2022 FFN Game of the Week preview: Wynne at Valley View

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Our next Game of the Week will head to Jonesboro, where 5A East contenders Wynne and Valley View will match up at Central Dealerships Stadium. Both teams enter tied for first in 5A East.

Last Wynne win in series: 2021 (21-6 at Wynne)

Last Valley View win in series: 2019 (28-23 at Wynne)

Valley View Blazers (4-1, 2-0 5A East)

Valley View has rebounded well after their season-opening loss against Harding Academy. The Blazers have rallied off 4 straight wins, including back-to-back shutouts.

“Our D-Line is playing really good right now,” junior tight end and linebacker Brian Huff said. “They’re making a lot of tackles. Our linebackers, me and Carson Winters, and our two outsides are playing good.”

Sean Cockrell’s crew have put things together on both sides of the ball. Players say the team is starting to gel and settle into some new systems.

Under new offensive coordinator Marty Riley, the Blazers have scored over 35 in each of the last 3 games.

Carson Turley (Jr. QB): “They put a lot on us at first and then we were able to learn,” junior quarterback Carson Turley said. “Everyone got comfortable with themselves and we all got to do our own thing at one time.”

Valley View looks to snap a two-game losing skid against the Yellowjackets. Coach Cockrell says discipline is the key word for the Blazers this week.

“It’s a great football team with a lot of tradition, a great program and Coach Paschal is gonna have something for us I know, on both sides of the ball,” Cockrell said. “We’ve got to prepare. We’ve got to be disciplined defensively this week, more than we’ve ever been. Along with being able to score, I don’t know if we’ve ever scored over 28 points against them... that’s something that we’ve got to find a way to do and if we can do those things and take care of the ball then we got a chance.

Wynne Yellowjackets (4-1, 2-0 5A East)

Wynne currently sits atop the 5A East along with Valley View and Batesville. The Yellowjackets will play both of those teams in each of the next two weeks.

“5A East, every game is a big game with Valley View and then next week with Batesville,” Wynne defensive coordinator Justin Skender said. “Our kids know, they know when it’s time to play Valley View and Batesville, it’s [time to get] locked in. Our kids are really good here about that. I say they kind of do a lot of that on their own, they know what the message is, let’s just do our job and let’s keep working.”

Wynne has bounced back after a 21-7 loss to Magnolia 3 weeks ago, Van Paschal’s Delta Swarm has put up 59 and 42 points in back-to-back wins to start conference play.

“After that loss, we took to Magnolia, it kind of brought everybody together and it’s like, hey, there’s people better than us, we need to step it up, make sure we stay on our A-game,” junior quarterback John Watson said. “Since the Magnolia game, practices have gone really smooth and really well.”

“What’s been working well for us is we got quickness on the D line and we’re able to get through people and around people pretty quick before they even get set up,” senior lineman Birk McBride said. “Past two years I’ve been playing, it’s been a really physical all-around game. They had us in the game until the fourth quarter.”