Sports

BILLIES OUT FOR REVENGE IN ROUND 1

By Sean Saunders/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Friday, November 13, 2009 12:37 AM CST

MONTICELLO — Monticello coach Van Paschal swears he didn’t have much of a reaction when he heard who his first-round opponent was going to be, but he said his team definitely noticed.

The Billies, the lone undefeated team in Class 5A, drew the Vilonia Eagles, the No. 4 seed from the 5A-West Conference, for their postseason opener tonight at Hyatt Field. The Eagles defeated Monticello 16-13 last year at Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Golden Lion Stadium in the Simmons First/Hootens.com Kickoff Week to send the Billies on an 0-2 start to the year before they reeled off 10 straight wins to make it to the state semifinals.

“I don’t think revenge is our motivation,” Paschal said. “I think we got more motivation than that in trying to win the state championship. That’s our motivation.

“When we first heard Vilonia was our team, there was kind of a rah-rah, but that’s not the real motivation.”

Monticello’s motivation comes from avenging a one-point loss at home to Helena-West Helena in last year’s state semifinals. The Billies (10-0, 7-0 5A-Southeast) failed to stop a two-point conversion that proved to be the difference, though Paschal still swears the runner didn’t get in.

Monticello has been the lone unbeaten Class 5A team since Batesville lost to Forrest City on Oct. 9. So Paschal realizes his squad is one that most will be gunning for this postseason.

“As a coach, your mind is fixed on your opponent week to week, and we’re just trying to school the kids up and get them healthy,” Paschal said.

Monticello went into last year’s contest with Vilonia (6-4, 4-3) experimenting with the spread offense, and the results were less than stellar. The Billies scored only two touchdowns and let the Eagles come back to win.

Monticello reverted to the double wing after a 35-20 loss to rival Warren the following week, and the Billies went on to capture an outright conference title. They bring that same offense, one that has ripped off 38.7 points per game this year, into tonight’s rematch.

“From that standpoint, we’re settled,” Paschal said. “We know what we’re doing, and I guess we’re at ease with it. It’s what we do best.”

Just like last year, Monticello’s quarterback for the Vilonia game is Joe Carmical, but unlike last year, Carmical is very familiar with the team’s offense. The senior has scored at least one rushing touchdown in all but one game this year.

While Monticello brings an experienced senior class to the game, Vilonia’s seniors have had to grow up quickly. Senior Eric Ebmeyer took over as quarterback this year and has guided the Eagles to a playoff appearance after a one-year absence. Classmate Kyle Robbins has become a reliable option in the backfield as well as on defense, where he is one of the top tacklers in the 5A-West.

But the crux of Vilonia’s offense is the play of the offensive line. Its double-wing scheme calls for cut blocking by the linemen, meaning Monticello’s defense will have to keep an eye on its legs, Paschal said.

That defense has allowed only 7.6 points per game in conference play, holding five opponents to a touchdown or less. The Billies have held their last four opponents to less than 100 yards, including second-place White Hall on the road.

“We were figuring up the scores the other day,” Paschal said. “If we would have wanted to have thrown some shutouts and not let some of our backups play, we think we would’ve had about seven. I keep saying that the defense is playing well, and that gives us a great chance this time of the year.”

Monticello has a showdown looming at 9-1 Greenwood in the semifinals, but the Billies have to hold up their end of the bargain by beating Vilonia.

“We’ve heard that a lot this week,” Paschal said. “I keep telling our kids that if we’re thinking Greenwood, we’re going to get beat by Vilonia.”

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