Game of the Week: Jacksonville at Lake Hamilton

After a week of healing, sightseeing and scouting Lake Hamilton begins its quest at back-to-back state title game appearances. The Wolves take on No.3 seed Jacksonville Friday night in the VYPE Central Arkansas Game of the Week. The No. 2-seeded wolves enjoyed a bye week that concluded last Friday with a team hike up Pinnacle Mountain in rural Pulaski County, and a trip to Jacksonville to witness the Red Devils hard-fought 13-12 win against Sheridan. "We decided to make a day of it," Lake Hamilton coach Jerry Clay said. "We didn't take the sophomores, and it wasn't mandatory. We had some guys that went hunting. But, it was a lot of fun. We had a good time." It was back to business this week, and Clay took notice of Jacksonville's dangerous playmakers, including 1,000-yard rusher Patrick Geans and 6-foot-6 receiver Demtris Harris. "They have some very good players," Clay said. "They have four big-play guys on offense — a running back (Geans) and three receivers. They have a lot of speed. Receiver is their strong point, but I think we have the edge up front." Sophomore quarterback Logan Perry leads the Red Devils offense, completing more than 60 percent of his passes. "He's done a good job for us," Jacksonville coach Mark Whatley said. "He's made good decisions and has benefited from his supporting cast. Clay said the Wolves hope to pressure the young quarterback. Jacksonville celebrated its first playoff win since 1991, but Lake Hamilton's fortunes are much different. The Wolves only lost one game in 2007, losing to Texakana in the state championship game. VYPE Football Preview magazine ranked Lake Hamilton No. 1 in the preseason poll, but a tough nonconference schedule and injuries set them back. However, LH only endured one conference loss, a 73-66 defeat against Pine Bluff. Lake Hamilton features quarterback Phillip Butterfield, a Tulsa commit, and receivers Josh Proffit and Tauno Vannucci, both who are being recruited by Arkansas-Pine Bluff among others. Running backs David Church and D.J. Bell, who missed parts of the season with injury, allows Clay to shift from the Spread to the Wishbone and Wing-T. "They do so much on offense," Whatley said. "On offense they can run, and pass. Their execution is good, and they do a good job of attacking other teams' weaknesses." Clay said even though both teams boast playmakers, they won't completely determine the outcome. "The key is dominating the line of scrimmage," Butterfield said. "We've been doing that most of the year, especially on offense. We are, overall, the bigger, stronger team but we can't give up the big play, and we have done that at times."