Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: The playoffs are here. Buckle up, because the next few weeks.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: Are going to be a lot of.
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Fun for high school football in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley. We break it down next on PReP RaLLY.
[00:00:11] Speaker C: You're listening to the Prep Rally podcast now here's your host, Graham Thomas.
[00:00:18] Speaker A: Welcome to the Prep Rally Podcast sponsored by West Termite, Pest and Lawn. I'm Graham Thomas with the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. I'm joined in studio with Rick Fires, NWA Democrat Gazette sports reporter. And Leland Barclay, as always, joins us from the River Valley. Gentlemen, it's Football playoff time in Northwest Arkansas, and we're going to take a look at this week's games. But let's take a look at last week's games first. And we got to start off with.
[00:00:45] Speaker B: The Big showdown in the River Valley.
[00:00:47] Speaker A: This week, Leland Greenwood and Little Rock Christian. So you're going to start us off. No doubt that was the big game in this area.
[00:00:56] Speaker D: Absolutely. Probably one of the biggest games in.
[00:00:59] Speaker E: The state all season. I know Conway and Bryant was certainly.
[00:01:02] Speaker D: Big in central Arkansas, but Greenwood kind of controlled that game.
[00:01:08] Speaker E: It was back and forth.
[00:01:09] Speaker D: There were seven lead changes in the first half before Greenwood scored twice in the last 30 seconds of the first.
[00:01:17] Speaker E: Half to go up 35 to 24.
[00:01:20] Speaker D: Then they had a long drive to.
[00:01:22] Speaker E: Start the second half to go up more than two scores, and they pretty much maintained that lead throughout and wanted 56 to 39. Kane Archer, another big day with seven more touchdowns that he accounted for, and.
[00:01:38] Speaker D: That'S 22 now in the last three games that he's rushed and passed for. So just a big nine overall.
[00:01:46] Speaker E: Grant Carnes returned to kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown.
Greenwood's defense intercepted three passes and really controlled that game and earned the first round playoff by their outright conference championship.
[00:02:01] Speaker D: And their 9th perfect season in school.
[00:02:05] Speaker B: Know, Leland, in your River Valley Democrat.
[00:02:08] Speaker F: Gazette story that you sent to us over the weekend, I think you summed.
[00:02:13] Speaker A: It up kind of perfectly, that Greenwood.
[00:02:16] Speaker F: Won a game that they always seem to win when the big game, you can bet on a few things, and.
[00:02:24] Speaker B: That'S usually one of them, that they're going to find a way to get.
[00:02:27] Speaker F: A victory in a big game.
[00:02:28] Speaker E: Coaches love to say big time players make big time plays at big time times, and that's kind of the way.
[00:02:37] Speaker D: It is with teams.
The, the really good teams seem to.
[00:02:42] Speaker E: Play well when they need to, and.
[00:02:45] Speaker D: In those big moments, and Greenwood certainly doesn't shy away from big moments and big games.
[00:02:51] Speaker E: I think they relish those opportunities. And once again on Friday night, they proved it.
[00:02:58] Speaker A: No doubt about that.
[00:02:59] Speaker B: Well, Rick, let's go to the game you were at.
[00:03:02] Speaker A: Fayetteville improves to ten and for the first time since we were a little kid, right, 1957.
[00:03:09] Speaker G: You know what? This was really a celebration. They were playing a harbor team that they just gives up a lot of points. But harbor hung with them there for the first half.
It was almost 28 28 going into halftime, but harbor got a touchdown call back. And I'm telling you, walking around a little bit at halftime, there is some people kind of jittery. What's going on? What's going on? Because they'd already had the fireworks in place. I think they did a little fireworks when they come out and obviously afterward they were going to shoot off some fireworks. But, man, then Fable just dominated the third quarter, 28 consecutive points. My goodness, Drake Lindsay, what a fantastic year he's had. Six foot five kid committed to University of Minnesota, seven touchdown passes, six different receivers sets her another big game with the ground games and Fable, man, they just, they look prime. They are ready to go. I don't know. I haven't talked to Casey. I don't know how he feels, know, having a week off after playing so well. Maybe they do. But, man, just watch Fable in a postseason play. Just a great finish to a great year for the Purple Dogs.
[00:04:26] Speaker B: I'll chime in about the game I saw, which was Bentonville, Bentonville West. So the winner of that game was going to get the number two seed another week off. And Bentonville really got off to a.
[00:04:37] Speaker A: Great start, scored 28 straight points to.
[00:04:39] Speaker F: Open the game and won 56 to 28.
[00:04:45] Speaker B: I thought the same thing, like, you just get your quarterback back, you start rolling. Because Carter and I did play in.
[00:04:51] Speaker A: The game and had a big impact.
[00:04:52] Speaker B: On the way their offense clicked.
[00:04:55] Speaker F: He started, yeah, he threw a 50.
[00:04:57] Speaker A: I'm sorry, 46 yard pass on the first play.
But I asked Coach Jody Grant, I.
[00:05:04] Speaker F: Said, well, do you guys kind of.
[00:05:06] Speaker B: Wish you didn't have the buy and.
[00:05:08] Speaker A: Keep know, we, we kind of need.
[00:05:10] Speaker B: That buy just because it gives Carter another chance to get another week, to kind of get really fully healthy.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: And some other guys, they've got some other guys banged up, too. So that kind of sets up the playoff bracket for us.
[00:05:25] Speaker B: Fayetteville is the number one seed, Bentonville.
[00:05:27] Speaker A: Is the two, west the three. Rogers is the four.
[00:05:31] Speaker B: South side with a big win is.
[00:05:33] Speaker F: Going to be the five and harbor is the six.
Gentlemen, I do think we need to.
[00:05:38] Speaker B: Talk about the Bryant Conway game because I know every one of us was sort of following along on how that one went. Conway gets out to a big lead and here come the Bryant Hornets.
They win the ball game quite handily.
[00:05:52] Speaker F: That surprised me a little bit.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: It didn't surprise me that Bryant won, but they really pulled away for a win.
[00:05:58] Speaker B: And Leland, you know, you and I.
[00:06:00] Speaker A: Were talking about this one at media days yesterday in Fort Smith. Just know, did Bryant regain their swagger? And I guess kind of remains to.
[00:06:11] Speaker F: Be seen, but we'll see.
[00:06:13] Speaker E: Well, Friday night seems to be an.
[00:06:16] Speaker D: Indication that they know. It kind of goes back to what.
[00:06:19] Speaker E: Is that saying that the story of their demise has been greatly exaggerated because we thought maybe some of their aura.
[00:06:29] Speaker D: Of invincibility had been knocked off a little bit with that non conference loss to Parkview.
[00:06:36] Speaker E: But again, a team that played big in the big moment and went to Conway and won, if it would have been at Bryant, we might have went well, but it was at Bryant. But to go on the road in front of, and I haven't heard the official number for what was there, but maybe 8000.
[00:06:57] Speaker B: Well, I think in the newspaper it.
[00:06:59] Speaker G: Says 7500, like 80. And that's a great for a high.
[00:07:05] Speaker A: School John McConnell Stadium record is what it.
[00:07:09] Speaker E: So yeah, I can see where it was. I guess maybe the biggest game Conway history at Conway. So, Brian, at this point, they certainly.
[00:07:21] Speaker D: Threw their name back in the hat, not that they really needed to.
