Football Game Preview: Harding Academy Wildcats vs. Batesville Pioneers + Official Tickets

The Harding Academy Wildcats will face off against the Batesville Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Harding Academy's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Valley View on Friday. They were beaten by the Blazers 27-0. Having soared to a lofty 36 points in the game before, the Wildcats' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Batesville, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They came out on top against Paragould by a score of 24-16 on Friday. The Pioneers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Harding Academy better keep an eye on Cole Bentz. He was instrumental in Batesville's win, rushing for 52 yards and two scores, while also throwing for 89 yards and one TD. Those 52 rushing yards gave Bentz a new career-high. Caleb Murrah helped out on the ground, rushing for 128 yards.

Harding Academy now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Batesville, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.

Harding Academy strolled past Batesville in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 by a score of 42-28. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Bentz, who threw for 289 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also punched in two rushing scores. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Wildcats still be able to contain Bentz? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.