Pioneers Run 4A-1 Gauntlet

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MARK HUMPHREY  ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Gentry senior Lucas Guinn (6-0, 255) has made plays on both sides of the ball this season. Lucas' interception off a tipped pass preserved a 40-35 nonconference win over Lamar. He's also a three-year starter on the Gentry offensive line. The Pioneers tangle with Prairie Grove to decide second place in the 4A-1 football standings Friday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Tiger Den Stadium.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Gentry senior Lucas Guinn (6-0, 255) has made plays on both sides of the ball this season. Lucas' interception off a tipped pass preserved a 40-35 nonconference win over Lamar. He's also a three-year starter on the Gentry offensive line. The Pioneers tangle with Prairie Grove to decide second place in the 4A-1 football standings Friday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Tiger Den Stadium.

GENTRY -- This week's football showdown between Gentry (6-1, 3-1 4A-1) and Prairie Grove (5-2, 3-1 4A-1) has been on the radar for the Pioneers ever since the schedule came out.

Second-year Gentry coach Justin Bigham came into the season feeling good about his 14 seniors and a good junior and sophomore class behind them.

"Yeah, you know, we're in a tough conference but you take it day-by-day and we feel like we can play with them a little bit this year," Bigham said.

The Pioneers were unbeaten until last week when they suffered a 48-20 loss to Shiloh Christian, the conference leader that also beat Prairie Grove, 42-14, two weeks prior. The Pioneers must run the 4A-1 gauntlet much as American frontiersman Daniel Boone, famous for wearing the coonskin cap which is prominent in the Gentry mascot, was forced to do when he was captured by the Shawnee Indians.

This week, Gentry takes on Prairie Grove, followed by Elkins next week and a rivalry game against Gravette on Nov. 5.

"Prairie Grove is a really, really good program year after year. Even when they're in a down year, they're always going to win seven or eight games, and then Elkins has always got some good athletes, so just taking it one game at a time and not looking [ahead]. We're pretty back-loaded in our schedule, we have all those guys back-to-back," Bigham said.

In what's been a rare occurrence, Gentry comes in with a better overall record and one more conference win than Prairie Grove.

Last week, Prairie Grove punted away its first three possessions and fell behind 6-0 at Huntsville in the first quarter. Veteran Prairie Grove head coach Danny Abshier felt the Tigers weren't ready mentally

"Huntsville's a lot better this year than they have been and I'm not sure we understood that," Abshier said.

This is something he and the Tiger staff don't want to repeat against Gentry.

On the opposing sideline, Gentry's Lucas Guinn (6-0, 255) going both ways, on the defensive line where he made a game-saving interception off a tipped pass and alertly took a knee as the clock expired during a 40-35 nonconference win over Lamar, and at left guard, thinks the Pioneers should do more than achieve a playoff season. Lucas first broke into the starting lineup as a sophomore and helped the Pioneers beat Prairie Grove, 28-21, at Tiger Stadium two years ago, an objective he fixed on coming into his senior season.

"As a team, I hope we can go 9-1 and make it to at least the third round of the playoffs," Lucas said.

For his individual goals, Lucas hopes to become an all-state offensive lineman and an all-conference defensive lineman, patterning himself after Razorback walk-on legend, the late Brandon Burlsworth. Lucas wears No. 77 because of Burlsworth.

"He was a great man of God and he just loved to play the game of football, so I try to model myself as much as I can towards him," Lucas said.

Winning against the Tigers, Elkins and Highway 59 rival Gravette might be a tall order, but Lucas believes the Pioneers can successfully run the remainder of the 4A-1 gauntlet facing them.

Lucas draws inspiration from the writings of St. Paul in the New Testament.

"I love Philippians 4:13 just as much as every other person. It's just a great verse and I really do believe that I can do all things," Lucas said.

Prairie Grove must develop more consistency offensively. The Tigers play top-notch on defense but Gentry will likely prove more of a test with tight end Garrison Jackson providing a big target in the passing game as well as big body helping block at the point of attack for Gentry's run game.

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Prairie Grove's Tiger Den Stadium.

Bigham
Bigham
MARK HUMPHREY  ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Prairie Grove head football coach Danny Abshier flanked by senior Coner Whetsell (No. 4) and junior Ryder Orr (No. 77) lobbies the officials on behalf of one of his players who was protecting himself. The Tigers host Gentry in a battle for second place in the 4A-1 Friday.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Prairie Grove head football coach Danny Abshier flanked by senior Coner Whetsell (No. 4) and junior Ryder Orr (No. 77) lobbies the officials on behalf of one of his players who was protecting himself. The Tigers host Gentry in a battle for second place in the 4A-1 Friday.