Northside needs wins to qualify for the 7A playoffs. But this week, the defending state champion is standing in the way.
The Grizzlies have a lot of work to do in order to reach the postseason, while Bentonville looks poised to repeat as the state’s largest classification champion.
Bentonville lost 31-21 to Southside three weeks ago, and that has been bad news for the rest of the 7A-West. The Tigers have scored 104 points in the last two weeks, including a 48-0 drubbing of Rogers last week. Bentonville leads the conference with 316 points scored (45.1 per game). Bentonville has scored 89 points more than any team in the conference.
Following Friday’s round of state playoff games, five of last year’s high school football state champions are still in the hunt to repeat those efforts.
Buzz Bolding, athletic director for Conway Public Schools, is pleased, particularly from a potential revenue standpoint, that a vote by the largest 32 schools in the state placed Bryant, Cabot and North Little Rock back into the 7A/6A Central Conference.
Prior to Friday’s game at Helena-West Helena, Forrest City Coach Rich Trail said one of the keys to a Mustang win would be stopping the big play Cougar offense.
Once Siloam Springs’ quarterback Brian Adair tossed a 39-yard touchdown pass to narrow Greenbrier’s lead to 28-24 late in the third quarter, the Panthers could go only one of two ways.
In the final nonconference game before 5A-West play begins, the Vilonia Eagles put together an evenly balanced attack and a convincing 35-24 win over Beebe on Friday night.
Spencer Harris and Marco Vota batted down Kiehl Frazier's desperation pass to finally end an instant classic as Greenwood outlasted nationally-ranked Shiloh Christian, 54-51.
Northside was able to throw the slant route at will in the second half against Little Rock Catholic but one play kept the Grizzlies from posting a perfect nonconference record.