Football Recap: Harding Academy Finds Home Field Redemption Against Batesville

There's no place like home for Harding Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They strolled past the Batesville Pioneers with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 31-14. That result was just more of the same for these two, as the Wildcats also won the last time the pair played back in October of 2024.

Despite the loss, Batesville had strong showings from Cole Bentz, who threw for 226 yards and two TDs, and Aryan Dale, who picked up 82 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Dale also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making two total tackles and defending two passes.

Wildcats

Previous 3 Games (Home)

10/10/25 vs Batesville	31-14
09/26/25 vs Greene County Tech	36-0
09/12/25 vs Central Arkansas Christian	48-27

Harding Academy pushed their record up to 3-3 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.7 points on average over those games. As for Batesville, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.

Looking ahead, Harding Academy will face off against Paragould at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Wildcats are facing the Rams at the right time seeing as the Rams are stuck on a three-game losing streak. As for Batesville, they will challenge Wynne at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Pioneers will be up against the Yellowjackets' rather soft defense (which has allowed 33.67 points per matchup), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance.