By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
There was a sense of urgency at Sylvan Hills through much of the 2009 season.
The Bears went without a victory until Week 6, when they squeaked out an ugly, 3-0 decision over Crossett, but Sylvan Hills went on to earn a playoff spot by winning four of its last five games.
Last week’s 24-15 victory over Little Rock Christian put the Bears in a better position than a year ago. Sylvan Hills coach Jim Withrow said the victory was a relief, but that there are also plenty of areas to improve as the Bears prepare to face Little Rock Parkview on the road Friday.
“They’ve gotten better,” Withrow said of his inexperienced team. “We’re not ready to put on a clinic — we still had our moments of not getting lined up, and we’ve got to get our place kicking going a little bit better.”
The Bears went 0 of 4 on extra-point conversionattempts Friday. Senior kicker Kevin Wang hit the crossbar on one kick, another attempt ended in a fumble, and a pair of two-point conversion attempts also fell short.
“One of the worst things in the world is not being sure if you can make an extra point after a touchdown,” Withrow said. “I think Kevin can do it, he just needs to relax and he’ll be okay. We’re working on it, we’re just not getting it done.”
The ground attack accounted for all of the Bears’ 341 offensive yards last week, as they did not complete a pass in four attempts.
Senior Nate Clark led the way with 18 rushes for 159 yards and two scores. Junior tailback Trey Bone gained 91 yards on 13 carries, while senior Greg Atchinson carried 15 times for 63 yards.
Quarterback/defensive back Michael Maddox is also coming off a solid performance against Little Rock Christian. Maddox intercepted two passes and rushed for one of the Bears’ four scores.
“It’s good to get off on the right foot and get going a little bit,” Withrow said. “They got a taste of what it’s like to win, and they liked it.”
The Patriots, picked to finish third in the 6A-East Conference in the preseason, started out with a loss to Little Rock rival Mills. Parkview recovered last week with a 21-14 victory over Pine Bluff Dollarway.
Junior quarterback Chris Winston leads the Patriots’ offense, but it’s senior tailback Chris McClendon, 6-2, 215 pounds, who poses the biggest threat. The all-conference back runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds and bench presses 255 pounds. He was listed as a wide receiver in his two previous years, but he has rushed for 851 yards with 450 yards receiving.
“I think this is going to be a really good test for us,” Withrow said. “They’re really athletic. You give them a gap, and they’ve got the speed to go all the way with it. It will be a good test to see how far we’ve come.”
