CHARLESTON- It’s that time of year again. It is turning cold, and that means that it is state playoffs time in Arkansas! And as the number two seed from the 3A-1 conference, the Charleston Tigers will begin their state title defense this Friday at Alumni Field against the Barton Bears. Barton is the number four seed from the 3A-6 conference.
Barton has a long tradition of football championship history under their former coach, the late Frank McClellan. Coach McClellan was the most decorated coach in Arkansas high school football history having won more games than any other coach in the history of the sport. Coach McClellan passed away in 2020. During his illustrious career at Barton, Coach McClellan led eight Bears teams to state championships.
This year’s edition of Barton football is led by former assistant Steve Sexton. In 2023, the Bears were 5-4 overall and were preparing to take the field in their final regular season game vs Camden Harmony Grove. The Bears have wins over Clarendon (35-6), Marianna Lee (53-14), Hot Springs Lakeside (57-8), and Drew Central (42-0). Barton’s losses this year have been to DeWitt (42-19), Bald Knob (41-24), Fordyce (29-28), and Rison (42-33).
The final standings in the 3A-6 conference were:
Harmony Grove 5-0
Fordyce 4-1
Rison 3-2
Barton 2-3
Drew Central 0-6
Tigers fans will remember the 3A-6 conference from a year ago. Charleston traveled to Rison in the 3A state semifinals and soundly defeated a very good Rison team on the way to the state final and the eventual championship.
Barton will bring an explosive backfield on offense to Alumni Field on Friday night. Behind a very good offensive line, the Bears will feature dual-threat quarterback Connor Willis and downhill runner Braylon Harvey. In fact, at a glance, the Bears do not seem like a typical four seed in a first round game.
Charleston head coach Ricky May, when asked to comment about the Barton Bears, said, “They are very big and athletic. They are one of the best teams in their conference. A couple of breaks, and they win it (their conference).
The young, 2023 edition of the Charleston Tigers will need another big defensive effort to contain the Barton running game and to keep the Tigers in the game late. On offensive, Tigers senior wide receiver Reese Merechka will be counted on again for another productive night. The Charleston senior broke a school record in Week Ten against Lavaca when he scored seven touchdowns against the Arrows. Merechka’s big night broke the previous record of six touchdowns in a single game held by Travis Prescott. There is no doubt that the Bears will be keying on Merechka and that will put even more pressure on the Charleston defense to contain the Barton running game.
Charleston and other members of the 3A-1 conference were not given any favors in the state playoff bracketing. The winner of Friday’s game in Charleston will advance to the second round next Friday and will play the winner of Friday’s first round game between Bismarck and Hackett.
In other first round games involving 3A-1 conference teams:
Drew Central at Booneville (1)
Barton at Charleston (2)
Centerpoint at Mansfield (3)
Hackett (4) at Bismarck
Lavaca (5) at Glen Rose
For Charleston the path to the semifinals could include Barton, Bismarck, and Prescott.
The Weather Bug forecast for Friday night calls for a high of 63 degrees and a low temperature of 41 degrees. The forecast includes sunny weather with rain moving out of the area late Thursday night. So, it should be a great night for high school playoff football between two great teams!
Come out and get your seat early, and RNN Sports will see you at the stadium!
