Slowing Johnson comes first for Lions’ defense

Jon Johnson isn’t Haskell Harmony Grove’s only offensive weapon, but he takes top billing.

Going into Jessieville’s conference road matchup with Harmony Grove tonight, coach Don Phillips mentioned the Cardinals’ other running backs and quarterback Dakota Rains’ passing before focusing on Johnson.

“If you don’t get him slowed down,” Phillips said, “the rest of it becomes academic.”

Johnson made the all- state team last year after rushing for 1,916 yards in 11 games. He was held to seven yards two weeks ago by Glen Rose, the only team to beat the Cardinals, but rebounded for 174 yard and four touchdowns on 14 carries in a 54- 7 shellacking of Bismarck.

Johnson added a fifth TD on a pass from Rains. In his first year leading veteran coach Jimmy “Red” Parker’s veer offense, Rains went six of eight for 154 yards.

“They’re very disciplined in what the try to do,” Phillips said. “They execute well. The running game speaks for itself, but they throw the ball well, too.”

The key, however, is containing Johnson, who ran for 233 yards in a 51- 21 rout of Conway Christian three weeks ago.

“Johnson can really go,” Phillips said. “The thing about him is, as well as he runs between the tackles, he runs well off the perimeter. Trying to stop what he does becomes a task. They ( also) line him up at slot receiver and throw it to him. … You can’t load up on one pot, syou’ve got to stop it all.”

Junior quarterback Steven Benson threw a pair of touchdown passes in last week’s 49- 17 loss to Glen Rose, which shut out Jessieville ( 3- 2, 1- 1) in the second half.

“They’re similar to Glen Rose defensively in that they bring pressure,” Phillips said.

“We’ve got to do what we do. Whether it’s the quick ( passing) game or the running game, those things have to be executed regardless of what the pressure is like.”

Bigelow at Mountain Pine

Their losing streak ended two weeks ago, but the Red Devils’ injury problems continue.

After senior receiver/ linebacker Trevor Bowden went out for the season with a torn ACL, Mountain Pine lost receiver/ cornerback Tyson Stewart — its biggest scoring threat — to a high- ankle sprain in last week’s 63- 0 loss to Conway Christian.

What’s more, a Mountain Pine player was ejected at Conway Christian, making him ineligible for tonight’s home game against Bigelow.

“It’s been a challenging season,” first- year Red Devil coach David Jordan said.

Mountain Pine ( 1- 4, 0- 2 in 2A- 5) was already without injured guard/ defensive end Kyle Allen ( fracture foot). One positive note is the expected return of senior running back/ safety Zach Gould from a sprained knee.

“We have two other kids who are going to play but are banged up,” Jordan said. “If we had everybody ( available) we would have a shot.”

An ailing Red Devil who expects to play is sophomore quarterback Mathew Herron, who left the Conway Christian game after injuring his throwing arm.

“I don’t know if he’ll be able to throw by Friday,” Jordan said. “It might be a ( gametime decision). He said he might he able to try it.”

Senior receiver/ running back Kyle Dietz took direct snaps in Jordan’s spread offense last week after replacing Herron.

‘ We put in a little Wing- T stuff his week,” Jordan said. “That’s hard to learn in a week. I don’t know if we can do that.”

Bigelow surprisingly is without a win. The Panthers lost 19- 16 to Quitman in their conference opener and were routed 42- 0 by England last week.

“They’re big, but they’re not very fast,” Jordan said. “If we had all our people we would be more athletic than them. It’s not so much ( Bigelow), it’s what we have that’s the issue.”

Jordan expects all of his injured plays except Bowden back for next week’s game at Poyen.

CMS at Poyen

On one hand, Cutter Morning Star coach T. C. Shamel thinks the Eagles have played better than their 0- 5 record indicates.

On the other, he said the way they have finished possessions and games has ruined their chances to snap what has become a nine- game losing streak.

The hardest- to- take aspect of last week’s 31- 6 loss to Quitman came on defense.

” It was fourth- down conversions that hurt us,” Shamel said, “not our fourth downs, theirs.”

Going four for five on fourth down helped Quitman pull away from a 6- 6 tie. The Bulldogs led 14- 6 at halftime

“We just couldn’t get a stop,” Shamel said. “You know it’s going to be hard when you have a lot of young players. It wasn’t our effort. We’ve got a lot of young kids.”

CMS has given up 190 points, Quitman’s total being the fewest the Eagles have allowed.

Defensive coordinator Mark Shelton’s scheme is not the problem, Shamel said.

“We have to make some plays. Coach Shelton has got them in great position. They’re not finishing,” Shamel said. “They’re not doing what they’re supposed to do. That’s why we’re 0- 5. It’s the same thing on offense.”

The Eagles are averaging 11.2 points, scoring last week on Holden Boyden’s 17- yard run in the first quarter.

After opening 2A- 5 play with a lopsided loss to Conway Christian, Poyen recovered for a 28- 20 win at Magnet Cove. Quarterback Brooks Homan ran for 152 of the Indians’ 326 rushing yards, also passing for 92.

Coached by former Hot Springs assistant Vick Barrett, Poyen earned a nonconference win over Bismarck ( 32- 16).

“They’re coming off a big win,” Shamel said. “( Barrett) is going to have them fired up. He and Keith ( Barrett, defensive coordinator) do a great job with those kids.”

Shane Goodner, Catch’em All Guide Service, said most weighing slightly more than a pound, have been caught on brightly colored jigs in the main channel. Carolina rigs tipped with nightcrawlers or live minnows have been effective in late evening. A few white and black bass have been caught around the dam on Alabama rigs and spinnerbaits cast over rock structure. Catfish are biting well below the bridge on cut bait fished under a jig or tightlined from a boat. Striper and hybrid action, currently slow, can change rapidly with presence of baitfish. Catfish are beight caught below the bridge on cut bait fished under a jit or tightlined from a boat.

Lake conditions: 64 degrees below dam, clear in tailrace. Minimum flow- generation schedule below dam.

Lake Hamilton: Darryl Morris, Family Fishing Trips, said white, yellow and black bass are feeding on the abundant threadfin shad. Casting or vertically jigging small silver spoons is working best with trolling shad- colored crankbaits another option.

Lake Ouachita: Todd Gadberry, Mountain Harbor Resort, said black bass are still very good on topwater baits and spy baits on points near structure. Walleye are good on three- quarter- ounce C. C. spoons jigged vertically near structure. Stripers are still fair on live bait and hair jigs in main- lake points and humps on the eastern end of the lake. Bream are good and hitting worms, grubs or crickets near brush 1525 feet deep. Crappie are very good near brush with small spoons, minnows or crappie jigs around 20- 30 feet deep. Catfish are fair with night crawlers or stink bait. Lake conditions: 72- 76 degrees, clear, 568.63 feet msl. DeGray Lake ( Sept. 30): Local angler George Graves said bass fishing is good with some surface action reported in early morning and almost any topwater lure working if placed in front of the fish. Later in the day, try medium- running crankbaits and lipless crankbaits in major coves off secondary points. Texas- and Carolina- rigged worms in green pumpkin and red shad also are working well. Look for fish at midlake around Alpine Ridge and Yancey Creek, and with shad migrating toward creeks, try Big Hill and Brushy creeks.

Hybrid fishing is fair along shad schools in Shouse Ford and Beaton Creek areas. Look for breaking fish and throw a Tiny Torpedo, Baby Zara Sppook or 3- inch swimbait. When fish go down, fan cast a jigging spoon and work up from bottom. Bigger fish can be found deep off DeRoche Ridge. Also look for schooling fish around Alpine Ridge.

Lots of bream are biting on the full moon in any cove with some cover. For bluegills use a float and fish about 4 or 5 feet deep using crickets. For shellcrackers use worms and tightline a split- shot rig near the bottom 15- 20 feet deep. Catfishing is quite good by bottom fishing in coves or with noodles in deep water at night. When cove fishing, look for one with standing timber in about 20- 30 feet of water in Iron Mountain and around the dam, setting noodle baits around 20 feet deep. Best baits are hot dogs soaked in strawberry Kool Aid, chicken livers, nightcrawlers, cut shad or Catfish Charlie. Lake conditions: low 80s, clear, 396.11 feet msl. Lake Greeson: Gary Lammers, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, said spotted bass are on main- lake points and hitting finesse worms and live crawfish in 15- 20 feet of water. Largemouth bass are hitting white spinnerbaits along rocky points and shallow brush piles and buzzbaits in the shallows early in the morning and late in the afternoon. White bass are schooling early and late, hitting CC spoons and shad- colored crankbaits.

Lake conditions: 78- 80 degrees, clear, 539.79 feet msl.