It was billed as a battle of two teams who were previously undefeated in conference 3A-4. The winner would remain in a tie for Booneville for the conference championship, and the loser would likely end the season as a three seed going into next month’s state playoffs. And on a beautiful night at Eagles Stadium, coach Jeff Weaver’s Eagles continued to soar high with a 31-6 conference victory over a very good Perryville football team.
The Eagles honored senior football players, band, and cheerleaders on a re-scheduled Senior Night prior to the game. As the autumn sunset draped the field, Paris seniors who have been among the most successful in program history were recognized before an adoring home crowd. The Blue Nation was not disappointed as the outstanding senior class maintained their team’s focus on a crucial conference game, and in doing so, have positioned themselves for a huge showdown next week at Booneville for the conference championship.
Paris is ranked tenth in Class 3A in Arkansas according to Max Preps and will bring an 8-0 record into South Logan County on Friday night. And for the second consecutive season, it will all come down to a Paris vs Booneville showdown for all of the marbles. By defeating the Mustangs last Friday, Paris has virtually assured themselves of playing at least one playoff game at home in front of the Eagles faithful. A win over Booneville Friday would give the Eagles the conference championship, a number one seed in the state playoffs, and a likely playoff bracket that would see the Eagles play at home for possibly the first three rounds. That last factor, avoiding the four hour plus bus rides is huge. For players to sleep at home and have their opponents make the trip is a huge advantage at playoff time.
But, Booneville is Booneville…..year in and year out, the Bearcats are tough and no one should expect anything less Friday night. The Bearcat tradition of championship football is a long standing tradition, and this year’s edition of Booneville football is one of its best. The Bearcats feature a very talented backfield that is both deep, talented, and experienced, and Booneville can use it to beat their opponents in different ways. For Paris to be successful Friday, the Eagles defense must have some success slowing the Bearcat offense.
Resident Press will have a featured preview on this huge match-up next week in its online edition. You will not want to miss this story, and you will definitely not want to miss the game Friday night in Booneville. Last year’s match-up in Paris went down to the final possession of the game, and this year’s could be just as exciting!
Photos from Friday night’s Paris victory over Perryville are now available on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports. Photos from the pregame Senior Night ceremony will be posted Sunday night.
So, Paris and Booneville fans, it is game week for the Battle of Logan County! Enjoy the week, and I look forward to seeing you in Booneville on Friday for the epic showdown of two great teams!
