FARMINGTON -- The annual Red and White pre-season scrimmage kicked off Farmington Cardinal fall football at Allen Holland Field on August 19.
To begin the celebration of another season of Cardinal gridon competition, Pee Wee football players were introduced and Pee Wee spirit squads performed. Then the seventh grade football team coached by Spencer Adams was introduced with seventh-grade cheer and dance performance. Next, the junior high cheer and dance performed followed by the junior high football scrimmage under the direction of head junior high coach Tracy Sutton, now in his fourth year in that role.
Culminating the event, senior high cheer, dance and band performed leading up to the varsity football scrimmage under the supervision of head coach Mike Adams, now beginning his 36th season of coaching the sport. Adams has two new members added to his staff this season.
Si Hornbeck, who spent the last seven years teaching and coaching at Murfreesboro, has joined the Farmington football staff. He will coach linebackers and fullbacks/tight ends.
Neal McArthur, student intern working on a Kinesiology degree at the University of Arkansas, is volunteering with the Farmington football staff. McArthur, a graduate of Pulaski Academy, will help coach the Cardinal offensive line and defensive tackles.
Bad news and good news exists when previewing Farmington's upcoming football season, their first as a member of the 5A West. Keaton Austin, who started the last two seasons at quarterback, is not out for football as a senior having sustained a pair of concussions in 2013.
The Cardinal defense will be challenged by a quartet of teams with high-scoring offenses from 2013. Morrilton scored nearly 600 points on their way to the 2013 5A state championship averaging 45.9 points-per-game. Prairie Grove was nearly as proficient putting up 440 points in 12 games for an average of 36.7. Maumelle also went deep into the 4A playoffs scoring 397 points in 13 games for a 30.5 average. Harrison posted a losing record but that wasn't because they couldn't score. The Goblins averaged 37.8 points-per-game.
Two other opponents 7A Van Buren (27.8) and Little Rock Christian (26.0) produced more than 25 points-per-contest.
On the other hand, Prairie Grove has won three games in a row in the U.S. 62 rivalry series, a trend which the Tigers may be hard pressed to maintain. Eight of Farmington's 2014 opponents had trouble preventing scoring giving up more than 300 points defensively last year. Only Prairie Grove (179 points allowed) and Maumelle (193) yielded fewer than 200 in 2013. To capitalize on this Farmington must up the ante on their offensive output. The Cardinals scored 17.2 points-per-game last year.
Also on the plus side four opponents on 2014's schedule scored fewer points than the Cardinals last year: Huntsville (138), Clarksville (157), Greenbrier (184) and Vilonia (184) experienced difficulty scoring.
Sports on 08/27/2014