Week 4
Magnolia
vs.
White Hall
The 5A South
Friday's games
Camden Fairview at Hot Springs Lakeside
Magnolia at White Hall
De Queen at Hope
Hot Springs at Watson Chapel
Last week's scores
El Dorado 51, Magnolia 28
Texarkana 30, Camden Fairview 14
Poteau, Okla. 47, De Queen 14
Prescott 48, Hope 3
Arkadelphia 49, Hot Springs 0
Malvern 67, Hot Springs Lakeside 58
Warren 20, Watson Chapel 12
White Hall 49, Sheridan 13
The Standings
White Hall.................................................3-0, 0-0
Magnolia.....................................................1-2, 0-0
Watson Chapel..........................................1-2, 0-0
De Queen....................................................1-2, 0-0
Hot Springs Lakeside..............................0-3, 0-0
Camden Fairview.....................................0-3, 0-0
Hope............................................................0-3, 0-0
Hot Springs...............................................0-3, 0-0
The Last Time
The Panthers had installed a new offense and had all kinds of trouble when they met the Bulldogs. They lost 38-0 after losing 5 of 8 fumbles. The Panthers also had a blocked punt and fumble returned for a touchdown.
However, in 2015 when the Panthers last played at White Hall, they came away with a 42-10 victory. The offense was unstoppable and defense dominating.
The Prediction
Magnolia - 14
White Hall - 28
The Bulldogs are off to another good start that has them ranked No. 4 in Class 5A. Their offense has dominated opponents and will give Magnolia a lot of trouble.
Three keys for the Panthers will be playing error-free, sustaining drives and team tackling on defense.
The Bulldogs are a two-touchdown favorite, but could find things tougher than they expected in this conference opener.
Because of Magnolia's kickoff return team, don't expect the Bulldogs to kick the ball deep. This should allow the Panthers to enjoy decent field position.
However, the bottom line is the Bulldogs are averaging 51.2 points per game and playing at home. They should remain the only unbeaten conference team when the final horn sounds Friday night.
New season starting
The Magnolia Panthers acknowledge were out-manned last week, but are capable of bouncing back with a strong performance Friday in the conference opener.
"We were down by 30 (against El Dorado) at the half and it would've been real easy to lay down. We didn't and I was proud of the way we fought in the second half," said Magnolia head coach Panter. "The kids showed me something about their character."
Magnolia will play at White Hall in league. The Bulldog are 3-0, averaging 51.2 points per game and giving up only 13.0 per outing on defense.
"We have to find a way to be more consistent in what we do," said Panter.
On several possessions against El Dorado last week, the Panther defense made stops on the first couple of plays before giving up a long touchdown play.
"Offensively, we hit a couple of things late. Payton (Campbell) threw a couple of good balls and Braelyn (Beasley) made the catches," said Panter.
Magnolia also had several solid running plays, with Tayvon Patterson, Kadyn Roach and Demarco Walker getting double-digit runs.
"We've got some things that will keep people honest and will continue to build on them," said the coach.