NWADG Prep Rally Football Preview

2018 Edition

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We match competitor's prices! SUPPLEMENTS • FITNESS EQUIPMENT • ACCESSORIES APPAREL • RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL FAYETTEVILLE | 479.521.3481 ROGERS | 479.633.9837 LITTLE ROCK | 501.954.9837 www.ytfs.com PREP RALLY: Class 7A THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2018 13 won nine of the previous 10 conference championships in the 7A-West. "Bentonville won it, so it's hard for me not to say Bentonville," Fayetteville coach Billy Dawson said. "We haven't beaten Ben- tonville in 12 years during the regular sea- son. So, until we or someone else dethrones them, Bentonville is the team." Fayetteville is set at quarterback with Darius Bowers, a Division I prospect who threw nearly 3,400 yards and 34 touchdowns as a junior. Connor Flannigan could emerge as one of the league's best receivers and defensive linemen in Keondre Conley is an all-conference player from last season. But Fayetteville must do a better job of finishing games after a 7-5 first season under Dawson, a veteran coach with several championships on his resume. "We lost five games in the fourth quar- ter, so we've got to fix that," Dawson said. "We found out who were late and played pretty well. That helped our confidence. We brought that into summer (workouts) and we brought that into (preseason) camp." No one faces a bigger challenge in the 7A-West more than Casey Dick, the fifth coach in the last 12 years at Van Buren. But the former Arkansas quarterback will bring new ideas and youthful enthusiasm to a pro- gram that hasn't produced a winning season since the Pointers went 7-5 in 2010. Rogers High is a young team with poten- tial, including junior quarterback Hunter Loyd, who threw for more than 2,200 yards last season as a sophomore. But the Mount- ies must figure out how to stop people after allowing an average of 44.7 points a game in four consecutive defeats to end the season. Fort Smith Northside and Fort Smith Southside are among the 7A-Central teams chasing North Little Rock, which finished 13-0 last season. Northside and Southside each finished with losing records last sea- son, but there is renewed optimism in both camps were several returning starters. Quarterback Taye Gatewood is back for Southside after he threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior. The Grizzlies return Stevie Young, a 300-pound offensive tackle who made all-state last year. Rick Fires can be reached at rfires@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWARick. Superiority v Continued from Page 10 NWA Democrat-Gazette File Photo/CHARLIE KAIJO Rogers Heritage linebacker Reese Williams (45), shown here tackling Springdale High wide receiver Alex Thompson on Sept. 22 in Rogers, is expected to make a big impact for his team again this season.

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