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Go TIGERS! Poor Man's Auto Parts & Electronics 315 E Pridemore Dr • Lincoln, AR 479-824-3840 • 877-904-5111 www.poormansautoparts.com Have a great season! PROUDLY SUPPORTING OUR LOCAL TEAMS! WEST WASHINGTON COUNTY CLINIC Your family medical home. 2 locations: On the square and 102 E. School Street in Lincoln | 479-824-3196 PO Box 800 (106 Park St.) • Lincoln, AR USA 72744 • 479-824-3196 • Fax 479-824-4397 https://www.wregional.com/main/west-washington-county-clinic Susan Portis Ferguson, MD • Jennifer Cheatham, MD • Tera Thompson, APRN Board Certified Family Medicine Wednesday, August 24, 2022 Enterprise-Leader 7C 2 0 2 2 F o o t b a l l P r e v i e w MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Lincoln's varsity football team competes as a member of the 4A-1 Conference this season after playing at the 3A level for two years. The Wolves return several skill players at key positions and may be better than conference coaches predict in pre-season polls. Lincoln shoots for its first-ever third straight playoff berth this season, something coach Reed Mendoza feels the Wolves are capable of attaining. LINCOLN — Lincoln believes it can do what no other Wolves' football team has ever accomplished: qualify for the play- offs for a third straight year this season despite being bumped up to 4A. During his first stint at Lincoln as offensive coordinator under former head coach Don Harrison from 2018-2019 Lincoln head coach Reed Mendoza got familiar with the 4A-1, a league which the Wolves rejoin this season. On paper at least the schedule appears to present several "winnable" conference games. "I'm not one who's afraid to say things. I have confidence in my guys. We feel like we'll be just fine. We return a lot of starters and we're looking forward to the challenge. One of our goals is to make it three years in a row in the playoffs. God willing, if we stay healthy I think we will," Mendoza said. OFFENSE Quarterback Junior Drew Moore (6-2, 185) struggled in the nonconference season last year, then led the Wolves to a 47-point explo- sion in their fourth game and became a force to be reckoned with. "Drew improved steadily through- out the year. Really as a sophomore late in the season he became a leader for us. He's always done a good job of commanding the offense, making sure we're lined up and lined up correctly, making sure everybody's on the same page so that's a given. That's something we don't have to worry about, which is nice," Mendoza said. Sophomore Kale Jones will be the backup quarterback. Behind him is fresh- man Kaden Job, promoted to varsity over the summer. "He's a ninth grader, we're moving him to play senior high ball and he's a little bit of a utility player for us as well. You might see him at some defensive line, you might see him at some linebacker, then you might see him in the slot [receiver] or in the fullback position. Kaden can throw the ball around a little bit. He's just a good athlete, does a lot of things well," Mendoza said. Jace Birkes adds depth at quarterback. Runningback Once Jones got promoted to varsity four games into the 2021 season, his running ability made a major difference and played a key role in the mid-season turnaround from an 0-4 start to a playoff team. "It was a tough decision because we felt like we had a great shot to win the junior high conference [title] and we still take Charleston to overtime without Kale for a chance to do that. We came up a little bit short," Mendoza said. Senior Layne Sellers spells Jones and will be utilized in short yardage situa- tions. "Layne's an old school football player, he's hard nosed, blue collar, and there's nothing flashy about the way he plays on offense. He's just going to get behind the shoulder pads and keep his feet moving and get what he can," Mendoza said. Ruger Remington might see some carries as well, and the Wolves could move Caden Brewer or Kellar Price into the backfield. H-Back The Wolves' spread offense operates mostly out of H-back type alignments, and won't get into any true fullback type sets. Job will play a lot of that H-back or Sniffer Back" as the Wolves refer to the position. Sellers can also man the spot. By Mark Humphrey ENTERPRISE-LEADER Wolves Confident Returning To 4A-1 LINCOLN 2022 VARSITY FOOTBALL PREVIEW SEE LiNcOLN PAgE 8C