Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/864144
one of Prairie Grove's bigger players in junior high. He starts at center. Class- mate Seth Vaughn is his back-up, along with eighth-grader Tavon Horton. The junior Tigers are deep at left guard. Ninth-grader Alex Kivrik started at guard last year. Kivrik works hard. Elder calls him a "heads-up football player," who is getting better. Kaige Adams and eighth-graders John King and Jacob London make the spot four deep. Adams played back-up center in eighth-grade. Coaches praised him for working hard and hustling last year. Left tackle is also four-deep with f re s h m e n , L a r r y H a n k i n s , Ja co b Williams, Jordan Byasse and Cameron Coffey. At right tackle big boy Levi Bradley matches his size with hard work. Eighth- grader Connor Brunson is the back-up. Five players vie for playing time at right guard, including four freshmen: Kennan Davis, Carter Scates, Dallas Meyer and Ross Williams. Eighth-grader James Smith is also in the mix. DEFENSE Defensive line Prairie Grove junior high defensive coordinator Mason Pinkley rotated four eighth-grade defensive ends last year. Two guys, who were in that mix, Alex Kivrik and David Hall, are the starters. Kivrik is fast and flies to the ball. Paroubek noted last season, Kivrik's pursuit. He would run after plays and chase the football. Cameron Coffey is the back-up. Hall has also been described as "a run and chase guy." Last year the coaches allowed him to roam. "We just kind of turned him loose and let him play," Pinkley said. Ninth-grader Gunnar Caudale slides from defensive end to defensive tackle and will likely play at either position. "He's all-around, probably our best defensive lineman," Pinkley said. Caudale plays aggressive and has a good-sized body. Elder said he looked like a ninth-grader last year. Kaige Adams is a returning starter at defensive tackle. Linebackers "Two freshmen (Mason Tucker and Cade Walker) are splitting time at outside linebacker until one takes the job for real," Pinkley said. The junior Tigers have the same situ- ation at inside linebacker with four play- ers: Jackson Sorters, Knox Laird, Carter Scales and Kennan Davis, vying for two spots. "They're all pretty even, we're just waiting for somebody to elevate them- selves above the rest," Pinkley said. The "Rover" hybrid linebacker/safety position features another returning starter, Foster Layman. "He's the best athlete on the field," Pinkley said. Cooper Singleton provides depth at rover. Defensive backs Tall and rangy ninth-grader Cade Grant is a returning starter at free safety. Coaches like the way Grant wraps up, reminiscent of Dallas Cowboy All-Pro tandem of the late '70s and early '80s, Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters, who teamed to constantly provide run support. They disguised their packages. One would cover for the other, freeing a safety to come up to make tackles against the run. "He's a really solid tackler from the safety spot," Pinkley said. "He's good at getting people on the ground in a hurry." Paytin Higgins gives the junior Tigers depth at free safety. Early in August, the staff wasn't sure where in the secondary each defen- sive back was going to play with play- ers shuffling positions different from 2016. Miles Castleman is penciled in at cornerback, moving from rover last year. Ethan Beason could be the other cornerback. Beason played free safety as an eighth-grader. "They made the transition in January," Pinkley said. "Even though they're new to that position, they did it all offseason long and throughout the summer." Nick Shrum and Isaac Morrow are the backups. SPECIAL TEAMS Elder said Josh Weber will handle punting and also does some place-kick- ing. "Paytin Higgins is another one, who could help in the punting / kicking realm," Elder said. OVERVIEW "Overall, we should be pretty decent," Pinkley said. "We have speed on the edges for sure, and at both safety posi- tions and experience. We have a pretty athletic defensive line. I don't know so much it's a weakness as it is unsure areas — where we have those position battles going on at inside linebacker and outside linebacker." As for teams to beat in the conference, Pinkley recalls Lincoln's ninth-grade class went 9-1 as seventh-graders. Prairie Grove was the only team to beat them. He said Shiloh Christian was a little scary last year. "They are kind of in the same boat as us," Pinkley said. "They played a lot of eighth-graders last year. They've got a lot of experienced kids coming back." Carolyn Boyle Gary Boyle THE BOYLE TEAM Wednesday, aug. 23, 2017 enterprise-Leader | 11 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 JUNIOR: A Preview Of The 2017 Prairie Grove Junior High Team 2017 Prairie Grove Junior HiGH NO. PLAYER YR. 3 Miles Castleman 9 4 Cole Spradley 8 5 Cade Grant 9 7 Jacob Bone 8 8 Jackson Sorters 9 10 Knox Laird 9 11 Paytin Higgins 8 12 Landon Semrad 8 15 Nick Shrum 9 16 Cooper Singleton 8 17 Ethan Beason 9 19 David Hall 9 20 Foster Layman 9 22 Kaige Adams 9 23 Mason Tucker 9 24 Isaac Morrow 9 25 Cole Williams 9 31 Collin Faulk 8 33 Davis Stephens 8 35 Cade Walker 9 40 Trevor May 8 41 Tristan Hamrick 9 43 Asher Sam 8 44 Josh Weber 9 50 Cameron Coffey 9 52 Carter Scates 9 53 Kennan Davis 9 55 Dallas Meyer 9 56 Seth Vaughn 9 57 Michael Blair 8 61 John King 8 62 Malachi Bailey 8 63 Taevon Horton 8 65 James Smith 8 66 Alex Kirik 9 67 Gunner Caudle 9 70 Levi Bradley 9 71 Jacob London 8 72 Kevin Herrera 8 73 Trevor Pierce 9 74 Jordan Byasse 9 75 Jacob Williams 9 77 Ross Williams 9 78 Connor Brunson 8 79 Larry Hankins 9 81 Landyn Washausen 8 86 Andrew Milkowski 8 87 Evan Foster 8 88 Jackson Brock 8 Head coach: John Elder Assistants: Danny Abshier, Craig Laird, Mason Pinkley, Nic Paroubek Want to Make A Difference? It takes less than an hour and the one pint donated can save up to three lives. To learn more about the process just visit our website at www.cbco.org. Donate blood. NWA Newspapers LLC is a proud sponsor of Community Blood Center.