Since I'm supposed to be neutral, I asked a friend on what advice he'd give Pea Ridge in its game against Warren.
My friend lives in Prairie Grove and was in the stands last week when the Lumberjacks beat the Tigers, 48-28.
"They better cover No. 13," he said, "and No. 7 and No. 17. They need to put pressure on that quarterback, who is pretty dang good himself."
The names attached to those numbers are receivers Treylon Burks, Keemontrae McKnight, and Braden Hargis, and quarterback Hayden Lassister, who threw for over 400 yards at Tiger Stadium. I can't remember the last time I watched a sophomore thoroughly dominate a football game like Burks (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) did against Prairie Grove. Burks caught eight passes and scored four touchdowns on 202 yards receiving. Single coverage, double coverage, he was unstoppable.
Arkansas has already offered. But with two seasons left to play, the Razorbacks will have a plenty of competition to trying to keep Burks at home.
Warren (13-0) is clearly the favorite in tonight's Class 4A state championship game against Pea Ridge (13-1), whose only loss came at Prairie Grove. But we mustn't assume anything, especially after Pea Ridge went to Nashville and eliminated the defending state champions on their home field.
Pea Ridge is in the championship game for a reason and you can bet Warren coach Bo Hembree has said that to his team more than a few times this week. The Blackhawks will attempt to counter Warren's speed advantage with athletes like Hayden Holtgrewe, Zaine Holley, Robby Pickthall, and Drew Winn.
Pea Ridge coach Stephen Neal also knows how to put together a game plan to win big games. He did it for years at powerful Tulsa Union, where he was defensive coordinator, and moved to Northwest Arkansas primarily to provide a safer environment for his young children.
So, it's no coincident he has Pea Ridge in the state finals for the first time after helping Tulsa Union to four state championships in Oklahoma's largest classification. A Pea Ridge win over Warren would not be the biggest upset in playoff history, but I've seen both teams and that leads me to only one conclusion.
The championship trophy in Class 4A will be headed south, not north, after tonight's game.
RICK'S PICK Warren
Other games involving teams from Northwest Arkansas (selections are capitalized).
CLASS 3A
Prescott vs. CHARLESTON
LAST WEEK 4-1 (80 percent)
OVERALL 161-44 (79 percent)
Sports on 12/09/2016