Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Prescott And Fordyce Tangle Thursday Night

Are the Curley Wolves ready for the play-offs?

For four weeks now the Wolves have had easy opponents, easy enough to let all the reserves in the game. Last week the freshmen got to see action.

This is all good in preparation for strong teams in the future.

But the Wolves have not been tested since Nashville beat them October 4. (Of course, Nashville hasn't been tested since the Scrappers played Prescott either.)

So the questions are several: "Do the Curley Wolves have what it takes in post season play? Have they improved as the season progressed? Do they have the stamina it takes for a championship team? Can they put together a near-perfect game? Can they play a full four quarters? Can they beat McGehee? What about Fordyce?

Fordyce?

The Redbugs are now. This Thursday.

This will be the first real test for the Curley Wolves since October 4. And, just because they have a 5-3 overall record, The Wolves must not be fooled into thinking this is just another game.

The Redbugs have the same conference record as the Wolves, 4-1. Their only conference loss has been against Nashville, the same as Prescott. Their defeats against common opponents are about the same.

So, once more, are the Wolves ready for a stronger team. They'd better be.

Prescott is currently second in the 7AA Conference, a good place to be since first place is taken by ninth-ranked (overall in the state) Nashville. A loss against Fordyce would put the Wolves in third place and at the bottom of the brackets in the state play-offs.

Second spot means the first game in the play-offs would be in Prescott. The runner-up in the conference will play third place of the 3AA North Conference, which could be either Gosnell or Corning, both from the northeast part of the state.

The third place in the 7AA will travel to the second best team in the 3AA North Conference. Presently, that team is Nettleton near Jonesboro.

So one can see while coach Eddie Jackson wants his team in second spot. The lower on the bracket, the stronger team you will have to play. Of course, eventually, only the strongest will be left.

That's why it's crucial now that the Wolves come through as they did against Ashdown and Hope at the beginning of the season. (Jackson refuses to recognize the forfeit against Ashdown.) They were tried against the larger Class AAA teams. At that point the Wolves proved they could play against the best.

But outside of those two teams and Nashville, the Wolves just havn't had any competition this year. Gurdon was no contest. Bismarck played good, but, once more, every one of the Wolves saw action.

Now it comes down to the last game of the season. Halloween is over, but this game is still scary. And after this game, the play-offs.

Assuming Prescott beats Fordyce and the Wolves win their first post-season game, the second play-off game will be played at McGehee, the winner of the 8AA Conference with a 6-0 record. The Owls clinched the title last week with a big victory over Dollarway.

It appears the second place spot will be in a better bracket than first place Nashville, even though the Scrappers will have the home field advantage throughout the play-offs.

For the fans who missed last week's homecoming game, you missed an excellent halftime show by the PHS band. You should make plans to at the PHS Stadium Thursday night for the Prescott-Fordyce game, and you can see an outstanding performance of the band as well.

The Redbugs did not play last week, but here are a few scores Prescott fans may be interested in:

• Nashville came from behind to beat De Queen, 34-7.

• Bismarck defeated Fountain Lake, 25-8.

• Murfreesboro shut out Gurdon, 43-0.

• Hope was edged by Magnolia, 15-12.

• Ashdown beat Lake Hamilton, 44-34.

• Harmony Grove defeated Junction City, 24-7.