Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1403981
2021 Football Preview 14C n Wednesday, August 25, 2021 Herald-Leader/Westside Eagle Observer DECATUR — With area schools in Northwest Arkansas opening their doors for the start of the 2021-22 school year comes the beginning of the high school football season. Many area teams are hitting the practice fields in anticipation of a new and exciting season of football which, for many, starts near the end of August or first part of September. One area team is gearing up with a new coach, a new conference and a new look for the team's stadium. The Decatur Bulldogs start their fourth season in the eight-man foot - ball league which, as of June 9, is a sanctioned sport by the Arkansas Ac- tivities Association (AAA). Early in May of 2018, both the Bulldogs and the Hermitage Hermits petitioned the AAA to restart the eight- man football league, which organically started in 1956 and ran for 10 years before the organization shifted all the teams back to 11 man. Both teams suffered from the same affliction, not enough players to fill out a 11-man football roster. With six teams in place, the AAA formed a unsanctioned league. Each year more and more teams jumped on the eight-man band wagon until, in 2020, 17 team fill out the league and the AAA finally agreed to sanction the league. The eight-man league is now split into two conferences, the eight-man east and the eight-man west. Decatur is now in the eastern conference along with Hermitage, Woodlawn and Au - gusta, some of the original six teams from the first year. What does the new conference hold for Decatur and the other teams? A football playoff at the end of the season between the confer- ence leaders. Bulldog fans will look forward to a new look at Bulldog Stadium this season. Last May, the Decatur School Board voted to purchase a set of alu- minum bleachers from the Farming- ton School District. In early June, the old blue wood and steel bleachers, which had been in place since 1991, were torn down and replaced with the new stands. These stands will allow for easy access and more comfort for the fans. This season the Bulldogs will have a new head coach, replacing Grant Hutson who went to Berryville as an assistant coach for his father Bryan Hutson, who once coached for Deca - tur in 1998-99. But this story does not end here. Jake Denzer takes over the Decatur Bulldogs in his first head coaching job of his career. He comes to Decatur from the Elkins Elks 4A Region 1 team, which was coached by the el - der Hutson. When Grant Hutson came to the Decatur pro- gram in 2020, he too was an assis- tant coach for his father at Elkins. History does repeat itself. "My previous eight years I have been an assistant coach at Elkins and I have done everything but be a (var - sity) head coach," Denzer said. "I have been head seventh grade coach, junior high coach, offensive coordinator for high school, defensive coordinator, off-season conditioning coordinator for all grade levels and also the interim head coach multiple times. There was one game that I was the head coach for a high school game. It was our first 4A football game and we won." When Denzer decided to look for another position, possibly as a head coach, he looked very carefully at the schools that had openings in their football program. "I picked Decatur because it was a fine opportunity for growth and improvement with the combination of the building of new bleachers and all the updates the school is making, especially with the growth that is hap - pening in Northwest Arkansas," said Denzer. " I recognized that Decatur is an incredible place to be and I wanted to make sure I had a hand in helping it grow in a way that it could be suc- cessful." Denzer has played and coached in traditional 11-man football for many years and sees very little differences between the two. "Transitioning from 11 man to eight-man there are going to be some rule changes and other differences but still football is football," Denzer stat - ed. "You are still trying to get the ball across the goal line. You still have to run faster and tackle and a lot of other stuff in order to win football games. A lot of the same principles are going to apply. The strategies are going to be slightly different because of less kids." Denzer took over the Decatur pro - gram in late June. His first contact with a few of his players came during bas- ketball practice when Coach Dayton Shaw was working with his 2021-22 players in the off-season in order to keep them in shape. "I've seen the kids a little bit from the basketball players. They show up for practices and Coach Shaw has taken them to some of the basket - ball camps," said Denzer. "This has allowed be to see some of the bodies and their athletic abilities. They are just typical high school kids and I know that with the right direction and the right coaching they can be very successful." By Mike Eckels Staff Writer n meckels@nwadg.com Decatur football gets new head coach Decatur Bulldogs 2021 schedule Date Opponent Time Aug. 27 .............................. at Jasper, Mo. ................................. 7 p.m. Sept. 3 ................................at Spring Hill ................................. 7 p.m. Sept. 10 ............................... at Augusta ................................... 7 p.m. Sept. 24 ................................. Midland ..................................... 7 p.m. Oct. 1 .................................. at Marshall................................... 7 p.m. Oct. 15 .................................. Brinkley ..................................... 7 p.m. Oct. 22 ................................... Rector ...................................... 7 p.m. Oct. 29 ............................. at Cedar Ridge ................................ 7 p.m. Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Members of the Decatur Bulldog varsity and junior high football teams go through a set of drills during the Aug. 11 football practice at Bulldog Stadium in Decatur. The Bulldog eight-man football season is set to begin Sept. 17 at home. Coach Jake Denzer See DECATUR on Page 15C