The 7A West Conference playoffs kicked off last Friday, Nov 9. The Wildcats have dealt with a problem of turnovers all season, which have allowed opponents to score and have resulted in even games being lost.
“We’ve had a big problem with turnovers this season with fumbles and interceptions, but we’re trying to work through,” said junior quarterback Kyle Pianalto.
In the 31-17 win against the cross-town rivals, the Springdale Bulldogs Nov. 2, the Wildcats fumbled four times. Twice by senior Tucker Lee, once by senior Victor Guzman, and once by Pianalto.
“Turning the ball over has been a pretty big thing,” said Guzman. “We’ve been averaging six turnovers a game, which is bad.”
For offensive linemen who execute the block properly, turnovers are a nightmare. Some of the fumbles this year have occurred in the secondary after the ball carrier moves down field.
“It hurts to know you did your job and the other team gets the ball,” said junior right tackle Isaac Johnson. “But I know that when they do fumble it’s because they’re working their butt off to get an extra yard or two. You have to get back out there, forget about it, and go score.”
Against the Fayetteville Bulldogs Oct. 26 the Wildcats fumbled five times, which resulted in a 38-21 loss. Unlike the Springdale game, the Wildcats were not as lucky.
“I don’t think we’ve been prepared on how hard teams really go,” said Pianalto.
Senior wide receiver Nick Byrne is not concerned about turnovers for the receiving core.
“At the beginning of the year, we threw a lot of interceptions and we fumbled the ball, but we’ve limited our interceptions over the last couple of weeks,” said Byrne, who has recently verbally committed to the University of Louisiana Lafayette. “The receivers haven’t really fumbled the ball this year, so we don’t stress on it too much.”
Practice has remained the same for the most part. Ball carriers are holding the ball more cautiously than before. Ball carriers are still work through the blasters, which imitate players trying to hit the ball out of their hands.
“We’ve been really trying to work on ball security, keeping the ball where you want it to be and holding it tight to your chest,” said Pinalto.
The Wildcats’ extra attention to protect the ball may be evident in the outcome of the first round playoff game against Little Rock Central Nov. 9 at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium.
Game results were not available at the time of print. With a win against the Tigers, the No. 6 team in the 7A Central Division, the Wildcats, seeded No. 3 in the 7A West, will play Fort Smith Southside Nov. 16 in the second round.
