Only state titles move the needle in Stuttgart. (Photo courtesy of Brent Wittman)

Ah, the sweet sound of silence that crept across the Hamburg football field on Thursday night. It was refreshing, as slowly, the Hamburg Lion faithful discovered the same unyielding truth that the Ricebirds’ nine previous opponents had before them.

Stuttgart’s offense is inevitable.

Thursday night was a masterclass in offensive efficiency. The Ricebirds scored on every possession, unofficially amassing 523 yards of offense and finishing the season undefeated with a 52-41 win over the previously unbeaten Hamburg Lions.

Even Head Coach Josh Price, rarely effusive with praise, complimented his team.

“Yeah, we were pretty close to perfect tonight offensively. It was a great performance by multiple guys.”

Don’t talk about a conference title

After the game, Price declared to his team that there was still work to be done. After the postgame chat, the 10th-year Ricebird coach clarified that statement.

“I don’t want to see a single conference champion t-shirt. I don’t want to hear about any conference championship celebration meal. We’re not interested in a conference title; we want more.”

By more, Price of course means the school’s first 4A state title since 2012.

With the win, Stuttgart sealed home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and earned a first-round bye.

As a result, Stuttgart’s golden road through the postseason makes the Birds even more dangerous as one of a few legitimate state title contenders this fall.

Stealing a possession before halftime

Throughout Lion Stadium, one could hear the whispers.

“Whoever has the ball last is going to win this game. The team that turns it over is going to lose.”

And of course, both of these declarations proved accurate. But the game began to turn following Stuttgart’s final possession of the first half as the Ricebirds claimed a possession advantage before halftime.

Hamburg opened with the ball and quickly went ahead 7-0. From there, the two teams traded touchdowns throughout the first half. And since every first-half possession resulted in touchdowns, the game reached the midway point tied 28-28.

But the Ricebirds scored last. Hamburg scored first, and Stuttgart scored last. And since the Ricebirds received the second-half kickoff, this resulted in Stuttgart grabbing a possession advantage that it did not relinquish.

So when Stuttgart scored to go ahead 35-28 at the beginning of the third quarter, it was Hamburg playing catch-up the rest of the night.

Stuttgart never trailed again.

Give the Ricebird defense its flowers

All of this talk about Stuttgart’s offense might make one believe the Ricebird defense was absent. But that would be incorrect.

Yes, Hamburg scored 41 points. And yes, the Lions scored touchdowns on their first five possessions. But Stuttgart’s defense played well — very well — in the second half.

Entering the game, Hamburg was averaging 54 points per game. Stuttgart held the Lions to a season-low 41 points. Hamburg had not given up a sack since their 62-54 loss at Magnolia on Sept. 19. The Birds sacked quarterback Kaeden Thomas twice. Thomas had thrown just one interception all season before Thursday night. Beau Barnes’ fourth-quarter interception sealed the win for Stuttgart.

“What a great game by Beau Barnes,” said Price. “His interception was huge, and then he recovered a big onside kick to finish them off. Great performance by him.”

And that is the point. Stuttgart’s defense does not enjoy a single commanding presence on the field. Yet each week, a new face has risen above the rest.

Three weeks ago, it was Keaton Byers. This week, it was Beau Barnes. This is a reminder that Stuttgart’s defense does not have to be elite — it just needs to be good enough.

Depth plays a role

Much has been written about Stuttgart’s depth in this space, and so far this season, the Ricebirds’ depth has been a factor in most wins. That was the case once again this week.

Hamburg was gassed in the second half. It was clear that the Lions’ defense, which fought Stuttgart for every yard in the first half, was beginning to break more easily as the game wore on.

The Lions’ massive offensive line that bullied every team it faced this season — and bullied the Birds for nearly three quarters — kept its hands on its hips during winning time. In the fourth quarter, the deeper team soared ahead.

Stuttgart was the hammer, and Hamburg was the nail, and the Ricebirds kept hitting that nail until finally, it broke.

“When Dawson (McKelvey) kicked that field goal to put us up by 10, I thought they kind of lost some of their wind,” said Price. “From then, we were able to lean on them a little.”

Another strong offensive line performance aids Price’s case as 4A’s best

Dagan Duncan receiving his Scholar Athlete of the Week award.

Maligned in years past, Stuttgart’s offensive line continues to dazzle each week. Dylan Scoby, Tre McKinney, Christian Henson, Orrin Mack, and Dagan Duncan do their jobs, and they do them well. Against Hamburg, Stuttgart’s line paved the way for over 240 rushing yards and 265 passing yards.

Dagan Duncan is the anchor of this unit at his right tackle position. One of only two Ricebirds to play both ways this season, Duncan delivered his best performance of the season against the Lions.

In addition, Duncan excels in the classroom, as evidenced by being named Hooten’s Arkansas Football Scholar-Athlete of the Week leading up to Thursday’s win over Hamburg.

Duncan and the entire offensive line are Price-approved.

“If they keep playing like they’ve played lately, we’ve got a chance,” said Price. “If they give Cain time, he’s going to make the right decision.”

Speaking of Price, it’s time to recognize the junior as possibly the best quarterback in Class 4A. In this space, prior to the season, it was written that Price should be mentioned among the top quarterbacks in Arkansas — and he has only deepened that conviction.

With the playoffs remaining, Price has 3,399 yards of total offense and has accounted for 51 touchdowns. The junior is averaging 56 rushing yards per game and 285 passing yards per game while targeting 16 different receivers.

Hopefully, Stuttgart fans realize what they are being treated to each Friday night.

Lewis and Thomas as advertised

Nykeal Lewis is good, and everyone knew it. The senior broke the state’s rushing touchdown record against the Ricebirds and continues to chase the single-season rushing record into the playoffs.

But as previously written, Stuttgart’s defense did better against Lewis than any other opponent this season. Lewis entered the night averaging 252 yards per game, but Stuttgart limited the 5-foot-7 back unofficially to 143 yards on 29 carries, good for 4.9 yards per carry.

In truth, it was quarterback Kaeden Thomas who caused the most problems for Stuttgart.

Thomas used his legs to churn out big plays when the Lions needed them, finishing the game with 128 yards on 11 carries. Thomas accounted for two touchdowns — one rushing and one passing. In total, Thomas completed 7 of 10 passes for one score and one interception.

Getting healthy

This win left Stuttgart bruised.

Cain Price ran the ball more than in any game this season, finishing with 26 carries. The toll on Price was obvious late in the game.

Sophomore TayQuan Hall did not finish the game, sitting under the film tent without pads due to an injury to his side. Ladadrian Smith left the game in the third quarter, and QT Johnson suffered another injury to his shoulder.

Thankfully, the Ricebirds have two weeks off to get healthy before hosting a second-round playoff game.

The Birds won halftime, too

The Pride of the Riceland warming up.

Let’s throw some love in the direction of the Stuttgart High School Marching Band.

Not once this season has Stuttgart lost at halftime. Everyone hears it — because Stuttgart’s band is top-shelf.

The Ricebird Marching Band is fast becoming one of the state’s best and must-watch entertainment acts. They proved it by earning a top-15 ranking at the state competition earlier this month.

Routinely delivering an exciting halftime routine, Kevin Sherman, Shannon Hudgins, and Sara Schroeder continue to mold a unit that is truly the Pride of the Riceland.

Regular-season final thoughts

Let’s be honest, no one saw this coming. Did we expect Stuttgart to be better? Yes, but not to the point of claiming the 4A-8 conference championship with an undefeated season. Most publications — like this writer — expected the Birds to finish either third or fourth in the rugged 4A-8.

Yet, upon deeper inspection, after starting multiple sophomores during last season’s 5-5 campaign and with the addition of a talented group of sophomores, there should have been more optimism this season. Add in an elite junior quarterback, and one begins to wonder why we did not see this coming.

But as terrific as the regular season has been, Stuttgart is now 0-0 with a fresh season on the horizon. It is time to wash away last fall’s 10-0 conference title and realize that winter is coming — and with it, a potential December date in Little Rock.

Each fall, fans across the state wonder who the best team in Arkansas really is, and this season is no different. Only this season, the Ricebirds have crashed the party.

If respect is not given but is instead earned, it is time to show Stuttgart respect. They have earned it.