After starting the season with back-to-back trips out of state, Pine Bluff High School won’t have as far to go this Friday.
The Zebras will travel south to face Camden Fairview at 7 p.m. in their final non-conference game of the season.
Coach Micheal Williams said playing Fairview, an Arkansas Class 5A playoff team last year, will help him see where the Zebras stand in the playoff picture.
“Coach (Nick) Vaughn does a good job with this team,” Williams said. “So, this actually gives me a better feel of where we actually are. The two games we played in Texas and (before in) Mississippi, sometimes you play up to competition or you’ll play down to competition. Now, I’m just hoping we play our game and they have to play up to us.”
After a tough loss to a reigning Mississippi state champion in the season opener, Pine Bluff (0-2) took Dallas Kimball to overtime last week but ultimately fell short.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The loss to Kimball was a near miss for Pine Bluff as the Zebras search for their first win. The Knights tied the game on the final play of regulation before winning in overtime, but that sour ending was nonetheless part of a much better showing by a young team away from home.
Williams said after losing a lopsided game at home to Kimball last season, going to overtime with the Knights this year showed how far Pine Bluff has come.
“Everybody played up to their full potential at the same time,” Williams said. “A lot of times, we have bright spots, but that’s all you have. This time, defense was playing all good at the same time up until the last three-second play of the game. Offense-wise, we did pretty good. Quinton Roy shined really well for us, and that gave everybody a good morale to keep on going, as well.”
Fairview (0-2) suffered a close 17-14 loss at Arkadelphia to open the season before losing its home opener last week 43-27 to El Dorado.
The Cardinals beat Pine Bluff 27-0 last year and went on to finish second in the 5A-South Conference before reaching the second round of the state playoffs. Their only losses last season came to 6A El Dorado, 5A Hot Springs Lakeside and the participants of the 5A state championship game, Little Rock Parkview and Farmington.
Fairview lost a ton of talent from that team, though, including four all-state players. They brought back three all-conference players, including an offensive lineman and two defensive linemen.
Williams said despite the talent the Cardinals lost, they still pose a threat.
“The D-line gives a lot of pressure to the quarterback, so we gotta be prepared for that considering the fact that we have a sophomore and a freshman on the O-line playing, as well as our sophomore quarterback,” Williams said. “All four of our sophomore receivers still will be playing as well, and so, they have to be able to pick up the blitzes and all the things like that.”
Williams said the Zebras need a win before next week’s bye, and a win at Fairview would tell him to expect this Pine Bluff team to make the playoffs come November.