Game of the Week: Little Rock Christian at Pulaski Academy

A conference title and No. 1 playoff seed is at stake when Pulaski Academy plays host to Little Rock Christian Friday night. The Bruins (8-1, 6-0) clinch the title outright with a victory. The Warriors (7-2, 5-1) can share the title, but would earn the first-round playoff bye with the head-to-head tiebreaker. If they lose, they could fall to the No. 3 seed if Magnolia beats Hope Thursday night. Christian lost 30-20 to Magnolia last week but the luster remains on the match up that VYPE predicted would be for the conference crown. "It's still for a conference championship," PA coach Kevin Kelley said. "If they win, we will have one loss, and they will have one loss. This is the week that really matters. There is the same excitement and same enthusiasm. The teams haven't played in awhile, but both programs have done well the past few years. We played in the state finals in 2006, and they played last year. They have a big-time Division I recruit in Michael Dyer and all-state quarterback Griffin Kuhn. We have a couple of kids, too, so you add in the fact that our campuses are separated by seven miles, and it should be a good atmosphere." LRC had to endure a series of injuries that began before the season. Senior quarterback Griffin Kuhn broke his leg and tore ligaments in his ankle in a preseason jamboree. Junior Jesse Stone succeeded Kuhn and led Christian to seven straight wins after a loss in the opener. Star junior running back Michael Dyer hurt his ankle Week 6 and missed part of the Camden Fairview game. Junior tight end Dakota Mosley has also battled injury. Kuhn played for the first time in the loss last week but didn't have the mobility that made him dangerous last fall. Dyer was also slowed more than in recent weeks. Warriors coach Johnny Watson thinks the trio will play around 85 percent against PA. "I expect all of those guys to play well," Watson said. "This is a big game. (Kuhn) is an all-state quarterback, and you expect guys like that to step up." While Christian's offensive stars healed, the defense carried most of the weight. The 30 points given up to Magnolia was the most yielded this fall. Stopping Pulaski Academy's vaunted offensive attack won't be easy. Bruin senior quarterback Spencer Keith passed for seven first-half touchdowns in a 56-42 win over Hope last week. The PA offense scores 48.1 points and accumulates 582.4 yards per game. "We've thought all along we were a good pass defense," Watson said. "We will find out if we really are or not. We don't have great speed, but we do have good quickness and break on the ball well. We have to play smart and not have any breakdowns and create a turnover here or there." Keith completed 262 of 422 passes for 3,527 yards and 48 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. Senior receiver Carson McKnight leads Bruin receivers with 85 catches for 1,354 yards and 12 touchdowns. Arkansas commit Neal Barlow caught 59 passes for 933 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Bruins most versatile weapon is senior running back D.J. Daniel. Daniel carried 136 times for 1,248 yards and seven touchdowns and has 58 catches for 671 yards and 10 touchdowns. "D.J. is the unsung hero," Kelley said. "To me, he is a college football player playing in high school. He is undersized for college, but he has good speed and a dedication to excellence. He wants to be the best at whatever he does, whether it be running, catching passes or blocking. Last year, he was looking to cut, but this year he is looking to score — one cut and go." PA's defense yields 27.2 points and 287.1 yards per game. However, they are giving up only 120 rushing yards. Dyer could test the stingy defense. "Dyer is the man on their team," Kelley said. "We have to try to stop him first, or make it difficult for him. You might not be able to stop him, but you have to try to slow him down." The VYPE.com staff covers the game, and at the conclusion of the contest picks the Hot N' Ready VYPE Impact Player of the Game. The winner receives a certificate for a large Little Caesars pizza, a VYPE T-shirt, a VYPE Fall Report Magazine and Little Rock Climbing Wall certificate. VYPE joins television partner Fox 16 at the game. Look for reports on the 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. newscasts with weekend anchor Morgan Adsit. Adsit and VYPE's Nate Olson analyze the game at 10 p.m. on the Friday Night Tailgate show.