The conference slate continues for Paris on Friday when the Eagles will host the Jessieville Lions after having played last week at Bismarck. At deadline time, the Eagles were preparing to make their long trip to the Lake DeGray area to play at Bismarck.
The front end of the Paris conference season has been a tough one to say the least. The Eagles opened the conference portion of their schedule two weeks ago at home against the conference favorite, Glen Rose. That game was followed by a trip to Bismarck to play a Lions team that will contend for a playoff spot in the conference. Jessieville was picked by Hooten’s Arkansas football publication to finish runner-up in the conference. The Lions have dealt with an auto accident in Garland County that happened a few weeks ago, involving four of their players.
In last year’s 3A-4 that was different from this year’s, Jessieville finished third with a 6-4 record. The Lions are coached by T.J. Burk and run the spread offense. Jessieville runs multiple sets on defense.
At deadline for this story, the Lions were about to play Glen Rose on September 30. On the season to that date, Jessieville is 1-3 on the season, having lost to Mineral Springs, 45-30, Mount Ida 35-0, and Bismarck, 49-14. The Lions’ lone victory has been at home against Atkins. Jessieville defeated Atkins 48-8. After the game with Paris on October 7, Jessieville will return home on October 14 to host Centerpoint.
For Paris, the Eagles have to simply keep playing hard, knowing that the schedule will favor them a little more in the second half of the season. It has been a very tough first half of the season for Paris, but the Eagles have continued to play hard and compete with each opponent. They are a very young and inexperienced team that has taken their hard knocks in the month of September. After the Jessieville game, Paris will host Two Rivers for its annual homecoming game on October 14.
Kickoff at Eagles Stadium on Friday is set for 7 p.m. Come out and support your Eagles! RNN Sports will be there to bring you all of the action. Watch for a post-game recap on the game late Friday night on the RNN online website at residentnewsnetwork.com. Photos from the game will be available next week on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports.
