Arkadelphia looks to add fifth state title in Class 4A clash with unbeaten Elkins
BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON
Arkadelphia’s football team spent a couple of hours practicing Thursday at Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium – a place Badgers head coach Trey Schucker said his program expects to end every season.
They’ll do so this Saturday at noon when Arkadelphia (12-2) meets unbeaten Elkins (14-0) of the Class 4A state championship.
It is a matchup of two teams that have combined to win their last 25 games and will be televised on Arkansas’ PBS channels.
“There is an expectation to win and and there is an expectation to go deep into the playoffs every season,” Schucker said. “That’s not just with our community, but with our players.
“Our players expect to win a state championship every year and they work like that in the off season and the summer. There is a lot of sacrifice that goes into that.
“Our kids do a great job of taking football seriously and not just playing it to play it. Our kids have fun and we make it fun for them also, but they are competitors and want to win.
“That takes time to build and that is where we are at as a program. Our kid want to win and they want to be successful and have fun doing.”
Arkadelphia won state championships in 1979, 1987 and back to back ones 2017 and 2018 and were also in the title game in 2021 and 2022.
Now they’ll look to add a fifth crown after starting the season 1-2 and then winning the next 11 contests.
That includes downing Ozark (57-12), Gentry (46-14), Dardanelle (35-27) and unbeaten Southside (35-6) in the playoffs.
“It’s been awesome,” Schucker said. “I am so proud of our team and how we have been able to be so consistent throughout he season, especially the latter half of the season. To get to this point, you have got to be that. You have got to be consistent and keep getting better each week.
“ You also can’t get tired of playing football and we haven’t. That’s kind of where we are at and kind of how of we have got here – got better every week, didn’t get tired of playing football and been consistent.”
The Badgers have been winning in the trenches this season according to Schucker.
“The biggest thing is I think our front lines have played well,” Schucker said. “Its starts with our front lines on both offense and defense.
“Our defensive line is one of our biggest strengths and has really been disruptive. We are really disruptive in both the run and pass game. That helps our back end and our linebackers out.”
The offense has also done its part.
“On offense, our quarterback has been able to deliver the ball to our skill players and they have been able to make plays,” Schucker said. “The reason is we have had time to do it and we have also been really effective in the run game as well.
“I think that is the biggest thing and the biggest difference in this year and kind of years past – we are really good on both sides of the ball on both lines.”
Schucker knows his team has a big challenge in slowing down Elkins, a team that has gone unbeaten with a high-powered offense, stingy defense and point-scoring special teams.
The Elks scored 16 special team points in last week’s 33-22 semifinal win over Little Rock Mills.
“Elkins is really, really good on both sides of the ball, but one of the things they really take advantage of is special teams,” Schucker said. “They have made a lot of big-time plays on special teams and have been able to put up points.
“They have been able to block punts and put their offense in great position to score or they have scored off the blocked punt many times this year. Their defense is never really playing in bad field position and never having to play on the plus side of the field.
“It is simply very hard to win a game when you get a punt blocked. It’s just the way it goes.”
