Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

9/9/2010 at 3:36pm

The high school football slate for week 2 gets off to an early start with Little Rock Catholic playing host to North Little Rock on Thursday night at War Memorial Stadium.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m., but though the teams are both members of 7A-Central, this matchup is considered a non-conference game. Neither team was able to fill the second date of the season, though Catholic at one time thought it was playing El Dorado. That series was dropped, and El Dorado ended up landing on the Springdale Har-Ber schedule, one of the key showdown games of this week.

Catholic and the Charging Wildcats meet again at North Little Rock in the conference clash next month.

Neither school started stongly last week, and starting 0-2 is not the way to get the season going, even if next month's conference game carries more overally weight as far as playoffs.

North Little Rock was embarrassed last week by Bentonville. That the Charging Wildcats lost was not as much of a shock as the margin, 45-0.

Meanwhile, Springdale outscored Catholic 43-35 at Jarrell Williams Stadium in Springdale.

For most of the 7A-Central, last week was a good one, however. Conway put the hammer to 7A-West co-favorite Fort Smith Southside 53-35, proving that Clint Ashcraft's program is in high gear in the coach's second season. Cabot and Bryant had easy wins against 6A rivals, and Van Buren shocked perennial power Alma 38-7. Russellville outfought Morrilton 28-20.

Little Rock Central lost its opener under Ellis "Scooter" Register, 37-19 to Texarkana and do-it-all quarterback Kierra Harris, leaving 7A-Central 5-3 for the week.

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Pulaski Academy was able to land 7A-Central Cabot on its schedule for 2010 and 2011. PA Coach Kevin Kelley isn't shy about taking on all comers in the nonconference portion of his schedule. This year, though, with PA dropping down from 5A to 4A, it marks a three-classification difference between the regular contenders for state championship honors.

Cabot's Mike Malham wanted the game, he said, because PA's wide open offensive style will prepare his Panthers for what they're likely to see in state playoff time. So, too, will next week's home game against Springdale Har-Ber, the defending 7A state champion, which downed Cabot in the last 30 seconds in last year's semifinals and went on to beat Fort Smith Southside for the state title.

PA rang up 569 yards passing and 59 points last week against CAC in the First Security Kickoff Classic, sponsored by ArkansasSports360.com and 103.7 The Buzz. Fredi Knight, one of three players to fill the quarterback role for the Bruins, had a hand in five touchdowns: two by his arm (one a 99-yard play), one receiving as a flanker for quarterback Jack Snider, one with his legs on a quarterback scramble and one on a 60-yard punt return. He was ArkansasSports360.com's "Difference Maker of the Week" and was also honored by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Robert Yates.

Cabot played the next night, Aug. 31, in the First Security Kickoff Classic. If it says anything about the game, the most valuable player was Cabot senior linebacker Riley Hawkins, who had 10 tackles and an interception off a deflected pass in the Panthers' 28-14 win over Jacksonville. Cabot, while hammering away with its balanced running offense behind six backs for four scores, allowed ZERO yards rushing by the Red Devils.

But the Red Devils may have exposed some problems in the Panthers' secondary with the big play. One touchdown went for 90 yards through the air, and a holding call wiped out an 85-yard scoring play late that would have brought Jacksonville within a touchdown.

"We've got to get better in a real hurry if we're going to be any good," Cabot's Malham said this week about his matchups with PA and Har-Ber.

Game time is schedule for 7 p.m. at tiny Rector Field in west Little Rock.

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Another Thursday night clash has Warren playing host to Monticello, the defending 5A state champion. The Billies had their best season in a decade in going 14-0 and have the state's longest winning streak at 15 games, cruising in their opener. Warren, meanwhile, survived Fordyce 27-26 last week.

Warren, state champion in 2002-03 and a finalist in '06, uncharacterically was humbled by the Billies last year, 62-24.

The game is KARZ's and Fearless Friday's featured TV game of the week. On Comcast HD, KARK is carried on channel 437. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Warren is led by junior receiver Jalen Cobb, who already has a scholarship offer from the Arkansas Razorbacks, and senior running back Savion Gilbert.

Monticello graduated the bulk of its championship, and Coach Van Paschal departed during the spring for Barton, but the Billies still were impressive in their opener against Hamburg.

Tagged: Monticello Billies, Warren Lumberjacks, North Little Rock Charging Wildcats, Fredi Knighten, Little Rock Catholic Rockets, Kevin Kelley, Mike Malham, Pulaski Academy Bruins, Cabot Panthers