5 THINGS Arkadelphia at Stuttgart
ARKADELPHIA — Arkadelphia powers into the Class 4A quarterfinals this week as the Badgers travel to Stuttgart to face the Ricebirds for a 7 p.m. game at Ned Moseley Stadium.
The Badgers (7-5) enter the game following last week’s 41-14 rout of Warren (9-2) in a rematch of last year’s state final. Stuttgart (9-1) held off Dardanelle
(9-3) after leading 14-10 at the half, taking a 21-13 win to advance to its first quarterfinal since winning the
4A title in 2012.
Here are five things to watch for in tonight’s game.
Familiar foes
This was the first year since 2013 that the Badgers did not start its season against the Ricebirds, defeating Stuttgart in each meeting over the past four years.
“We opened with them every year until this year,” said Arkadelphia head coach J.R. Eldridge. “We played them four years straight. They are familiar with us, and we are familiar with them.”
Last year, the Badgers rolled to a 29-0 victory over Stuttgart in their Sept. 1 matchup, marking the largest margin of victory between the teams.
Run-based offense
Eldridge noted the Ricebirds tend to stick to the ground for their offense, and they have a solid contingent of players they rely on, most of which are seniors.
“They are a good football team,” he said. “They
are well-coached, and they have good athletes. They do a good job of putting the ball into the hands of their good athletes. They run to the football on defense.”
Senior Tim Johnson runs the offense at quarterback with classmate Tyion Berry taking the field as his primary target. Senior Derrick Amos does the majority of the running for Stuttgart with classmate Quin Nelson and junior Davian Mayo also taking handoffs.
“Up front they have some bigger kids that are pretty good,” Eldridge said. “Their personnel is spread around pretty well. But based on the Dardanelle game, No. 21 (Amos) will be the guy to get.”
The Badgers also tend to prioritize their run game with senior running back Zion Hatley and junior quarterback Cannon Turner leading the team with just under 1900 yards rushing between the two of them this season. Last week, Hatley rushed for 169 of the Badgers’ 324 offensive yards in the first half, taking a well-earned break in the second half.
Defensive plans
The Badgers have to find a way to shut down Stuttgart’s running game, Eldridge said.
“They like to run the football,” he said. “We’re going to a runstop oriented plan. They like to hit their slots with playaction passes.”
Eldridge said he is confident in his team’s defense with quick players such as junior Kyren Harrison, senior Josh Wallace and junior defensive lineman Sammy Hawthorne leading the team last week. Senior Victor Tademy, junior Cole Turner and senior Carlos Haynie have also been standouts on defense for the Badgers this season.
Haynie leads the Badgers defense with 69 total tackles with Wallace garnering 67 tackles and Harris 62. Junior Rickey Rogers Jr. leads the team in sacks with two after taking down Warren’s quarterback last week.
Lots of options
Last week, the Badgers had plenty of time to let the younger players take to the field after a
41-0 halftime score. Eldridge said he does not plan on having any of those players getting significant time at this point.
“It will be a game-time decision,” he said. “We have a lot of those guys out on our second defense. They know to be ready at any time. Most of them are on special teams, too. Last week, it was good for them to get quality reps.”
The Badgers moved 10 freshmen up to the varsity squad after the junior high’s Week 9 finale, bringing Arkadelphia’s roster to
58.
Healthy Badgers
The Badgers are still at full strength after letting most of their starters rest in the second half.
“We are good to go,” Eldridge said. “Everybody is healthy.”