GOBLINS OPEN PLAYOFFS AGAINST BATESVILLE

Goblin Nation will be on their feet and cheering loudly Friday night when Harrison enters the Class 5A State Football Playoffs with an undefeated record for the second year in a row.

The Goblins swept through their regular season schedule with an untarnished 10-0 record and earned the No. 1 seed from the 5A-West. The seeding will award them home field advantage as long as they remain in the playoffs. The finals will be played at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

Opposite the Goblins in the opening round will be the Pioneers of Batesville.

Batesville enters the playoffs with a 4-6 record and represents the No. 4 seed from the 5A-East. The Pioneers are coming off of a 23-14 loss in the final game of the season to the top seeded Valley View Blazers from the East Region.

Despite Batesville entering the playoffs with a losing record, the Goblins know that the Pioneers cannot be taken lightly.

“All teams are 0-0 right now,” Harrison head coach Joel Wells told his team. “It’s win and move on or lose and go home. You have to respect any team that is still playing at this point in the year.”

Batesville began the season with an 0-3 record after a struggling start in the non-conference schedule. Their closest game during that time was a 62-42 loss at Searcy in Week 2.

The Pioneers then defeated Nettleton and Paragould in conference play before dropping a close contest at Forest City and then a 21-7 loss to Wynne. Batesville then battled back from a 2-5 record to take the final playoff spot in the 5A-East and found themselves paired against Harrison in the first round.

The last time that Harrison played Batesville was in Wells’ second year as the Goblin coach. The two teams were matched in the first round of the playoffs. Harrison was a three seed and Batesville was a two seed. The Pioneers advanced to the semifinals that season and began the run with a 35-14 win over the Goblins.

“They beat us in year two over there,” Wells reflected. “They are well coached and we have a lot of respect for their program. One of the tradition rich programs in 5A. Coach (Dave) King is an old school coach that has had tremendous success for a very long time. He is well respected throughout the state of Arkansas.”


Batesville enters the game averaging 30.4 points per game on offense and it all runs through their playmaker under center.

“Their quarterback is one of their best players,” Wells noted. “He is the one that makes them go on offense.”

The Goblin coach compared the Batesville style of play to the Farmington team that Harrison defeated last week by a 49-20 margin.

“They have a philosophy and they stick to it,” said Wells. “Their offense is a power run game and play action pass game. They do a very good job of adjusting to opponents.”

Defensively, the Pioneers have given up 33.8 points per game over the season but have had their best showing of late. Over the last four games, they have held their opponents to 19.7 points and will be ready when they come to Harrison.

The Pioneers will throw different formations at the Goblins and Wells is aware of it.

“They are very similar to us on defense,” Wells commented. “They are a 3-4 defensive team. They bring pressure off the edge and attack the offense. We must do a good job of adjusting to their slants and blitzes.”

Harrison will look to use home field advantage on Friday as they attempt to make a run in the playoffs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at F.S. Garrison Stadium.


Team members of the undefeated Harrison Goblins include: Colton Shaver; Michael Scott; Julius Scott; Zach Brussels; Brody Gilliam; Rilee Jones; Devin Mitchell; Carson Wright; Noah Moix; Ben Johnson; Lane Johnson; Dylan Madden; Cole Keylon; Trey Richardson; Seabastian Diffey; Logan Plumlee; Jacob Kendall; Landen Stephens; Gabe Paul; Vann Richards; Gabe Huskey; Colin Ballard; Nathan Griggs; Anthony Robinson; Dylan Block; Kaden Quandt; Sloan Barrett; Tyler Hutcheson; Max Payne; Brooks Both; Jake Barrett; Jordan Welsh; Bryant Ulrich; Jacob Dean; Logan King; Maddox Peck; Jordan Miller; Silas Digeser; Spencer Smith; Austin Hutton; Dylan Olson; Steven Chrisman; Dakota Adamson; Trey Stith; Breckin Duck; Tim Gass; Josh Farris; Chris McInturf; Uriah Forge; Zach Schaffer; Drayden Taylor; Elijah Blankenship; Skyler Graves; Anthony Allen; Jace Bardin; Kindred Thompson; Alex Quatman; Brandon Ricketts; Caden Robertson; Dayton Wilson; Brock Bardwell; and Gavin Kilbane, manager. The Goblins are coached by Joel Wells. Assistant coaches include: Chris Keylon; Dan Henderson; Doug Cross; Evan Cowling; Greg Cross; Jacob Lisko; Devon Boswell; Heath Nicholas; Matt Rodden; and Michael Evert.