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Offi ce: 479-736-1353 Cell: 479-233-9211 Fax: 479-868-2659 Gerald Edmondson Crye-Leike, REALTORS Gentry w w w. g e r a l d e d m o n d s o n . c o m gerald.edmondson@crye-leike.com 35 PreP rally: Class 7A Thursday, augusT 31, 2017 The Bearcats have a number of returning starters from last year's squad, albeit they are still a young team, and are poised to make some noise in the playoffs after bowing out in the first round the past two seasons. Booneville, one of the smallest programs in 4A, won the state title in 2013. The Bearcats are headed to Class 3A in the 2018-20 cycle. "We lost four games by 10 points or less last year," Booneville coach Scott Hyatt said. "So going into this year, I'm hoping the dif- ference in experience will allow us to win those close games. "We lost eight seniors last year, and we only have seven this year, so a lot of our starters are back. We're looking forward to seeing how they develop during the year." Booneville is likely a year (and a clas- sification) away from making a deep run, but the Bearcats have playmakers. Junior quarterback Brandon Ulmer emerged last season and in just a few games as a start- er ran for almost 400 yards and passed for another 400. Bloodlines run deep at Booneville, and Carson Ray is a prime example. His father is former Bearcat Allen "Gator" Ray, who was a star running back in the late 1990s. Carson ran for around 450 yards as a sophomore last season. Ozark made a state finals appearance in 2012, and the Hillbillies have the experi- ence to make a deep run this season. Ozark finished 7-5 last year and knocked off Ash- down in the first round of the playoffs. It was Ozark's first post-season win since 2012. Hillbillies coach Jeremie Burns was not shy when asked about the expectations for his team. "They are high for us," Burns said. "We have a tough schedule, and this is a tough conference. You better be ready to play ev- ery Friday night. It's always tough in this conference." Dardanelle and Pottsville will also be in the mix for the league title. Dardanelle has won the conference title the past three seasons, and Pottsville should be much im- proved after starting a ton of sophomores last season. Chip Souza can be reached at csouza@nwadg. com or on Twitter @NWAChip. 4a-4 v Continued from Page 33 SHINe ON … JAKOTA SAINSBURY SCHOOL Pea ridge POSITION Quarterback CLASS senior HEIGHT 5-11 WEIGHT 180 TWITTER HANDLE @jakota 1234 THE DIGITS Took over a full-time starter last year and led his team to the Class 4a title game by completing 122 of 216 passes for 2,080 yards and 18 touchdowns. also pitches for the Blackhawks' baseball team. CRUSHING ON Peyton Manning I LISTEN TO Migos, a hip-hop group whose three members are Quavo, Offset and Takeoff. I DRIVE 2005 white Jeep grand Cherokee 4Wd. It has a 3-inch lift. MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW My middle name is hayden (same as teammate hayden holtgrewe). MY HERO Is My mom. she has always been an inspiration to me, and she has always been there for me. FAVORITE MEAL steak cooked medium rare with loaded mashed potatoes. WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT FOOTBALL I love the atmo- sphere, like the community here. I love going out there and play- ing in front of the community. I love playing with my teammates. We're all close and like to hang out together, like at the creek. IN 10 YEARS I WILL I plan on still being in medical school. I want to be an orthopedic sur- geon. JaKOTa SaINSBUry here are some questions regarding high school football in North- west arkansas for the 2017 season. Will Springdale Har-Ber win the 7A-West Conference for the third consecutive year? That goal became tougher for the Wildcats with the departure of senior Oliver Nasilia, who har-Ber coach Chris Wood said was the best linebacker in the state last year as a junior. Nasilia, who is committed to Brigham young university, moved back to Jessieville, where he played before coming to har-Ber as a freshman. Wood said he has a handful of options at linebacker, but it's still a blow to lose a player who piled up 61 tackles last season, including 14 for loss yardage. If a vote were taken today, defending state champion Fayetteville would likely be considered the conference favorite. Is this the year Bentonville West overtakes Bentonville High? Whoa, now. Those are fighting words in Benton County. But it's fair to ask considering springdale har-Ber began to over- take springdale high after losing to the Bulldogs in the first meet- ing in 2006. har-Ber has dominated the series after reaching the state championship game in 2007. Bentonville is still a power in Class 7a with five state champion- ships and a 10-win season last year. Bentonville pounded West 48-8 in the team's first meeting since the split, but the young Wolverines return nearly everyone from a team that won three games. The gap between the two schools will close quickly, even if it doesn't happen this year. Bentonville is picked third and Ben- tonville West fourth in a preseason poll of the 7a-West coaches. Is the 7A-West still the best football conference in the state? yes. absolutely. But let's not overlook the strong showing by the 4a-1 Confer- ence, which faces a tougher challenge in postseason than the N o r t h w e s t A r k A N s A s h i g h s C h o o l s Football FaQs Story by rick Fires see FaQS, Page 36