Most teams will move up ninth-grade players late in the season in order for them to get a taste of what to expect while they are on the high school team for the next 3 years.
West, however, turned to a pair of ninth-graders -- Cy Bates and Kaleb Chandler -- for immediate duty in the Wolverines' wild 46-45 win Friday over Springdale Har-Ber, and a third ninth-grader will see action this week when West (4-3, 2-2) hosts Rogers Heritage.
"We had lost two offensive linemen, and we knew we had a really good freshman offensive lineman," West coach Bryan Pratt said. "Our ninth-grade team is coached by varsity coaches, so it's the same terminology, same plays, same everything.
"It's not a big move as in the mental aspect, but the speed of the game is definitely different. We felt like these guys could be successful, so we brought them up last week after the freshman game on Monday. They showed promise and played really well, and they'll get more reps during the season."
Chandler wound up playing more than half the snaps on the Wolverines' offensive line and graded out higher than Pratt anticipated. Bates mainly saw his action on the special teams, but he did make a fair catch on a kickoff in front of Har-Ber's sideline and he was responsible for a key block on Braden Jones' 92-yard kickoff return for a score.
Meanwhile, they will be joined by Harris Vinson this week. Pratt said that Vinson could see some playing time this week at an outside linebacker position.
"It's about playing the best people that you have," Pratt said. "I'm not one to worry about what grade they're in. I just want to put the best people out on the field and give our team the best chance to win."
GRAVETTE
Lions 'find rhythm'
Gravette coach Kelby Bohannon said that his team "had a good thing going" during the second quarter of Friday's game against Berryville.
It was much better than good. The Lions scored 31 points during that 12-minute span and set the stage for their first win of the season with a 44-21 rout over the Bobcats.
"We found a rhythm offensively," Gravette coach Kelby Bohannon said. "We saw some things that we liked on film and were hoping we could take advantage of them. In that second quarter, everything just clicked.
"We were able to run with the ball a little bit. We moved the ball some with our passing game and hit some big plays. Defensively, we were able to get a couple of turnovers. We had a good thing going that time."
Gravette (1-6, 1-3) led 7-0 after one quarter, thanks to Rhett Hilger's 18-yard touchdown run, before the offense erupted. Kyler Austin scored on a 1-yard run, then Berryville scored to make it a 14-7 game before the Lions put together four touchdowns in less than 6 minutes.
Hilger was responsible for a lot of it, throwing touchdown passes of 59 and 17 yards to Karl Bontrager and 62 yards to Mason Meeker right after Meeker intercepted a pass. Hilger also added a 32-yard touchdown run as the Lions led 38-7 at halftime, then hit threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Ellis to cause the running clock.
"I'm really proud of our kids," Bohannon said. "They've been resilient all season. We've been in several of our games, with a chance to win, and we couldn't get the ball to bounce our way or make that play when we needed it.
"They've stayed the course and stayed the process. We knew going into the season that we would be young and that there was going to be a learning curve. The kids have done all that, and they have responded well."
-- Henry Apple • @NWAHenry
GENTRY
Tough road ahead
The schedule doesn't get much easier for Gentry, which plays at Prairie Grove Friday after falling 48-20 at home to Shiloh Christian in 4A-1 Conference play.
Prairie Grove (5-2, 3-1) is a top contender every year under coach Danny Abshier, who likes to attack the Tigers' opponents with a methodical Wing-T offense. Ethan Miller rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns last week in Prairie Grove's 32-6 win over Huntsville.
"Coach Abshier does a great job. They are a complete program," Gentry coach Justin Bigham said. "When they have a down year, they go 8-2. I have a lot of respect for the Wing-T. They're very good at what they do. They can turn four yards into 40 real quick."
Gentry (6-1, 3-1) will have to do a better job with ball security than the Pioneers did last week against Shiloh Christian. Gentry had over 300 yards in total offense but the Pioneers committed three turnovers. Quarterback Chris Bell passed for 143 yards and a touchdown but he also threw two interceptions. William Pyburn ran for 93 yards and a touchdown.
"We can't afford 3-and-outs," Bigham said. "The three turnovers, you can't do that against an elite team."
Prairie Grove beat Gentry 46-13 last season when the Pioneers finished 4-7. Gentry will play at Elkins the following week before ending conference play at home against Gravette on Nov. 5.
-- Rick Fires • @NWARick
SHILOH CHRISTIAN
Await unbeaten Elks
The challengers keep coming for Shiloh Christian, the defending state champions and No. 1 ranked team in Class 4A.
Last week it was Gentry, which fell to 6-1 after losing 48-20 to the Saints. This week it's Elkins, which is 7-0 and 4-0 in the 4A-1 Conference. Shiloh Christian is 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the league.
Elkins is a surprise team with a first-year head coach and a sophomore who has emerged as one of the area's best at running back. Zach Watson was the offensive coordinator last year at Greenwood, a dominant program in Class 6A. Watson knows how to create scoring opportunities and he's helped by a capable staff, including Drew Morgan, a former standout receiver at Arkansas.
"Coach Watson is very knowledgeable and he knows how to win football games," Shiloh Christian coach Jeff Conaway said. "He hired some good assistants and they've got some good, young athletes. They know how to get the ball in the hands of their best football players."
Elkins' best football player is Da'Shawn Chairs, who burst onto the scene in September when he rushed for 201 yards and scored five touchdowns in a win over Greenland. The Elks also have playmakers in quarterback Braedon Welch and receiver Aden Williams, who caught two of the four touchdown passes from Welch in last week's 33-8 win over Green Forest.
Few teams can match the overall talent of the Saints, who started slow on a muddy field last week before winning at Gentry. Quarterback El Wisdom threw three touchdown passes and ran for two scores for the Saints, who pulled away in the second quarter. Wisdom ran for 128 yards and passed for 242 yards.
"The grass was tall and the surface was wet and it took awhile for our players to get our footing," Conaway said. "Overall, I like where we're at defensively and offensively."
-- Rick Fires • @NWARick