Just a few hours after Prairie Grove knocked off Ashdown in a second-round Class 4A playoff game, Tigers coaches were already focusing their attention on Star City, their next playoff opponent.
On Saturday morning, Prairie Grove coaches were dissecting film and preparing a scouting report for Friday's 7 p.m. home playoff game. The fact that the game will be played in Tiger Stadium was a definite plus, said Tigers coach Danny Abshier.
"It's huge," Abshier said. "When you have to drive five hours, then add in lunch and a couple of stops, it takes you out of your normal routine. You have some jet lag wearing on you when you drive a long trip, so yeah, it's a huge advantage for us not to have to drive that far."
Star City knocked off the higher seed Pocahontas 33-28 on Friday, ensuring that Prairie Grove will play its third straight home playoff game. The Tigers would also be at home for the semifinals next week with a win over Star City.
The Bulldogs (9-3) scored a touchdown with just 34 seconds left to upset Pocahontas on Friday. Blake Wynn, who scored the game-winner, is one of the top weapons for Star City.
Star City quarterback Ty Brown is a dual threat that the Tigers must contain. Brown has passed for more than 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns, and has more than 500 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns.
"One of the first things you do, you see if the guy can run," Abshier said when asked how to prepare for a dual-threat quarterback. "Then you ask, 'can he throw?' It's easier to prepare for a quarterback who can do one (better than the other), but he can do both pretty good. He has a good grasp of their offense."
The Tigers (11-1) have been solid defensively all season, led by linebacker Dakota Hutchison, the team's top tackler.
In Friday night's 34-24 win over Ashdown, Prairie Grove held the Panthers to just 141 yards rushing and 119 yards passing.
"Our defense is playing really well," Abshier said. "Dakota Hutchinson is playing well, he always looks good. Dakota Woods has been playing real well, and Cody Hoskins has led us in tackles the past two games. We also got Cole McClellan back and that's a big factor because he knows our defense so well."
Abshier is hopeful to get starting fullback and linebacker Reed Orr back this week after he's missed the past few games with a leg injury.
Star City has a lot of weapons offensively, including running back Jaylen Mallet, who has rushed for more than 800 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wynn is the team's top receiver with more than 50 catches and more than 800 yards.
Prairie Grove is out of school all week for the Thanksgiving holiday. The team will practice at 9 a.m. every day this week, including Thanksgiving Day, Abshier said.
"We talked about it and we wanted to get the kids up and get them going and not sleep all day," Abshier said. "We're going to practice in the morning and the kids will have the rest of the day to do whatever they want to."
Coaches of teams who are still playing after Thanksgiving point to that as a milestone for their program. Getting to Thanksgiving is the benchmark for a successful season.
"Honestly, I'd rather have Thanksgiving weekend off," Abshier joked. "No, really if you're playing on Thanksgiving it means you've won a couple of playoff games and you're doing well and you need to keep it up."
Sports on 11/25/2015