Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1015901
479-451-1210 123 ELLIS LANE PEA RIDGE, AR 72751 Wishing you success this season! Good luck Blackhawks! PREP RALLY: Class 4A THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2018 42 GRAVETTE LIONS 2017 RECORD 6-5, 5-2 4A-1 Conference COACH Doug Greenwood RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 2 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Tajae White (Sr., 5-7, 160), OL Beau Hamilton (Sr., 6-2, 245), OL/DL Dakota Lemonds (Sr., 6-0, 200), OL Jarrod Barker (Sr., 6-5, 245), OL Aiden Patton (Sr., 6-5, 240), FB/LB Colton Grimes (Sr., 5-11, 215), OLB/SS Mason Dagley (Jr., 5-9, 165). THE SKINNY Greenwood, a former assistant coach at Jenks, Okla., was hired May 17 to take over for Bill Harrelson, who resigned after 12 years at Gravette to accept a job at Fayetteville Ramay Junior High. … Greenwood expects Tajae White, who threw for 794 yards and ran for 905 yards and 10 TDs, to throw the ball more out of the Lions' new mul- tiple-pro style offense, but fullback Colton Grimes is the team's leading returning receiver (4 catches, 35 yards). … Gravette's strength lies in its offensive line as four starters return. Beau Hamilton, who started all season at guard, shifts to center, while Dakota Lemonds remains at a guard spot. Jarrod Barker and Aiden Patton are back at the tackle slots. … Kolby Drennon, an assistant coach last year at Bixby, Okla., has been brought in to be the defensive coordinator as Gravette will employ an odd-man defensive front that can switch to an even-man front if needed. … Grimes, who recorded 70 tackles and five quarterback sacks a season ago, has been moved to middle linebacker after starting the last two sea- sons at strongside linebacker. … Mason Dagley split his time between outside linebacker and strong safety and finished with 48 tackles last season. He could also see time at running back. COACH SPEAK "The challenge is trying to figure out who we are because we're bringing in a new system. We brought over coach (Kelby) Bohannon from Bixby to be our defensive coordinator, and he's bringing in a new scheme defensively. We're also bringing in a new scheme offen- sively, so now it's about that learning curve of getting our boys caught up to speed. As coaches, we need to learn who are players are, and they need to learn about us and our expectations." — Henry Apple • @NWAHenry SCHEDULE Aug. 24 ............Cascia Hall (Okla.) Sept. 7 ....................at Farmington Sept. 14 .....................at Jay, Okla. Sept. 21 ...................... at Lincoln* Sept. 28 ................. Prairie Grove* Oct. 5 ..........................Pea Ridge* Oct. 12 .....................at Berryville* Oct. 19 ................... Green Forest* Oct. 26* ........ at Shiloh Christian* Nov. 2 .............................. Gentry* * — Denotes 4A-1 Conference game All kickoffs 7 p.m. GENTRY PIONEERS 2017 RECORD 5-6, 3-4 4A-1 Conference COACH Paul Ernest RETURNING STARTERS 3 offense, 5 defense KEY PLAYERS WR/LB Peyton Wright (Sr., 5-10, 175), OL/DL Kerlose Ruzek (Jr., 6-3, 290), OL/DE Garrett Hays (Sr., 5-7, 190), OL Brett Hester (Jr., 6-0, 190), CB Rowdy Trammell (Sr., 5-8, 150), RB/ LB Devon Ellis (Sr., 5-9, 160), WR/TE Dylan Kilgore (Sr., 6-2, 200). THE SKINNY Gentry was so short-handed when it came to offen- sive linemen that Ernest moved three skill players to the line just so the Pioneers would have seven to play this season. … Peyton Wright caught 73 passes for almost 900 yards and seven TDs, and he also averaged 8 yards per carry. He also moves from safety to linebacker after he finished with 56 tackles and two interceptions last fall. … Dylan Kilgore averaged 17 yards per reception as he split time between receiver and tight end. … Kerlose Ruzek played both tackle positions last year and returns to the offensive line, as does Hays. … Junior Cody Oertel returns at a defensive end slot, where he recorded three QB sacks last season. … Rowdy Trammell returns as a cornerback after he was a newcomer to football last season, and he recorded nine tackles in his first start, finishing the season with 34. … Hays, who made 57 tackles from his linebacker position, now moves to help out with the defensive line corps. COACH SPEAK "We have a couple of challenges that stand out. The first is our numbers. We have 26-27 kids, and out of that group, six or seven of them have never played, so the experience level is low. Our offensive line seems to be where we are hurting the most because we only have seven of them. Our skill kids are pretty good. We had a good 7-on-7 during the summer and we learned a lot from that. We won several games, but we start to put on the pads and have seven linemen. There's where games are won or lost, and those guys will have to play a bunch." — Henry Apple • @NWAHenry SCHEDULE Aug. 24 .................. at Dardanelle Aug. 31 ................... at Huntsville Sept. 14 ......................Greenland Sept. 21 ....................Pea Ridge* Sept. 28 ................. at Berryville* Oct. 5 ....................Green Forest* Oct. 12 .........at Shiloh Christian* Oct. 19 ................. Prairie Grove* Oct. 26 .......................... Lincoln* Nov. 2 ......................at Gravette* * — Denotes 4A-1 Conference game All kickoffs 7 p.m. ELKINS ELKS 2017 RECORD 9-3, 6-1 3A-1 Conference COACH Bryan Hutson RETURNING STARTERS 7 offense, 6 defense KEY PLAYERS C/DE Hayden Hurst (Sr., 5-11, 240), LB/OG Daw- son Tisdale (Sr., 5-9, 160), FS/WR Camren Dunn (Sr., 5-11, 150), QB/ OLB Quinn McClain (Jr., 6-2, 195), RT/DE Logan Shoffit (Sr., 6-3, 250), WR/DB Chad Graham (Sr., 6-0, 156), RB/OLB Chance Jones (Sr., 6-2, 205). THE SKINNY It's "out with the old and in with the new" for Elkins, as a new stadium, conference and coach will be on display this season. … Former coach Chad Harbison joined Fayetteville's staff, so the job was left open for Bryan Hutson to take. He coached at Paris for nine seasons. … The Elks have high expectations for junior quarterback Quinn McClain, who threw for 2,799 yards and 33 touchdowns last season. … McClain strictly played out of the shotgun last season, but he could be asked to move under center to mix up the offense from time to time. … Chad Graham is expected to lead the receiving corps, as he led the 2017 team in touchdowns and was second in yardage. … With little depth and an increase in competition after moving up to 4A, staying healthy and limiting mistakes will be paramount to the Elks' success. … The new football field will run north-south instead of east-west and will include new bleachers, lighting, an all-weather eight-lane track and artificial turf. COACH SPEAK "It'll be a war of attrition, and I hope we can stay healthy and make plays. These kids have shown no fear moving up to 4A. They won nine games each year the last two years, so they're used to winning. If we play like we've been practicing, we may be fortunate enough to win a few games this year." — Andrew Epperson SCHEDULE Aug. 31 ...................at Greenland Sept. 7 ....................at West Fork Sept. 14 ...................... Huntsville Sept. 21 ...................at Waldron* Sept. 28 ...................... at Dover* Oct. 5 ........... Subiaco Academy* Oct. 12 ......................... at Mena* Oct. 19 ....................... Pottsville* Oct. 26 ................. at Dardanelle* Nov. 2 .............................. Ozark* * — Denotes 4A-4 Conference game All kickoffs 7 p.m. BERRYVILLE BOBCATS 2017 RECORD 1-9, 0-7 4A-1 Conference COACH Doug Shott RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 5 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Richard Heithold (Jr., 5-11, 175), RB Isaac Brown (Sr., 5-11, 180), FB Brett Parsons (Jr., 5-8, 170), OL Carter Martin (Sr., 5-11, 260), WR/CB Wyatt Poe (Sr., 6-1, 185), OL/DL Conner Worley (Sr., 5-10, 220). THE SKINNY Berryville will play its home games at a com- pletely renovated Bobcat Stadium as all the bleachers are being replaced in time for the Sept. 7 home opener against Huntsville … Richard Heithold returns as the Bobcats' starting quarterback, where he played the last four games after joining the team in Sep- tember as a lineman. … Brett Parsons started the last seven games at fullback and compiled more than 500 yards rushing. … Colton Record, a starter for half the season at guard and a state wrestling runnerup in the heavyweight division, takes over at one of the of- fensive tackle slots. … Poe gives Berryville a three-year starter at one of the corners. … Carter Martin is a returning starter at center, but he slides over to a guard spot in some situations. … Connor Worley provides experience in the defensive line and will start at right guard on offense. COACH SPEAK "We're expecting to turn the corner this year, so to speak, and get Berryville back to where it used to be. There are a lot of expectations for this team. We're opening up a new stadium and that means a whole lot to us and the kids. I think these kids are excited about showing people who they really are." — Henry Apple • @NWAHenry SCHEDULE Aug. 31.................at West Fork Sept. 7 ......................Huntsville Sept. 14 .......... Yellville-Summit Sept. 21 .... at Shiloh Christian* Sept. 28 .......................Gentry* Oct. 5 ..................... at Lincoln* Oct. 12 ..................... Gravette* Oct. 19 ...............at Pea Ridge* Oct. 26 .......... at Prairie Grove* Nov. 2 ................ Green Forest* * — Denotes 4A-1 Conference game All kickoffs 7 p.m. T. White D. Lemonds J. Barker C. Grimes B. Hamilton A. Patton R. Trammell P. Wright K. Ruzek G. Hays D. Kilgore D. Ellis W. Poe R. Heithold I. Brown C. Worley C. Martin B. Parsons C. Jones H. Hurst C. Dunn C. Graham D. Tisdale L. Shoffit