Panthers back home, aim to end unbeaten season for 3-0 Outlaws at Kenneth W. Hammons Stadium
For “Friday Night Lights” action this Friday at Kenneth W. Hammons Stadium, the defending 5-2A Conference champion Magnet Cove Panthers (3-1) will return home for their final non-conference bout to host a scary and undefeated Dierks Outlaws squad (3-0) on the gridiron for week three of Arkansas High School football.
Kickoff is set at 7 p.m. Now back on the winning trail, Panthers bring momentum to their home territory on the gridiron this Friday.
The Panthers regrouped effectively last week on the road to edge an athletic Parkers Chapel Trojan team 36-30 to remain unbeaten in road battles 2-0 this season. With several key pieces missing from their team against Glen Rose, Carmikle knew the Panthers would be ready to battle tough going into their game against Parkers Chapel. From the Panthers gusty and solid play on both ends of the field, Carmilke thought his troops showcased stand-out production of skills for offense and defense that secured a productive victory.
“I thought we had a good week of practice and got back to the fundamentals of tackling. I was proud how the kids were resistant. I’ll never be upset with a victory. We are 3-1 overall and I’m happy to be where we are at now,” Carmilke said.
The Panthers produced several key sparks in their offensive and defensive execution against Parkers Chapel. Top senior running back Landon Stone returned with a dandy performance to account for 280 yards rushing for three touchdowns scored against the
Trojans. Julius “The Juice” McClellan stepped up to utilize the run game for the Panthers during several critical moments. Carmikle mentioned McClellan had 111 yards of offense and rushed for 82 yards and had a 13-yard touchdown. Also Brett Williams was key and picked up 31 yards rushing for a 12-yard touchdown run that helped the Panthers account for 447 total yards rushing against Parkers Chapel.
Carmikle also was satisfied with the passing game the Panthers executed last week. Quarterback Evin Ashcraft completed 7-for-10 passes for 84 yards for a one touchdown reception to Brayden Campbell for 15 yards. Jacob Hawthorn, McClellan and the true-freshman Luke Harper each made key catches that put the Panthers in good field positions to score and execute in the red zone.
Defensively, Carmilke was pleased by how the Panthers made stops and the underclassmen stepped up with sophomores McClellan snatching the pigskin for two interceptions and Kevin Endsley coming with an interception late in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers will need more of these star-playmaking abilities this Friday to host a dangerous Dierks squad that has not tasted defeat so far into the 2020 football season.
Last week, the Outlaws coasted to a 46-28 win against the Class 3A Jessieville Lions to create a three-game winning streak. The Outlaws will look to utilize their run scheme offensively against the Panthers this Friday. Carmikle is aware how well the Outlaws have executed offensively to score points on the board in all of their victories this season. In order for his Panthers to be successful on the gridiron against their week four opponent, Carmilke knows it is important Magnet Cove take care of the football and bring a physical approach to the Outlaws.
“This Friday is our last non-conference game before we start conference play and we’ve got to take better care of the football—fix our ball security issues. Dierks brings a different mentality and we will be tested up front Friday,” Carmikle said.
Despite a few blown assignments in the secondary last week, Carmikle looks for the Panthers to sharpen up on playing assignment football— but be physical and aggressive.
“We must continue to play with the physical mentality and clean up some stuff we did against Parkers Chapel,” Camikle said.
“Dierks has a full back— hard nose runner and a few slot backs that run really hard and are smart runners. We just got to shut down their run game defensively.”
Carmilke knows the Outlaws will try to run the football against them and their offensive linemen block well to open up their ground attack, which has given them the capability to put points on the board. The Panthers defense was solid last week led by underclassmen McClellan posting 11 tackles for double-digits along with key stops by Williams and Harper continuing to blossom into a complete football player on the high school level.
“Defensively we have to play assignment football and fly to the ball and game tackle,” Carmilke added.
The Panthers have started several young players in key positions this season. “McClellan had a great game Friday against Parkers Chapel and Endsley made a big interception for us in the fourth quarter. Harper is playing well up front— Hawthorn is flying to the ball and Williams doing a good job at linebacker,” Carmilke noted.
“We just got to put together a good game for all four quarters,” Carmikle said.
The Panthers will have their key playmakers back this Friday, but Carmikle mentioned Stone and Davis Dickinson are questionable and may be a game time decision from suffering a few minor injuries last week.
Senior big man lineman Carson Lane has returned and had an impact for the Panthers last week against Parkers Chapel.
With the COVID-19 having an impact on the sports industry, Carmilke is thrilled the Panthers are still able to have a football season. Despite the limited numbers of capacity for attendance, Carmikle appreciates the support from the community and the dedicated Panther fans to give the team hope and confidence this season. It has been a challenging time during the pandemic, but Carmikle knows how football season creates an excited atmosphere of joy and looks forward to an ecstatic environment at Kenneth W. Hammons Stadium Friday night.
“I hope to see a capacity crowd allowed to support the boys. The cheer teams are now able to travel and hopefully we will get to finish out the year. The goal is to be playing our best football by the end of the year,” Camikle mentioned.