Maurice Moody is a big boxing fan.
So it came as no surprise Thursday when the Little Rock McClellan football coach made a boxing reference to his school's recent rivalry with four-time defending Class 5A state champion Pulaski Academy.
"They're Foreman," Moody said. "We're Ali.
"Foreman was unbeaten. Feisty. Those guys [Pulaski Academy], they haven't lost a state championship game in the last four years.
"We're not the giant. Everybody thinks we're going to be slaughtered -- except everyone in this locker room."
George Foreman and Muhammad Ali met in 1974 in Zaire, a fight that was called The Rumble in the Jungle. Foreman, who was 40-0 with 37 knockouts, was knocked out by Ali, 44-2 with 31 knockouts entering the fight, in the eighth round.
Today's Class 5A state quarterfinal game between McClellan (10-1) and Pulaski Academy (10-1) at Joe B. Hatcher Stadium in Little Rock doesn't have the worldwide attention that Ali and Foreman had more than four decades ago. But it's the sixth time since the start of the 2015 season that they'll meet.
Pulaski Academy defeated McClellan in two of the past three Class 5A state championships, winning 50-30 in 2015 and holding on 37-36 in 2017.
Under Pulaski Academy Coach Kevin Kelley, the Bruins have won six in a row against the Crimson Lions. The respect is mutual between the Bruins and Crimson Lions.
"Every time we play them, they give us their best shot," Kelley said. "They want to be the team that beats us."
Said Moody: "They bring out the best in us. Our kids compete just a little bit harder against those those guys.
"It's not for all the marbles, but the game is just as big."
Today's game will not decide a state champion, but the winner will move on to the Class 5A semifinals against Harrison or Wynne.
"Whoever wins this game has a good chance to get to the finals," Kelley said.
For McClellan to reach the semifinals for the third time in four seasons, it will have to do something that hasn't been done since 2013: Defeat the Bruins in the playoffs. (Morrilton was the last team to defeat Pulaski Academy in the playoffs, winning a second-round game in 2013 on its way to a state championship.)
"We've been close," Moody said. "We've had opportunities to beat them. We have to play extremely smart and extremely hard. Play solid and sound defense. We're excited about this ballgame."
Pulaski Academy and McClellan were together in the 5A-Central Conference before this season. Now, McClellan has moved to the 5A-South Conference, where it finished second behind Texarkana thanks to a 21-16 victory by the Razorbacks on Oct. 12.
"We were six points away from being undefeated," said Moody. "The South was strong last year. By adding us, it made them more stronger."
Moody was high on his sophomore linebackers Jordan Harris and Josiah Johnson. Johnson leads the Crimson Lions with 87 tackles, while Harris has 75.
"They work extremely hard," Moody said. "They've been focused all year. The moment hasn't been too big for them. They're not sophomores anymore. They've grown up. I'm so proud of them."
Harris, Johnson and a Crimson Lions' defense that has allowed 8.9 points this season faces their toughest test with the Bruins' offense. Pulaski Academy leads the state in scoring offense, averaging 48.4 points per game with junior quarterback Braden Bratcher (3,423 yards, 40 touchdowns), senior wide receiver John David White (1,227 yards, 20 TDs) and senior tight end Hudson Henry (952 yards, 11 TDs).
Kelley said he believes his team is playing as well as it has all season.
"I learned a long time ago to peak at the end of the year," Kelley said. "We've asked our kids to do more. Kids want to be challenged. They want to be challenged mentally. It's helped us play our best football at the end of the year."
This is the next-to-last season of McClellan's football program. The school will close in 2020 ,and students from McClellan and Little Rock Fair will attend a new high school in the southwest part of the city.
"I want to at least leave this rivalry with a victory," Moody said.
Sports on 11/16/2018