Arkansas high school football Class 4A state final: Harding Academy, Rivercrest no strangers to War Memorial Stadium
Harding Academy and Rivercrest are no strangers to making their way to Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium in December.
Harding Academy (14-0) is making its fifth consecutive trip to the state finals. The Wildcats won 3A titles from 2019-2021. They defeated Osceola 51-26 in 2019; McGehee 71-44 in 2020; and Prescott 47-25 in 2021. Moving up to 4A a year ago, they lost 64-39 to Malvern. Overall, the Wildcats have won nine state title and are making their 14th trip to the state finals.
Rivercrest (12-2) is making its 11th trip to the finals. The Colts made it in 2020, losing 58-20 to Shiloh Christian for the 4A title. Rivercrest lost to Harding Academy 33-18 in 2015 for the 3A title. Rivercrest defeated Harding Academy 14-10 for the 3A title in 2010.
The two will meet at 6:30 p.m. Saturday for the Class 4A state championship.
“We’ve got a little saying, you remember the teams that play in December,” said Rivercrest head coach Johnny Fleming. “Don’t let the opportunity slip away because It may not come back. This won’t scare them. They’ll go out there and play. Whatever happens, happens. Don’t be the reason you get beat.”
Fleming’s memory of the 2020 game was quarterback Kam Turner twisting his ankle coming down the ramp to the field and having to leave the game early.
Harding Academy Neil Evans remains appreciative of the fact his team is back in War Memorial Stadium but adds it’s something he probably won’t fully soak it in until the season is over with.
“It’s pretty surreal,” said Evans. “I don’t think it’s something I’ll fully grasp until the dust settles. Right now, I’m trying to give our team a chance to win.”
Harding Academy has outscored the opposition 579-239 on the season. The Wildcats defeated Valley View which won the 5A East 55-40 in the season opener, Booneville 51-27 which is playing in the 3A state title game and Ouachita Christian (La.) which went 12-2 before losing to Southern Lab 38-34 in the Louisiana Division IV Select semifinals.
In the playoffs, they’ve defeated Gentry 49-12, Malvern 58-34, Ashdown 48-14 and Elkins 41-27.
“We beat some really good teams and been in some marquee games,” said Evans. “Our players have a lot of confidence. They’ve proven themselves. They should be confident. They belong there.”
Harding Academy is led by junior quarterback Owen Miller, who has thrown for 3,047 yards and 41 touchdowns and has rushed for 722 yards and 11 touchdowns. Kyler Hoover has caught 60 passes for 943 yards and 11 touchdowns. Endy McGalliard has caught 33 passes for 538 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Evans said Miller has made a lot of improvement from his sophomore year. “His decision making is exceptional. Everyone can see what he’s done by extending plays. He’s done a better job of managing situations and is more mature,” said Evans. “All of the new and unknown with being a sophomore, that’s behind him.”
Harding’s versatility is a concern to Fleming.
“Well, they have weapons all over the field,” said Fleming. “You start with the quarterback; he can hurt you with his arm No. 2 (Hoover) he’s one of his better targets. It's going to take a great effort to slow them down.
“They’re balanced. They’ll throw in short situations and run in long situations. They try to figure where you you’re weak and attack it. It’s going to be a battle on both sides of the ball.”
Running back Isaac Baker, who has rushed for 877 yards and 11 touchdowns and caught 45 passes for 770 yards and 10 touchdowns will miss the state championship game with a broken collarbone. He will be replaced by Trenton Hall, who normally plays linebacker. Evans is not expecting a drop off, despite the fact he rushed 9 times for 38 yards on the season.
“He’s super physical and probably one of the best backup running backs. Nobody knows much about him. We’ll be fine. He’s very good,” said Evans.
Defensively, linebacker Wyatt Simmons, an Arkansas Razorback commitment, leads the way with 77 tackles with 12 for losses. Brody Myers has seven sacks. Camden Pryor and Aaron Jones have four interceptions.
Griffin Thomas has replaced Mississippi State signee Kyle Ferrie at kicker and has 78 touchbacks while making 73-of-77 extra points, 6-of-8 field goals with a long of 48 and averages 38.9 yards per punt.
“Griffin been a huge weapon,” said Evans. “He was a massive part of the game last week. He had two huge field goals. All but one of his kickoffs went into the end zone. He had a massive punt that pinned them deep.”
Fleming has told his kick returners to stand on the 5-yard line and if the ball is coming to them, to run with it, adding that anything they get on kick returns means one fewer first down they have to pick up.
Rivercrest overcame a 59-34 loss to Mills, which was runner-up in the 5A-Central and a 47-25 loss to 5A-East champion Valley View before winning 11 in a row including playoff victories over Mena, 36-0; Gravette, 40-0; Arkadelphia 36-12; and Warren, 24-14.
“Against Mills, we lost our linebacker Marcus Slayton and running back Koby Turner,” said Fleming. (Slayton was injured and Turner was ejected after a confrontation with a Mills player on the sideline. Turner was supposed to be suspended for the Valley View game but was reinstated after appealing to the Arkansas Activities Association He got injured against Valley View.)
“After Valley View, I told them we wouldn’t play anyone like that until Thanksgiving. It made us better and others had to step in. It gave us more depth,” said Fleming.
Rivercrest is led by quarterback Cavonta Washington, who has thrown for 1,853 yards and 24 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Koby Turner has rushed for 1,633 yards and 16 touchdowns and had 268 yards and 2 touchdowns in the semifinal victory over Warren. Michael Rainier has 47 catches for 729 yards and 12 touchdowns and has rushed for 684 yards and 9 touchdowns. Buddah Harris has 41 catches for 646 yards and 6 touchdowns.
“Turner, he’s one of the better backs in the state,” said Fleming. “Give him a crease. and he’ll break it.”
While Fleming doesn’t like Washington’s 12 interceptions, he said Washington’s gotten much better with his decision making and said he sees the field a lot better than he did year ago as sophomore.
Evans said with the talent Rivercrest has on offense, he said his team has to do a good job of tackling and try and avoid as many one-on-one situations as possible.
On defense, Wyatt Lancaster leads with 141 tackles, 27 for losses and 10.5 sacks. He played the semifinal game with club over his cast to protect a broken hand and will have a brace on it for the state championship game.
Slayton has 86 tackles with 8 for losses. Tekylun Sanders has 74 tackles with 17 for losses and 4.5 sacks. Defensive tackle Quinnshunn Perry has 72 tackles with 16 for losses. Tackle Andrew Lomack has 61 tackles with 12 for losses. Jayden Young has five interceptions.
Fleming said he plans on sending a lot of pressure at the Wildcats and expects his defense, which has given up 26 points in four playoff games, to continue playing at a high level.
“We blitz about every play,” said Fleming. “It may come from different spots. If the quarterback looks around, somebody comes open.”
While Rivercrest likes to apply pressure, Fleming wants his secondary to obey his team’s No. 1 rule and that is not let anyone get behind them, especially Hoover.
Evans said he hopes changing formations will help slow down Rivercrest’s pressure.
“We hope to move them around and create looks that are advantageous. It will be a little bit of a chess match. What do the numbers say? We have the playmakers. We’ve got to go execute.
“We’ve got to the utilize snap count and formations to get them out of position and move the pocket. We have answers for what they like to do.”
With Harding Academy playing the in the state championship game and nearby Harding University hosting Lenoir-Rhyne in the NCAA Division II semifinals at 11 a.m., football fans in Searcy will have a busy day ahead.
“It’s really cool for the city for both programs all around,” said Evans who is a graduate of Harding University. “I’m happy for our fans and alumni. It’s exciting to be a part of something that can bring joy.”
-- Jeff Halpern
Photo of Owen Miller by Tommy Land
