WOODLAWN - Woodlawn will open eight-man South Conference play this Friday night when the Bears host the defending slate champion Strong Bulldogs in a matchup up at the Carl Jones Sports Complex, The junior high teams are scheduled to kickoff at 5 p.m. followed by the varsity teams at 7 p.m.
Strong comes into the game 1 I overall and 1-0 in South Conference play. The Bulldogs knocked off the Dermott Rams, 42-20, last Friday. Strong lost its season opener baek on Sept. 2 to Class 3A Genoa Central, 14-0.
The 'Dogs went 11-0 last year in winning the eight-man state title, defeating the Mountain Pine Red Devils. 66-60, in a shootout at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. It was the Arkansas Activities Association’s first officially sanctioned eight-man state title game.
Woodlawn ended up giving Strong one of its closest games of the season last year when the Bulldogs needed a late touchdown to pull out a 30-26 win at their place.
Many of the playmakers from Strong's state championship team, however, graduated.
Hooten .V /Irka us as Football reported that All-State running back Treveon Daniels (912 yards rushing), two-way athlete Byron Maze (1,013 yards rushing''‘ 97 solo tackles), defensive tackle Jay me Correa (20.5 tackles for loss) and eomerbaek Caneilus Betters (125 all-purpose yards in the title game) all graduated.
However, senior dual-threat quarterback LaQuincy Shelton is back. Shelton hit 7-of-15 pass attempts for 143 yards and a touchdown against the Bears last year, and also rushed for 76 yards on 16 carries for two scores. Shelton passed for 1,434 yards in 2021.
Sophomore running baek Germyren McHenry is reported to have 4.6 speed lor the Bulldogs, and is among a group of talented sophomores who contended for (lie 8-2A conference championship while playing liman football against the likes of Fordyce and Junction City.
Woodlawn enters the game coming off a 44-...
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