Badgers kick off season with big win over Camden-Fairview

By Chris Babb | The Arkadelphian

In 2021, Camden-Fairview took advantage of Arkadelphia being plagued by cramps in the early-season heat and went on to a 41-21 win on the road in Arkadelphia.

One year later, the tables were turned 180 degrees and Arkadelphia was the better-conditioned team. The Badgers flipped the script on the Cardinals, opening the season with a 41-21 win of their own Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.

In a matchup of two teams ranked among the top teams of their respective classifications in the preseason, Friday night’s game looked for one half that it would be a back-and-forth battle resembling the overtime game between the two in 2020.

The Badgers led 28-21 at halftime, but the second half belonged to the Badgers (1-0) – particularly the defense.

Arkadelphia shut out the Cardinals (0-1) and All-State quarterback and Arkansas Razorback baseball commit Martavius Thomas in the second half, forcing three turnovers along the way. The biggest was a 62-yard interception return for a touchdown from junior defensive back Kelbern Middleton with just under 3:00 left in the game. The interception, which was the second interception of the game for Middleton, gave the Badgers 41-21 lead, putting the final touches on a solid team effort for third-year Arkadelphia head coach Trey Schucker’s squad.

The Badger offensive attack was led by senior quarterback Donovan Whitten who completed 15 of 33 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Whitten also rushed for 74 yards and added two rushing touchdowns.

Whitten connected with senior receiver LaTonnieo Hughes for a 72-yard scoring strike on the first drive of the game and then found Hughes again in the second quarter. Hughes found a big hole on the left side of the Cardinal defense and streaked to the end zone untouched for a 31-yard touchdown.

Whitten’s other touchdown pass came in the second quarter as sophomore Ja’Quavus Purifoy scored the first touchdown of his high school career. Purifoy took a screen pass from Whitten to the left sideline, shed two tacklers and outran the Cardinals to the end zone.

After the two teams played a relatively even first half, the Badgers controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball after halftime. The only offensive score of the second half for either team came on a drive where the Badgers went a little bit off-script offensively. Where the Badgers had seen most of their yardage come through the air the first half, the third-quarter scoring drive was a clinic in taking advantage of what the defense gives you.

The Arkadelphia offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage allowing Whitten and junior running back DeAngelo Buckley to wear down the Cardinal front seven and drive into the red zone. Whitten finished off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run, giving the Badgers a 14-point lead that would never shrink.

The Badger defensive line also came up with big stops in the second half to keep the Cardinals off of the scoreboard.

The Cardinals’ three touchdowns in the first half all came from the legs of quarterback Thomas, who used his evasiveness to find the end zone and keep the Cardinals in the game. The best example was late in the second quarter when Thomas eluded a rush from both sides, jumped over a defender as he made a move to the left and then quickly changed directions and found a hole on the right side that enabled him to make it to the end zone.

As was the case of several Cardinals as the game wore on, the running ability of Thomas was limited in the second half due to cramps, forcing Camden-Fairview to more of a short passing game. The depth of the Badgers’ defensive line began to make an impact and was a major reason the Cardinals didn’t score in the second half.

Badgers vs Cardinals Game Notes

SPECIAL GAME: Special teams came up big for the Badgers throughout the night. Senior placekicker Broc Currey hit all five of the extra points he attempted I his first regular season game as placekicker. Currey also executed an onside kick to perfection in the second quarter. Camden-Fairview was penalized after an Arkadelphia touchdown and the Badgers elected for an onside kick after kicking off from the 50 yard line. Currey’s onside kick to the right took a perfect hop and Evan Bailey outjumped a Cardinal to secure the possession for the Badgers.

Junior Nick Williams also blocked a Camden-Fairview field goal attempt as time ran out in the first half to keep the Badger lead at 28-21.

ROAD WARRIORS: This was the third game in the non-conference series between the two teams in the last three years, all of which have gone to the road team. Arkadelphia won in 2020 in Trey Schucker’s first game as Badger head coach when the Badgers forced a miss PAT to secure a 21-20 win. The Cardinals won last year’s game at Badger Stadium and the Badgers made it 3-0 for the road team Friday night.

NEW FACES IN FAMILIAR PLACES: The game also marked the return to the Badger sideline of defensive coordinator Chris Kizer, who joined Schucker’s staff this summer. Kizer was the defensive coordinator for the Badgers under former head coach J.R. Eldridge, including the two state championship teams in 2017 and 2018. After a stop at North Little Rock with Eldridge, Kizer spent a season at Gurdon before Schucker hired him in the spring after previous defensive coordinator Dustin Grimmett returned to LR Christian to be the DC for the 6A Warriors. 

Schucker also welcomed a second new coach to the staff in the off-season who is not a stranger to Arkadelphia. Benson Jordan was hired in the spring as wide receivers coach, replacing Andrew Steely who took a position at Greenbrier.

Jordan came to Arkadelphia from Arkansas High and previously coached at his alma mater Lake Hamilton. Jordan attended Ouachita Baptist University and played football for the Tigers before finishing his career at Southern Arkansas. Jordan is the grandson of legendary Ouachita football coach Buddy Benson and longtime Arkadelphia Public Schools teacher Janet Benson.

5A SOUTH MEMBER?: Friday night was the first of three non-conference game for Arkadelphia against members of the 5A South conference. Arkadelphia plays Hot Springs this week and rounds out the non-conference schedule with Texarkana on September 9. After the three games against 5A South opponents, the Badgers will begin their 4A-7 conference schedule which includes only five games after the departure of Genoa Central and Fountain Lake to 8-man club football.

NEW DAY FOR FLAG DAY: Flag Day is celebrated in the United States on June 14, but the first week of high school football often sees more flags than the day in which the actual holiday is celebrated. Arkadelphia and Camden-Fairview contributed to that Friday night as both teams hurt themselves with penalties that give both coaching staffs plenty of material to work on before their respective second games. Camden-Fairview ws penalized 10 times for 95 yards and Arkadelphia was flagged 15 times for 150 yards.

NEXT WEEK: The Badgers return to Carpenter-Haygood Stadium at Henderson State University Friday, September 2, to face the Hot Springs Trojans. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Carpenter-Haygood Stadium served as the home of Badger football from the year it was built – then as Haygood Stadium – in 1968 until 2001 when an on-campus stadium was built at AHS. Delays in the installation of the new artificial turf at Badger Stadium necessitated the move to HSU. In 2000, in what was supposed to be the final season for the Badgers at Carpenter-Haygood, the final regular season opponent was Hot Springs.