It’s Worth Repeating

Following a 38-21 defeat at White Hall on Friday night, Hot Springs Lakeside coach Jared McBride had a similar answer for almost every question.

Q: Was that White Hall defense better than the first time around?

A: “They beat us at every position and they played a fantastic football game.”

Q: How was White Hall able to contain all-purpose standout Ajalen Holley?

A: “They beat us at every position. They are a fantastic football team.”

Q: Too many mistakes out there tonight …

A: “They beat us at every position. They are a fantastic football team.”

Q: It seemed like at first your team was going to establish the ground game against White Hall. What happened?

A: “They beat us at every position. They are a fantastic football team.”

That’s quite an impression the Bulldogs left on McBride, right?

“I don’t know about that; that’s a nice thing for him to say,” White Hall coach Mike Vaughn said. “I thought our kids played hard. Theirs did, too. We’ve come a long way, obviously.”

Because of their dominating performance — highlighted by Tim Cook’s five touchdowns (four rushing, one interception return) — the Bulldogs will play Batesville this Friday in White Hall’s first state semifinal game since 1991.

— I.C. Murrell

Zebras-Wolves rematch not surprising

When Lake Hamilton dismantled Pine Bluff to the tune of a 56-21 score on Oct. 7 — in Jordan Stadium — Zebras coach Bobby Bolding said it was the worst loss of his coaching career.

“I’ve never been so embarrassed … I mean, it was a total breakdown,” Bolding said after the game.

On the other side of the field, Lake Hamilton coach Jerry Clay offered a thought that probably sounded a little more far-fetched than it does today.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see (Pine Bluff) again, and I know it will be tougher next time,” Clay said that night.

That prediction proved to be quite prophetic, as Pine Bluff travels to Lake Hamilton on Friday for a 6A state semifinal matchup.

Looking at the games since the teams first met, the Zebras appear to have found a recipe for success on defense. Pine Bluff held Searcy to 14 points, its lowest total of the season. The 21-point effort for El Dorado in the last game of the season was the Wildcats’ lowest point total of the season also.

In two other games, against Little Rock McClellan and Sheridan, the Pine Bluff defense allowed just 12 points total.

Pine Bluff’s offense continues to click behind the four-headed monster of seniors Jordan Humphrey, Lemmie Daniels and Jalen Dabner along with junior Walter Ashley, who has totaled more than 2,000 all-purpose yards this season. Ashley played against Searcy despite the shooting death of his father the previous weekend.

Now, with Friday night’s 7:30 p.m. rematch, Pine Bluff will be able to directly measure just how far it has come in improvement since the Oct. 7 game.

— Conor O’Neill

Cardinals put faith in Wishbone

After Friday night’s 26-23 win against Stuttgart to advance to the 4A state quarterfinals, Dollarway coach Cortez Lee again talked about how this year’s Cardinals team has the desire to be in this position.

“From Day One, they always said that, ‘Coach, we’re going to be a good team,’” Lee said.

But that wasn’t the only thing the Cardinals players told their coach.

After a first half in which Dollarway collected just 45 yards of total offense, 33 of which came on one play, it was clear the Cardinals were struggling. The adjustment — using a Wishbone offense — racked up 161 rushing yards in the second half.

And according to Lee, the players deserve credit for not only the yardage but also the decision to use the Wishbone.

“They said, ‘Coach, let’s run down their throat; I think we got them’” Lee said. “I thought we had the pass, but I just listened to the players.”

Now the 5-seed Cardinals from the 8-4A Conference move into a quarterfinals matchup with Gravette on Friday. Because of four forfeited wins for using an ineligible player, Dollarway’s record will prevent the Cardinals from hosting any playoff games.

But going on the road and facing hostile environments doesn’t seem to be a problem for Dollarway.

“Every time we were faced with adversity, guys just showed a lot of resilience and played hard,” Lee said.

— Conor O’Neill