Des Arc tries slow dominant Junction City in 2A final

Since early in the season, Junction City sat atop the 2A rankings. Des Arc tries to knock them off when the two play for the 2A state championship Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium. "The young men played extremely hard for us," Junction City coach David Carpenter said. "They've worked well for us all year long and done a great job. We're proud of what our guys have done. We are fortunate to get here, and this is a good reward for all the work they've put into the season." The Dragons (12-0) earned respect from pollsters by winning by an average of 40 points per game. Strong played Junction City the closest, losing 24-12 in the playoff quarterfinals. Des Arc (13-0) isn't intimidated with Junction City's dominance. "We are going to take the same approach we've been taking all year," Des Arc coach Tim Harper said. "It's just another ballgame, and we are going to bring our best effort. They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like our kids do. We believe in ourselves, and we are going to give it our best shot. We're coming to play. We're glad to be here. There's 46 other teams that would trade places with us." Unlike Junction City, Des Arc had to work its way to the top of the polls. Its schedule included eight teams with losing records. The Eagles finally proved they were state-title contenders when they beat Carlisle 16-12 Week 7 for the 6-2A Conference title. "Earlier people we talked to said we didn't play anybody and our conference was weak and that type of thing," Harper said. "They can't say that anymore. We've played some great teams. Smackovar is a good football team and Bearden is a great football team. We are fortunate to be here." Versatile senior quarterback Nathan Holloway orchestrates a potent Des Arc offense. Holloway ran for 1,453 yards and 23 touchdowns and passed for 1,137 yards and 12 touchdowns. Classmate, running back Ronald Dunlap, rushed for 1,347 yards and 13 touchdowns and senior Eli Cohen rushed for 1,035 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Ron Metcalf caught 42 passes for 680 yards and six touchdowns despite being burned severely at a Prom bonfire last spring. The Eagles offense faces their stiffest test. Junction City's first-team defense allowed just 25 points and yielded 67 passing and 15 rushing yards per game. Senior linebacker Devin Ball accumulated 98 tackles, including 17.5 for loss. Louisiana-Monroe, Mississippi, State, Louisiana Tech, among others, are interested in Ball. Junior two-way lineman Byran Jones has 98 tackles and 17.5 for loss. The 6-foot-2, 285-pounder boats 5.0 speed and is a D-I prospect. "We're going to have to figure out a way to move the football," Harper said. "They've got several great football players and Coach Carpenter and his staff do a great job. We have a huge task ahead of us. I don't know if we can do it, but we will give it our best shot." The Dragons cycle six backs in their wishbone set. Senior Grantel Kennedy racked up 943 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns and is also receiving recruiting attention. Junior Kiedarian Ross ran for 936 yards and 12 touchdowns and junior Alan Turner rushed for 600 yards and 9 touchdowns. Des Arc's defense pitched four shutouts and held explosive Bearden in a 12-7 win in the semifinals. Junction City makes its third state finals trip in five years. The Dragons won in 2003 but fell to Jessieville in 2006. Defending state champion Mount Ida beat Junction City in the semifinals in 2007. "Our seniors were sophomores on that (2006) squad and half of those seniors played in the state title game," Carpenter said. "Last year we got beat out at Mt. Ida (in the semifinals), and that left another bad taste in their mouth. As soon as the season was over, they dedicated themselves to getting back to this point." Des Arc made back-to-back trips to the finals in 1975 and '76. They lost to Prescott 29-22 the first year, then beat the Curley Wolves by the same score the second. They haven't been back to War Memorial since. "We're thrilled to be back here after 32 years," Harper said. "It's a great feeling. We know we are the underdog, but we are just going to go out and play hard and see what happens."