PRAIRIE GROVE -- Prairie Grove is one of the hottest teams in the state with nine consecutive victories entering postseason play.
But it was that season-opening defeat at Farmington that may have been the best thing to happen to the Tigers.
Blake Faulk
SCHOOL Prairie Grove
POSITION Halfback
CLASS Senior
HEIGHT 6-1
WEIGHT 200
NOTABLE Has gained more than 1,000 yards after rushing for 766 yards as a junior. … Rushed for 149 yards and caught a touchdown pass for 64 yards in a win over Shiloh Christian. … Also plays soccer and baseball for the Tigers … Hopes to join the military after high school or attend college and train to become a coach.
Class 4A State Playoffs
First Round
All kickoffs 7 p.m.
CLASS 4A
Heber Springs at Star City
Jonesboro Westside at Prairie Grove
Stuttgart at Ashdown
Lincoln at Dardanelle
Baptist Prep at Hamburg
PB Dollarway at Fountain Lake
Arkadelphia at Helena-West Helena
Pottsville at Highland
Crossett at Nashville
Dover at Shiloh Christian
Malvern at Central Arkansas Christian
Lonoke at Gosnell
Trumann at Pea Ridge
Gravette at Pulaski Robinson
BYES Pocahontas, Warren
"We came out with the big heads, thinking we were better than we actually were," senior Blake Faulk said of the Tigers' 28-12 defeat to the Cardinals. "That loss was a wake-up call for our team, and since then, we've played like we were supposed to."
Prairie Grove rolled to the 4A-1 Conference championship and pounded two teams, Pea Ridge and Shiloh Christian, that prevented the Tigers from winning a third consecutive league title last season. Prairie Grove hopes to continue its success when it hosts Jonesboro Westside (3-7) in a first-round playoff game Friday.
"Because of Farmington, we won't go into the Westside game thinking we're just going to roll over them," Faulk said. "We realize that anything can happen if we don't play to the best of our ability."
Prairie Grove rebounded from the Farmington loss and began a nine-game winning streak after Faulk rushed for 109 yards in a 30-12 victory at Charleston.
Faulk is the latest in a long line of standout halfbacks at Prairie Grove, which routinely wears opponents down with its Wing-T offensive set. Faulk moved from wingback last year to take over as the lead back for speedster Bobby Catt, who was injured. Catt took over for Logan Bartholomew, who took over for Weston Bartholomew as the featured back for the Tigers in recent years.
"Blake is a little bigger than most of the backs we've had, and he's not quite as fast," Prairie Grove coach Danny Abshier said. "But he has a little bit of a shake to him and a lot of desire. He really wants to run the ball, and he runs it hard. He gets the job done."
Faulk (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) has kept the tradition going by rushing for 1,003 yards on 112 carries this season. Faulk was particularly effective in consecutive games against Gravette and Shiloh Christian, where he rushed for 158 yards against the Lions and 149 yards against the Saints.
Faulk is also a good receiver who's caught 11 passes for 211 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown catch against Shiloh Christian.
"Weston really ran hard, and he was always a person I look up to," Faulk said of the former all-state player. "He was very humble about what he did and how he played. Bobby Catt was injured a lot last year, but he was also one of the best I've seen running the ball. So, I knew I had to step this year to be anything like the other guys who've played halfback at Prairie Grove."
Sports on 11/12/2015