Parkers Chapel to face Hampton
PARKERS CHAPEL - If history is any indication, the scoreboard operator may be rather busy tonight.
Such is the case when two of the most electrifying players in Arkansas regardless of class meet, as Parkers Chapel travels to Hampton in a battle of unbeatens to open 8-2A play.
Game time is set for 7 p.m. from Hampton.
In the last two years, Monta Thomas has gotten the better of Parkers Chapel.
As a member of Hermitage’s football team, Thomas was on the winning side of 62-61 and 56-36 games.
Now with the Bulldogs (3-0), Thomas has helped key an offense that has scored 151 points in three games, including 67 in a win over Murfreesboro last week.
However, the Trojans (3-0) are also undefeated thanks to a productive offense, a resilient defense and strong play in the second half.
Dezmon Jackson had a huge second half against Lafayette County, collecting 211 of his 307 yards, as the Trojans came from behind to top the Cougars.
Parkers Chapel has allowed just 53 points this season, and the lone points the Cougars scored in the second half last week came as the result of a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.
Overall, the Trojans have scored 65 of their 120
points in the final two quarters, and Hampton coach Wes Ables said that has been a big key to the Trojans’ success.
“They’re a good football team,” Ables said. “Obviously, the Jackson kid stands out, and I think they’re faster than in years past. I think coach (James) Housdan does a great job of coaching those young men. They play hard all four quarters.
“Some of those games have been close at halftime, and they’ve really pulled away in the second half, so it seems like they’re well-conditioned.
“They play hard for four quarters, so we’re going to have to play a good, mistake-free football game on Friday night if we want to start conference 1-0.”
The Trojans got a taste of seeing a team with great team speed last week against Lafayette County, and Parkers Chapel coach James Housdan said the game helped get his team ready for the Bulldogs.
“It took us a bit to adjust to their speed,” Housdan said. “Once we did, we did a great job of team pursuit and tackling. I believe that the LC game gave us a great opportunity to play the kind of speed we can expect on Friday night.”
It’s been five years since Hampton last made the playoffs, and the Bulldogs did not field a varsity team last year due to low numbers.
However, fans have been turning out in large numbers thanks to their start.
“Our community has gotten behind us. They’ve really supported us,” Ables said. “We’ve had big crowds at all of our ballgames. I think once we went up to Fordyce and beat them, I think that’s when it really set in that we had a pretty good football team, but we haven’t played real well yet. Yeah, we’re 3-0, but we’ve made a lot of mistakes in our ballgames.
“We haven’t played well at times. We’re just trying to put together a complete ballgame, and I think that’s a good thing, because if you’re playing perfect right now early in the season, that’s not a good thing. I think your goal is to get a little better each week, and I think we’ve done that. We’re just hoping that we’ll get a little bit better on Friday night.”
Ables added that the group of transfers has fit right in.
“They’ve fit in real well. Our kids accepted them when they came over,” Ables said. “Obviously, Monta is one of the best football players in the state regardless of classification. We plugged him in at quarterback, and the (Kevin) Childs kid fits the mold of what our fullback is supposed to be.
“Actually, we’ve got four really good fullbacks, and we’ve moved two of our sophomores to other positions. We’ve got Childs and (Emmanuel) Hegler, two really good fullbacks, toting the football for us, and Monta is at quarterback. Both of them fit in on defense. We kind of move Monta around to different spots wherever we need him. We haven’t had any issues, and we’re just enjoying it right now.”
In their lopsided win over Murfreesboro last week, the Bulldogs rushed for 548 yards, but Ables believes his offense faces a stern test with the Trojans’ defense.
“They play hard and get after the football. They gang tackle,” Ables said. “The D-Line comes off the ball well, the linebackers make their reads really well and the secondary guys are pretty good in their coverages. Our goal is to make them play assignment football, and we’ll see if they’ll do that against our option attack.
“It’s going to be a tough football game. Defensively, they’ve got some hardnosed players, and they’ll hit you. They get after the football. Defense is about effort and being able to tackle well, and I think they do both of those things good.”
In the first half last week against Lafayette County, the Trojans struggled to move the football, netting just 84 yards of total offense.
However, the Trojans hammered away at the middle of the line in the second half, leading to a 26-point outburst, and Housdan said his team must continue to have success on the ground.
“We are going to have to be able to get the edge in the run game,” Housdan said. “But also establish the inside run as well.”
The Trojans are 3-0 for the first time in six years, and Housdan said his team has plenty of confidence heading into their showdown with the Bulldogs.
“It was great to finish the non-conference season undefeated,” Housdan said. “We have a two-game winning streak at home, and our team is playing with a lot of confidence. We’ve played ahead and we played from behind last week. We feel like we’ve been tested.”
If the Bulldogs are to improve to 4-0, Ables said his defense must find a way to slow down Jackson.
“We can’t turn the football over, and we’ve got to eliminate penalties,” Ables said. “Obviously, we’ve got to tackle Jackson. He’s going to tote the football 20, 25 times, so we’ve got to limit the big plays, keep him contained and get him on the ground.”
If the Trojans are to open league play with a win on the road, Housdan said his team must win the battle up front.
“We have to control the line of scrimmage. We have to have ball control and shorten the game,” Housdan said. “We need to eliminate the big plays and make them earn everything they get. We’ve done a great job of creating turnovers. We need that to continue. We need to limit their number of possessions. We also need to play very well in special teams.”