2022 FFN Game of the Week preview: Nettleton at Pocahontas

POCAHONTAS, Ark. (KAIT) - Our next FFN Game of the Week features a matchup of 5A vs. 4A. Nettleton will head to Schoonover Stadium to face Pocahontas.

Last Nettleton win - (35-28 at Nettleton)

Last Pocahontas win - 2020 (35-27 at Pocahontas)

Pocahontas Redskins (1-0)

Pocahontas took care of business on the road in their season opener, beating Southside 28-to-7.

Now they turn their attention to Nettleton, a team they lost to by a score, 35-28 last year.

“It’s always been an exciting game for us against Nettleton,” senior quarterback Connor Baker said. “This week, we’re gonna have to just keep getting our defensive game better. Our defense I think is our key to our whole team.”

The defense will be especially important against a Nettleton team that put up 49 points in their season opener last week.

“Offensively, they’re very, very explosive,” head coach Charles Baty said. “They had some really good playmakers in the backfield, out at receiver, do a really, really good job up front blocking you and sustaining their blocks. So it’ll definitely be a challenge for our defense. Our kids are excited. It’s our home opener. Our fans are excited, it’s KAIT game of the week, so it makes it special.”

“Everybody’s fired up about this whole year,” senior defensive lineman Ethan Morris said. “We’ve been waiting on this for a while, our whole community.”

Nettleton Raiders (1-0)

Nettleton won their season opener on the road 49-to-39 at Mountain Home, Steven Hampton’s crew now prepares for another tough road battle.

“We’re familiar with one another, both sides, they’re familiar with us. It’s gonna be a physical game. It always is,” Hampton said. “We’re just getting our mindset ready for that physical nature and that’s what we like, that’s what we pride ourselves on and I know that’s what Coach Baty and them, they pride themselves on being physical as well and so it should be a heck of a football game.”

Hampton was pleased with the play on both sides of the ball in the Raiders’ season-opening win.

“We just came out of the gate, we were real explosive and once we started the game, we never lost the gas,” senior offensive lineman Colby Miller said. “We’re taking this week extra serious but we’ve been battle-tested, especially last year in the conference championship against that great Wynne defense so we’re ready.”

Their attention turns to containing one of the better quarterbacks in the state: All-State selection Connor Baker.

Blake Brown (Sr. LB): “Number four, Connor Baker that’s our biggest key, he’s gonna be their workhorse and we got to contain him,” senior linebacker Blake Brown said. “We got to triple E: Effort, execute and expect to win. Now if we do those three things and we take care of business then we should be coming out with the W.”

It should be another exciting game between the Raiders and the Redskins. Kickoff is set for 7:00. You can tune in to FFN for the highlights and postgame reaction Friday night at 10:15.

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