After falling in their conference opener, Smackover has a pair of tough tests in front of them.
The first of those tests comes on Friday night when the Bucks host Harmony Grove in a 6-3A clash.
Game time is set for 7 p.m.
The Bucks (2-2, 0-1) enter off of a 40-0 loss at Lake Village, while the Hornets (2-2, 1-0) opened league play with a 45-6 win at Pine Bluff Dollarway.
After facing one contender for the league crown on Friday, the Bucks travel to Rison next week, but before that road trip, Smackover must find a way to slow down Harmony Grove, who has won the last two meetings in lopsided fashion by a combined score of 77-13.
“They are a very good team from top to bottom,” Smackover coach David Osborn said. “They do a really good job of moving the ball on offense through the air and on the ground.
“Defensively, they are very aggressive and get after you. We are going to have to stick to our game and try to limit our mistakes. Offensively, we have to stay on our tracks and not chase on the front. Defensively, we have to find a way to try to disrupt them.”
The Hornets are guided by sophomore quarterback Caleb Johnson, who can beat teams both with his arm and his feet. In the Hornets’ win over Junction City, Johnson threw three touchdown passes and ran 72 yards for another score.
“He does a really good job,” Osborn said. “We have seen him the last few years in junior high and he seems to get better every time we see him. He runs the show for them and is playing like a senior. Caleb has a good arm and reads defenses well, then to top it off, he can fly when he decides to scramble.”
The Hornets, who will finish a four-game road trip on Friday, got a touchdown from their defense in last week’s win with Jeremiah Morgan returning a fumble 40 yards for a touchdown.
“Defensively, they want to cause confusion for you and bring multiple guys,” Osborn said. “They may line up in a three-front, but by the time its over, they end up with five to six guys coming at you, putting pressure on you. They do a very good job of pursuing the ball and the whole team rallies to make tackles. They have been very impressive in the films we have of them.”
Against Lake Village, the Bucks enjoyed great field position early on, but after turning the ball over on downs in the red zone, the Beavers scored on Delonte Armour’s touchdown catch, and Smackover never recovered.
“It was a tough one for us,” Osborn said. “We moved the ball well the first couple of drives and had a couple of calls not go our way that killed the drives inside the 20. We really feel like if we score on one of those, we go up 6-0 and the entire game changes. Instead, we gave up a big play afterwards and it rattled us. The entire team was disappointed by our performance from that point on. It was one of those games that we can’t get back, but we know we are much better than how we played.”
Osborn said the Bucks have responded well during practices this week.
“We actually have responded by having the two best practices we have probably had in the last couple of years,” Osborn said. “The kids have been very physical in practice and have been working hard. They realize that we have to be able to take what happens in practice to the games. We can’t have great Mondays and Tuesdays, but not play well on Friday. It all has to be a process building up to our best being on Friday, not peaking on Tuesday.”
From a confidence standpoint, Osborn said the Bucks have moved on and are focused on Harmony Grove.
“We know that last week’s game hurts us in the big picture, but at the same time, we know that anything can change from week to week in our conference,” Osborn said.
“Our kids have really practiced well this week and haven’t dwelled on the game. We broke the film down on Monday and looked at all the mistakes and issues. We really focused on the end zone view and after seeing it, the kids realized a lot of what happened last week was self-inflicted. Sure Lake Village had a lot to do with our night, but if we could get them again somewhere down the road, our kids would be all for it.”
For the Bucks to have success against the Hornets, Osborn said limiting miscues and big plays will be crucial. He added that the weather could also play a key role.
“As always we have to limit our mistakes and limit big plays,” Osborn said. “We have to play four quarters of football. With the way the weather looks this week, it would not surprise me if our field is pretty wet on Friday and the game becomes an inside run game.
“Our field has done well this year, but it’s notorious for holding water in spots. If that’s the case, we have to make them drive the field and try to take advantage of any mistakes and get momentum on our side.”