By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Friday night, the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots will find out how good a football team they really are.
That's when they will get their first real test of the year when they host Marked Tree for a key 3AA Conference showdown at Patriot Field.
Palestine-Wheatley is leading the league in scoring while Marked Tree is second.
Both teams are 2-0 in the conference, but P-W holds the upper hand in overall wins at 4-1 while the Indians are 2-3.
The 4-1 start is the best beginning for P-W since the 1997 season.
However, Patriots Coach Terry Farmer, in his second full season at P-W, maintains his team still needs to improve.
"We still have a lot of work to do to get better," Farmer said. "We beat Walnut Ridge 35-0 last week and still have a lot to work on, but that is a good thing. We are getting there."
P-W has put 156 points on the board in five games while Marked Tree has lit up the scoring for 117 points.
The Patriots are second on the defensive side of the league stats having allowed just 74 points in five games while Rector has given up just 73 points.
All in all, it is shaping up to be a conference shootout.
Especially with P-W talented backfield in motion.
Against Walnut Ridge, three different Patriot running backs -- Ray Gardner, Chris Siler and Brandon Roberts -- eclipsed the 100-yard rushing barrier -- all by design.
"Yes, it was my intention to get all three backs 100 yards in the game," Farmer said. "Football is a fun game and we try to let everyone have fun. We want all of the kids to enjoy success. It's a game for the kids and we try to work it out so everyone has fun. Sometimes it doesn't quite work out that way and sometimes it does."
One more Palestine-Wheatley victory would, more than likely, get them back to the Class AA playoffs.
Two more wins would ensure that trip which would be the schools third in six seasons.
The Patriots have not, however, gotten past the first round in any of their three previous trips.
This is why Farmer says his team has some work left ahead of them.
"If we had to start postseason play this week, we would be in trouble," Farmer said. The Patriots, since 1996, have won two of three games against Marked Tree.
The Patriots won in '96 and 1997 by a combined score of 99-32.
After a two-year absence from the P-W schedule, Marked Tree won last year's game 40-8.
Scored Allowed
Palestine-Wheatley 2-0-0 4-1-0 156 74
Earle 2-0-0 3-2-0 90 87
Marked Tree 2-0-0 2-3-0 117 120
Walnut Ridge 1-1-0 2-3-0 37 125
Rector 1-1-0 1-3-0 50 73
Salem 0-2-0 1-4-0 65 129
Cross County 0-2-0 0-4-0 34 153
Parkin 0-2-0 0-5-0 43 117
* PREP FOOTBALL
Junior High School
Thursday, October 4
WMemphis West at Forrest City Blue, 7 p.m.
Cross County vs P-W at Wheatley (HC), 7 p.m.
Forrest City White at WMemphis Wonder, 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 6
FC Yellow vs FC Red, 9 a.m. (7th Grade)