Midseason matchup far from ordinary

Nashville and Joe T. Robinson bring undefeated records into tonight's 7-4A Conference game, but don't tell Scrappers Coach Mike Volarvich that this game is bigger than any of the previous five Nashville has played.

"Every game is a big game for us," said Volarvich, who led the Scrappers to the Class 4A state championship last season and has the Howard County program on a 20-game winning streak. "We're somebody's Super Bowl every week. We can never take our guard down. We're going to get somebody's A-game week in and week out.

"We try to treat them all the same. We have a routine that's consistent.

"This week, it's Week 6."

Robinson Coach Todd Eskola agrees with Volarvich.

"It's fun for the fans," Eskola said. "It's fun to see a matchup like this.

"But it's Week 6."

This isn't a typical Week 6 matchup.

Today's game between the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's top two teams in Class 4A at Scrapper Stadium in Nashville has been one of the season's most anticipated games of the season.

The No. 1 Scrappers and No. 2 Senators are 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the 7-4A Conference, one of the toughest conferences in the state.

"They're a solid football team," Eskola said of Nashville. "They're the defending champs. They've got most of their people back. Their offensive line is outstanding. Their running backs are as good as anybody in the state. They're solid across the board.

"They know how to win. We're excited about the challenge."

Nashville averages a state-high 67.0 points per game through five games. Robinson has averaged 48.4 points per game.

Robinson likes to throw the ball with senior Hunter Eskola (1,526 yards, 22 touchdowns, 2 interceptions), but Nashville does its damage on the ground, led by senior Darius Hopkins (893 yards, 17 touchdowns).

Hopkins has had two 200-yard games this season and has averaged 178.6 yards per game.

"You have to tackle well," Eskola said. "That's what it boils down to. We've got a lot of speed on defense. They've done a good job of swarming to the football. That has to continue this week.

"We don't have to do anything superheroish."

Volarvich said he's been happy with the Scrappers offense so far.

"We have to continue to get the ball into our playmakers' hands," Volarvich said.

Robinson senior Koilan Jackson and junior Nathan Page may be the best receivers in the state. Page has caught 19 passes for 726 yards and 10 touchdowns; Jackson, who has orally committed to Arkansas, has 24 receptions for 597 yards and 7 touchdowns.

"Those two guys are the guys their offense goes through," Volarvich said. "They've been very dynamic players."

Robinson beat Arkadelphia 46-9 last Friday to go 2-0 in 7-4A. Page had 8 catches for 282 yards and 2 touchdowns against Arkadelphia, one day after being involved in an automobile accident. He also had four tackles and an interception on defense, Eskola said.

Nashville won at Fountain Lake 65-29 last Friday, with junior quarterback Tyler Hanson throwing six touchdown passes. The Scrappers have won their past 14 7-4A Conference games. Their last conference loss came against Fountain Lake on Oct. 3, 2014.

Volarvich has not lost as Nashville's coach since taking over in January 2015. He said the Scrappers are in for a test today against the Senators.

"We have to limit their big plays through the air," Volarvich said. "They've had a bunch of explosive plays this year. We have to limit those explosive plays.

"Offensively, we have to keep doing what we've been doing all year. We've been very productive, so we have to keep continuing the things we've done."

Eskola said his team has been loose all week getting ready for Nashville, which hasn't lost since Nov. 28, 2014 against Dardanelle in the Class 4A quarterfinals.

"There's no pressure on us," Eskola said. "They have a 20-game winning streak.

"We can't turn the ball over and we'll see what happens."

Sports on 10/07/2016