There is a crispness in the air, and nightfall occurs around 6 p.m., and all of that means that it is state playoff time for high school football across the state of Arkansas. And in week one of the state playoffs, the Paris Eagles, a number two seed from the 3A-4 conference, will host the Riverview Raiders, a four seed from the 3A-2 conference. Riverview, located in Searcy, plays in a very tough conference that includes Harding Academy. Newport, and Melbourne.
Paris, runner-ups in the 3A-4, finished the regular season with a 9-1 record and their only loss being at Booneville in a hard fought football game. Paris emerged from the week nine contest with Booneville nicked and having a few injuries, but the schedule in week ten allowed the Eagles to sit some players and give them time to heal and prepare for the playoffs. The Eagles should be very close to full-strength when the Raiders come to Paris tomorrow.
Riverview finished the regular season with a 5-5 record overall and a 2-3 record in conference play. The final standings in conference 3A-2 were:
Harding Academy 8-2 , 5-0
Newport 4-4, 3-2
Melbourne 6-3, 3-2
Riverview 5-5, 2-3
Salem 6-4 , 1-4
Mountain View 5-5, 1-4
Eagles fans may remember last year’s first round game versus Salem. The Greyhounds played hard and were a tough out in the first round. Paris fans can expect the same from Riverview this Friday night.
The season results for the Riverview Raiders were:
Bauxite, 7-33 loss
CAC, 42-7 win
Bald Knob, 17-14 win
Blytheville, 21-6 win
Salem, 35-7 win
Newport, 0-41 loss
Harding Academy, 7-36 loss
Melbourne, 0-35 loss
Lamar, 12-44 loss
Mountain View, 7-6 win
On offense, the Raiders are led by senior quarterback Israel Gameros. Gameros, according to Max Preps, has passed for 524 yards on the season with four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also leads the team in rushing with 687 yards on the season, averaging 75 yards per game. He has nine rushing touchdowns. Gameros is a dual-threat quarterback who can hurt a defense with both his arm and his legs.
For Paris, Friday night will be the first step in achieving a goal that the team set last year after its quarterfinal round exit at Hoxie. The Eagles, returning a top-notch senior class, wants to advance further in the playoffs than they did a year ago, and that mission starts Friday against Riverview.
And for Paris, nothing else matters on Friday. The focus has to been soley on Riverview and not on the possibility of traveling to Newport in round two. But the Eagles have been ready to play each week, and I expect Paris to fly high in Friday night’s battle with Riverview.
Weather conditions in Paris are expected to be ideal for the game. There is no forecast of percipitation according to Weather Bug, and the temperatures are expected to be in the low 50’s for the day’s high, and should be in the lower 40’s by the end of the game. So, bundle up and get ready for a great night of high school playoff football!
Resident Press will have a recap of this game over the weekend, and photos will be posted on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports on Sunday.
Good luck to the seniors on both teams, and I look forward to seeing you at the stadium on Friday!
