A-J faces 0-4 Sparta in homecoming game

Even though Anna-Jonesboro is hosting Sparta, which is 0-4, this Friday night, Wildcat head coach Brett Detering wants his squad to be prepared.

“The way our conference is you’ve got to play well each week and continue to get better,” he said.

The Wildcats are 3-1 overall and undefeated at 1-0 in the Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference Mississippi Division.

The Bulldogs will be playing in A-J’s homecoming football game.

The game, which begins at 7 p.m., will be aired on WIBH radio in Anna. The game also can be heard online by visiting <a href="http://www.annanews.com">www.annanews.com</a>.

Sparta will be led this season by a new head coach, Phil Watson. He is a former head coach at Trenton Wesclin and Centralia.

Senior Blake Shelton, 6-0, 205 pounds, leads the Bulldogs at the quarterback slot. He was 2 of 13 passing for 69 yards in last Friday’s 48-7 loss to Du Quoin.

A top receiving threat downfield is senior David Sams, 5-7, 152 pounds.

Junior Zach Ferguson, a 5-6, 160-pound junior, was the leading rusher last week with 39 yards in 12 carries.

Senior Preston Nance, 5-9, 177 pounds, is another backfield running threat. He scored Sparta’s lone touchdown last week.

The line is anchored around senior Corey Hale, 6-6, 280 pounds.

The top defenders for the Bulldogs have been linebacker Nance, senior end Joe Smith, 5-11, 180 pounds and defensive back Sams.