Jonesboro aiming for 6A-East prize

Jonesboro is in position to clinch at least a share of the 6A-East Conference championship with a victory Friday at Sylvan Hills.

The Hurricane (5-2) are 4-0 in the 6A-East with victories over Sheridan, Pine Bluff, West Memphis and Searcy.

But Hurricane Coach Randy Coleman is focused only on defeating the Bears at Bill Blackwood Field in Sherwood.

"Any championship you can win, whether it's a conference or a state championship, it's tough to do," he said. "With Sylvan Hills, West Memphis, Pine Bluff, El Dorado and Searcy -- which is the defending state champion -- it's a tough league. To put ourselves in the position to win a conference championship has been good.

"It's a big game for us. We've got to take care of the things we can control."

Jonesboro lost senior starting quarterback Cross Jumper to a leg injury Sept. 11 against Conway. Junior Rykar Acebo has taken control of the Hurricane offense, passing for 1,279 yards with 14 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He had 275 yards and 3 touchdowns in Jonesboro's 41-14 victory over Searcy on Friday, in which the Hurricane led 31-14 at halftime.

"Football is like life. Adversity is going to hit at some point," Coleman said. "It's how you deal with it. I've been super proud of how our guys have done.

"Rykar is a big part of that. He was such a good teammate behind Cross. He could've been frustrated, but he was always the consummate teammate. When his number was called, he's played well."

In his first season at Sylvan Hills, Chris Hill has the Bears (5-3, 3-1) playing well with a three-game winning streak against West Memphis, Sheridan and El Dorado.

Hill, who was hired in May after spending three seasons at Harding University, didn't underestimate the importance of the Bears' game against the Hurricane.

"You'll never win a big game if you don't make it big," said Hill, who led Wynne to the Class 5A state championship game in 2014 and 2016 before heading to Harding. "We have to be able to play our best game of the season."

Sylvan Hills defeated El Dorado 33-7 on Friday as junior quarterback Corey Washington threw two touchdown passes. The Bears also had 349 rushing yards against El Dorado.

The Bears haven't suffered a setback since a 10-7 loss at Marion on Sept. 25, with Hill calling that game a wake-up call.

"I told our kids, I think we have a chance to beat anybody. But we also have a chance to get beat by anybody," Hill said. "Since then, they've been refocused."

Hill credited Sylvan Hills' senior class for adjusting to him in his first season.

"Our kids have bought into what we're doing," Hill said. "We ask a lot out of the kids. But they have done a great job."

The Bears' triple-option offense under Hill has Coleman's attention.

"We have to be disciplined as a team, not only with the schemes they run, but individually with our players' eyes," Coleman said. "Our eyes will have to be in the right place. That offense is built to get people out of place. We have to maintain our discipline."

Sylvan Hills hasn't won an outright league championship since 1999. Hill said Jonesboro will be a tough matchup for the Bears, but they're ready to get them at home Friday.

"They're a very good football team," Hill said. "Coach Coleman has done a good job. Year in and year out, they're one of the top teams in the state.

"We have our hands full. But we're excited to be at home. It should be a good high school football game."