Smackover junior wide receiver Jordan Jones and Charleston senior quarterback Ty Storey are set to be teammates next season at the University of Arkansas.
They have some business to finish first.
Class 3A state final
SMACKOVER VS. CHARLESTON
WHEN 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
RECORDS Smackover 13-1 (6-3A No. 1 seed); Charleston 13-0 (4-4A No. 1 seed)
Smackover plays defending champion Charleston on Friday night in the Class 3A state championship game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
"All business," Jones said.
Jones orally committed to the Razorbacks in June and is one of the main contributors for the first Buckaroos team since 1949 to reach a state championship game, having caught 27 passes for 642 yards and 8 touchdowns this season.
"I've done good," Jones said. "I've had fun. We've made it to the state championship game. Now we have to finish it off."
Smackover (13-1) has won 13 consecutive games since losing 33-19 at Class 2A Junction City and won the 6-3A Conference title.
The Buckaroos are coming off a 18-12 victory over Episcopal Collegiate last Friday in the semifinals. They've also beaten Bismarck (52-19), Lamar (44-8) and Fordyce (49-14) on their way to the title game.
"We've been playing really good football. We've clicked at a good time," Jones said. "After the Junction loss, we realized that we shouldn't have lost that game as much as we did. We felt like we should have won that. But other than that, we've been clicking."
Jones, 6-3, 195 pounds, attended Arkansas' Elite Camp in June and was offered a scholarship by Razorbacks Coach Bret Bielema after running 4.34 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
Bielema met with Jones, who became the first commitment for the Hogs in the 2016 class. He also credited Arkansas wide receivers coach Michael Smith for helping him choose Arkansas.
"I liked the environment," Jones said. "I liked the players."
Clark, who has passed for 1,682 yards and 23 touchdowns, appreciates Jones' presence in the Smackover offense.
"He's got it all," Clark said. "I can throw it anywhere and he's going to go get it. I could throw it as far as I want and he'll find a way to get under it."
Jones said Storey tried to get him to move to Charleston, which is more than four hours from Smackover, but Jones' father was against the move.
Storey has passed for 3,941 yards and 50 touchdowns this season, leading Charleston (13-0) to the 3A title game for a second consecutive season.
Jones, who also plays safety, said he is looking forward to facing his future college teammate.
"There's not a way you can stop Ty, but you can slow him down and we can rattle him," Jones said. "If we rattle him, I think we got them."
Smackover Coach Brian Strickland said he appreciates coaching Jones and the rest of the Buckaroos.
"It's a great bunch of kids," Strickland said. "They love playing together. They've come together as one group, one heart, one heartbeat.
"It's been a fun group to coach and be around. I can't say enough about them."
Sports on 12/10/2014