Hillbillies have avoided big injuries

The Hillbillies have run the gamut this season with last-minute game cancellations, last-minute game scheduling and just about every other covid-19 related hiccup possible.

But one thing Ozark has not had to deal with much this season is injuries, and that has been a good sign, said coach Jeremie Burns.

“We haven’t had anything too serious,” said Burns, whose team was beset with injuries last season. “We’re doing pretty good this year so far, so we’re trying not to challenge them too much yet.”

Ozark (4-2, 2-0 4A-4 Conference) has juggled its schedule several times, but the past two weeks have presented some stability with wins against Dover and Dardanelle to get the Hillbillies back on track. This week Ozark travels to Mena (3-3). Last season the Hillbillies claimed a 14-0 win against the Bearcats.

“We expect it to be a tough game,” Burns said. “They run the ball well. On defense, they will give us different looks, so we’ll have to adjust on the fly.

They played us tough last year, so we expect the same this year.”

The Hillbillies also run the ball well, averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Senior quarterback Harper Faulkenberry leads the team in rushing with 775 yards on 99 carries and 10 touchdowns. Sophomore Eli Masingale has rushed for 329 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Burns said the Hillbillies have not been sidelined by the pandemic within the program.

“For the most part we’ve not lost any kids because of it,” Burns said. “But we’re like everybody else. We just hope to get 11 kids on the bus and hope those 11 are your starters.”

Burns