Salem and Bismarck both seeking first state grid championship in Class 3A final

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

The Arkansas Class 3A state football championship game on Saturday night offers either Salem (11-3) or Bismarck (13-0) the chance to nab its first-ever gridiron title.

Those two teams will meet at 6:30 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium in a game that will be televised by the Arkansas PBS stations.

Salem head coach Josh Watson is not downplaying the significance of the event.

“It’s awesome and a big deal for our players, our coaches and our community – the first time getting to the state championship in football,” Watson said. “I just couldn’t be more proud of the kids getting this chance to play in the state championship game.

“Every high school athlete that has played high school football at Salem the past 45 years has had that as their goal. And now they get to see a team do it and I think it means a lot to those guys and the guys we have now and our community.”

Bismarck head coach D.J. Keithley echoed some of those same type sentiments for his program and community.

“It’s been a goal since we lost last year when we thought we were pretty good,” Keithley said. “We only lost one kid on offense and a couple of linebackers on defense. So that was the goal since the get-go.

“Now playing for a championship is a bucket-list item as a coach, I have two boys playing on the team and this community has been so hungry for this for our football team to be successful and be good after about a 25-year hiatus of being relevant.

“It’s a really big deal for us.”

Salem haw a high-powered veer offense.

“Offensively, we have probably had one of the best years that we have ever had offensively and it has come along throughout the year,” Watson said.

“We are definitely better than we have ever been on offense right now at this point. It’s been a progression because we had to break in six or seven new starters, but we knew we had the potential to get where we are at with the guys that we had.

“Its as just a matter of getting them there and getting experience.

Salem started the season 1-2 with win over Pocahontas (30-23) and back to back losses to Prescott (31-22) and Newport (42-6).

The Greyhounds would win 10 of their last 11 contests with an Oct. 11 loss at Atkins (40-36) followed by eight straight victories.

“We scheduled a tough non-conference (schedule) because, even when we were in (Class) 2A, we have been a second- or third-round playoff team,” Watson said. “…We got to the semifinals twice. But I thought the way to get over that hump was a tougher non-conference schedule.”

Bismarck went 10-3 last season, year that ended with a 42-13 third-round playoff loss to Prescott.

But the Lions took out all 13 of their foes in the 2024 season.

“I think moving in some high quality junior high kids has helped us along with good growth from our returning kids – especially on offense for sure,” Keithley said.

“Salem, man, it is a tough offense to stop with a lot of misdirection and you have got to play assignment football,” Keithley said. “They run the veer, which is always tough if you are not used to it.

“It is one of those things that we have been nervous about all week. I don’t know if my defensive coordinator has slept this week as we try to figure out to get them stopped.”

Watson knows that Bismarck wants to win as much as his team does.

“They are going to want and win their first state championship just like we are going to want and win ours, too,” Watson said. “They are extremely tough kids, extremely physical kids that get after it and play football the right way and have high football IQs..

“So we are just going to be ready to play.”

Watson knows that Salem fans will be loud and proud in War Memorial on Saturday night.

“I think there is going to be a lot of people there for sure,” Watson said. “The town has been so excited for everything.”

Graphic courtesy of Arkansas Activities Association