PLAYOFF NOTEBOOK: Rebels No Different Than Past Years

Issac Jackson, Fort Smith Southside’s junior quarterback, runs into the end zone for a touchdown past the tackle attempt from senior defensive back Utah Julius on Aug. 31 at David Gates Stadium in Rogers.

Issac Jackson, Fort Smith Southside’s junior quarterback, runs into the end zone for a touchdown past the tackle attempt from senior defensive back Utah Julius on Aug. 31 at David Gates Stadium in Rogers.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

— Fort Smith Southside may no longer be a conference foe, but Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said this year’s Rebels are no different than the ones his Tigers have faced in the past.

“They’re the same guys,” Lunney said about Southside, which travels to Bentonville for their Class 7A state semifinal game Friday night. “They play very aggressive defensively. They’re a predominantly run football team.

“They’re big up front on the offensive line. They have powerful running backs. The biggest difference is this year they have a quarterback that’s a high-level dual threat.”

Isaac Jackson, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior, has accounted for almost 2,000 yards and 27 touchdowns rushing and passing the ball. That included three scores in Southside’s 24-22 quarterfinal victory over Springdale Har-Ber.

“He can throw it and stretch the defense across the field,” Lunney said. “He can also run with the football. The rest of it is pretty much the same. When you add that piece in there, it makes them very multiple on offense.

“They have the element of play-action passes when they fake the run and run bootlegs off the passes. They also drop back and throw the ball. Even though they are running the ball, they’re doing it out of the gun and out of zone reads. They’ll also get in the four-wide and spread the field.”

Lunney said his team will its normal practice today, then change things up for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Tigers will have a light practice Thursday, then return that evening for game equipment.

— HENRY APPLE

Fayetteville Faces Tough Test

FAYETTEVILLE — Several opponents have presented Fayetteville with difficult challenges this football season.

But when Fayetteville lines up for its Class 7A semifinal game Friday at North Little Rock, a test unlike any other this season awaits.

“It’s definitely a challenge,” Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. “There’s no team, top to bottom, with as many athletes as North Little Rock that we have faced. We’ve played some great teams like MUS and Jefferson City and I’m glad that we played Har-Ber and Bentonville near the end of the season to get us ready for the playoffs.

“But none of those teams have the athleticism that North Little Rock has.”

Fayetteville (8-3) received a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed from the 7A/6A-West and defeated Conway, 38-17, last week in a game not nearly as close as the final score. The Charging Wildcats (10-1), the top seed from the 7A/6A-Central, also won easily last Friday, 28-0 against Cabot.

“On defense, gap control assignment is key and you’ve got to tackle great,” Patton said. “They’ve got so many guys that can break and big one, like (Altee) Tenpenny and (Juan) Day. So we’ve got to do a good job of tackling.”

While Fayetteville hasn’t seen a team with as much speed as North Little Rock, Patton also believes his Bulldogs present the Charging Wildcats with a different look as well.

“They’re big up front (on defense) and have great closing speed. But they’ve not seen a quarterback like Austin Allen. So we might be able to show them some different things.”

North Little Rock is trying to become the first team from outside the West conference to advance to the state finals since West Memphis in 2005 with a win against the Bulldogs.

“There’s good teams from the Central conference,” Patton said. “And it would be a good thing for the state if a team from the Central won a title.

“I just hope it doesn’t happen in my lifetime.”

— VERNON TARVER

Pirates Face More Speed

GREENLAND — Greenland coach Lee Larkan has made no secret about his team’s lack of speed — at least when it comes to some of the state’s other Class 3A powers.

The Pirates (8-3) negated Osceola’s quickness and forced seven turnovers in last week’s 28-14 win at Jonathan Ramey Memorial Stadium. But Larkan said his team might face even more “blazing” speed Friday when it hosts Prescott (10-2).

“You look at them, and you look at a team that’s got the talent to win a state championship,” Larkan said. “They’ve got mega-speed at every skill position and a really good scheme they got going.”

Prescott has outscored its first two opponents in the playoffs by a 121-40 margin, allowing the Curley Wolves to advance to the quarterfinals for the third time in four years. Larkan said Prescott’s high-powered offense poses a challenge for Greenland as it prepares for its first quarterfinal game in school history.

“The big thing is when they’re on offense, we know that if they break it we’re not catching them,” Larkan said. “We got to combat that with getting a bunch of people to the football and playing as hard as we can.”

The Pirates attempted onside kicks and short kickoffs last week in an attempt to keep Osceola’s speedy return men from breaking long touchdowns. Larkan could take a similar strategy against Prescott, which will have to make the 4-hour trip to Greenland for Friday’s game.

“The hosting is great. It’s such an advantage not to have to get on that bus, and people have to come up here,” Larkan said. “And we hope it’s going to be cold.”

— ALEX ABRAMS