The Arkansas AP Overall No. 6 ranked West Memphis Blue Devils will come to Blytheville Friday night for their yearly matchup with the Chickasaws. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Haley Field.
The Blue Devils (1-0), who finished in a first-place tie last season in the 7A/6A East (1-0), were picked by Hooten's to finish 2nd this season to North Little Rock. West Memphis opened the year with a 41-17 over Ashdown last Friday.
Led by senior quarterback Kody Frasure and senior tailback Kendall Allen, the Blue Devils run a power offense out of the Wing-T set.
"I haven't seen a lot of West Memphis over the past few years, but what I have seen of them, they do what they do and they do it well," said Blytheville head coach Vince McCrosky. "They're going to see what gap you've got open and what gap you're weak in. We call them 'puddins,' you know, guys you can pick on. They're going to find that guy and go after them. You'll try to adjust and then they'll go away from you adjusted to."
Defensively, the Blue Devils run out of a base 4-2 set that usually moves into a 4-4. They have a host of juniors in their front eight led by linebacker, Eric Cooper. The Blue Devils are loaded with speed in the secondary led by senior Nitaveo Clark who has 4.5 speed.
The Chicks (1-0) are coming off an emotional 36-24 win over longtime rival Osceola last Thursday night at Haley Field. McCrosky said the biggest surprise from last week's win was from his quarterback, DeMadre Clark.
"For a sophomore to line up and do what he did, it was phenomenal," said McCrosky. "I know our running backs did what they did, but that was the difference in the game. We didn't ask him to go out there and win it. We just wanted him to manage the game and not make mistakes. He also showed that he can throw the ball."
McCrosky, who has only had about two months to prepare with his team, said that the Chicks offense will expand every week as the team becomes more familiar with the offense.
"I think you'll probably see us throw the ball a little more," said the first-year coach. "Because I like how my quarterback played the other day. The kids are finally looking at what the defense is giving me as opposed to a certain receiver. That makes it a quicker read. If you're waiting for your receiver to get open, that's a very slow read. The receivers are learning to adjust to what the defense gives them as well. So, when you have the quarterback and receivers on the same page, you can do a lot more."
The Blue Devils have won two consecutive games over the Chickasaws including last seasons 28-14 win at West Memphis. Why does coach McCrosky think this year could have different result?
"The positive thing is I think we match up well with them," he said. "We're big upfront and we're physical on defense. More physical than I originally thought. They run a 4-4 and that's what we're used to seeing. I tend to like a 4-4 because it gives you angles. I know they have a beast at fullback but we saw a beast last week. (Korliss) Marshall was as fast and as strong as anyone we're going to see this year."
Friday night's game also has smaller side stories. Former Chickasaw head coach, Maurice Moody, returns to Haley Field as an assistant for the Blue Devils. Moody coached the previous two seasons at Blytheville before abruptly leaving for West Memphis leading to the mid-summer hiring of McCrosky. Moody was an assistant at West Memphis before taking head coaching positions at Earle and Blytheville. Coach McCrosky also has a West Memphis connection. The first-year Chickasaw head coach is a West Memphis grad and former football player under Grafton Moore.
afitzpatrick@blythevillecourier.com