It has been a tough grind this year for the Paris Eagles. One of those years where frustrations run high, but the character of the Eagles pushes them to continue to play hard on every down.
In the newly-formatted 3A-4 conference, Paris was placed in a conference that required long trips to play games at such places as Bismarck and now Centerpoint. All the same, the travel can seem to make the season even more difficult to bear.
As a writer who has followed this team closely, I will tell you that having very little success on the field is a very hard thing to take. Place ourselves in the shoes of teenagers who are on the field each week and coming home battered and bruised every Friday night, and you just have to admire the dedication and the desire to play that each player demonstrates each week. But with all of that said, the object of the game is to win. And that is what the Paris Eagles focus on each week.
At deadline time for this story, Paris was getting ready to take the field at Eagles Stadium for their annual homecoming football game. The opponent was the Two Rivers Gators, and it was a game that Paris needed badly to win. A homecoming victory would provide some relief to the players and coaches who have been through so much adversity this year. A loss would be another story.
But looking ahead to this week’s game at Centerpoint, the Eagles will travel just short of two-and-a half hours to the South Arkansas town of Amity that is located just south of Glenwood. Amity, for landmark reference, is located approximately 46 minutes southwest of Lake Hamilton. Eagles fans who will make the trip on Friday may find the fastest way to the game being a drive through Booneville, Danville, and onward south through Story on state highway 314. But don’t listen to me; by all means, consult your phone’s GPS!
Centerpoint is a program that many had thought might be down a little from a year ago. After a big year in 2021, the Knights graduated a talented class of athletes and were picked by Hooten’s Arkansas Football publication to finish fifth in the conference. The Knights were 9-4 a year ago and finished fourth in the 3A-5 conference. Centerpoint went on to the state playoffs in 2021 and defeated Osceola in the first round by a score of 29-14. Centerpoint went to Charleston in the second round of the 2021 state playoffs and defeated a very good Tigers team at home by the score of 28-23. The Knight’s season came to an end in the state quarterfinals in 2021 with a 35-7 loss at Harding Academy who was the eventual 3A state champion last year.
So, the Centerpoint program is a high-quality program that knows how to win and has had success both in conference play and in the state playoffs. They are coached by Cary Rogers and work out of the gun on offense. Defensively, the Knights run the “30” defense.
From last year’s state quarterfinal team, Centerpoint has three returning starters on offense and four on defense. On offense, they are led by senior Jace Clark at quarterback who is 5’11, 180 lbs, and has a 40 yard dash time of 4.8 seconds. Defensively, the Knights are led by senior Brayden Longshore at defensive tackle. According to Hooten’s, the Knights have good depth on their roster, perhaps and indication of the success and interest in the program, but have had to rebuild from losing 15 legitimate starters from a year ago.
As of October 13, the Knights have won games against Hackett, Mena, Bigelow, Magnet Cove and Two Rivers. They also have a forfeit win from Danville who previously canceled the remainder of their season. At deadline time, the Knights were traveling to Jessieville to play the Lions. To wrap-up the regular season, Centerpoint will host Paris on Friday night, and will then play at Glen Rose on October 28 and will host Bismarck on November 4. The Knights’ playoff seeding will ultimately be determined with their final two big games at the end of the season.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Amity, and RNN Sports will be there to capture the images and provide a post-game recap of the game on Saturday morning. Photos from the game will also be posted on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports next week.
RNN wishes the Eagles and their fans safe travel to and back from the game on Friday. Thank you for reading RNN Sports, and we thank you for your subscriptions and your loyalty! It is our pleasure and privilege to bring you local news and sports to the great communities of Western Arkansas!
