Camden Fairview got a head start to the 2021 football season. The Cardinals beat Arkadelphia 41-21 in a Week Zero, season-opening contest last week.
El Dorado will travel to Fairview on Thursday for its season opener. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Wildcats had opportunities to scout the Cardinals both against Arkadelphia and in a scrimmage game the previous week versus Monticello.
The Wildcats scrimmaged at North Little Rock last week. The question is, which team has the advantage going into Thursday’s contest?
“That’s a good question,” said El Dorado coach Steven Jones. “It’s interesting nowadays. You have four weeks to play three games. That’s going to change the way you think about week one every year as far as, did your opponent play the week before you, were they open? It’s interesting how that shakes out but I don’t think it’s an advantage or a disadvantage.”
Arkadelphia, traditionally, has been ranked among the elite in Class 5A. The Cardinals’ victory was a big one on their schedule.
“That’s a good win for them to start the year. They had some explosive plays. Arkadelphia made a few mistakes that really cost them,” Jones said.
“In the second quarter, Camden Fairview blitzed a corner off the edge. The quarterback never saw him and he took the ball from him, took it back for a touchdown. They had a lot of big plays. They’re really good on kickoff returns, got a lot of good field position. I think big plays is what really hurt Arkadelphia.”
Jones said the Badgers were able to do some things against the Cardinals but, ultimately, couldn’t overcome their own miscues.
“They were able to catch and throw with some quick passes and they were able to run the football a little bit,” he said of Arkadelphia’s offense. “The biggest thing for them was the turnovers and Camden making big plays on defense. That’s what hurt them.
“I think Camden made more plays in special teams than Arkadelphia did. That was something that stuck out. They made a lot of plays in special teams.”