The Charleston Tigers defeated a proud and perennially successful Greenland Pirates program by the score of 51-0 last Friday at Alumni Field. Now, the Tigers turn their attention to the Cedarville Pirates who have had great talent, especially in the offensive backfield, and who have been predicted to finish at or near the top of the 3A-1 conference for the past two years. Charleston will travel to Cedarville Friday for a game that could go a long way in determining who will win the conference and the eventual order of seeds from the 3A-1 going into the state playoffs.
Cedarville will enter Friday’s game with a 4-0 record overall and 1-0 in conference play. Some argue that Cedarville has not been tested, having played and defeated Berryville, Green Forest, Mansfield, and in their first conference game, Lavaca, whom the Pirates narrowly defeated 38-36. By contrast, the Charleston Tigers played and defeated three teams from the Class 4A-4 conference that included Dardanelle, Pottsville, and Ozark. And against a traditionally tough Greenland football team, the Tigers routed the Pirates 51-0.
Cedarville is led by their all-state candidate running back, Daryl Kattich. Kattich, according to Max Preps, has rushed to date for a total of 680 yards. He has averaged 170 yards per game, has scored eight touchdowns, and has had four games where he has rushed for at least 100 yards.
The Tigers shut out Greenland last week, and any concerns that Charleston coach Ricky May might have had after their preseason scrimmage with Booneville have apparently been addressed. Coach May remarked that this team played as well as any he has coached in his career. Everyone knew that going into the season, Charleston was deep and talented, and coming off of a conference championship a year ago, the Tigers were favored to repeat this season. But the Tigers are exceeding those expectations, and this could be a huge year for the Charleston football program under Ricky May.
Kickoff in Cedarville is set for 7 p.m. The weather forecast is calling for a significant chance of rain, and Tigers fans should prepare themselves for a wet evening in Crawford County. A wet field could force the game into a contest of who has the best rushing attack, and both teams are well-suited for an old-fashioned, muddy football game. Cedarville will be sky high going into this game, and it will be on the Charleston defense to contain Kattich and the Priates’ ground game. In short, this should be one whale of a football game!
Good luck to Coach May and the Charleston Tigers in their quest to go undefeated in the first half of the season!
