Farmington hoping to keep LR Parkview from notching 3-peat in Class 5A title game

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

It seems appropriate that on the day that Oaklawn starts its 121st year of horse racing in Hot Springs that two football coaches who have been in the winners circle a lot will clash just down the road.

Upstart Farmington (12-1) will try to keep powerhouse Little Rock Parkview (12-1) from winning a third straight Class 5A state title Friday night when the two teams meet at 6:30 p.m. inside Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium.

The game, which will be televised by the Arkansas PBS stations, will feature legendary coaches in Farmington’s Tommy Tice and Parkview’s Brad Bolding.

Tice, a former Harrison and Huntsville head coach with 301 career wins, came out of retirement to take over at Farmington, which has won 12 straight since a season opening loss to Class 6A finalist Shiloh Christian.

“I think it was a big gamble on everybody’s part,” Tice said. “On my part and the administration’s part. Certainly it has worked out.

“The community is very supportive of our football team and they have gone above and beyond the call in doing nice things for us and trying to help its in anyway they can. We know that when we go not this one, we carry the whole town with us.”

Tice is trying to deliver Farmington’s first title since 1973, his first since a 1999 Class 4A title at Harrison and is in his seventh overall state title game.

“It never gets old and we have has our share of good fortune, which you have got to have to get to this point,” Tice said. “All the other times I have got to the semifinals, like six our seven times, we have had keys components of our team missing due.

“But we have been blessed with good health throughout the season and that’s a key thing going into these situations.”

Bolding (148-64) took over the Patriots program in 2017 after the school had not had a winning season since 2009.

Not only will Little Rock Parkview be looking for its seventh overall state title, but also trying to become the 22nd team in 120 years of Arkansas high school football to win three straight crowns.

“After they won the first one, they pretty much decide they wanted to go back it the next two years and I’ll be dad-gummed if they haven’t done it and done it in awesome fashion,” Bolding said.

“We tried to raise the bar and when you go 14-0 and mercy rule 11 team you played, it would seem hard to raise the bar, but we felt like we raised it by going to play Melissa, Texas, and continuing to play Bryant.

“I think all that stuff being said, that got us to the point we are now. Playing those really good teams early has got us ready.”

Little Rock Parkview had four signees on Wednesday with running back Cameron Settles (5–10, 195) and athlete Quentin Murphy (6-1, 205) both signing with Arkansas, safety Omarion Robinson (6-0, 170) with Oklahoma and Montario Elston (5-8, 170) with Kansas State.

“In Arkansas, you don’t typically have four FBS players on one team that have the ability to play as freshmen (in college) – two or three of them for sure,” Bolding said. “It’s been an awesome experience to coach them and we have been lucky to have them and we have more guys coming up.”

Tice sees a combination of talent and discipline in the Patriots.

“One of the big things is that they are extremely well-coached and they are so well disciplined,” Tice said. “These are great players and they are disciplined. They are where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be.

“You can tell that they really like playing the game of football and are very aggressive. They have something that you can’t teach – a lot of speed.”

Farmington is led by junior quarterback Ayden Lester (5-11, 165), who has 3,879 yards total offense this season, 1,003 of that rushing and 41 total touchdowns.

“The thing with him is that he has had a lot of plays in a lot of games where it is 8- to 10-second long plays,” Bolding said. “To be able to do that, you have to be great athlete. If he gets pressure he is just going to run around until he makes a play.

“…He is a very, very good player and we will have to do a good job bottling him up to win the game. It is going to be crucial factor.”

Lester has protected the ball well this season for the Cardinals.

“We have shown the ability so far to not have turnovers,” Tice said. “I think Lester has had three interceptions all years long and we have lost something like three fumbles all year long.

“If we just keep playing like we have been playing and keep them in front of us as (former Alma head coach) Frank Vines used to say, keep them in front of you and keep them inside, you’ll have a shot.

“This team has got some really key components to it,” Tice said. “…I know that we are going to play hard. I know we are going to hustle and we are going to hit. If the breaks are even, that will just help us.”

Bolding knows his team has a challenge ahead with Farmington.

“Well, back in they day when I was at Greenwood in the 90s, we used to play Coach Tice when he was at Harrison when were were in their conference,” Bolding said. “I know him and his family and (Farmington offensive coordinator) Mark Whatley is another one of my good friends.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for them and to do what they have done in this first year is amazing and do it in in some of these games that were basketball scores.”

“Their kids don’t quit and ain’t going to quit no matter how much you get them down early. I think Lakeside thought they had it wrapped up there and Farmington came back with all their guns blazing and ended up winning the game.

“It’s a tough team and a tough opponent for us to play.”

Graphic courtesy of Arkansas Activities Association