The “Road to the Dome” gets a little tougher for the Jonesboro-Hodge Tigers as they will make a long journey to the southwest corner of the state to take on Vinton High School in a #8 vs #9 Division IV battle among “non-select” schools.
The Tigers, who were runner-up in District 1-1A, come in with an 8-3 record after winning their opening round game over North Central by a 44-20 score. Vinton, the District 4-2A champion with a 9-2 mark, earned the right to play host by dispatching DeQuincy 28-0.
“We have our work cut out for us,” said JHHS head coach Terrance Blankenship. “Vinton is a well-coached team, and we will have to play well in order to win.
One thing Blankenship said should be an advantage for the Tigers is that Vinton runs the Veer offense, very similar to the scheme run by Cedar Creek, which JHHS completely shut down two weeks ago.
“They aren’t going to hit us with anything we haven’t seen before,” said Blankenship. “If our defense responds like they did against Cedar Creek, we should be in good shape. But if we give them any running room, they have a pair of backs that are really good and could hurt us.”
Offensively, the Tigers will look to continue with what has been working well of late, with quarterback Dakota Knox and tailback Landon Boston providing a punishing rushing attack assisted by the deep receiving corps of Jaquan Qualls, Tyson Burks, Tre Burns, Channing Gray, and Jamarlon Johnson making plays.
Listen on 102.3 FM!
For those not able to make the roughly three and a half hour trip, or who just want to hear the game analysis while watching the contest, you can follow the Tigers by tuning to ROUX102, found at 102.3 FM on the radio dial, where Ben Ledbetter and Clay Williams will be bringing all the play-by-play, insights, and highlights.
The Tigers’ pre-game show will begin at 6:30 pm, which will include a segment of the JHHS coaches’ show where coach Terrance Blankenship will talk about the contest and season to date, followed by the kickoff slated for 7:00 pm.
For those who are outside the 102.3 listening area, you can also catch the contest by downloading the ROUX102 app or by going to the http://www.roux102.com website. As an added feature, you can also livestream the game by downloading the HudlFan App and following the prompts.
How to get there!
Google Maps shows that the fastest way to get to Vinton High School is to take Hwy 167 to Alexandria and then take Hwy 165 to I-10. From there, stay on I-10 until you reach Vinton, take Exit 7 north onto West Street exit, and then turn right on Grace Avenue, with the school being located at 1603 Grace Avenue. The estimated distance is 192 miles, with the time of travel being shown at 3 hours and 16 minutes.