Top-ranked Panthers, Redbugs set for quarterfinal contest

Marked Tree's Cameron Marshall (8) knocks the ball away from Magnet Cove's Brayden Campbell (22) in the Panthers' 34-16 second round win over the Indians. - Photo by Tanner Newton of The Sentinel-Record
Marked Tree's Cameron Marshall (8) knocks the ball away from Magnet Cove's Brayden Campbell (22) in the Panthers' 34-16 second round win over the Indians. - Photo by Tanner Newton of The Sentinel-Record

Looking to book a spot in the Class 2A playoff semifinals, Magnet Cove faces a tough quarterfinal challenge when two-time defending state champion Fordyce travels to Kenneth W. Hammons Stadium tonight for a battle between two top-seeded teams.

The Redbugs (8-3), from the 2A-8, and the Panthers (7-4), from the 2A-5, both received a first round playoff bye, and Fordyce handled Hector 42-7 in the second round. Magnet Cove picked up a convincing 34-16 win over Marked Tree in the second round, and head coach Caleb Carmikle said his team needs to be mentally prepared for a very tough Fordyce team.

"Every kid on their roster -- I mean they've not lost a playoff game in their high school careers," he said. "When you have that kind of success over time it instills a confidence in you that makes you hard to beat. They're no stranger to playing in late November, and I know they're coming over here expecting to win."

Carmikle added that his team also needs to go into the contest with confidence even though things may not go Magnet Cove's way at times tonight.

"They're really good, and good football teams, they're going to make plays," he said. "There's going to be times when we may be down or some kind of adversity hits and being able to stay calm and stay focused and not let it get us out of our game and try to start pressing. ... We're excited for the challenge."

In the Redbugs' last three games, they outscored their opponents 126-21. Fordyce runs a multiple offensive scheme, and the Redbugs can choose whether they want to power past opponents in the Wing-T, or they can switch to more of a Spread offense.

"If you stop (the run), then they're going to get in Spread," Carmikle said. "They've got the athletes to throw the ball around in space. They're tough to prepare for because of all the things that they do. At the end of the day, they're going to get the ball to their best athletes and try to put them in space and make you tackle them in the open field for four quarters."

Carmikle highlighted Fordyce's quarterback Trey Merritt as the player that makes everything tick for the Redbugs. Merritt got hurt earlier in the season, but the senior leader is back on the field for Fordyce.

"They're a different team with him under center," Carmikle said. "Just the way you can tell he gets everybody lined up, and he stays calm and puts the ball where it's supposed to be. He can run. He was one of their running backs on the state championship team the last two years, so obviously if you let him escape the pocket, he can really make you pay with his legs."

Making the matchup even harder for Magnet Cove, Carmikle said Fordyce's offensive line is probably the biggest line at any Class 2A school in the state.

That line size also transfers over to the defensive side of the ball. Carmikle said Fordcye tends to load the box, and the Redbugs play cover zero, daring opposing teams to throw the ball.

"They really put a lot of stress on opposing offenses with the way that they line up," Carmikle said. "It's not something that we see very much of in our conference. It's going to be quite a challenge to score some points just because of how big they are up front."

While Magnet Cove tends to be a run first team, quarterback Jacob Clausen played what Carmikle called "the best game Jacob Clausen's ever had" in the Panthers' win over Marked Tree.

The junior quarterback went 9-for-13 through the air for 88 yards and five touchdowns. On some of those touchdown passes, Clausen showed elusiveness and awareness in the pocket to evade defenders before finding his target in the end zone.

Marked Tree actually played a similar style of defense that Fordyce will play, and the Indians loaded the box against Magnet Cove.

The Panthers were able to have success downfield, and Carmikle said his team has to win those one-on-one matchups against Fordyce tonight.

"I think that was a big confidence booster for him," Carmikle said. "He's got the talent to make plays like that. We're really gifted at the skill positions this year. We've got more height at receiver than we've ever had. ... If Jacob can take that confidence boost that he had from last week and that carry over to this Friday night, that'll be really good for us."

Magnet Cove's defense dominated Marked Tree, and the Indians did not score until the fourth quarter when the game was essentially decided.

"That's our identity is a defensive football team," Carmikle said. "Really the last second half of the season we started the run that we're on. The defensive side of the ball, we got everybody where they were supposed to be, got some kids back from injury and whatnot. They really turned the corner, and we're pretty tough to score on."

Carmikle added that Fordcye presents a more difficult challenge in terms of tackling in space than any other team the Panthers have played this season.

"I think we're a very physical football team," he said. "I don't know how much physical football Fordyce has seen over the last couple of weeks. I know they played a loaded front half of the schedule so hopefully we can come out and we've got to be able to set the tone with our physicality."

With a trip to the semifinals on the line against the two-time defending state champion, Carmikle said he was really worried that his team would be overwhelmed with the occasion.

However, the Panthers' current seniors were sophomores on Magnet Cove's last quarterfinal team, and they have experience in big game situations.

"We've had several very meaningful games as far as the second half of this season with a lot of hype around it and conference championships and whatnot on the line and big atmospheres," Carmikle said. "They haven't let it faze them yet, so I'm not worried about that."

Heading into tonight's game, Carmikle said his team is a little bruised like every other team is, and the Panthers are as healthy as they are going to be at this point in the season.

Kickoff from Kenneth W. Hammons Stadium is set for 7 p.m.

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