New Chapter In Rivalries

Prairie Grove coach Danny Abshier knows keeping his undefeated Tigers mentally focussed is a challenge.

“That was certainly a high beating Ozark,” Abshier said. “We were still on a high. On Wednesday, Jacob Kahl tried to give us the wakeup call.”

Abshier didn’t think the Tigers were as sharp as they could have been against Farmington with the Cardinals still in the game despite having multiple turnovers.

“We didn’t knock them out like we should have,” Abshier said. “They have a hefty offensive line. Spencer Boudrey carried it a bunch.”

On Friday, Colby Elkins’ interception at the goalline stopped Farmington’s momentum to begin the second-half and Prairie Grove mounted a 99- yard drive during a key turning point.

The sequence factored prominently in deciding the outcome as Prairie Grove held off Farmington, 27-21, in the “Battle of 62.” The atmosphere was pumped as fans of schools six miles apart piled into Prairie Grove’s Tiger Den Stadium to watch the Tigers take on the Farmington Cardinals.

Prairie Grove coach Danny Abhsier said the win took a monkey off the Tigers’ backs and is the first time Prairie Grove has won consecutive games in the series since 2001-2005 when they won five in a row.

“There’s been some things haunting us the last couple of years,” Abshier said. “Our guys tried hard for the most part but just didn’t have the mentality.”

Tiger runningback Weston Bartholomew celebrated his 18th birthday with 17 carries for 169 yards to offset 182 yards gained by Farmington’s Spencer Boudrey on 26 rushes.

Despite all the offensive yards, there were defensive plays including five interceptions by Prairie Grove that sealed the game.

“They’re a real good ball team,” said Farmington coach Mike Adams, adding he was happy with the way Farmington competed.

“We competed all night,” Adams said. “Defensively, we kind of got lost a couple of times in the first-half.”

Abshier singled out the play of Elkins and Creyton Ledbetter.

“Colby Elkins played a good, hard game and our center, Ledbetter, we were real pleased with him,” Abshier said.

Abshier noted Ledbetter was taking the place of Luke Johnson, who tore his ACL, on defense and the Prairie Grove coaches didn’t know how he’d hold up playing both ways.

“We were happy with his effort,” Abshier said.

This week Prairie Grove takes on their neighbor to the west, Lincoln, whose coach Brad Harris, said he and Abshier had tried to renew the series the past two years but scheduling conflicts didn’t allow it.

It ’s not that Tyl e r Cummings doesn’t respect the Prairie Grove football team, the junior just wants the same kind of respect for Lincoln from their U.S. 62 rival.

As newcomers to the 4A-1 conference, replacing perennial football powerhouse, Shiloh Christian, the Wolves are out to earn the respect of league teams. Tennille Cummings, mother of the injured junior who is out with an ACL injury, feels the school earned a degree of that with a win over Farmington during summer competition.

“We did that at seven-onseven,” Tennille Cummings said. “Farmington doesn’t have the outlook on us that Prairie Grove has.”

“We talked to some of the parents at the seven-onseven,” Tennille Cummings said, adding she thinks both Farmington players and parents already have a healthy respect for Lincoln football but a similar impression has yet to be made with Prairie Grove.

“Prairie Grove has the ‘we’re just going to beat you and be done with it attitude,’” Tennille Cummings said.

“That’s kind of the game for us, the Prairie Grove game,” Tennille Cummings said. “We played them in eighth grade. The boys do a lot of smack talking, ‘Oh, Lincoln can’t beat us, you guys are horrible.’”

“We may not beat them, but they are not going to walk over us,” Tennille Cummings said.

Cummings, who attended school at Prairie Grove and played with many of the Tiger players at the pee wee level in fourth, fifth and sixth grade, is fully aware of the caliber of players on the Tigers’ roster but singled out his opposite number 20.

“Prairie Grove, they’re all athletes,” Cummings said. “They are very talented, but Weston Bartholomew is by far the best athlete in Prairie Grove.”

“Jacob Kahl is the workhorse on defense,” Tennille Cummings said. “They are both outstanding young men, they are not hateful, they’re good kids. I remember seeing them when they were itty bitty.”

When told his opposite number 20 from Lincoln had high praise for him in the preseason, Bartholomew immediately identified the Wolf running back and said he had a high regard for him.

“Tyler Cummings, I’ve known him for a long time,” Bartholomew said.

“They’ve got a good coach, good group, most are still juniors who are up and coming. They’ll be in the conference hunt,” Abshier said.

Prairie Grove comes into the game undefeated with 2-0 conference mark while Lincoln is 4-1 and 1-1 in the 4A-1. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at the old Lincoln High School football field.