After picking up just one win over the DeQueen Leopards last fall, Hot Springs (1-0) managed to turn things around early as the Trojans held Fountain Lake to 40 unanswered points in the first three quarters before the Cobras last-ditch effort awarded them a score to avert the shutout, 40-8, at Allen Tillery Field.
"That was big," said Hot Springs head coach Darrell Burnett. "It's big when you work your butt off, finally get a win and start the season off with a win. That's always good. And our kids needed to see something positive. You wake up better on Saturday, and [going into] this next game tomorrow is a whole lot better when you're 1-0. We've just got to keep it going. We keep it going, the sky's the limit."
The Trojans look to capitalize on the recent win as they take on the Mena Bearcats (2-0) tonight at Tommy J. Holt Field at Joe C. Reese Stadium.
After creating multiple turnovers in last year's contest at Mena, Hot Springs struggled to swallow the 19-0 loss.
"Last year, we created seven turnovers and we lost," said Burnett. "If you create seven turnovers in football, you're supposed to win those games and be on the opposite end, but that just shows what kind of program they've got. They pulled out the win. That was one of the sour tastes in our mouth last year -- to create that many turnovers and still lose."
With a loaded crew of athletes taking the field, the Trojans will keep an eye out for multiple producers on the opposite side of the ball.
"They're good," confirmed Burnett. "They play hard defensively and are very skilled offensively. They've got a tight end who got a lot of offers, like Division 1 offers. He's really good -- No. 82."
Mena senior Zane Stephens splits time at the receiving slot while commanding the huddle at QB. Junior Gaven Hooper and junior back Jake Wiles are offensive playmakers that Burnett says will be major targets for Mena's offense.
"Those are their offensive guys that are really, really good," he said. "They do a good job with running east, west (and) downhill -- throw the ball over your head if they can. Defensively, they just play hard. They're really coached up. Some polls got them [in the] top ten in 4A and some got them top five, so we can't come out playing slow ball like we did against Fountain Lake. That won't work. We've got to come out the gate against a very good team, well-coached, too, by coach Bentley. Our job's cut out for us."
Burnett will rely on multiple Trojan leaders to make strategic plays while also defending the line and making stops.
"We're looking at [Isaac] Shelor to have a good game. He had some dropped balls from receivers [and] probably left 40-50 yards out there on the field. Malik Brewer, we're going to try to get him as many touches as we possibly can. We've got to get him going. Carlos Brewer and the running backs, Devin Hill and some of those guys; guys that can finish.
"And I mean finish the game; no cramping up or any of the other stuff. Now O-line, we expect Trent [Gordon] to have a big game. On the defensive side, we just need every body else to play like they did. We're challenging them [Mena], and we're challenging our players."
Health-wise and with the exception of one backup, the Trojan lineup is well-suited for the heat while being prepared for the physical force and athleticism that is sure to be staged by the opposing Bearcats.
"Everybody's good to go," Burnett said. "We had a backup defensive end that played some for us last game. He might have a slight ACL injury, so he won't suit up or play. And there's a little bug going around, but other than that, everybody's healthy. Our guys are somewhat used to it [the heat] now. In the summertime it was different because we'd come in at six in the morning, but we eased our guys back into it to get used to the heat. They've been doing good; we've been keeping them hydrated."
Sports on 09/13/2019