Fountain Lake and Lakeside turn the page this week after kicking off the season with local rivalry games in Week 1.
Fountain Lake (1-0) started the season with an 18-0 win on the road against Hot Springs (0-1), while Lakeside (0-1) came up short at home against Lake Hamilton (1-0), 31-27, in the first matchup between the two teams since 1999. The inaugural First Security Bank Kickoff Classic matched up the Cobras and the Trojans for the first time since 2007.
Friday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Allen Tillery Field.
Here are five things to watch in this week's matchup:
Change of venue
Fountain Lake head coach J.D. Plumlee said the Cobras did not treat last week's game as a road game. He said the team dressed and warmed up on its home field before driving to Hot Springs for the game.
"Any time you get to play at home is always an advantage, but when you are just having to drive across town, I don't think it is that big of a deal," Plumlee said.
Lake Hamilton now has a 19-12 edge in its series against Lakeside, while the Rams hold a 7-5 edge over the Cobras in games against each other since 1985. They played eight times between 1987-97 before resuming the series four times from 2008-11.
"We have had a good week of practice," said Lakeside head coach Jared McBride. "I think they have bounced back pretty well. We talked early on about that first game not really defining our season. Our kids played well and played hard, and they bounced back in practice early in the week. They showed they are ready to move on, also."
"We know that we can compete, we can be physical and we can make plays," McBride added. "We have to continue to grow on that. We have to continue to get better at finishing. That is always something we work toward is finishing the ball game no matter what is going on. For us, we will just look to execute a little bit better and finish the game."
Familiar faces
Plumlee is an alum of Lakeside and a former coach for the Rams.
"Throughout the years, we have coached against different people we have worked with before, but you have to give a lot of respect for J.D., his program and the things they are doing," McBride said. "It will be fun matching wits with someone who knows you pretty well."
"It's fun and there's obviously added challenges because Jared does know me and I know him," Plumlee said. "We know what each other likes to do. At the end of the day, the kids have to execute and the kids are the ones making the plays.
"That is what is so fun about Friday nights. There is always the X factor that shows up and makes a play that nobody expected."
Power backs
Friday's game will feature two of the top running backs in the area. Senior Andrew Roberson (5-10, 185) ran 32 for 124 yards and two touchdowns against Hot Springs, while Lakeside senior Dorecus Ferguson (6-1, 185) scored three times and had 81 yards on 23 carries against Lake Hamilton.
"Jared does such an unbelievable job with the offense and coach (Garren) Rockwell does an unbelievable job with the defense," Plumlee said. "We try to simulate that some, but we go against big backs every week in our league.
"He is a powerful, downhill runner. We know it is going to be a challenge, but we are excited about the opportunity. We know we are going to have to get a bunch of hats there to get him all the way down to the ground.
Lakeside must contend with a formidable running game for the second week in a row. The Wolves compiled more than 500 yards of total offense, including 410 yards on the ground.
"Our kids see good runs all week," McBride said. "They will be prepared. I know they will present a few problems for us all around just because they are a good football team, but I expect us to play well."
Plumlee said his team's winning formula was on display against Hot Springs. The Cobras snapped the ball 71 times, including 46 runs, which kept the clock moving.
"When we have the ball, the other team can't score," Plumlee said. "When we got up two touchdowns against Hot Springs, we went to more of that, especially in the third and fourth quarter, just keeping it on the ground, keep running it and keep getting first downs that way.
"Lakeside comes in here and they are a lot bigger up front on both sides of the ball. We are excited about the chance to be able to play them at our place."
Balanced attack
Both coaches said they are looking for more production in the passing game, while preparing for their opponents to do the same.
"We are going to keep worrying about ourselves," Plumlee said. "Lakeside's defense will give you problems with as much as they like to blitz and stunt. We have to be really disciplined on our tracks and win with our eyes.
"And we are going to have to be able to throw it a little bit more and take what they give us."
Lakeside senior Taylor Gillham was 13-for-19 passing with 262 yards and an interception against Lake Hamilton.
"The passing game for Lakeside is pretty good as well," Plumlee said. "They've got two weapons there. If you load the box, he is going to throw it on you, and he can be successful doing that, but if you try to get out there too much, he can line up and hand it to that guy. And he is a load to bring down."
Fountain Lake junior Ian Lacy was 7-for-10 for 85 yards with an interception against Hot Springs.
"You have to be prepared for balance and I think that is what we will get from them," McBride said. "We have a good crew back there on the back end that will handle themselves. We have to get pressure on the quarterback and continue to run to the ball."
"We are still looking to pass the ball and trying to get better at throwing the football in different ways," McBride added. "That will be big for us if we are able to do that."
Turnover margin
Roberson returned an interception for a touchdown 20 seconds into last week's win and the Cobras recovered two fumbles. The Trojans also recovered two fumbles and had an interception. Plumlee said he liked the pursuit of the Cobras on defense.
"Our defensive team speed is pretty good and our guys fly around," Plumlee said. "Our game plans are simple enough to allow kids to react and go make plays."
Lake Hamilton fumbled four times and recovered all four against Lakeside, including one advanced for a touchdown. The Rams had a chance to go ahead a week ago until a fumble inside the 5-yard line with 1:33 remaining was recovered by the Wolves.
"We talked about that as a key for us on the game, Week 1, of not getting those turnovers," McBride said. "They were on the ground. They were there. The ball just did not bounce our way.
"We did not produce those turnovers. So, we are still working toward making that happen. That is a big part of our game. We have to be able to get those and not put it on the ground, offensively."
Week 2
This week is the first of the season with all games kicking off on Friday. Other Week 2 games include Malvern (0-1) at Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs at Mena (1-1), Mount Ida (1-0) at Jessieville (1-0), Mountain Pine (0-1) at Dierks (0-1), Rose Bud (0-1) at Cutter Morning Star (0-1), Poyen (1-0) at Bismarck (1-1) and Atkins (2-0) at Magnet Cove (1-0).
Sports on 09/06/2018