SPRINGDALE — One thing is certain about Springdale Har-Ber this season — it’s played plenty of road games.

This week’s game at Rogers Heritage will mark the Wildcats’ (6-0, 3-0) fifth road contest in only seven games this season. In their final three games, Har-Ber has only one road game remaining, at Bentonville on Nov. 6.

The Wildcats haven’t been affected by the road so far this year, as they’re the top team in the 7A-West Conference and ranked No. 2 in the state by the Associated Press.

“Last year, that was an area we weren’t real strong, when we went on the road,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. “This year, our guys have been able to do that, take the routine we have here at home and apply that to the road.”

Wood said playing so many games on the road can really prepare a team for any potential road playoff games after the regular season.

“That’s always in the back of my mind, because you never know how the playoffs will shake out,” Wood said. “But if we’re fortunate enough to make the playoffs, then playing so many road games could really help us there.”

ROGERS — Graham Parker and Andrew Conley will split time at quarterback when Rogers High visits Bentonville on Friday night.

Rogers (2-4, 0-3) lost starting quarterback Andy Couture for the season during last week’s 27-14 loss to Springdale Har-Ber. Couture suffered his second concussion of the season against the Wildcats.

Rogers may also be without receiver Lucas Gartman Friday. Rogers coach Ronnie Peacock said the senior is hampered with a hamstring injury.

One bright spot in last week’s loss was the play of linebacker D.J. Smart, Peacock said. Smart finished with 25 points on the Mounties’ tackle chart.

“(Smart) is just a key player for us,” Peacock said. “His presence at 240 (pounds) makes a statement.”

FAYETTEVILLE — Nathan Grady’s first start was a productive one for Fayetteville.

The Purple’Dogs senior didn’t play football the last two years, but his return paid off in a 37-27 win over Fort Smith Northside last week. Grady, starting at safety for the first time, had double-digit tackles, an interception and knocked down two passes.

Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said after watching film of the game that Grady earned the most points of any defensive player this season.

“He was just all over the place,” Patton said. “He gives us a guy that has speed and is very versatile.

“He’s got a nose for the football.”

Grady wasn’t the only member of Fayetteville’s secondary to play well against the Grizzlies. Junior Drake Harrison had a key third-quarter interception as the Purple’Dogs rallied from down 27-23.

“It was the best, by far, our secondary has played,” Patton said.

Fayetteville (3-2-1 overall, 2-1 7A-West Conference) has now won two straight and travels to Fort Smith Southside on Friday.

BENTONVILLE — The Bentonville Tigers allowed 19 points and 280 total yards in the first half of its 56-27 victory over Rogers Heritage last Friday night. The Tigers improved after halftime, but Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said he hoped his defense would produce a more complete effort Friday night against Rogers High.

It wasn’t like the Bentonville defense struggled completely in the first half against the War Eagles.

Senior linebacker Arthur Flowers intercepted a pass from Heritage’s Reed Brown in the first quarter. The Tigers also forced a fumble on a War Eagles kickoff return during the opening 12 minutes, and their secondary broke up five passes before halftime, as well.

Still, Lunney hated to see the Tigers (5-1, 2-1) miss out on several other first-half chances to snag turnovers and force punts.

“There was an inability to make plays,” Lunney said. “We had the ball on our hands two or three for interceptions and didn’t do it, the first one being on the first play of the game (for an 80-yard touchdown pass). Three series in the first half, we had them in third down and at least 15 yards, and they make first downs.

“That was very frustrating. When you have opportunities for turnovers, you have to take them.”

LINCOLN — With fellow tailbacks Ezquiel Hernandez and Dustin Simmons injured for last Friday’s game at Lavaca, Lincoln’s Bao Nguyen knew he’d rarely leave the field.

But even Nguyen, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound senior, couldn’t anticipate the workload given to him by Lincoln coach Brad Harris. By the fourth quarter of Lincoln’s respectable 28-21 defeat, an exhausted Nguyen could barely stand up.

Still, Harris kept calling his number. Nguyen (pronounced Winn) asked for a breather during his career-best 279-yard performance. But Harris wouldn’t allow it, not with Nguyen making defenders miss all night long.

“I was very, very tired,” Nguyen said. “I never had more than 20 carries in a game before. That was really different for me. I gave it everything I had.”

Harris never expects anything less from Nguyen, a member of a selfless senior class that’s helping to change the football culture at Lincoln. Nguyen helped Lincoln (1-5, 0-3) snap the school’s 29-game losing streak with a 9-7 win in its season-opener over Westville, Okla.

And he’s aided the Wolves lately in becoming increasingly competitive in the 3A-1 Conference. Harris said Nguyen isn’t necessarily the most physically talented back he’s coached, but he lauded Nguyen for his heart and for his quickness.

Hernandez and Simmons are slated to return from their injuries for Lincoln’s homecoming game Friday night against Cedarville. Nguyen has earned a bulk of the carries going forward, however.

“B is such a hard-worker,” said Harris, who’s in his second year at Lincoln. “He’s more of a lead-by-example kind of guy. He’s not a real vocal kid, but the kids really look up to him because of how hard he works.”

Harris said the job of leading vocally has been embraced most by three other seniors — center Ryan Napier, defensive end Richard Pahmiyer and linebacker Mark Thordsen.

Nguyen has still found a way to set an example, though, Harris insists. Nguyen always uses a respectful tone with his coaches, “a yes-sir, no-sir, type of kid,” Harris said. Nguyen also has encouraged his teammates to take school as seriously as possible.

With a 4.0 grade-point average, Nguyen has aspirations of becoming a doctor.

“I make sure to keep my GPA up and get straight As in my classes,” said Nguyen, also a linebacker for the Wolves. “Education is very important to me because that’s the main thing I want to do after high school. I want a higher education.”

By this time next year, then, Nguyen expects to be taking pre-med classes. For now, though, he’s content with logging plenty of carries and helping Lincoln turn around its recent football history.

Harris said Nguyen’s attitude has created an atmosphere where winning seems possible.

“This whole senior class, B included, has really stepped up,” Harris said. “They’ve set a great example, and the kids are buying in to what we’re doing because of them. They’re taking things more seriously, they’re tired of losing, and it’s rubbing off on everyone.”

FARMINGTON — The Farmington Cardinals lost two key players to injuries Friday night, something coach Mike Adams said could greatly affect his team’s season.

Senior defensive end Ryan Waits and senior linebacker Andrew Palmer collided with each other last week against Berryville while both players were chasing Berryville quarterback Jeremy Wilson.

Both Waits and Palmer, who lay motionless on the field before paramedics arrived, were sent to the hospital for further examination. The situation caused the game to be delayed for more than 30 minutes.

Adams said Palmer suffered a severe neck strain while Waits potentially fractured his lumbar vertebrae. Palmer may not return for another week or two while Waits’ season is over, Adams said.

“It’s tough, but we’re just glad — at this point — that nothing worse happened to either one of those guys,” Adams said. “It could have been a lot worse, so right now, we’re thankful they’re both feeling somewhat better.”

Adams said Waits, who’s been recovering at home and still feeling extremely sore from the collision, would meet with a doctor sometime soon to determine whether or not surgery would be needed.

“The tough part is that’s football, that’s part of the game,” Adams said. “You hate it for those guys, especially because they’re seniors. That’s the tough reality of this sport, that things like this sometimes happen.”

Farmington (4-1, 3-0 4A-1 Conference) also lost junior offensive/defensive lineman and deep snapper Tanner Pettigrew two weeks ago to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

“When injuries happen, seems like they always come in bunches,” Adams said. “It’s never easy to watch players get seriously injured. The tough thing is those guys are all big-time playmakers for us, and not having them in upcoming games is going to really hurt us. Our younger guys are just going to have to step up.”

Replacing Palmer will be junior Greg Reynaga while Waits will be replaced by senior Brantley Johnson and “two or three other guys,” Adams said.

HUNTSVILLE — Injuries took their toll on Huntsville last season, but an inability to win close games has left Eagles coach Ken Harriman frustrated so far this season.

Huntsville (2-4 overall, 1-2 4A-1 Conference) made the playoffs last season despite a 2-8 record in the regular season. This season, the Eagles were picked in the preseason to finish fifth in the conference thanks to an abundance of returning talent.

That talent has produced an average of 28.2 points per game this season, but once again at Gravette on Friday night, Huntsville came away with a loss.

“I know it’s frustrating for (the players) and it’s frustrating for (the coaches),” Harriman said. “There’s a difference between talent and plays. Until we make plays, it’s hard to tag guys good players.

“Yeah, we’ve got more talent than we’ve had last year. Everybody’s older and better, but until we make plays … that’s what it’s all about.”

Huntsville, which is allowing an average of 29.3 points per game, hosts Pea Ridge this week.

GENTRY — Gentry coach Brian Little is optimistic that senior quarterback Caleb Ramsey will be available for Friday’s game against Shiloh Christian.

Ramsey suffered what Little called a “low grade concussion” in Friday’s 24-7 victory against Pea Ridge. This season, Gentry is 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the 4A-1 Conference.

“(Ramsey) is fine and everybody reacts different,” Little said. “It will be something that is decided by his parents. He was checked out by the paramedics at the game.”

Little said the Pioneers will have the daunting task of trying to match up with the Saints.

“Shiloh has six, eight kids that can play Division I football,” Little said.

SPRINGDALE — Joseph Calcagni has never used inexperience as a crutch.

No matter the situation or the game, the Springdale High first-year quarterback has tried to stay calm and slow down the game. And although there have been a few bumps along the way, Calcagni has been pleasantly surprised by what he’s been able to accomplish so far.

Through six games this season, the junior has made steady progress as one of the top quarterbacks in the 7A-West Conference, with 105 completions for 1,531 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“Coming into the season, there were a lot of questions with myself,” Calcagni said. “I knew being inexperienced could hinder how well I played, but I just tried to never think about that. The more I dwelled on something like that, then the more I’d start making mistakes, and I didn’t want that to happen.”

Calcagni began to fine-tune his playing skills in the spring, when he was still competing for the quarterback position. He constantly worked on his footwork, his throwing accuracy, understanding defenses and anything else he felt would give him an edge.

During the summer, Calcagni said playing in some 7-on-7 tournaments also helped in establishing some self-confidence and experience of playing varsity-level football.

“I think with me, it was all about getting as many reps as possible,” said Calcagni, who didn’t find out he’d be Springdale’s starting quarterback until just before practices started in August. “I just wanted the experience. The more I got, the better I felt about everything.”

Springdale quarterbacks coach Zak Clark, a former Arkansas quarterback, said Calcagni’s biggest improvements have been his ability to adapt in certain situations.

“Physically, he’s got all the tools. He can make any throw we ask him to make,” Clark said. “He moves well in the pocket, and he continues to get better and better with his composure. He’s also improved with his game management, how he handles himself and how he handles the team.”

Against Fayetteville more than two weeks ago, Calcagni had his best game of the season, completing 28 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns. Despite the impressive performance, however, Calcagni said it’s not his statistics that keep him motivated, but how many wins Springdale has.

“I’m happy with how I’ve played, but at the same time, it’s now showing up in our win column,” Calcagni said. “That’s the part I care about. I want this team to win, and so far, we haven’t been able to do much of that.

“That’s my biggest concern right now, helping this team find a way to win more games.”

Profile

JOSEPH CALCAGNI

• School: Springdale High
• Height: 6-foot-1
• Weight: 183 pounds
• Position: Quarterback
• Class: Junior
• Notable: Calcagni comes from a bloodline full of quarterbacks, including his father, Mark, and uncle, Ron, who both played at Arkansas. Ron was Arkansas’ quarterback from 1975-78 and went 25-4-2, making him the winningest quarterback in Razorback history. Joseph’s older brother, Patrick, is also a former quarterback at Springdale Har-Ber.

ROGERS — Rogers Heritage coach Perry Escalante hasn’t discussed it with the team, but the War Eagles coach knows that two big goals can be reached with a victory at Bentonville tonight.

A Heritage victory would give the school its first regular-season winning campaign and secure one of the six spots in the Class 7A playoffs from the 7A-West Conference.

But that is easier said than done as the War Eagles (5-0, 2-0 7A-West) face a Bentonville team which fell from the state’s top ranking after a shocking loss to Fort Smith Southside last week.

“There are a lot of things riding on this game but we don’t talk to the kids about that,” Escalante said. “We just have to go over there and play well. Bentonville has a good football program and I’m sure Bentonville is going to be ready for us.

“They turned the ball over against Southside and I’m sure they will take better care of the football.”

Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said the Tigers (4-1, 1-1) will have a hard time staying with Heritage if they repeat the mistakes that were made last week. Bentonville lost two fumbles and had one pass intercepted.

“We operated behind the sticks all night,” Lunney said. “We got sacked a few times on first down. We had second-and-long too often. We just had too many negative plays.”

There is no denying Heritage is on a roll, but tonight’s game will be the toughest test of the season. The War Eagles must contend with a powerful Tigers running attack that is backed up by one of the state’s top offensive lines. Heritage also must defend against a Bentonville passing attack that has been effective.

So what is the War Eagles’ game plan?

In a nutshell, set up the passing game with an effective running attack. Zac Stewart led a 185-yard rushing attack with 129 yards in last week’s 24-9 victory against Rogers High. But most impressive was that the War Eagles averaged almost 5 yards a carry against the Mounties.

Heritage quarterback Reed Brown has passed for more than 1,200 yards and 17 touchdowns and the junior is completing 66 percent of his passes.

“We have to be able to run the football,” Escalante said. “We tried to last year but we couldn’t physically move people like we can this year. If we can get real close (50 percent run-to-pass), we can be pretty successful. If we have to throw it 50 times, bad things are going to happen.”

Lunney said Heritage’s high-octane offense and an undefeated record is a tough combination to handle.

“They’re playing very aggressive and very hard,” Lunney said. “They’re playing with a lot of passion and a lot of confidence. It shows, the way they carry themselves and the way they execute.”