By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Sylvan Hills has shown a lot of improvements as a team from last year, and those improvements will be needed this Friday when the Bears travel to Philip Weaver Stadium to face a loaded Vilonia team.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Bears had a successful scrimmage at Pulaski Robinson last week, but had inconsistencies on defense and gave up a number of big runs and pass plays to the Senators. Now facing an Eagles team that promises to be the strongest in years, Sylvan Hills coach Jim Withrow will spend the week preaching the importance of discipline.
“We’ve got to correct a lot of mistakes we made,” Withrow said. “I know we sat some guys out, but we made a lot of mistakes. We’ve got to clean a lot of things up on both sides of the ball.”
The Eagles are traditionally a running team based out of the Double-Wing offense, but the emergence of passing quarterback Jared Willis last season forced a transition to the Spread for longtime coach Jim Stanley.
Willis, now a junior, has been a team leader through the spring and summer, and is touted by Stanley as the best quarterback he has ever coached.
Vilonia is far from one dimensional, however, with fleet senior running back Houston Cotton, who won state championships in both hurdle events last spring.
“I think they’re really solid,” Withrow said. “I don’t think they make a lot of mistakes. They get to the ball fast on defense, they execute well on offense. I think they’re a very solid football team. It’s going to be a tough place to win.”
The Eagles have dominated the series against Sylvan Hills in recent years, including last year’s awkward 7-0 victory in miserable conditions.
Heavy rains and strong winds combined for an atmosphere that was anything but football friendly, as the two teams battled it out at Bill Blackwood Stadium in front of few fans who stuck it out through the storm. The Bears had a chance to tie it late, but fumbled the ball in the end zone in the final minute.
“I hope it’s not likely we ever have to face that type of situation again,” Withrow said. “That whole thing was just a bad deal. You couldn’t really get anything going on offense. We struggled to take a snap. Then the following week, we had the lightning game, so you went two weeks without really getting a true game in.”
As of Tuesday morning, Withrow said the five players who sat out during last week’s scrimmage at Pulaski Robinson should be ready to go for Friday.
Senior defensive end Matt Thompson rejoined team practice on Friday, as did senior cornerback Christian Daily. The only player who was held out of Friday’s practice was junior offensive guard Dakota Daulton, but he was expected to participate in Tuesday practice.
The Eagles and Bears sport the most talented rosters they’ve had in years. Will that lead to a wild, offensive shootout or a disciplined defensive struggle? Withrow says the jury’s still out from a coach’s standout.
“I’ll be honest, I really don’t know,” Withrow said. “It’s tough to say, because neither team has really had a chance to go out there on a regular basis and play against each other, but it definitely has the look of something that could be a 28-28 type deal. From our aspect, we really do need to clean up some things on both sides of the ball. We just can’t give up easy scores and big plays.”