Regardless of what happens today, Class 5A will have a new name added to its list of champions.
Pulaski Academy, the dominating force of the past decade in the classification, has moved up to Class 6A. State finalist Shiloh Christian is in its first season in the class after moving up from Class 4A and its opponent, Little Rock Parkview, is in its first season back in the class after moving down from 6A.
Today is the first meeting between the Patriots and the Saints. What better way to mark the occasion than it being at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock with a 5A state title on the line.
Shiloh Christian enters with the state’s top offense, averaging 52.4 points per game and led by Eli Wisdom at quarterback. While the Saints have faced some talented defenses already this season, Parkview will likely be its toughest test yet.
Shiloh Christian Coach Jeff Conaway said Parkview’s defensive unit presents problems at all three levels. From defensive lineman Jude Onuoha and Alex Martin and linebacker Isiah McKenzie to defensive backs Tayvion Haney and Omarion Robinson, the Patriots have some of the state’s top players at each level.
“[Parkview is] extremely long, they’ve got great size. On their defensive line, they’ve got guys that are probably faster than our skills guys,” Conaway said. “I think their linebackers play well, they’re fast [and] they’re physical. And they’re extremely talented on the back end. … They’re able to make those big plays in the secondary to defend the pass and hurt you if you try to throw into certain areas.” A large part of the credit for the top defense in 5A goes to defensive coordinator Bobby Bolding — even his little brother, Parkview head coach Brad Bolding would tell you that. The former state champion coach with Pine Bluff and Stuttgart is in his first season with the Patriots and has them holding opponents to a 5A-best 14.7 points per game.
“He’s come in and done an incredible job,” Brad Bolding said. “The defense that we run is not easy, it’s complicated. It takes a lot of practice and individual work. When executed correctly, it’s a tough defense to do anything against.” Other than a season-opening loss to Class 6A quarter-finalist Little Rock Christian, Shiloh Christian has scored at will against each of its opponents. The Saints haven’t scored less than 48 points since the start of conference play.
Wisdom leads the Saints in passing and rushing this season, totaling 4,361 yards. His top receiver, Bodie Neal, is second in the state with 1,513 yards. Running back Bo Williams is over 1,000 yards rushing and has totaled 1,784 all-purpose yards.
Parkview is looking for its first state title since the late 1970s. It’s also looking to be the first Little Rock School District team to win a state championship since 2004.
“It’s been so long,” Bolding said. “You think about the talent that came through Little Rock years ago, it’s impressive. There’s absolutely no excuse for our Little Rock School District programs to have digressed like they have. We feel like we’re bringing some life back to it. … We feel like this can bring back some life to the district.”
Shiloh Christian (12-1)
DATE OPPONENT RESULT Sept. 2 LR Christian L, 49-14 Sept, 9 Victory Christian W, 72-33 Sept. 16 Lincoln Christian W, 42-35 Sept. 23 Dardanelle W, 55-0 Sept. 30 Clarksville W, 57-13 Oct. 7 Harrison W, 55-14 Oct. 14 Pea Ridge W, 52-10 Oct. 21 Farmington W, 51-30 Oct. 28 Prairie Grove W, 55-22 Nov. 4 Alma W, 56-14 Nov. 11 Nettleton W, 55-14* Nov. 18 Mills W, 69-32* Nov. 25 Camden Fairview W, 48-19* *Class 5A playoffs COACH Jeff Conaway (99-22 in ninth season) MASCOT Saints CONFERENCE 5A-West RANKINGS No. 2 Class 5A PLAYERS TO WATCH QB Eli Wisdom (Sr., 6-0, 165), WR Bodie Neal (Sr., 6-2, 196), DL Cooper Darr (Sr., 6-4, 250), DL Noah Dejarnatt (Sr., 6-1, 215)
LR Parkview (11-2)
DATE OPPONENT RESULT Aug. 25 Springdale Har-BerW, 48-26 Sept. 9 Bryant L, 20-10 Sept. 16 North Little Rock L, 28-27 Sept. 22 Hot Springs W, 33-21 Sept. 29 De Queen W, 42-0 Oct. 7 Hope W, 47-21 Oct. 14 Texarkana W, 40-7 Oct. 21 Magnolia W, 42-28 Oct. 28 HS Lakeside W, 42-14 Nov. 4 Camden Fairview W, 35-7 Nov. 11 Morrilton W, 29-7* Nov. 18 Wynne W, 42-0* Nov. 25 Joe T. Robinson W, 27-12* *Class 5A playoffs COACH Brad Bolding (42-26 in sixth season) MASCOT Patriots CONFERENCE 5A-South RANKINGS No. 9 Overall, No. 1 Class 5A PLAYERS TO WATCH RB Darien Bennett (Sr., 6-0, 210), RB Cameron Settles (So., 8-0, 180), DL Jude Onuoha (Sr., 6-1, 211), S Omarion Robinson (So., 6-0, 171)
At a glance
SHILOH CHRISTIAN VS. LITTLE ROCK PARKVIEW
WHAT Class 5A state championship WHEN Noon WHERE War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock TV Arkansas PBS TICKETS $8, available online at gofan.co/app/school/AAA RECORDS Shiloh Christian 12-1; Little Rock Parkview 11-2 COACHES Shiloh Christian: Jeff Conaway; Little Rock Parkview: Brad Bolding