Gap between Reddies, rest of league shrinking
The school that occupies the favorite’s role in the Great American Conference hasn’t changed in 2014.
The top spot in the GAC will belong to Henderson State at least until someone snaps its 21-game winning streak against conference opponents that has spanned three seasons.
But the gap between the Reddies and the rest of the 11-team GAC may be closing a bit. The Reddies may win their their third consecutive GAC title this year, but don’t be surprised if there are some close calls along the way.
“I think we’re as talented as we’ve ever been,” said Henderson State Coach Scott Maxfield, who is in his 10th season at the school and is 22-1 against GAC opponents since the league formed in 2011. “Then again, some of the other teams probably think they’re as talented as they’ve ever been, too.”
Nobody will dispute Maxfield’s claims regarding the talent in Arkadelphia. The Reddies return seven offensive starters from a team that went 11-1 last season and led Division II in total offense (576.4 yards per game) and scoring offense (53.3 points per game), which is why the Reddies earned 10 of 11 first-place votes in the coaches’ preseason poll.
But right behind the Reddies is Harding, which is 18-4 over the past two seasons, and cross-street rival Ouachita Baptist, which took the Reddies to triple overtime before losing 60-52 in the Battle of the Ravine.
Harding has finished second to Henderson State each of the past two seasons and has reached the postseason in each of those seasons. The Bisons reached the Division II playoffs for the first time in 2012, losing to Northwest Missouri State 35-0, and beat Texas A&M-Commerce 44-3 in last year’s Live United Texarkana Bowl.
The Bisons return eight starters on offense, including leading rusher Romo Westbrook, whose 1,123 yards and 12 touchdowns highlighted Division II’s No. 3 rushing offense (359.7 yards per game). Westbrook, quarterback Keenan Kellett, Ahmad Scott and Jason Oller combined for 2,634 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns last season, and all four return this season.
Coach Ronnie Huckeba said he believes Harding can stretch its run of postseason appearances to three and possibly return to the playoffs, which it missed out on last year partly because of a season-opening loss at Southwestern Oklahoma State.
“I really think the bar for us is the playoffs,” Huckeba said. “We wanted to be in the playoffs last year. If we hadn’t gone on the road and lost to start the year, we might have been in the playoffs. That’s where our goals are.”
Behind Harding in the coaches’ preseason poll is Ouachita Baptist, the only school in Arkansas to have won at least six games in each of the past six seasons. The Tigers will christen newly renovated Cliff Harris Stadium with five returning All-GAC players, and that doesn’t include quarterback Kiehl Frazier, who signed with Auburn out of Shiloh Christian in 2011 but has transferred to OBU for his final season.
Henderson State’s schedule includes potentially tough road trips Sept. 27 to East Central (Okla.), which was picked fourth in the GAC, and to Southern Arkansas on Nov. 8, but it’s clear the GAC title will again go through the Arkadelphia team based on the west side of Arkansas 7.
The Reddies are still looking for their first playoff victory, but for right now Maxfield insists they are focused on making sure they get back to the playoffs.
“You’ve got to get back there to talk about it,” he said. “Sure, it’s something I want to do and the kids want to do, but you’ve got to get there to do it.”