3A-2

NewRecruit · October 23, 2016, 01:03:20 pm

I would like to hear some thoughts on the 3a-2. Bald Knob is undefeated and Cedar Ridge, Harding, and Barton seem to be having good seasons. How does everyone see those teams doing in the playoffs?

CoolBreeze · October 23, 2016, 02:56:43 pm

Unless Ceder Ridge pull a monumental upset and knocks off Bald Knob, the order of finish will be BK, HA, CR.

Of these, the team with the best chance to make it to the semifinals is Harding Academy. However, in the semis they would likely meet Prescott which would be a real challenge. I'm not saying that they will definitely make it, as they would likely have to defeat Atkins and the winner of 1-3A on the way. But the road is easier.

Cedar Ridge would likely face Prescott in the quarterfinals if they get that far.

Bald Knob should be able to handle teams like Jessieville or Elkins but would find Charleston lurking in the quarterfinals. They might upset C'town, but it won't be easy.

NewRecruit · October 23, 2016, 03:13:24 pm

So has Bald Knob played tough competition or has it been a pretty easy road so far. Kinda wondering if they are as good as their record shows or just lack of competition

jacosportsfreak · October 23, 2016, 04:01:00 pm

They haven't played as good of competition as they would have liked to, but they are a pretty good team. Well balanced on offense with some big play makers. Defense swarms to the ball really well. Kicking game is top notch. Their weakness, if you could call it that, would have to be the fact that their line is young. But don't let that fool you. They are very physical, just lack the big game experience. They are capable of making a good run into State.

Bwana · October 23, 2016, 04:36:31 pm

This conference has been the hardest to figure out this year.. Bald Knob has been steady from the start.. HA started slow (new Coach, young players) but are coming together and playing like HA of years past.. We're in week 9 and I still don't have a handle on which MF team will show up.. They could surprise someone or they could get blown out, who knows.. CR has been hard to figure out because they haven't beaten a quality team yet due to a weak schedule and could still end up being the 3 seed due to the craziness.. And then there's Barton.. They could be one of the best 1st quarter teams I've seen but sadly there are 4 quarters in a game..

srcranch · October 23, 2016, 04:38:35 pm

It seems silly to me that people assume a winning record is based on the conference toughness! I believe before you assume such things you should watch the teams play! I am a BK fan but I have heard people make comments based on scores,point spreads all of these seem silly! BK 2nd string has played complete halves this year points have been scored on them and yet people go off points! BK beat Harding it wasn't a fluke or a bad game for Harding. It was a great game and we won strait up but because of Harding,Prescott,Charlestown,Glen rose and Smackovers past y'all assume no one has a chance! yet there is upsets every year! I don't know how far BK can go but you might not want to count us out just yet! No matter who we been playing

Pick_DA_EAGLES · October 23, 2016, 05:30:14 pm

I would say as long as bald knob stays healthy, they have a chance to make a deep playoff run.

FNLsupporter · October 23, 2016, 10:00:26 pm

My thoughts on 3A-2 is probably the same as every other conference. There are 2, sometimes 3 teams that stand above the rest in each conference and this one is not different. People just need to understand that BK isn't going to automatically be one of the favorites to play in December. Not because people are hating on them, but because of history. The teams like Charleston, H.A., Prescott, Glen Rose, and JC are gonna be the odds on favorite, and rightly so. They prove to be in the hunt year after year. That being said, I think everyone questions just exactly how good their team is when things are going so well. Is it because BK is really that good, or is it because some of the teams haven't been very good? I can say first hand, ECS and Marianna are pretty bad this year, but BK has had its way with every team they've played and there have been some decent ones in there as well! Many of the games could have been a lot worse had the pedal been pushed to the floor. And just for the record, I know some have said H.A. was right there in the game against BK, but it wasn't near as close as the score showed. BK could have won that game by 4 scores, but it's really irrelevant. A win is a win so we will keep marching towards the playoffs and hope everyone stays healthy.

CoolBreeze · October 23, 2016, 10:01:12 pm

Quote from: Bwana on October 23, 2016, 04:36:31 pm
This conference has been the hardest to figure out this year.. Bald Knob has been steady from the start.. HA started slow (new Coach, young players) but are coming together and playing like HA of years past.. We're in week 9 and I still don't have a handle on which MF team will show up.. They could surprise someone or they could get blown out, who knows.. CR has been hard to figure out because they haven't beaten a quality team yet due to a weak schedule and could still end up being the 3 seed due to the craziness.. And then there's Barton.. They could be one of the best 1st quarter teams I've seen but sadly there are 4 quarters in a game..

Excellent analysis, Bwana.

panther07 · October 23, 2016, 10:04:53 pm

Quote from: FNLsupporter on October 23, 2016, 10:00:26 pm
My thoughts on 3A-2 is probably the same as every other conference. There are 2, sometimes 3 teams that stand above the rest in each conference and this one is not different. People just need to understand that BK isn't going to automatically be one of the favorites to play in December. Not because people are hating on them, but because of history. The teams like Charleston, H.A., Prescott, Glen Rose, and JC are gonna be the odds on favorite, and rightly so. They prove to be in the hunt year after year. That being said, I think everyone questions just exactly how good their team is when things are going so well. Is it because BK is really that good, or is it because some of the teams haven't been very good? I can say first hand, ECS and Marianna are pretty bad this year, but BK has had its way with every team they've played and there have been some decent ones in there as well! Many of the games could have been a lot worse had the pedal been pushed to the floor. And just for the record, I know some have said H.A. was right there in the game against BK, but it wasn't near as close as the score showed. BK could have won that game by 4 scores, but it's really irrelevant. A win is a win so we will keep marching towards the playoffs and hope everyone stays healthy.

I agree with a lot of what you just said, however, I think HA and BK was just as close as score. HA moved the ball all night. Muffed a punt on the 2 yard line that lead directly to a td. Got a punt blocked right after that inside the 20. I don't think it's fair to assume BK ran away with that one more than score showed.

CoolBreeze · October 23, 2016, 10:11:56 pm

Quote from: srcranch on October 23, 2016, 04:38:35 pm
It seems silly to me that people assume a winning record is based on the conference toughness! I believe before you assume such things you should watch the teams play! I am a BK fan but I have heard people make comments based on scores,point spreads all of these seem silly! BK 2nd string has played complete halves this year points have been scored on them and yet people go off points! BK beat Harding it wasn't a fluke or a bad game for Harding. It was a great game and we won strait up but because of Harding,Prescott,Charlestown,Glen rose and Smackovers past y'all assume no one has a chance! yet there is upsets every year! I don't know how far BK can go but you might not want to count us out just yet! No matter who we been playing

I have said before that Bald Knob is the real deal. No one that I'm aware of has said that beating HA was a fluke. It was a hard-fought game. BK play an excellent game. And Harding did not have a "bad game." I would not hesitate to agree that BK outplayed HA by a significant margin.

That said, crucial turnovers did play a significant part in the victory, including an interception in the end zone. Moreover, it was early in the season, and Harding is rebuilding. The have played much better in recent weeks. The outcome might be different if they were to meet in the playoffs. However, that could not happen prior to the championship game unless something crazy happens in the next two weeks.

FNLsupporter · October 23, 2016, 10:12:26 pm

Quote from: panther07 on October 23, 2016, 10:04:53 pm
I agree with a lot of what you just said, however, I think HA and BK was just as close as score. HA moved the ball all night. Muffed a punt on the 2 yard line that lead directly to a td. Got a punt blocked right after that inside the 20. I don't think it's fair to assume BK ran away with that one more than score showed.

And BK had some busted assignments in the secondary and some missed linebacker coverages as well, but every play in football makes up the entire game. So yeah, the turnovers and miscues are part of it. BK had their fair share of them as well and still managed to win by 2 scores. If I remember right, BK held them on 4th down a couple of times also. In the same reasoning that you say the muffed punt cost H.A., just one over the top protection by our safety going into halftime, or maybe we run the football instead of throwing to allow HA another possession before the half, and that would've negated a touchdown for Harding. Look, those plays all happened. I'm sure it was a very bitter, tough pill to swallow, but there is no doubt, BK is the better team this year...by about 3 to 4 scores better

CoolBreeze · October 23, 2016, 10:14:52 pm

Quote from: panther07 on October 23, 2016, 10:04:53 pm
I agree with a lot of what you just said, however, I think HA and BK was just as close as score. HA moved the ball all night. Muffed a punt on the 2 yard line that lead directly to a td. Got a punt blocked right after that inside the 20. I don't think it's fair to assume BK ran away with that one more than score showed.

+1

And don't forget the BK interception of an under-thrown pass in the end zone which prevented an HA touchdown,m which if I remember correctly would have pulled them back within one score.

panther07 · October 23, 2016, 10:24:03 pm

Quote from: FNLsupporter on October 23, 2016, 10:12:26 pm
And BK had some busted assignments in the secondary and some missed linebacker coverages as well, but every play in football makes up the entire game. So yeah, the turnovers and miscues are part of it. BK had their fair share of them as well and still managed to win by 2 scores. If I remember right, BK held them on 4th down a couple of times also. In the same reasoning that you say the muffed punt cost H.A., just one over the top protection by our safety going into halftime, or maybe we run the football instead of throwing to allow HA another possession before the half, and that would've negated a touchdown for Harding. Look, those plays all happened. I'm sure it was a very bitter, tough pill to swallow, but there is no doubt, BK is the better team this year...by about 3 to 4 scores better

So what you're saying is that the things the teams did wrong off set each other... Which would lead one to say that the score was a good indication.

FNLsupporter · October 23, 2016, 10:54:49 pm

Quote from: panther07 on October 23, 2016, 10:24:03 pm
So what you're saying is that the things the teams did wrong off set each other... Which would lead one to say that the score was a good indication.

We could probably agree to that! Lol! Listen, I get it, H.A. has been BY FAR, dominant and will probably continue to be so. Last year they beat the brakes off of BK when I thought we had a pretty good team, but that game itself was nowhere near as close as the score indicated. All I'm saying is that this year in particular, I don't think H.A. is quite as good as what the final score was against BK. Does that mean BK will go farther in the playoffs, I don't have a clue. 2 weeks ago, BK had 6 turnovers (2 ints, a muffed punt, Barton recovered an onside kick, and 2 4th down failed conversions) in the first half against Barton. Luckily, our defense kept bailing us out. We could never do that and expect to win, especially against a really strong opponent. Likewise, H.A. doesn't have the defense to start out like they did against Barton either and expect to keep advancing in the playoffs. In the end, I wish all of 3A-2 good luck the rest of the year. By the way, like it was mentioned earlier, BK still has Cedar Ridge and they are a pretty gritty team, BK could very well end up the 3 seed in the end anyway.

srcranch · October 24, 2016, 09:51:28 am

I was not saying Harding was bad! It is high school football how many teams in 3a played perfect games Friday night!! The point to my statements is it seems silly to think certain teams belong in final four! Turnovers are a game changer in the pros! These coaches struggle to get 11 guys to show up with football on there mind!!! Lol

FNLsupporter · October 24, 2016, 10:31:10 am

Quote from: srcranch on October 24, 2016, 09:51:28 am
I was not saying Harding was bad! It is high school football how many teams in 3a played perfect games Friday night!! The point to my statements is it seems silly to think certain teams belong in final four! Turnovers are a game changer in the pros! These coaches struggle to get 11 guys to show up with football on there mind!!! Lol

Agreed, honestly, I think that's one reason why HA is so successful! Their coaching staff is top notch and usually gets complete "buy in" from his players.

CoolBreeze · October 24, 2016, 12:19:28 pm

Quote from: FNLsupporter on October 23, 2016, 10:54:49 pm
We could probably agree to that! Lol! Listen, I get it, H.A. has been BY FAR, dominant and will probably continue to be so. Last year they beat the brakes off of BK when I thought we had a pretty good team, but that game itself was nowhere near as close as the score indicated. All I'm saying is that this year in particular, I don't think H.A. is quite as good as what the final score was against BK. Does that mean BK will go farther in the playoffs, I don't have a clue. 2 weeks ago, BK had 6 turnovers (2 ints, a muffed punt, Barton recovered an onside kick, and 2 4th down failed conversions) in the first half against Barton. Luckily, our defense kept bailing us out. We could never do that and expect to win, especially against a really strong opponent. Likewise, H.A. doesn't have the defense to start out like they did against Barton either and expect to keep advancing in the playoffs. In the end, I wish all of 3A-2 good luck the rest of the year. By the way, like it was mentioned earlier, BK still has Cedar Ridge and they are a pretty gritty team, BK could very well end up the 3 seed in the end anyway.

Nobody can start out like HA did against Barton and expect to advance in the playoffs. Harding was fortunate to win that game against a weak opponent.

You can't spot a good team 3 touchdowns and expect to win. However, Harding only did that once. And they did completely shut down the Barton offense after that. The next week, the gave up a quick touchdown to Cedar Ridge before they decided to get serious. Then, they shut them down.

The point is that the defense is much improved over the one that allowed over 40 points to Smackover and BK. Harding could be a tough out for anyone they face.

Bald Knob has an excellent team filled with talent. However, I'm not sure they've been tested. All their games except Batesville Southside and HA were blowouts, and they won both of those by two touchdowns. How will they respond when adversity strikes, as it certainly will during the playoffs? As a well-coached, seemingly well-disciplined team, I suspect they will handle it well, but you never know until it happens.

FNLsupporter · October 24, 2016, 12:32:17 pm

Quote from: CoolBreeze on October 24, 2016, 12:19:28 pm
Nobody can start out like HA did against Barton and expect to advance in the playoffs. Harding was fortunate to win that game against a weak opponent.

You can't spot a good team 3 touchdowns and expect to win. However, Harding only did that once. And they did completely shut down the Barton offense after that. The next week, the gave up a quick touchdown to Cedar Ridge before they decided to get serious. Then, they shut them down.

The point is that the defense is much improved over the one that allowed over 40 points to Smackover and BK. Harding could be a tough out for anyone they face.

Bald Knob has an excellent team filled with talent. However, I'm not sure they've been tested. All their games except Batesville Southside and HA were blowouts, and they won both of those by two touchdowns. How will they respond when adversity strikes, as it certainly will during the playoffs? As a well-coached, seemingly well-disciplined team, I suspect they will handle it well, but you never know until it happens.

I will say, BK was down at halftime against DA and Barton, and they figured it out! I agree, just like you said about HA, BK can't do that against really good teams or they will be in big trouble. On a side note, what should we expect from Cedar Ridge? I honestly expected a higher score from HA against them. Is their defense pretty salty?

CoolBreeze · October 24, 2016, 12:44:19 pm

Quote from: FNLsupporter on October 24, 2016, 12:32:17 pm
I will say, BK was down at halftime against DA and Barton, and they figured it out! I agree, just like you said about HA, BK can't do that against really good teams or they will be in big trouble. On a side note, what should we expect from Cedar Ridge? I honestly expected a higher score from HA against them. Is their defense pretty salty?

There was a strong wind that night. Played havoc with passing attack. Harding had to adjust their style and play ball control offense. Ran the ball with considerable success, but no quick-strike touchdowns. That's what kept the score down. Also, a clock that mysteriously kept running after out-of bounds-plays, etc., just before the half shortened the time for HA's drive and may have prevented another score

Pick_DA_EAGLES · October 24, 2016, 01:21:20 pm

Quote from: CoolBreeze on October 24, 2016, 12:19:28 pm
Nobody can start out like HA did against Barton and expect to advance in the playoffs. Harding was fortunate to win that game against a weak opponent.

You can't spot a good team 3 touchdowns and expect to win. However, Harding only did that once. And they did completely shut down the Barton offense after that. The next week, the gave up a quick touchdown to Cedar Ridge before they decided to get serious. Then, they shut them down.

The point is that the defense is much improved over the one that allowed over 40 points to Smackover and BK. Harding could be a tough out for anyone they face.

Bald Knob has an excellent team filled with talent. However, I'm not sure they've been tested. All their games except Batesville Southside and HA were blowouts, and they won both of those by two touchdowns. How will they respond when adversity strikes, as it certainly will during the playoffs? As a well-coached, seemingly well-disciplined team, I suspect they will handle it well, but you never know until it happens.

The b.k.-d.a. game was only an 11 point game, that des arc lead at halftime. Sleep on b.k. and you will get beat.

CoolBreeze · October 24, 2016, 03:01:53 pm

Quote from: pick_DA_EAGLES on October 24, 2016, 01:21:20 pm
The b.k.-d.a. game was only an 11 point game, that des arc lead at halftime. Sleep on b.k. and you will get beat.

Sorry, I forgot about that one.

CoolBreeze · October 28, 2016, 10:58:49 pm

If the Harding team that showed up tonight against Marianna is the one which appears in the playoffs, they won't go far.

CoolBreeze · October 28, 2016, 11:24:43 pm

With Cedar Ridge's win over Barton, the 3A-2 playoff picture is becoming clear. Unless Cedar ridge upsets Bald Knob or Marianna defeats Mayflower, the seeding should be as follows:

1. Bald Knob
2. Harding Academy
3. Cedar Ridge
4. Mayflower
5. Barton

Bwana · October 29, 2016, 12:08:41 am

CB I mentioned last week that HA needed to work on their Red Zone offense and tonight they struggled inside the 10 yard line 3 different times in the first half and came away with no points.. Their more dangerous from beyond the 20 than inside it.. IMO they've got to dance (no pun intended) with the girl they brought to the dance.. Meaning they seem to get inside the 20 and stop running the plays that moved them down the field in the first place.. Hopefully they get it figured out..