Under the lights Slumping FHS returns home to face Fort Smith Northside
Posted on Friday, October 10, 2008
ANDY SHUPE Northwest Arkansas Times Fayetteville senior lineman Colby Berna looks out of the door of the Springdale visitor’s locker room before the start of Fayetteville’s 55-27 loss Oct. 3 at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium. The Purple Dogs (2-3, 0-2 7 A-West ) return to Harmon Field to take on Fort Smith Northside today at 7: 30 p. m.
The Friday night lights of Harmon Field will again illuminate the gridiron after four consecutive weeks of darkness. During that period, Fayetteville has been drenched in doubt after falling to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in 7 A-West play after losing three of four amid the gruel of the road.
The once-favored Fayetteville has fallen to the league basement, where it dwells alongside West rookie Rogers Heritage.
Now Fayetteville returns home where it hopes to find its heart and poise in an attempt to reverse its recent misfortune. Fayetteville's last home match was a 35-0, mercyrule, shellacking of Little Rock Central in the season opener.
"I 100-percent believe in these kids and I know they're sick of losing," Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. "They had good practices and a lot of competition in practice. We understand it's a huge obstacle, a big ballgame against a very talented team. But we want to make our fans and alumni proud. We'll play with a lot of emotion and somehow, some way find a way to get a victory. "
Fayetteville, though, is 0-2 at Harmon Field under Patton against Northside and has lost its last three home games to the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies ruined Fayetteville's homecoming in 2002 in a 50-32 win.
And who could forget last year's fourth-quarter collapse in which Fayetteville led 24-9 with seven minutes left in regulation ? Northside tallied 29 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to log a 38-24 triumph. "My thought is, that was last year, " Patton said. "Russellville's Jeff Holt hadn't beaten us since I'd been here. That didn't stop them from beating us. It doesn't matter what happened last year, two years ago. It's about the here and now."
Northside coach Darrell Henry didn't think the past would affect either team Friday night.
"I haven't even thought about that and no, I don't think it gives us an advantage," Henry said. "That's in the past and we know it's their homecoming so they will be pumped up. They're defending state champions for a reason and we're still looking at them as one of top teams in the state."
Fayetteville is desperately hoping to turn matters around during the second half of the season, with four of its final five games at home.
"We can makes excuses but the bottom line is we haven't gotten the job done as coaches and players," Patton said. "We're taking the no-excuse approach. We've got to make teams earn it, not turn it over and help them out."
Fayetteville (2-3, 0-2 ) ranks dead last in the 7 A-West in giveaways with 16 and turnover ratio at minus-10.
"I know Fayetteville's had some tough times," Henry said. "But they're still a very good football team that has just shot itself in the foot with turnovers. We know they're still explosive and very capable of beating us."
Two of Fayetteville's 10 interceptions have been returned for touchdowns at pivotal moments in the game. Fumbles have stalled drives and handed over short fields to opponents.
"Nothing good comes out of playing the what-if game," Patton said. "Yes, we've shot ourselves in the foot but all we can do is watch film and make corrections and try to get better. We've got to learn from our mistakes and move forward. We're looking at this second half as a new season and we're not thinking about the past."
Northside (4-1, 2-0 ) is gaining confidence from its past. The Grizzlies have won four straight games and their defense is gathering steam after a 21-7 win over Springdale Har-Ber last week.
"We started to come together the week before in the second half against Heritage," Henry said. "We gave up some points early in the year but we didn't quit and kept working hard on defense."
Northside also enters tonight's match boasting the conference's top overall offense with 431. 1 yards of total offense per game. Quarterback Dax Dupire leads the West with 1, 557 yards passing and has thrown 11 scoring tosses to just 3 interceptions. He's completing 64. 1 percent (125 of 195 ) of his passes.
"He's doing a great job running that offense," Patton said. "He may not be a Kodi Burns as far as speed and arm strength but the kid wins games and he's getting the job done. They're getting the ball to Semaj Edwards in space and we know what he can do. They're a very scary team, playing with a lot of confidence and they believe they can score at any time."
Fayetteville sophomore quarterback Brandon Allen has hit on 92 of 166 passes (55. 1 percent ) with a conference-best 14 touchdown passes for 1, 351 yards with 10 picks. Sophomore Demetrius Dean leads the Purple Dog receiving corps with 26 catches for 370 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Injury report Linebacker / running back Cody Hammer suffered a sprained ankle at Springdale High last Friday and Patton listed him as doubtful for tonight's tilt. Offensive / defensive lineman Colby Berna is enduring the same shoulder injury that kept him from practicing during spring drills. Patton said Berna was probable for tonight. Starting defensive tackle Daniel Pelton (broken left arm ) and starting cornerback Alex Miller (separated shoulder ) are out for the season.
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