Battle of the Indians: Kennett, Hayti renew rivalry that dates back to World War I

Photo by Steve Frey/Special to the DDD Kennett's Jack Walls (right) keys on a Caruthersville defender during last week's game. Kennett will be looking for its first 3-0 start in several years when it hosts Hayti on Friday night. [Click to enlarge]

In many ways, there are not a lot of differences between Kennett and Hayti on the football field.

They have the same school colors. They have the same mascot. Both have started the season 2-0. Both thrive on big plays offensively. In fact, Kennett coach Kirk Welch used to coach at Hayti.

"We're both black and gold. We're both Indians," Hayti coach David Gilmore said. "It gets up a good atmosphere between the fans and players. Basically you're battling for who's got the better team. … This is the battle of the Indians here."

However, there are some differences between the teams. Kennett thrives on its passing attack and has had as many as five wide receivers on the field at one time, while Hayti loves to run the ball out of a spread option attack, using a devastating fly sweep as its bread-and-butter play.

"With their speed, they're a threat to go the distance on any given play and so are we," said Welch. "We both live off the big play. I just hope we have one more than they do."

Indeed, Kennett has had six of its scoring plays go for 40 yards or more this season, while Hayti has racked over 200 yards rushing in both of its wins.

Kennett is led by senior quarterback Blake Parr, who has thrown five touchdowns and four interceptions this season. His favorite targets have been Jarvis Finley, Jimmie Gooden and Cameron Conder, all of who have had scoring receptions.

"That's going to be one of the game plans is to get pressure on (Parr) … " said Gilmore. "We're just going to have to limit their big play opportunities."

Meanwhile, Hayti is led on the ground by Keenan Williams, who has ran for 226 yards and five TDs on 36 carries, while senior George Hamilton has added 154 yards from scrimmage (66 yards on five catches, 88 yards and a TD on 12 carries).

"That's the thing with Hayti," Welch said. "They lose one to graduation and they've got one to replace him. But there's more than just one. That makes it hard here to focus on one -- there's more than one guy we've got to worry about."

Whatever happens on the field, it promises to be another interesting night in a rivalry that dates back to World War I.

"It's just basically boiling down to bragging rights," said Welch. "It's an opportunity for them to play us and get themselves prepared for the playoffs. With their talent and speed, it's a good measuring stick for us."

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Metz Cherry Stadium.

Pregame: The Kennett Indians football players and coaches will honor all veterans and active duty military personnel before Friday's high school football game against Hayti at Metz Cherry Stadium.

Events begin at 6:30 p.m. Further details on Friday's festivites will be announced later.

Opponents: The Tribe's opponents were 4-6 last week and are 6-14 this season. Here's how they did against their opponents:

Charleston (0-2) lost to Sikeston, 48-6
Caruthersville (0-2) lost to Kennett, 24-21
Hayti (2-0) def. Malden, 27-0
East Prairie (1-1) def. Grandview, 49-6
Portageville (0-2) lost to Scott City, 26-0
Malden (0-2) lost to Hayti, 27-0
Sikeston (1-1) def. Charleston, 48-6
NMCC (1-1) def. Cape Central, 44-35
Dexter (0-2) lost to Gosnell, Ark. 40-20
Perryville (1-1) lost to DeSoto, 38-14

Weather: The National Weather Service is calling for partly cloudy conditions with a 30 percent chance of rain and a kickoff temperature in the low-80s, dropping into the mid-70s by the end of the game. Winds are expected to be from the south-southeast at 3-6 miles per hour.