Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

PA, LR Christian continue rivalry

- JEREMY MUCK

Class 5A’s final game of the season features Pulaski Academy and Little Rock Christian for the third consecutiv­e season.

Little Rock Christian won the 2018 Class 5A title, then Pulaski Academy avenged that defeat with a win in last year’s championsh­ip game.

At 12:10 p.m. today at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, the Bruins will attempt to win a second state title in a row and their sixth in seven years under Coach Kevin Kelley.

Pulaski Academy (12-0) is in the state championsh­ip game for the seventh year in a row.

“It’s always nice to be back in the state championsh­ip game,” Kelley said. “That’s a goal the kids have set at the beginning of the year. Our kids kept finding a way [to win] and kept battling. “We feel battle-tested.” The Warriors are looking to claim their second title in three years and second in school history.

“Our program is on the rise,” Little Rock Christian Coach Eric Cohu said. “In the last two years, we won a state championsh­ip, then won a conference championsh­ip and were a state runner-up.

“We’ve got another chance to win a state championsh­ip.”

Pulaski Academy won the teams’ regular-season meeting 60-28 on Oct. 23 at Warrior Field in Little Rock. The Bruins jumped out to a 32-0 lead in the first half.

Kelley added that the Bruins will be ready for the Warriors’ best shot as they try to avenge their loss earlier this season.

“What we did well last time was adjust quickly on offense,” Kelley said. “What we did really well on defense was shut them down on offense when our offense wasn’t doing well. We got a couple of onside kicks in that game. People will go, ‘ Oh, you beat them by 32.’ You can’t count on getting two onside kicks. Last year, we got two onside kicks and lost, and in the state championsh­ip game didn’t get any.

“The only thing I’m worried about is our kids looking at how we beat them by 32 and think this isn’t going to be that hard this year. They know better because they respect the heck out of those guys and know they’re wellcoache­d. We pound that into their heads.”

Cohu said the Warriors (9-2) must play better against the Bruins or risk a similar outcome today.

“We have to come out of the gate well,” Cohu said. “We have to eliminate the penalties and sloppy football. We have to start strong and finish strong.”

Junior running back Joe Himon is Pulaski Academy’s biggest weapon.

Himon has rushed for 2,003 yards and 22 touchdowns on 180 carries. He’s also caught 76 passes for 954 yards and 9 touchdowns.

The Bruins’ quarterbac­k duo of senior Nolen Bruffett and junior Charlie Fiser has been solid this season.

Fiser is 200-of-302 passing for 2,570 yards with 36 touchdowns and 11 intercepti­ons. Bruffett has completed 126 of 197 passes for 1,784 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 intercepti­ons.

Little Rock Christian’s success begins with senior twoway player Corey Platt.

Platt has caught 41 passes for 673 yards and 14 touchdowns and has 43 carries for 412 yards and 10 scores.

Defensivel­y, Platt has 71 tackles, including 3 for a loss, along with 4 intercepti­ons, 3 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries.

Pulaski Academy is 3-2 in the teams’ past five meetings since 2018.

The magnitude of the Pulaski Academy-Little Rock Christian rivalry is not lost on Cohu.

“It’s a big game. It’s the state championsh­ip,” Cohu said. “We’re familiar with each other. All of these things make it bigger than a normal game.”

 ?? (Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Jimmy Jones) ?? Pulaski Academy running back Joe Himon has rushed for 2,003 yards and 22 touchdowns this season while catching 76 passes for 954 yards and 9 more touchdowns.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Jimmy Jones) Pulaski Academy running back Joe Himon has rushed for 2,003 yards and 22 touchdowns this season while catching 76 passes for 954 yards and 9 more touchdowns.

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