ARKANSAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Is this the year Pulaski Academy's title reign ends?

Pulaski Academy’s (from left) Grant Pignio, John David White and Blake Titus celebrate with teammates after their 37-36 victory over Little Rock McClellan in the Class 5A state championship Dec. 2 at War Memorial Stadium. White and Titus are among the key returners this season as the Bruins go for their fifth consecutive state title.
Pulaski Academy’s (from left) Grant Pignio, John David White and Blake Titus celebrate with teammates after their 37-36 victory over Little Rock McClellan in the Class 5A state championship Dec. 2 at War Memorial Stadium. White and Titus are among the key returners this season as the Bruins go for their fifth consecutive state title.

Pulaski Academy is used to getting everybody's best shot.

That comes with the territory of being a defending state champion.

But for the Bruins, they're not just defending one title -- they're the defending four-time Class 5A state champions. The Little Rock school is the first to win four titles in a row since Barton achieved the feat in 1986-1989.

"They're the standard in the state, in all classifications," Little Rock McClellan Coach Maurice Moody said.

Bruins Coach Kevin Kelley didn't have a problem with talking to his team about a four-peat in 2017.

He isn't running from the possibility of a five-peat, either.

"I want them to feel the pressure of that," Kelley said. "I want them to feel so much pressure where the game is not that hard. It's not as stressful as our practices or the outside pressure from the media or the fans.

"We've talked about it all summer. Unfortunately and fortunately, you love being part of four in a row. But now you've got the stress of being part of five in a row. You don't want to be the guys to end that streak as a group.

"It's gotten to them at times this summer. But in the end, it calloused them up, makes them hard and everything seems easy for them."

If there's one school over the past four years that hasn't made it easy on Pulaski Academy, it's McClellan.

While the Bruins have not lost to the Crimson Lions during that span, the southwest Little Rock school has given them fits, including in last season's Class 5A state championship game.

McClellan led 36-23 entering the fourth quarter and was on the verge of ending the Bruins' state title streak. But the Bruins got two rushing touchdowns from quarterback Layne Hatcher and John David White's forced fumble and Brett Lynch's fumble recovery helped them seal a 37-36 comeback victory for a fourth consecutive crown.

Throughout the past four seasons, Moody and Kelley have shown a mutual respect toward one another.

"I told [Kelley], 'Man, you guys bring the best out of us,'" said Moody, who also led McClellan to the 2015 Class 5A state championship game against Pulaski Academy. "When they [our players] see PA, their eyes get big. They really want them. They want to compete against those guys."

Pulaski Academy is 46-0 against Arkansas teams since the start of the 2014 season. The last in-state team to defeat the Bruins was Morrilton in the 2013 Class 5A quarterfinals.

"PA is an outstanding football team," said Little Rock Christian Coach Eric Cohu, whose Warriors lost 86-56 to the Bruins last season at Pulaski Academy. "They do things so well. They execute perfectly."

Health and the players' belief in the program's system have allowed the Bruins to be successful inside the state, Kelley said.

"I feel like we've got really good coaches who run a really good system on both sides of the ball," Kelley said. "We use numbers and use stats to give us the best advantage in play-calling, whatever it is. I think that factors in.

"Our kids buy into that system. They'll turn on the TV and hear, 'Run the ball. Play defense.' Or they'll hear, 'Grind it out.' We'll teach our kids not to take that hit on offense. Get what you can get and get out of bounds. Or get on the ground and live to play another play and you'll be healthy. You won't be dinged up."

It's that system that keeps Moody and several coaches alert.

"Preparing for them is a nightmare," Moody said. "It poses a challenge for us in all three phases of the ballgame. In special teams, you have to be on your P's and Q's because they can turn the game around.

Watson Chapel Coach Jared Dutton will lead the Wildcats into the 5A-Central Conference this season after moving from the 5A-South. The Wildcats travel to Pulaski Academy on Oct. 26, which is a matchup Dutton is looking forward to.

"As dominant as they've been, you have to catch them on a year where they're down," Dutton said. "But they're the best until somebody beats them. Hopefully it could be us this year. When you're on top, you always have that target on your back. Somebody's always trying to beat PA. Everybody knows it. It hasn't happened in a while."

Could a third time be the charm for Moody's Crimson Lions should they face the Bruins once again in the Class 5A state championship game?

"We're better equipped to face them this year than we were in the past," Moody said. "This ballclub is smarter and tougher. If we face them again, I think we can finish it this time."

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Little Rock McClellan Coach Maurice Moody and the Lions have proved troublesome to Pulaski Academy in recent seasons. “They’re the standard in the state, in all classifications,” Moody said of the Bruins.

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staton breidenthal

Pulaski Academy Coach Kevin Kelley will attempt to lead the Bruins to a fifth consecutive state championship this season. “Unfor- tunately and fortunately, you love being part of four in a row. But now you’ve got the stress of being part of five in a row,” he said.

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Pulaski Academy’s John David White intercepts a pass intended for McClellan’s Jaylin Cunningham in last year’s title game.

Sports on 08/17/2018

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