Cutter Morning Star will travel to Bismarck on Friday night for the first area matchup of the 2018 football season before a bevy of local rivalries commence next week.
This week is officially Week 0 in the schedule. Games were able to be held a week earlier than usual as many schools throughout the state began the fall semester earlier than usual.
Here are five things to watch Friday when the Eagles meet the Lions:
Summer prep
The earlier start to the season created a time crunch in the preseason. Bismarck won, 27-7, on the road in a preseason scrimmage game against Perryville on Thursday, but Cutter Morning Star was unable to schedule a scrimmage or jamboree before Friday's season opener.
"We wish we would have played," said CMS head coach T.C. Shamel said. "We have talked about that. How is it going to affect us not having those 160 snaps? Whereas (Bismarck) did get those."
"We are trying to figure out what they are going to be in. I don't think (Shamel) wants to let us know yet," joked Bismarck head coach D.J. Keithley.
Shamel said Bismarck will not be entirely unaware of his team's approach. The teams have traded consecutive wins in the six years since they were conference opponents.
Cutter Morning Star won, 27-6, in 2017 and, 40-21, in 2016. Bismarck won the two previous years, 36-6 and 46-34. The Eagles won in 2013 and 2012, 28-20 and 34-13, respectively.
"Defensively, we have a new coordinator, but, offensively, they know what we do," Shamel said. "They saw us in 7-on-7. They know what we run. We have been running the same stuff over here for a long time.
"It is not that they are going in cold cold. They can pull up last year's film and get a lot of what we do formation-wise. Defense is similar, but there are some differences."
Keithley said his team's performance was "hit and miss" in the 27-7 win against Perryville.
"We got inside the red zone on our first three offensive drives and did not score," Keithley said. "We finally scored on the fourth one."
The score was 7-7 at halftime. Keithley said it was a different experience for the players who practiced in ran through much of the preseason.
"That was the first time we actually have gone out there and done anything in the 90s since probably the first day of summer practices," Keithley said. "That killed us in the first half, but once the sun went down, we kind of got in our groove and that was when we were able to open it up a little bit."
Numbers game
"The numbers are just killing us," Keithley said.
Both teams reported participation numbers in the low 20s during the preseason. Keithley said the sophomore class was smaller than expected. The Lions also lost a couple of players for at least a week or two to injuries.
At least one injury was offset by the return of senior running back, receiver and linebacker Jordan Webb, who was away at boot camp during the preseason.
The Eagles have alternatively bolstered their numbers since the school year began.
"Our numbers jumped up," Shamel said. "We have had a couple of move-ins and a couple of guys who used to play that have come back out. We actually have 30 kids on the roster right now.
"That is huge. We are able to at least get some quality practices in."
Inexperience
The two teams return a combined 14 starters from 44 total offensive and defensive positions a year ago. Keithley said most of his returning players are not even playing the same positions.
"We still have a lot of learning going on," Keithley said. "I have a lot of kids that have never played before that are actually having to start. I have a lot of kids that have never played before that will have to be backups."
Bismarck's roster includes a number of juniors and seniors. The Eagles feature 12 sophomores to only six seniors.
"We are young," Shamel said. "Of the 30 kids on the roster, half of them did not play least year or have never played football. It is 30 kids, but it is not 30 kids that have been in the system since seventh grade."
"I am counting on a lot of those kids," Shamel added. "They know they are going to have to play a big role for us this year. I've got sophomores all over the field, but I think they are ready for it."
Shamel said he expects to start sophomores Sam Moore and Keshawn Blevins at quarterback and running back, respectively, and on defense. Moore and Blevins received the defensive and offensive Player of the Year awards, respectively, for the junior high team last season. Fellow sophomores Dagan Radar and Brock Alexander are expected to contribute.
"They knew going into the summer that they were going to have to fill a big role for us to be successful," Shamel said. "Our junior high, record-wise, did not show just how competitive we were last year. If you just look at each game and the scores of each game. We were right there with every team.
"Poyen won our district, 8-0, and they beat us on a little screen pass that went 60 yards. They beat us, 12-6. We were in every game -- England and Magnet Cove, too. It was just one play here or there."
Familiar vs. unfamiliar
Bismarck and CMS are hoping to rely on previous experience against each other, but Cameron Brown is the new defensive coordinator for the Eagles and many returning players are in new roles this season.
"Our kids know those kids really well," Shamel said. "A lot of them are either related or friends with them. It has turned out to be a nice game to play."
Bismarck was able to learn the new roles during the win at Perryville, but Keithley said it was a sloppy performance. He said the Lions were able to capitalize on the home team's mistakes.
"It was ugly," Keithley said. "It was a good thing Perryville was trying to throw it on us. If they had just run the ball the whole time, it probably would have been a different game."
Starting off on the right foot
Bismarck has already notched a win this season, while Shamel said he hopes his team effectively adjusts to the senior high level in the first game.
"If we can contain the jitters a little bit, not have a lot of mistakes and stay in the game, then we can start doing what we do," Shamel said. "We will just try to play Cutter football and we will see what happens."
"Skill-wise, I would say we are probably a little better just because we have (Dylan) Clayton," Keithley said. "Adding Jordan Webb back into the mix has helped."
Keithley said the scouting report on CMS is the Eagles have a young, inexperienced offensive line.
"I feel good about our shot Friday night, but I don't like not knowing what they are in," Keithley said. "Right now, we are just guessing in the dark about how we are going to block.
"Last year. they were in an odd front and had what was almost like a 5-1 playing with a man free over the top."
Other games Friday night:
Magnet Cove at Mountain View
Head coach Caleb Carmikle will start his second year at Magnet Cove with a road game at Mountain View. The Panthers earned a tie of the 2A-5 conference title a year ago, but entered the playoffs with the league's third seed. They finished with a record of 7-5 after exiting the playoffs, 20-14, to Hazen.
Mountain View was 3-8 in 2017 -- 4-7 after picking up a forfeit win against Earle -- but a 3-4 record in the 3A-1 conference gave the Yellowjackets a playoff berth.
Magnet Cove will have a two-week break before hosting Atkins on Sept. 7.
Haskell Harmony Grove at Centerpoint
The Knights will open up the season against a former conference opponent. Harmony Grove moved up to Class 4A in the Arkansas Activities Association's 2018-20 reclassification cycle. Jessieville and Glen Rose also moved out of the 3A-5 conference and Gurdon moved down to Class 2A. One of the new members of the 3A-5 is Camden Harmony Grove.
Centerpoint finished 2017 with a 6-5 record after losing to Harding Academy, 49-21, in the first round of the playoffs.
Haskell Harmony Grove head coach Paul Calley resigned earlier in the year after amassing a 118-50-4 record with the Cardinals and the Bryant Hornets. The Cardinals were 8-4 with a playoff victory in 2017 before moving into the 4A-7 conference, which includes Fountain Lake, Malvern, Nashville, Joe T. Robinson and defending champion Arkadelphia.
Sports on 08/22/2018