PARIS- The Paris Eagles return home this week to host the West Fork Tigers in the final non-conference game for both teams. Paris will be off next week (September 15) for a bye week before going on the road for their first conference game at Glen Rose. West Fork will also have a bye week next week before they begin conference play at Mansfield on September 22.
The West Fork Tigers play in the tough 3A-1 conference that includes Charleston, Booneville, Mansfield, Lavaca, Greenland, Hackett, and Cedarville. Booneville is the favorite to win the conference with Charleston, Mansfield, and Hackett looking to fight it out for seeds 2-4. West Fork will have must-win games with Greenland and Cedarville to possibly secure a five seed in the playoffs. Of course, that is all on paper as they say; you never know until the games are played. Injuries, among other things, can change everything.
The Paris Eagles, as of press time for this story, were preparing for a very tough non-conference road test at Mansfield. But as winners over Waldron on zero week, Paris, a team that won just one contest a year ago, will have a chance to win 4-5 games this season, and possibly more. To do so, the home game with West Fork is a must-win for the Eagles. And with the lopsided loss of conference opponent Centerpoint at the hands of Hackett in zero week, the Knights may be a conference opponent that the Eagles may look forward to late in the season. So, it is very possible that Eagles coach Jeff Weaver could have his team back in the state playoffs in 2023 after a one-year absence last season. Paris is a young and talented team, and another group of talented athletes are playing junior high football as freshmen and will join the team in week ten.
West Fork defeated Paris a year ago in Northwest Arkansas by the score of 13-0. It was one of the best played games of the season for Paris on the road, with the Eagles just falling short on drives that could have given them a chance to win.
The Tigers, winners of their first three games of the year in 2022, finished the regular season with a record of 5-5. They had several lopsided wins in conference play last season, including a 42-0 win over Hackett, and a 42-14 win at Cedarville. West Fork has not hosted a playoff game since 2015, and the Tigers are focused on returning to the playoffs in 2023. They must win big conference games with Lavaca, Hackett, Cedarville, and possibly Mansfield if they hope to host a playoff game in November.
West Fork is big, strong, and physical, but lacks team speed according to Hootens Arkansas Football publication. Paris will be looking to utilize its speed against the Tigers.
On offense, West Fork will be led by sophomore Cooper Ridenoure after having a big junior high football career. He has a strong and accurate arm and is a dual threat to run at any time. Junior Bryson Whitmill has 4.75 speed and will run for the Tigers from the halfback position. West Fork will also have senior running back Harrison Oliver who is returning from ACL surgery.
Oliver will also play on defense for the Tigers where he has been a three-year starter. In 2022, Oliver had 74 tackles and four sacks. West Fork coach Rodney Selph has touted Oliver’s explosiveness off the ball as to why he is such a force on defense.
West Fork won their zero-week game on August 25 vs Green Forest by the score of 20-8. At press time for this story, the Tigers were preparing to take the field at Berryville.
RNN Sports will be at Eagles Stadium for this week’s game with West Fork. Look for our post-game story on Sunday on our website at residentnewsnetwork.com. We will also have action photos from this game on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports!
And, as always, we will see you at the stadium!
