Troy faces tough test at Magnolia
Riding the momentum of a perfect start to conference play, Hot Spring faces a tough challenge when the Trojans travel to Magnolia tonight.
Hot Springs (4-2, 2-0 5A-South) dominated DeQueen 50-0 last week and beat Hope 3720 to start conference play, but an away trip against the Panthers (2-5, 2-1) represents a different kind of task.
Hot Springs head coach Darrell Burnett said Magnolia is without a doubt the toughest conference opponent the Trojans will have faced so far this year.
“We played an athletic Hope team,” he said. “We pulled it out by 17 points, which I thought we could’ve done better. Then we took care of DeQueen like we were supposed to. This is a different challenge. More of a complete team and the speed they have on offense, you don’t get to see that much at all.”
While the speed of Hot Springs’ Akeem Dorsey and Robert Linnear has been able to simulate some of that track speed Magnolia possesses, the Panther offense is still going to be tough to stop.
“What they present, man, it’s good for them,” Burnett said. “There’s a reason why they’ve made the playoffs the last four or five years. We know what we’re trying to get to, and we’ll have to get a win (tonight).”
Burnett said Magnolia’s offense is very explosive, and he added the Panthers have three running backs, including a fullback, that can really hurt defenses.
In Magnolia’s 61-35 win over Lakeside, the Panthers rushed for 685 yards. Senior Deraylen Williams led Magnolia with 278 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries against the Rams. Senior Kendrick Carey added 183 yards and five scores on just seven carries.
Leading into tonight’s game, Burnett has made sure his players are focused on just doing their jobs against the Panthers.
“They run that double slot offense where
you’ve got to be disciplined,” he said. “You have to be in the right areas at the right time. They’re going to test your eyes. They’re a tough challenge.”
After Hot Springs’ win over DeQueen, Burnett emphasized the importance of getting his receivers rolling.
Quarterback Isaac Shelor went 9-for-12 passing for 194 yards and three touchdowns against the Leopards. Octavious Rhodes led the Trojans receiving corps with three receptions for 68 yards.
“We’ve got some length out there now,” Burnett said. “Whether it’s receiver or tight end, we’ve got some guys that can make those 50/50 balls. The guys had a good day of practice all week. They backed it up (Thursday) with some more incredible catches and yards after catch. Anytime you can be balanced with the run game, physical with the offensive linemen and able to throw vertical but also hit all the areas of the field, you can be good on offense.”
Burnett said his offense gets in trouble when it tries to force things, so the Trojans need to take what the defense gives them, especially on what could be a wet night in Magnolia.
“We get in trouble with penalties like false starts, holding,” he said. “Continue to get ready to take what they give us. Move the ball, get your first downs, take your shots when you can. Throw those 50/50 balls to those tall guys. We’ve got three or four running backs that can run the ball and take it the distance anytime. You know, just doing what we’ve been doing, but we need to crank it up a whole other level for us to be 3-0 in conference.”
Against DeQueen, Dorsey carried the ball just twice for 82 yards and a score while Perry Jones chipped in 42 yards on seven carries. Finally back on the offensive side of the ball, Pierce Smalley registered 31 yards on four carries and also returned a punt for a 72-yard touchdown.
Even with the impressive offensive showing against DeQueen, Hot Springs suffered 11 penalties that cost the Trojans 109 yards. Plagued by penalties all year, Hot Springs needs to limit costly flags against a good Magnolia team.
“That just boils down to discipline,” Burnett said. “If it’s a penalty for you being physical, I don’t mind that. You can’t tell kids not to be physical; it’s a physical game. That’s what football is. The biggest thing is just foolish penalties or the timing of penalties. Where you’re thirdand-six, and you jump offsides — which we haven’t done in a while, you know — just those types of penalties.”
Burnett said the health of his team heading into Magnolia is good, and like many coaches around the county, highlighted that at this point in the season, every team is suffering from bumps and bruises.
If the Trojans can pull out a big-time win on the road, Hot Springs will be 3-0 in conference play. Burnett recalled his team’s 27-22 win at McClellan in 2019 that he said really helped his players’ psyche and belief in themselves.
“That’d be huge man; that’d be huge,” Burnett said. “That’d be like us three years ago and going to McClellan and winning a tough ball game. … Can’t run from it, it’s a big game. It’s big for the kids. It’s big for everyone else involved. They know it. It’s not going to happen by just showing up. You’ve got to go get it. You’ve got to go take it.”
Kickoff from Magnolia is set for 7 p.m.