Whatever nerves may hit the White Hall High School football team before tonight’s 5A state championship game, their coach won’t feel them.
“I don’t have any nerves anymore going into football games,” Bobby Bolding said, going for his fourth championship ring with his third school.
His approach has been much calmer in the 20 years since he first coached in a final, that game where his Stuttgart ballclub lost 34-33 to Wynne.
“Back then, I was nervous every single Friday, even if it was a scrimmage game,” Bolding said, wrapping up his 24th year as a head coach. “I’ve played and coached in so many football games now that I understand that, ultimately, it’s just a game and I don’t make myself sick over it. I’m going to make myself sick preparing, working and spending the time it takes to prepare the kids. But I don’t get nervous anymore.” Three championships later, Bolding seems wiser. And his Bulldogs (11-2) have grown.
After two straight years of heartbreak in the third round of the 5A playoffs, they’ve taken the next step toward winning their school’s first-ever football title and will break a 34-year absence in the final round.
Kickoff against the Pulaski Academy Bruins (12-1) is set for 7 tonight at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The game will be televised on Arkansas PBS and streamed on NFHSnetwork.com (subscription required).
Tickets are on sale online at gofan.co/app/school/AAA. No tickets will be sold at the gate.
A victory will place Bolding’s Bulldogs alongside the 1980, 2012 and 2014 baseball teams, 2012-14 softball clubs and 1965-66 boys basketball squad as White Hall’s state champions. But a program that’s won nine football titles, including six of the past seven years, stands in the way.
The Bruins have seen the Bulldogs before, breaking a 21-all halftime tie and routing them 63-28 in White Hall on Oct. 8.
“A lot of people don’t think they can beat PA, but those seniors believe it in their heart, and that’s what matters,” defensive coordinator Blake Johnson said of his personnel. “I think they’re going to come out with a little edge this time, knowing PA is the team that gave them trouble. We haven’t had a lot of teams come out and score points on us defensively.”
WHEN THE BULLDOGS HAVE THE BALL
Senior Mathew Martinez has thrown four touchdown passes and rushed for three touchdowns in this year’s playoffs. Martinez has completed 29 of 42 passes for 333 yards and run 45 times for 272 yards the past three weeks.
“He’s doing more built-in runs compared to during the season,” said Bolding, who doubles as offensive coordinator. “We were trying to keep him healthy to get him to the playoffs. We’ve got a lot more built-in runs for him. Passing-wise, we just try to do what you give us and stay on schedule. For us to stay on schedule, we need to get 3 or 4 yards and take our shots when we can take them.” An example of staying on schedule was White Hall’s 17-play, 64-yard drive to start the second half last Friday against Little Rock Christian Academy. That series melted nearly 9 minutes off the clock.
Bolding was more conservative coming out of halftime with big leads in playoff wins over Farmington and Camden Fairview.
“We’re not real big and we’re very physical, as you know. We’ve got kids playing both ways, so it was important to me when we had that big lead to get this game over with and keep them healthy and not prolong the game where it would risk somebody playing both ways, because when you get tired, that’s when you get hurt.” Senior running backs Durran Cain and Zaire Green – aka “Thunder and Lightning,” per Bolding – play big roles in White Hall’s clock management. The duo has combined for 1,592 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.
“The most impressive thing about them, either one of them could be a 1,500- or 1,800-yard rusher,” Bolding said. “They have been absolutely, totally unselfish. … That’s unusual for a 17-year-old to be unselfish, very unusual.” An offensive line that was limited in experience to start the season has been key in White Hall’s ability to move the football. Landon Meredith, Savon Shelton, Justin Heird, Kelton Thomas and Chris Fitzgerald line up left to right, with Austin Shores at tight end.
“We started out kind of young, but we had to stick some guys in there, and they’ve really responded well,” offensive line and assistant head coach Jason Mitchell said. “I think the biggest thing is reps. They understand the blocking schemes and millions, millions of reps have helped them out a lot.”
WHEN THE BRUINS HAVE THE BALL
What remains to be seen is whether White Hall can limit a Pulaski Academy offense that averages 427.4 yards per game. Quarterback Charlie Fiser has thrown for 46 touchdowns and registers 348.2 yards per game, completing 61.5% of his passes. Jaylin McKinney and John Charette could haul in a majority of Fiser’s passes tonight.
PA running back Joe Himon has rushed for 23 touchdowns. He averages 104.8 rushing yards per contest.
When wideouts like Jordan Jackson, Steven Weston and Braylon Johnson aren’t helping Martinez engineer the offense, they’re just a few of the many Bulldogs who can stay on the field for defense to form an opportunistic unit.
“These guys have done a good job of staying after practice to make sure that they’re in shape, especially those two-way guys,” Johnson said. “We’re senior-heavy, especially on defense, so those turnovers, they were able to put themselves in the right position to make the plays, and it’s come up big for us. We’ve had some teams drive on us, and we’d bow up and get a turnover and change the momentum of the game. It’s all a credit to, really, the seniors because they’ve bought in and worked from June to now to make sure they’re ready to play.” Two of White Hall’s takeaways in the playoffs have come via interceptions by Weston.
“As a defensive coordinator, that 63-point game hit close to home,” defensive coordinator Blake Johnson said. “I thought we played really well for a half, and then we let it get away from us. Ever since that game, our kids came out and made it a point to get better and better on defense.”
THE SETTING
White Hall is playing in War Memorial for the second time this year, having lost to Little Rock Parkview 13-10 on Sept. 10. Before that game, Bolding said playing in the venue would be irrelevant if the players were locked in mentally.
But there’s no mistaking the importance of War Memorial this time — the chance to hoist a championship trophy in the capital city.
Pulaski Academy has been there. So has Bolding. This time, a team from White Hall is with him.
“We can’t be in awe of the situation,” Bolding said. “That’s the biggest thing. This is not their first rodeo [at Pulaski Academy]. Their kids have done this. They’re not doing anything special at PA, I’ll bet. They’re having a normal week. They’re probably not going to War Memorial to practice. They’ve been every year forever. This is new for us, so we can’t be in awe of the situation.”
5A state football championship
Who: White Hall (11-2) vs. Pulaski Academy (12-1).
When: 7 tonight.
Where: War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock.
Ticket information: General admission $7 each; available at: gofan.co/app/school/AAA (then scroll down to Pulaski Bruins vs. White Hall Bulldogs); no tickets will be sold at gate.
Video: Arkansas PBS (KETS-TV, channel 2) and NFHSnetwork.com (subscription required; search “White Hall High School” or “Pulaski Academy” for game link).
Audio: KTPB-FM 98.1 “The Hog” in Pine Bluff; KABZ-FM 103.7 “The Buzz” in Little Rock.