at Gravette. He caught two touchdown passes, returned a kickoff 74 yards for a score and ran 60 yards for a touchdown on a jet sweep. Senior quarterback Marqwaveon Watson threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns, and fullback Josh Stettmeier scored his second career touchdown on a 49-yard run.
Clarksville is off Friday after moving to 3-0 with a 15-12 victory over Ozark last week. Adams is pleased with Farmington’s 2-0 start, but he knows the Cardinals must continue to improve to compete in the 5A-West.
“Our defensive front looks like the strength of our team right now, and we’ve got good receivers,” Adams said. “We’ve got to become more consistent on the offensive line, where we’ve blown some assignments in pass protection, and we’re really, really young in the defensive secondary. We’ve got to be better tacklers.”
— Rick Fires • @NWARick