After league losses, time to ‘ go’ for Trojans
At least Hot Springs knows where it stands.
In a reverse from last year’s 5A- South championship run, the Trojans won their three nonconference games before losing twice in league play. That makes winning a must virtually the rest of the way, starting with De Queen tonight at Reese Memorial Stadium.
“It’s go time,” coach Chris Vereen said. “We’ve got to win a conference football game. We’ve got to win the next three for sure.”
The Trojans ( 3- 2, 0- 2 in conference) enter a workable stretch. After playing De Queen ( 1- 4, 0- 2), they go to Magnolia ( 2- 3, 1- 1) and then play winless White Hall at home. Hot Springs goes to Camden Fairview ( 2- 3, 1- 1) before a home game with Lakeside, one of the conference’s three 2- 0 teams.
Losses to Watson Chapel and Hope, both 2- 0, turn the upcoming three games from probableto must- wins.
“It’s one of those things.
We’ve got to go right now,” Vereen said. “That’s what one of our themes for the week was. My analysis was we’re kind of like a boxer in the eighth round and we’re behind in the scorecard. It’s time to deliver a knockout blow. We’ve got to come out swinging and we’ve got to win.”
Hot Springs starts with two key players at less- than 100 percent. Cleo Floyd is not completely recovered from a sprained ankle sustained two weeks ago, and fellow running back Kayvon Ward is hobbled by a sore knee.
Vereen said Ward played most of last week’s 25- 14 loss to Hope with a sprained knee that swelled over the weekend.
“We’ve going to try to get him ready to go; walking wounded,” Vereen said.
Sophomore Kenny Byrd started in place of Floyd last week and led the Trojans with 74 yards on 10 carries.
Floyd started on defense, then joined the offense for its last first- half possession and caught an 18- yard touchdown pass from Korey Wasson for a 14- 12 lead. Floyd went both ways the second half, but ran for only 16 yards on seven carries.
“The bottom line is in the last two weeks we haven’t had a gain of more than 15 yards.” Vereen said. “( Byrd and Ward) have done a great job, but the big- play threat isn’t there with Cleo out of the ballgame, it just isn’t.”
He listed Floyd at 70 percent early in the week.
“Cleo is the only speed guy on the team,” Vereen said, “and when he’s not in the lineup it takes those 10- to 15- play drives to get down and score, and any coach will tell you when you run 10 to 15 plays you have room for mistakes — a turnover, a loss- ofyardage play.”
That was a problem against Hope. Hot Springs lost two fumbles and 145 yards on 14 penalties, three straight blotting a late drive to the Bobcats’ 14.
Perhaps its biggest mistake was a roughing- the- kicker call on a fourth- quarter punt with Hope leading 18- 14.
“I can promise you … we should not get another roughing the punter,” Vereen said, “and we’ve got to keep our hands in. Some of that you can’t control, but some of it you can. It’s definitely one of the things we focused on this week. We have to play mistake- free football. I think we counted up five or six procedure calls. … We’ve got to fix that.
“We’re not good enough to have two turnovers and commit 150 yards in penalties and win the game. I don’t know if anybody’s that good.”
De Queen ( 1- 4, 0- 2) comes off a 37- 14 loss to Watson Chapel. The Leopards and Trojans have faced the same two conference foes, De Queen falling 38- 21 to Hope.
Hot Springs dominated last year’s game with De Queen 5212.
“They are very much improved, especially offensively,” said Vereen, who formerly coached the Leopards. “They’re doing some really good things. I think they’re the same way we are. They think they’ve played two very good ( conference) teams. … For both of us it’s pretty much a must- win situation this week.”
Bobcat quarterback Drew Dykes threw for three touchdowns in an opening 41- 13 rout of Mena, which Hot Springs defeated 14- 7 the following week. De Queen’s running game, however, is Vereen’s top defensive concern.
“They’ve got probably the biggest offensive line we’ve seen this year,” he said. “They do a really good job of mixing the run and pass. Their bread and butter has been the run. For us I think that bodes well because we’ve done a pretty good job stopping the run this year. We have to do a better job ( not) giving up cheap touchdowns. That’s exactly what we’ve done the last two weeks. I say it every week, but the key is not giving up cheap touchdowns.”
Two of Hope’s touchdowns came after long kickoff returns by University of Arkansas recruit McTelvin Agim, the Bobcats Bobcats also scoring on a 80- yard pass.
“Every time we score it takes a 10- or 12- play drive and controlling the clock, and on the other side we’re giving up an 80yard kickoff return or an 80- yard pass,” Vereen said. “Our deal is we’ve got to make them earn it. The touchdowns we’ve given up the last two weeks, they haven’t earned it. It’s been a blown cover, a blown special- teams assignment. We can’t win football games by giving up cheap touchdowns.”
*** Vereen said quarterback Ethan O’Riley will make his first start since leaving the Mena game with a concussion. Wasson, also a safety, started behind center the last three weeks.
O’Riley played in the second half against Hope and completed three of five passes for 83 yards.
“Against Lake Hamilton and in the scrimmage ( vs. Little Rock Christian), I felt like O’Riley threw the ball well,” Vereen said. “He did the other night, and quite honestly that’s something that’s been missing in our offense. We haven’t had much of a passing game since he’s been out. He does a good job throwing the football, and that’s a dimension we’re going to get back this week.”
Besides backing up O’Riley, Wasson would play running back.
“We’re going to give him some looks at running back this week,” Vereen said. “I know he’ll do a great job blocking, and he does a great job running the football. With Cleo and Kayvon banged up we need some depth right there, and I think he’s the kind of kid we can put at any position on the field and he’ll help us. The biggest positive we get with Ethan back is Korey doesn’t have to be a two- way starter.”