Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

8/24/2011 at 4:10pm

Image by Tre Baker

Coach Patrick Russell of Little Rock Mills and Coach William Hardiman of Little Rock Parkview answer a question from ArkansasSports360.com Publisher Jeff Hankins in a press conference held at War Memorial Stadium on Wednesday to promote the 2011 Arkansas High School Kickoff Classic.

[Click here to read the digital edition of the Classic's football program, with rosters, stats and features on this year's matchups.]

Understandably, Central Arkansas Christian Coach Tommy Shoemaker is hoping for a low-scoring game when his Mustangs open the season on Monday against Pulaski Academy.fir

"Low scoring and control the ball. Try to shorten the game," he said.

Shoemaker's Mustangs were one of 13 Pulaski Academy opponents last year who weekly couldn't keep up when a football game broke out into a track meet — only Class 7A Cabot and three-time Class 4A state champion Shiloh Christian had the horses to outscore PA in 2010, and the latter came in the Class 4A state title game. Shoemaker knows a wide-open game favors talented Pulaski Academy again this year in the Arkansas High School Kickoff Classic at War Memorial Stadium/AT&T Field.

Of course, if it's true that football fans love offense, then the headlining game Monday night between PA and CAC is the one to see. Last year, the teams combined for 92 points in the Bruins' 59-33 win, and do-it-all Fredi Knighten, who eventually took over as PA's starting quarterback when 4A-7 conference play began, accounted for five touchdowns in a variety of ways — receiving, throwing, returns.

Knighten is back as one of the state's top senior talents, and Pulaski Academy has an array of seniors and juniors attracting college interest as the Bruins open the 2011 season favored to win Class 4A.

The PA-CAC matchup is one of four local rivalry games that make up the third Kickoff Classic, sponsored by ArkansasSports360.com and KABZ-FM 103.7 The Buzz and presented by First Security Bank.

[Previews of PA, CAC and all the teams featured in the Kickoff Classic are available in our 2011 ArkansasSports360.com Football Preview.]

The Bruins and Mustangs follow the first game of the high school season, the fourth renewal of the season-opening clash between Little Rock public schools Parkview and Mills, who have been the best performing public football programs in Little Rock for the past two years.

Mills, which beat the Patriots 28-20 in the final minute last year, and Parkview kick off at 5 p.m. Parkview Coach William Hardiman and Mills Coach Patrick Russell both referred to the game as a "friendly" rivalry on Wednesday at a press conference at War Memorial Stadium announcing the lineup, but the second half of last year's game was anything but friendly as a fired-up Parkview rallied from two touchdowns down to take the lead late, only to see Mills pull the game out with two touchdowns behind now-graduated quarterback Chris Hampton.

"He's a hard one to replace," Russell admitted. Russell and his Comets will still come at the Patriots with a ball-control Flexbone offense designed to keep the mistakes down.

Jim Harris' Videos With the Coaches
Parkview's William Hardiman and Mills' Patrick Russell
Central Arkansas Christian's Tommy Shoemaker and Pulaski Academy's Kevin Kelley
Vilonia's Jim Stanley and Sylvan Hills' Jim Withrow
Maumelle's Mike Buchan and Little Rock Christian's Justin Kramer

ArkansasSports360.com Publisher Jeff Hankins introduced the coaches of each game during Wednesday's media conference in the fancy stadium press box, and each coach spoke about their season openers in next week's Classic and their hopes for 2011. Little Rock Christian, which held off then Oak Grove, now Maumelle High School, in the first Kickoff Classic 22-20 in 2009, hopes to be over its post-Michael Dyer funk of last year when the Warriors struggled and return to the 5A playoffs.

"I think we're ready now and can have a good time this year. We were very young last year," said LRC Coach Justin Kramer.

LR Christian and the new Maumelle High, dropping Oak Grove's colors of green and white for red and black but retaining the Hornets mascot, will kick off following Tuesday's opener between Sylvan Hills and Vilonia at 5 p.m.

Vilonia has highly touted running back James Sax back for his senior season, and Vilonia Coach Jim Stanley admits the Eagles will be running their power offense through their star halfback while bringing along a young quarterback.

"We're very young this year," said Stanley, whose team cruised over Sylvan Hills 42-14 last year behind the graduated Drew Knowles at quarterback.

Sylvan Hills is rebuilding in key spots and depending upon six sophomores to start, Bears Coach Jim Withrow said Wednesday.

Both teams are in Class 5A but in separate conferences despite being no more than a half hour apart. Their young rivalry is just in its second year.

Little Rock Christian and Oak Grove/Maumelle have had a slightly longer rivalry. "We got them here on the last play a couple of years ago, but they handled us pretty easy the other times we've played," said Kramer, whose team has experienced receivers returning to spread a defense out.

Maumelle Coach Mike Buchan has welcomed a larger squad than he was seeing as Oak Grove's days were winding down. A spanking new high school will do that. Eric Parks, a running back, will be a player to watch for Maumelle.

"He's fast and gives us a chance," Buchan said.

Mills and Parkview at one time were among the larger programs in the state and both in the old Class AAAA conference; these days Parkview competes in Class 6A-East while Mills is in Class 5A-Southeast. Both coaches, enjoying the rivalry they've established in recent years, said Wednesday they'd like it to continue as the season opener.

"Parkview is very well-coached, has some talent and prepares us for what we're going to see in our conference," Russell said.

Parkview's Hardiman said he decided following a dissappointing 4-7 season in 2010 to restore the discipline that had helped carry the Patriots to eight wins in 2009. "It cost us some players [in the off-season], but I'd rather have a good team than a few good individuals," he said. "We were playing a sophomore at quarterback last year and we made four turnovers [against Mills]. I'm looking for us to be more mature this season."

PA and CAC have the longest continuous rivalry among the Kickoff Classic teams, one that dates to the days a generation ago when both were fledgling private schools with small enrollments and in the shadow of all the larger public schools in the county. These days, CAC has produced such Arkansas Razorback stars as D.J. Williams and Joe Adams, and Pulaski Academy has seen a large number of players gain Division I scholarships, including Broderick Green. CAC competes in 5A this season, PA in 4A, and nobody doubts that either could hold its own against the formerly strong metro public programs.

Pulaski Academy scrimmaged 7A power Fayetteville earlier this week and reportedly was impressive in outscoring the Bulldogs over three periods. Again, it was a scrimmage and not played for keeps, but Knighten was too tough for Fayetteville to handle, observers reported.

"It's like the old saying goes, you can't stop him, you just hope to contain him," CAC's Shoemaker said. He'll counter with the likes of speedy running back Eric Simmons and hope that shortening the game will slow down the explosive Bruins.

There's plenty to enjoy in terms of individual and team talent in the third Kickoff Classic. Daily tickets will be $7 at the gate, and the home teams (PA, LR Christian, Vilonia, Mills) are selling tickets in advance and keeping those profits for their programs. With the hot weather forecast to break, next Monday and Tuesday at the stadium should be two entertaining nights of prep football to kick off the 2011 season.

Email: jharris@abpg.com. Also follow Jim on Twitter @jimharris360. Throughout the next six days, ArkansasSports360.com will feature video interviews with the Kickoff Classic coaches.

Tagged: Justin Kramer, Eric Parks, Fredi Knighten, 2011 Arkansas High School Kickoff Classic, Mike Buchan, Little Rock Parkview Patriots, Little Rock Mills Comets, LR Christian Warriors, Maumelle Hornets, Jim Withrow, Jim Stanley, Kevin Kelley, Tommy Shoemaker, William Hardiman, Patrick Russell, Michael Dyer, Chris Hampton, Broderick Green, D.J. Williams, Joe Adams, Eric Simmons, War Memorial Stadium, Pulaski Academy Bruins, CAC Mustangs, Sylvan Hills Bears, Vilonia Eagles