2022 FFN Game of the Week preview: Pocahontas at Gosnell

GOSNELL, Ark. (KAIT) - Our next Game of the Week takes us to Mississippi County, where a battle between two top teams in the 4A-3 will face off as Gosnell hosts Pocahontas.

Last Pocahontas win in series: 2021 (35-14 at Pocahontas)

Last Gosnell win in series: 2018 (23-0 at Pocahontas)

Gosnell Pirates (4-0, 1-0 4A-3)

It has been quite the turnaround for this Gosnell Pirate program. This was a team that won just one game in 2021. Now? They’ve already surpassed that, winning each of their first four games.

“It is exciting that they’re making positive memories and that’s what we wanted,” head coach Lewis Earnest said. “That’s why we worked so hard over this summer and then we are very excited for the kids.”

“Man we’ve been working hard this whole summer, changing things around,” junior wide receiver Camron Williams added.

The Pirates are coming off of a 48-14 at Highland last week. They’ll return home looking to keep the momentum going against a tough Pocahontas team.

“They run the ball very efficiently and great,” Earnest said. “That’s our number one priority this week is to try to shut down the run and shut down Connor Baker and [Reagan] Womack and they’re just dynamic on offense, they run the ball for it seems like 300 yards a game and we got to stop that.”

The Pirates have put on a show offensively, scoring 40-plus in three of four games this season.

“On the field, we’re just trying to be physical, the more physical we are, physical wins on the football field we found that out from experience,” senior linebacker Mason Moore said. “Strength is our box. We’re very good on the run game stop. Our D line is really strong and our middle linebackers, we’re tough.”

Pocahontas Redskins (3-1, 1-0 4A-3)

Pocahontas has rattled off two straight impressive wins, the last two coming at Schoonover Stadium where the Redskins knocked off Brookland and Rivercrest.

Charles Baty’s crew will look to take the momentum on the road.

“It was just a great atmosphere [against Rivercrest] and we’re going to have to carry that on and into this week,” Baty said. “[We] just have gotten better every week and that’s one thing I challenged him to do at the very beginning. It’s one thing I said we did last year that I was so proud of and these guys have done that, we’ve really gelled.”

The Redskins had good luck the last time they went to Gosnell, winning 45-30 in 2020.“We practice all week just working on our assignments, like Coach Baty said, we’re gonna have to stop their passing game,” senior Connor Baker said. “That’s what our defensive backs have been getting way better throughout the season.”

“It’s gonna be a big game, it’s gonna be a tough game,” senior lineman Brayden Vancil said. “Gosnell will hit you hard, and we’re gonna hit them harder. And it’s just gonna be a challenging game. We go week by week and we get better by the week.”