Junction City ready to take on Fordyce

In recent seasons when Junction City and Fordyce have collided, there has been plenty at stake.

That trend won’t change with their meeting tonight in the 8-2A opener for both schools.

Game time is set for 7 p.m. from Fordyce.

The Redbugs (3-2) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 28-12 win over Carlisle last week, while Junction City (2-3) was idle following a 49-12 loss at Beebe.

The Redbugs and Dragons, who have combined to win the last three 2A state titles, each have their eye on getting back to Little Rock, and the winner of tonight’s showdown would have the early inside track in the race for the league crown and No. 1 seed for the playoffs.

For Junction City coach Brad Smith, turnovers will be a big key for tonight’s game.

“Two very, very proud teams,” Smith said of the rivalry. “They know what we’re going to do, we know what they’re going to do. It’s just whoever holds on to the ball. That’s the key to it. Every game has been determined by turnovers. Since 2018, whoever turns it over the least wins. The last three times, that’s been us. We’ve lost because we’ve turned it over.”

Injuries have played a key role for both squads.

The Redbugs haven’t had the services of quarterback Trey Merritt since he was injured during their Week 0 win over Rison, while the Dragons have played without Corey Dubose in each of the last two games due to an injury.

“He’s getting better every day. We’re just going to see how better he is each day,” Smith said of Dubose’s status for tonight’s game.

Smith added that he believes Merritt will return to face the Dragons.

“Their quarterback hasn’t played since Week 1, but from what I hear, he’s definitely ready to go, and they held him out saving him for us,” Smith said.

Smith added Merritt’s absence has made it tough to prepare.

“You really don’t have a clue what they’re going to run with him,” Smith said. “He’s been out so long. It’s just a really, really tough thing to try to figure out.”

Whether Merritt or Dominic Hammond, who has guided Fordyce’s offense with Merritt sidelined gets the nod at quarterback, the Redbugs have a wide variety of looks that will challenge the Dragons’ defense.

“They’re so multiple,” Smith said. “They’ve got a wing series, they’ve got an I series with the wing, they’ve got a trips series, they’ve got an unbalanced series, they’ve got a double series and they’re very efficient in all of it. When they find out what’s working, they stay with it. They’re very, very skilled.”

Junction City’s trio of Jamal Johnson, AJ Ivory and Tredavion Williams have paced the Dragons’ running attack, and Smith said Fordyce does a solid job of keeping opposing running games in check.

“They swarm to the ball. Very difficult to run on them,” Smith said. “Clarendon had some success until Fordyce decided to quit honoring (Quincey) McAdoo. When they decided to play their defense, Clarendon couldn’t do anything with them.”

The Dragons were off last week, and Smith said they focused on several areas during their break.

“We rested a bunch. We still worked, but we weren’t there as long as we usually are,” Smith said. “We lifted three days, which we’ve been needing to and we got after it pretty good. We watched film on Monday (Sept. 27) and sent them home because they needed to go home.

“They didn’t need to work after the gauntlet we’ve run the last several weeks. On Tuesday, we practiced all the way through. On Friday, we hit our special teams real hard and sent them home. Today (Monday), we’re going to put in what we worked on last week.”

In the loss at Beebe, a turnover in the red zone coupled with the Badgers recovering the kickoff following a touchdown turned in a close game into a lopsided loss.

“Unforced turnovers. Those are the ones that really it’s concentration,” Smith said. “Unforced turnovers are concentration, and there’s no other excuse for it. You’re not doing what you’re fundamentally supposed to do. Your mind has drifted. When you drift and don’t take care of your fundamentals, that what happens, and that’s exactly what happened.

“We’ve practice the pop-up kickoff probably 50 times already this year. We all know what to do, but we didn’t do it then. We all understood how to take a handoff and we didn’t do it there. That’s part of when you’re dealing with an inexperienced football team, that’s kind of what you get.

“They just haven’t figured out how hard the concentration level is. Hopefully, they have now. They understand that you have to concentrate every snap.”

Given how crucial turnovers have been in the series between the Dragons and Redbugs, Smith said execution will be a major key for Junction City.

“Most of it is execution and recognizing what’s going on,” Smith said. “When you get in games like that, you’re going to get hit really hard. They’re going to hit us, we’re going to hit them. Turnovers in these games have been for the most part turnover contacts.

“What we really don’t want are the non-contact turnovers. You don’t want any turnovers, but if a guy gets hit real hard, you can justify it a little bit. Not a lot, but you can. But if you don’t get hit, those are the ones that makes coach have to go to church and beg forgiveness.”

Although the Dragons start their October slate with a losing record, Smith said the Dragons are improving.

“We’re getting better,” Smith said. “It doesn’t always look that way, but we’re making fewer and fewer mistakes. This is the season where you really have to get after it as far as when you have to be playing your best ball is in your conference time.”

For the Dragons to pick up a win on the road, Smith said his team must avoid miscues.

“You’ve got to know what you’re doing, you’ve got to do it real fast and real hard,” Smith said. “You’ve got to hold on to the football. You can’t have unforced mistakes. Dead-ball penalties, pre-snap penalties, dropping the football, all of those things are backbreakers.”

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