In a memorable line from the classic movie "The Wizard of Oz," Dorothy – eager to return to her Kansas farm after a perilous journey in a faraway land – closes her eyes, clicks the heels of her ruby slippers and utters the magic phrase, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home..."
White Hall's Bulldogs can identify with that scene.
After opening with a pair of road games and being abused last week by 6A power Watson Chapel, White Hall is looking forward to its first Dog House appearance, even if it's against another 6A squad. White Hall hosts Sheridan in a 7 p.m. game on Friday night, and the Dogs are so pleased to be home that it doesn't really matter if Uncle Henry and Auntie Em are there to welcome them back.
The match will be White Hall's final non-conference bout. The Dogs will open 5A-Southeast Conference play next week.
"Yeah, it's good to be home, but we've got a test ahead of us with Sheridan," figures White Hall coach Mike Vaughn. "We're still banged up from last week's game, and even though Sheridan may not be as highly regarded as Watson Chapel, Sheridan still has more than enough talent to beat us if we don't take care of business."
Both teams are 1-1 and coming off lopsided losses. White Hall, handicapped when senior quarterback Matt Taylor was sidelined early with a knee injury, fell victim to Watson Chapel's superior depth and team speed in a 47-14 disappointment. Sheridan, which knocked off Arkadelphia 31-28 with a last-play field goal two weeks ago, was rapped by Bryant 49-3.
Watson Chapel, which advanced from second to first in this week's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette rankings, never trailed but didn't pull away until Taylor suffered his injury while working as a linebacker in the second quarter. White Hall trainer Tim Atkinson said Taylor sustained a dislocated kneecap, which popped back into place a short time later.
"I'm not sure how long he'll be out," Vaughn said of Taylor. "We're probably looking at a couple of three weeks, but it's a day-to-day thing.
"We're just glad it wasn't more serious and that he'll be back. But until he is, we'll have to step up and get the job done regardless.
Sophomore Hunter Brown replaced Taylor at quarterback.
White Hall, which entered the contest and remains sixth in 5A, trailed 14-7 when Taylor was injured. By intermission, the Cats were ahead 26-7.
The Dogs were down by 33-7 after the third period. They cut their deficit to 33-14 less than a minute into the final quarter on a 14-yard touchdown run by running back Larry Walls and steady Heath Heinrich's second point-after kick. But whatever hopes White Hall might have had for a bigger rally were dashed when Watson Chapel responded with two more touchdowns.
The Cats scored on the game's opening possession, via a 29-yard touchdown pass. White Hall promptly retaliated to knot the score at 7-7 when Walls registered a TD on a 30-yard run and Heinrich – a junior who has yet to miss a conversion – toed the tie.
A second touchdown toss a couple of minutes later put Watson Chapel ahead to stay.
"They just wore us down and whipped us," Vaughn said of the Cats. "Depth is our shortcoming, and they've got so many good, fast players that they were able to have some fresh players in on just about every down.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see Watson Chapel in the state championship game come September. They deserve a No. 1 ranking.
"They're one of the most complete teams I've seen in my 39 years of coaching. And in addition to a stable of great athletes, they're well-coached by George Shelton. He's got a great football mind and he's a master motivator."
Walls, who rambled for 444 yards and four touchdowns two weeks ago in a win over Hot Springs Lakeside, collected 111 yards on 16 touches. A.J. Richardson contributed 98 yards to White Hall's cause.
Vaughn said the Dogs wer- en't surprised by the Cats' air attack, which was good for 239 yards and three touchdowns.
"Oh, no," he said. "We knew they can throw, but you've got to shut down a team's rushing game before you can fully focus on stopping their passing.
"Watson Chapel has so ma-ny skill players that we had a hard time getting ourselves established. We've got to do better defensively. We had too many breakdowns."
Sheridan, which will be traveling for the first time this season, had little punch against Bryant. The Yellowjackets' lone score came on a 36-yard field goal by Brandon Womble, one of the state's premier kickers.
Womble narrowly missed on boots from 47 and 48 yards.
"Sheridan's a threat to score anytime they make it to your 35- or 40-yard line," said Vaughn. "Womble's leg is like a catapult."
But he's not the only weapon in the Jacket arsenal.
Against Arkadelphia, quarterback Eric Eggburn completed 13 of 17 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Plus, he ran for 75 yards and scored a TD on a 35-yard scramble.
"Eggburn will take advantage of any weakness he detects in our defense" projects Vaughn. "He may not get a lot of media attention, but he'll probably be one of the better quarterbacks we'll face this year.
"And he's got some good runners with him in the backfield."
Vaughn closed by re-emphasizing the Dogs' need to be "awake and alert" against the Jackets.
"I've been around long en-ough to know that as a coach, you've got to be wary of Sheridan whatever the situation might be. Right now, Sheridan's just like us – we're both searching for our identity.
In a memorable line from the classic movie "The Wizard of Oz," Dorothy – eager to return to her Kansas farm after a perilous journey in a faraway land – closes her eyes, clicks the heels of her ruby slippers and utters the magic phrase, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home..."
White Hall's Bulldogs can identify with that scene.
After opening with a pair of road games and being abused last week by 6A power Watson Chapel, White Hall is looking forward to its first Dog House appearance, even if it's against another 6A squad. White Hall hosts Sheridan in a 7 p.m. game on Friday night, and the Dogs are so pleased to be home that it doesn't really matter if Uncle Henry and Auntie Em are there to welcome them back.
The match will be White Hall's final non-conference bout. The Dogs will open 5A-Southeast Conference play next week.
"Yeah, it's good to be home, but we've got a test ahead of us with Sheridan," figures White Hall coach Mike Vaughn. "We're still banged up from last week's game, and even though Sheridan may not be as highly regarded as Watson Chapel, Sheridan still has more than enough talent to beat us if we don't take care of business."
Both teams are 1-1 and coming off lopsided losses. White Hall, handicapped when senior quarterback Matt Taylor was sidelined early with a knee injury, fell victim to Watson Chapel's superior depth and team speed in a 47-14 disappointment. Sheridan, which knocked off Arkadelphia 31-28 with a last-play field goal two weeks ago, was rapped by Bryant 49-3.
Watson Chapel, which advanced from second to first in this week's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette rankings, never trailed but didn't pull away until Taylor suffered his injury while working as a linebacker in the second quarter. White Hall trainer Tim Atkinson said Taylor sustained a dislocated kneecap, which popped back into place a short time later.
"I'm not sure how long he'll be out," Vaughn said of Taylor. "We're probably looking at a couple of three weeks, but it's a day-to-day thing.
"We're just glad it wasn't more serious and that he'll be back. But until he is, we'll have to step up and get the job done regardless.
Sophomore Hunter Brown replaced Taylor at quarterback.
White Hall, which entered the contest and remains sixth in 5A, trailed 14-7 when Taylor was injured. By intermission, the Cats were ahead 26-7.
The Dogs were down by 33-7 after the third period. They cut their deficit to 33-14 less than a minute into the final quarter on a 14-yard touchdown run by running back Larry Walls and steady Heath Heinrich's second point-after kick. But whatever hopes White Hall might have had for a bigger rally were dashed when Watson Chapel responded with two more touchdowns.
The Cats scored on the game's opening possession, via a 29-yard touchdown pass. White Hall promptly retaliated to knot the score at 7-7 when Walls registered a TD on a 30-yard run and Heinrich – a junior who has yet to miss a conversion – toed the tie.
A second touchdown toss a couple of minutes later put Watson Chapel ahead to stay.
"They just wore us down and whipped us," Vaughn said of the Cats. "Depth is our shortcoming, and they've got so many good, fast players that they were able to have some fresh players in on just about every down.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see Watson Chapel in the state championship game come September. They deserve a No. 1 ranking.
"They're one of the most complete teams I've seen in my 39 years of coaching. And in addition to a stable of great athletes, they're well-coached by George Shelton. He's got a great football mind and he's a master motivator."
Walls, who rambled for 444 yards and four touchdowns two weeks ago in a win over Hot Springs Lakeside, collected 111 yards on 16 touches. A.J. Richardson contributed 98 yards to White Hall's cause.
Vaughn said the Dogs wer- en't surprised by the Cats' air attack, which was good for 239 yards and three touchdowns.
"Oh, no," he said. "We knew they can throw, but you've got to shut down a team's rushing game before you can fully focus on stopping their passing.
"Watson Chapel has so ma-ny skill players that we had a hard time getting ourselves established. We've got to do better defensively. We had too many breakdowns."
Sheridan, which will be traveling for the first time this season, had little punch against Bryant. The Yellowjackets' lone score came on a 36-yard field goal by Brandon Womble, one of the state's premier kickers.
Womble narrowly missed on boots from 47 and 48 yards.
"Sheridan's a threat to score anytime they make it to your 35- or 40-yard line," said Vaughn. "Womble's leg is like a catapult."
But he's not the only weapon in the Jacket arsenal.
Against Arkadelphia, quarterback Eric Eggburn completed 13 of 17 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Plus, he ran for 75 yards and scored a TD on a 35-yard scramble.
"Eggburn will take advantage of any weakness he detects in our defense" projects Vaughn. "He may not get a lot of media attention, but he'll probably be one of the better quarterbacks we'll face this year.
"And he's got some good runners with him in the backfield."
Vaughn closed by re-emphasizing the Dogs' need to be "awake and alert" against the Jackets.
"I've been around long en-ough to know that as a coach, you've got to be wary of Sheridan whatever the situation might be. Right now, Sheridan's just like us – we're both searching for our identity.
