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Wildcats won't be overconfident
Last updated Thursday, October 2, 2008 8:28 PM CDT in Prep Sports
Matt Jones
SPECIAL TO THE MORNING NEWS
SPRINGDALE -- It feels a little like deja vu for Springdale Har-Ber coach Chris Wood.
The third-year coach is looking for a different outcome this time around, though, as his No. 4 Wildcats travel to No. 7 Fort Smith Northside tonight.
"They're pretty grounded," Wood said. "Our guys remember last year."
The high from a big win over crosstown rival Springdale followed by a road trip to Fort Smith Northside was a recipe for disaster in 2007, resulting in a 12-7 loss.
Last week the Wildcats (4-0, 1-0 7A West) beat Springdale again, but with last season's disappointing trip to the River Valley fresh in their mind, Wood said they won't come overconfident.
"Our guys are focused on Northside," Wood said. "What they can do on offense really opens your eyes."
The Grizzlies (3-1, 1-0) are coming off a 59-38 win last week at Rogers Heritage in which the two teams amassed more than 1,000 yards of total offense. Northside coach Darrell Henry said it was the most offense he has seen in his quarter-century of coaching.
"You don't expect to score 59 points -- or at least I don't," Henry said. "Some coaches might, but they don't play in the 7A-West."
The Grizzlies are led offensively by senior quarterback Dax Dupire, who passed for 418 yards and three touchdowns last week and rushed for 75 yards and four more scores.
Against a Har-Ber defense that likes to blitz out of the secondary, his ability to escape could be key.
"He has a great knack for scrambling with the football when things aren't there," Wood said. "I think he's one of the better quarterbacks in our league and he's playing at a high level right now."
But Henry said don't forget about the passing game, noting Dupire's ability to spot the blitz early and find mismatches in the secondary as being his biggest improvement this season.
"That's one of the areas where I believe he has gotten better every week," Henry said. "He has got better in his rhythm of finding a receiver, and if it's not there going to the next one and going to the next one. I believe that's what makes our offense work."
The Wildcats aren't without their own offensive firepower. Har-Ber's balanced attack averages 454.7 yards and 39 points per game.
Last week against Heritage, Northside allowed 352 yards and 25 points in the first half and trailed at halftime.
"Defensively, we have to start the game off this week like we started the second half last week, by being where we're supposed to be and doing our assignments the way we're supposed to," Henry said. "If we don't, Har-Ber is the type of team who will do to us what they've done to other teams this year by putting up 35 points in a half.
"We can't do like we did last week and play just 24 minutes. We have to play the whole 48 minutes to have a chance to win."
TONIGHT'S TICKET
Springdale Har-Ber at Fort Smith Northside
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Har-Ber is 4-0 overall, 1-0 7A-West Conference; Northside is 3-1, 1-0
RANKINGS: Har-Ber is No. 4 in Class 7A by Hooten's Arkansas Football. Northside is No. 7.
HOOTEN'S LINE: Har-Ber by 7
RADIO: Har-Ber, KQSM-FM 98.3
FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE
Offense Defense
Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt.
QB Dax Dupire Sr. 5-10 179 DE Brandon McReynolds Sr. 6-3 217
RB Semaji Edwards Sr. 5-10 210 DE Tevin McElwee Jr. 6-3 230
WR Colton McKinney Sr. 5-7 186 DT Jeff Gimmett Jr. 6-1 254
WR Auther Poole Jr. 5-7 156 DT Ronald Barholm Jr. 6-1 195
WR K.J. Roberts Sr. 5-10 170 OLB Darrell Thompson Sr. 5-7 174
WR Allen Johnson Sr. 6-0 182 OLB Tyler Springwater Sr. 6-0 195
LT Demiko Shade Jr. 5-9 235 ILB Cody Beneux Jr. 5-8 184
LG Rick Jones Jr 6-2 315 ILB Semaj Edwards Sr. 5-10 210
C Lucas Camble Jr. 5-9 247 FS Zach Morehart Jr. 5-11 168
RT Kevin Gaynor Jr. 5-9 230 CB Antonio Jones Sr. 5-10 161
RG Jabari Douglass Sr. 5-9 240 CB Stefan Johnson Jr. 5-8 150
Springdale Har-Ber Wildcats
Offense Defense
Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos. Name Yr. Ht Wt.
QB Zach Faust Sr. 5-10 189 DE Jeremy Pianalto Sr. 6-2 200
RB Derek Brinker Sr. 6-0 207 NG Eric Pearce Jr. 6-2 242
WR Kaleb Vaughn Jr. 6-0 168 DE Stephen Needham Sr. 5-11 201
WR Brad Taylor Sr. 6-5 200 LB Austin Otwell Sr. 5-10 162
WR Brye Payton Sr. 6-2 175 LB Jacob Bundrick Jr. 6-0 199
WR Josh McKinney Jr. 6-1 189 LB Daniel Andreadis Sr. 5-10 174
LT Sam Henley Sr. 6-3 237 OLB Berkley Cox Sr. 5-9 177
LG Eli May Sr. 6-1 265 CB Zach Smith Sr. 5-9 142
C Kent Woodard Sr. 6-1 237 CB D.J. Donahew Jr. 5-6 145
RG Daniel Garcia Soph. 6-0 245 SS Chandler Collyar Sr. 5-8 172
RT Brandon Thayer Sr. 6-3 244 FS Houston Pruitt Jr. 5-11 170
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