Cardinals are flying into Hornets’ nest on Friday

The Dollarway Cardinals take on another “one-town” football team Friday — the Camden Harmony Grove Hornets.

Dollarway Coach Martese Henry calls small-town football teams like Harmony Grove and Rison, which shut out the Cardinals 51-0 last week, “one-town” teams because the community usually has one single team to rally around. (Harmony Grove is named after the community north of Camden and not to be confused with a school of the same name near Benton.) And the fans cheer fiercely. Whether playing on home turf, as was the case last week, or in a small town, the community talks about the game all week. The energy generates a frenzy of support by Friday night, and the atmosphere is almost unbeatable.

Many of the players have also grown up together playing sports.

“They have that chemistry,” Henry said. “They know each other. They’ve played ball together for years. We have turnover every year, and the kids have to get to know each other all over.”

Add to that, Harmony Grove (3-2, 1-0 in Conference 3A-6) celebrates its homecoming Friday, and the Cardinals (0-4, 0-1) are still looking for a win this season.

The Hornets blew past the Drew Central Pirates last week in their first conference game, winning 42-14 at Monticello.

The Hornets could take a win again Friday because they are able to handle the ball defensively (171 yards per game allowed) and offensively (330 yards per game). In a nonconference game the previous week, the Hornets slayed the Cave City Cavemen 54-14.

“We’re facing another tough opponent,” Henry said. “Harmony Grove is a well-oiled machine with sound discipline. They don’t make a lot of mistakes.”

On Tuesday afternoon, the Cardinals practiced in a field across from the Dollarway Field

house. Scrappy and tough, the team focused on ball security and eliminating turnovers. A couple of onlookers sat on bleachers watching the team.

“We had five to six turnovers,” Henry said as two men in a pickup drove past and yelled “hello” to Henry. “We’re working on that and some miscues. Defensively, we’re solid. We’re working hard, and we’re trying to turn this around.”

Henry said the Cardinals are a young team, but that’s no longer an excuse.

“We are in Week 5,” Henry said. “It’s time to grow up. But any time we lose, I take the full responsibility. Any time we win, I give the boys the win.”

The Cardinals are focused this week on training and getting more physical while staying positive. Fortunately, the Cardinals have suffered no injuries.

The team met Monday to discuss accountability on and off the field. Henry said coaches can only do so much when a team is on the field. Ultimately, it comes down to the players. That’s where accountability enters the picture.

“Accountability is a very necessary component in a team’s success and in life,” Henry said. “We want our young men to not just take pride in representing Dollarway but to hold themselves accountable in all aspects.”