Bears Open Conference Play at Defending State Champs

RISON - The Woodlawn Bears will be looking for their first win over the Strong Bulldogs since the 2022 season when they travel to Strong this Friday to open eight-man South Conference play against the defending state champions.The junior high teams are scheduled to play at 5 p.m. fol-lowed by the varsity teams at 7 p.m.Strong knocked off the Dermott Rams, 22-6, on the road in its first game of the season last Friday. The Bulldogs are 1-0 overall and in conference. Strong did have a non-conference game against River Oaks, a private school from Monroe, La., on Sept. 12 but that game was canceled due to lighting issues in the second half.While the Bulldogs lost some their offensive firepower from last year's 8-0 state championship team, Woodlawn Coach Doug Means said they still have plenty of athleticism in their offensive backfield. Replacing state championship game MVP quarterback Kaiden McHenry and running back Germyren McHenry are junior quarterback Cole Fife, senior slot/flanker Jay Taylor and sophomore running back Devon Boone. The 'Dogs also have 6-1, 170-pound receiver Sh'darrean Williams as a target for the passing game.Strong Coach Jason Porter told Hooten's Arkansas Football before the season that Taylor and Williams have speed in the 4.7 to 4.8 range."They are going to be devastatingly fast," Means said of the athletic Bulldogs.To defend that, Means said his Bears need to "hit them before they get started." In other words, it will be critical for Woodlawn to wrap them up on their initial contact before the get into the open field to use their athleticism. "If your man gets into the open field, they're gone," he said.Strong does throw the ball, Means said, usually relying on quick hits, legal rub routes and cluster formations.One way to lessen Strong's explosiveness is to keep its offense off the field, and the best way to do that is to put together some sustained drives. Means said he plans to use a...