Nashville, Bauxite battle for playoff berths

BAUXITE, Ark.—The regular-season finale in Saline County has a little more meaning.

Nashville (7-2, 4-2) travels to Bauxite (8-1, 5-1) for Senior Night and playoff seeding in a Class 7-4A clash at The Pit, beginning at 7 p.m.

“Well, we’re going there for their Senior Night,” Nashville head coach Mike Volarvich said. “It’s obviously going to be a big challenge. They’ve played really well this year. They won eight games this season so far, doubling their amount of wins last year.”

The Miners have outscored opponents 343 to 187.

The Scrappers numbers are comparable, outscoring opponents 382 to 167 this season.

Dawson Dabbs leads Bauxite rushing with 144 carries for 1,193 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“Bauxite is a really good

football team,” Volarvich said. “We’re excited about the challenge.”

There are a few different playoff scenarios surrounding this contest.

If Bauxite wins, they’ll win the conference championship. If the Miners lose, they’ll earn the No. 4 seed in next week’s playoffs.

If Nashville wins, they’ll be in a No. 2 seed in the playoffs and if they lose, they will take the No. 4 seed spot.

“Obviously, there’s heavy playoff implications with this week’s game,” Volarvich said. “It’s a differrence for both teams whether you are playing at home or playing on the road. That’s a big deal whenever you get to playoff time. This is really an important game for both teams.”

Keyshawn Stewart hopes to lead the Scrappers to victory on the ground. He has 823 yards on 116 totes with 11 scores.

Carmillias Morrison will also add depth for the Scrappers in the backfield. Morrisson has 119 carries for 803 yards and seven touchdowns.

“Obviously, what they do offensively makes you do things differently on your defense,” Volarvich said. “Their Dead-T offense kinda forces your hand to play a little bit differently than you normally would. We have to also win the battle at the line of scrimmage.

“They have a bunch of really big offensive linemen that are very physical. We have to make sure we maintain our assignments. We’re excited about finishing the regular season against a team that’s playing for a championship.”