RISON - To say Camden Harmony Grove has had Rison's number of late would be an understatement. Not only do the Hornets own three straight wins over the Wildcats, dating back to 2017, but they piled up an average of 38 points a game in the victories, including last year's 41-30 decision at Camden.
So, with Harmony Grove coming to town Friday night for a key 6-3A Conference battle, the Wildcats will once again have their work cut out to try and stop quarterback Caleb Johnson and the Hornets. Kickoff time at George Walker Field of Champions is set for 7 o’clock.
This begins a two-week stretch when the Wildcats have difficult back-to-back conference tests, first with the Hornets, then at Fordyce the following Friday. The games will certainly go a long way in clearing the picture for a pack leader in the league race.
Coach Ernie Horstkamp’s Hornets will bring a 2-0 mark in the conference and 3-2 record overall into their game with Rison. However, the two losses came against Harding Academy, 41-14, one of the top teams in Class 4A, and against Haynesville, Louisiana, 33-26. Harmony Grove's three blowout wins came over Junction City, 39-0, Cave City, 54-14, and last week at home against Dollarway, 53-6. Rison is 1-0 in the conference and 4-0 overall, the Wildcats’ last win coming in their conference opener at Dollarway, 51-0, on Sept. 23.
Johnson, the junior signal caller for the Hornets, is no doubt the main cog in Harmony Grove’s offensive machine. Last week against Dollarway, Johnson ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more, including a 57-yarder to Landon Garrett, who also chipped in with a 38-yard TD run of his own. Both will be a handful for Rison’s defense to handle.
It was last year at Harmony Grove, when Johnson completed 12 out of 19 passes for 256 yards and 5 touchdowns, to rally the Hornets from a 22-14 halftime deficit to the 11-point win over the Wildcats. Johnson also added 49 yards rushing...
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