Loss nurtures success for Warriors
The Little Rock Christian Warriors took more than just a mark in the loss column from their 43-22 defeat to Shiloh Christian on Sept. 1.
The loss was a wake-up call for the Warriors, who have won three games in a row since, including a dominant 55-13 win over bitter rival Pulaski Academy on Friday night.
The loss also forced the Warriors (4-1, 3-0 6A-West) to hit the reset button on defense as they were without an answer for Shiloh Christian running back Bo Williams, who rushed for nearly 400 yards and scored six touchdowns.
“After the Shiloh game, we kind of realized we had a problem. We had stuff to fix,” Little Rock Christian senior linebacker Cooper Jones said. “We had 48 missed tackles. As a captain of the team, leader of the defense, I take full responsibility. That’s something we got to fix. We made our defense coordinator’s defense look child-like, and that was our fault.
“So we had to take ownership of that. We just came back ready to work, and that’s the mindset we got to have all season. We had a setback, but we worked through it. In that first quarter [Friday], when it was [27-6], we felt that hard work pay off. That was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had this senior year.”
Pulaski Academy (3-1, 1-1), which has won four consecutive state titles, scored on its first drive Friday. But that would be the last time it found the end zone until late in the fourth quarter.
“I like to say ‘Do the next right thing,’ and that’s something our coach has instilled in us,” Jones said. “He said when we mess up, we flip the page. So that’s what we did.”
The Bruins’ principles of not punting and onside kicks can suffocate opponents when the offense is rolling. When it’s sputtering like it was Friday, those set up the opponent with frequent short fields.
Nearly every Warriors scoring drive began in Bruins territory.
“It felt very complimentary in the fact that defense did their job, and the offense capitalized,” Jones said. “And so it was encouraging to see our team work together as a whole because [if] defense has a great game, offense has a horrible game, it doesn’t work. Same thing vice versa. And so to be firing off on all cylinders was really encouraging. And we needed that, we needed that to boost our confidence.
“I think we saw that in the second half [last week] versus Russellville. We were stopping them, and we were scoring. And so we saw our potential [Friday], and that’s what we need to live up to every single game.”
When Little Rock Christian was scouting Shiloh Christian, the coaching staff watched film of Stillwater, Okla. — the school where Shiloh Christian first-year Coach Tucker Barnard spent the previous 11 seasons.
On defense, the Pioneers became known across Oklahoma for running a unique defensive front that featured three to five players standing and moving prior to the snap, with no down lineman.
In practice, that scout defense caused problems at first for the Warriors’ offense, and it caught the eye of defensive coordinator Dustin Grimmett.
“Our scout team the whole week was doing that, getting our offense ready. And we were like, ‘Hey, we’re getting some guys wide open. We’re fooling our first-team offense,” Jones said.
On passing downs Friday, the Little Rock Christian front of Jones, Preston Davis, Garland Davis, Grey Earls and others, all stood. They took turns stepping up to the line of scrimmage. Then when the Bruins snapped the ball, they would drop into coverage as others rushed quarterback Brandon Cobb.
“Fast forward a few weeks later, and [Grimmett] implements it in our game,” Jones said. “I had no idea he was, but I really liked it. It definitely got their eyes where they shouldn’t be. The sense of misdirection fooled them and led to people being wide open, and we were able to make plays and just penetrate the offensive line.
“[The Pulaski Academy offensive line] just all pass-set. None of them have their hand in the dirt. So I think that was a way to expose the way they play. You have to be smart in your game plan, and our defense coordinator’s just an absolute mastermind. So we’re just thankful to have him and his defensive brains.”
That defensive scheme created havoc for Cobb and the Bruins as they attempted to cut into the deficit.
The Warriors’ defense created 11 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 11 pass deflections, 1 fumbles and 1 interceptions — one of which was returned for a touchdown by Jake Field.
Jones, a Ouachita Baptist commit, had five tackles, one for loss, and a blocked punt.
“I think our guys were probably shook up, up front a little bit,” Pulaski Academy Coach Anthony Lucas said. “They blitzed. Cooper [Jones], No. 7, he’s a good football player, and he was coming off the edge a lot. They did a lot of stuff, and we just couldn’t capitalize off of it.”