The Batesville Pioneers will take on the Harding Academy Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Harding Academy took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Batesville, who comes in off a win.
Having struggled with seven losses in a row dating back to last season, Batesville finally turned things around against Paragould on Friday. They claimed a resounding 35-0 win over the Rams on the road. The Pioneers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Batesville can attribute much of their success to Cole Bentz, who threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns while completing 72.2% of his passes, and also rushed for 49 yards. The dominant performance gave Bentz a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Cale Glasgow, who gained 101 total yards and a touchdown.
Batesville wouldn't let Paragould keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Batesville can thank Ethan Moser and Colin Mccuiston for forcing both of them.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 35 points the game before, Harding Academy was a bit more limited in their contest on Friday. They came up short against Valley View, falling 37-12. The Wildcats were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 21-0.
The match pitted two dominant signal callers against one another in Owen Miller and Drew Gartman. Gartman had a great game and rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Miller did his best for the losing side, throwing for 131 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 38 yards.
Batesville's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for Harding Academy, they now have a losing record at 2-3.
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