El Dorado will open play conference play this Friday with a long trip to Jonesboro. Coach Steven Jones said his team will make at least one stop during the nearly 5-hour bus ride.
“We’re going to stop at Harding University in Searcy. They’re going to let us use their new indoor facility to do a little walk through, stretch our legs and just kind of move around a little bit before we finish the trip,” Jones said.
“With it being such a long trip, we’re going to get to Jonesboro a little earlier than what we’d typically arrive at a road game, probably about an hour earlier, to, hopefully, prevent jet lag.”
The Wildcats finished the non-conference ledger with a 2-1 mark while Jonesboro brings a 1-2 record into league play after beating Little Rock Catholic (37-7) and losing to Conway (42-25) and Cabot 47-27).
The Golden Hurricane features a speedy multiple offense. The Wildcats also bring an explosive offense, averaging 41.6 points per game.
Still, El Dorado might want to start the game with its defense on the field. Jones stressed the important of finishing the first half strong and starting to second half with just as much momentum.
“From about the midway point of the second quarter to the midway point of the third quarter, we’ve got to make more plays. I don’t know what it is about the second quarter. It hasn’t been our best quarter,” he said. “We’ve got to win that quarter from about the halfway mark of the second to halfway mark of the third. I think a lot of games are won or lost in that area.”