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GOOD LUCK BOBCATS! www.equitybank.com 44 PreP rally: Class 3A Thursday, augusT 31, 2017 3 a - 1 C O N F e r e N C e C a P s u l e s elKINs elKs 2016 RECORD 9-3 COACH Chad harbison RETURNING STARTERS 3 offense, 3 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Quinn McClain (so., 6-2 180), rB Chance Jones (Jr., 6-2 180), Wr/dB Layne Ev - ans (sr., 5-10 155), Wr/dB Chad gra- ham (Jr., 5-9 150), OL Jace shirley (sr., 6-1 215), OL hayden hurst (Jr., 5-10 180), LB J.J. Miller (sr., 6-0 210). THE SKINNY harbison begins his second sea - son at Elkins, after guiding the Elks to one of their more successful seasons in reason history. he credits much of that success to a talented class of 17 seniors, but said the cupboard is not bare. … sophomore McClain steps into the quar - terback position, after guiding the junior high team to a conference title last season. however, he took snaps in the Elkins' final four games, including the two playoff games, after the junior high season ended. so he's not without varsity experience. … hurst and shirley both return on the offensive line, along with receiver Evans (41 receptions for 641 yards 5 Tds) and at safety. … Linebacker Miller, defensive back graham started on defense, but graham played some at receiver, too, as a backup. COACH SPEAK "We're playing with a sophomore quarterback and a new running back. We graduated a kid that had 32 touchdowns. Quinn can throw it around a little bit. he's a good runner, good processor. It's just getting the speed of the game down. We've got a lot of new faces, but the good thing is they got a lot of playing experience a year ago. It's not like they haven't played. Now, it's their turn. These kids have a chance to be good, too," harbison said sCHeDule sept. 1 at shiloh Christian Oct. 6............ at Marshall* sept. 8 ............. West Fork Oct. 13 .................Clinton* sept. 15 ........ at huntsville Oct. 20 ..... at Melbourne* sept. 22 at yellville-summit* Oct. 27 .......... greenland* sept. 29 ...Mountain View* Nov. 3 ........green Forest* * — denotes 3a-1 Conference game GreeN FOresT TIGers 2016 RECORD 2-8 COACH Bobby Bishop RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 6 defense KEY PLAYERS TE/dT dakota grigg (sr., 5-10, 200), Og/ LB Creel roberts (sr., 5-10, 200), Og/ LB Bristol Bishop (Jr., 5-9, 200), Wr/ CB Braden smith (sr., 6-2, 180), OL Carter Boggs (Jr., 6-2, 220) THE SKINNY Bobby Bishop, a 1978 green Forest graduate, enters his third season as the Tigers' head coach. … rob - erts earned all-conference honors after wrapping up 113 tackles last season. … grigg is a two-way starter who has returned to full speed after injuring his knee early last season. … Bristol Bishop is Coach's Bishop great nephew and plays with toughness on both sides of the ball. COACH SPEAK "What I like about them is our core of kids who are here all the time have gained a lot of experience over the past few years. We've got some speed and quickness and I think our kids have im - proved on our toughness … We have to stay healthy. We've got 27 as of today on paper and only about 20 of those kids have been here throughout the first two weeks. There are about 15 of those kids who will have to carry the bulk of the load, so the key will be keep - ing those guys healthy. I really like this group of kids. I feel like we'll be able to run the ball, play good defense and we'll be sound in the kicking game. But if we get a couple injured, it'll be hard pressed to replace them," Bishop said. sCHeDule sept. 1 .............. huntsville Oct 6 .at yellville-summit* sept. 8 .....Pierce City, Mo. Oct. 13 .... Mountain View* sept. 15 .........at Berryville Oct. 20 ......at greenland* sept. 22 ........ at Marshall* Oct. 27 ..........Melbourne* sept. 29 ............... Clinton* Nov. 3 ............... at Elkins* * — denotes 3a-1 Conference game 2016 RECORD 5-6 COACH Lee Larkan RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 6 defense KEY PLAYERS QB austin anderson (sr., 5-9, 150), OL devin hayes (sr., 6-1 220), OL Trey Burnett (sr., 5-7 150), OL/dL Zeke Wilson (sr., 6-0 190) Wr an- tonio alvarez (Jr., 5-5 170), dB/Wr Tyler Fouch (sr., 5-10 160). rB hayden stout (Jr., 6-1, 175), rB/LB hunter Cartwright (sr., 5-11 180), Wr Ethan holte (Jr., 5-8, 150). THE SKINNY after averaging more than eight wins a season over the last six years, coach Lee Larkan and his Tigers are determined to wipe away memories of their 5-6 finish a year ago. … The players started that direction with a good offseason in the weight room, leading to huge gains in strength. … The Pi - rates will likely have an entirely new offensive line, possibly starting two or three sophomores. But that's a spot where they struggled a year ago, Larkan said. … senior quarterback austin anderson enjoyed a solid season throwing for 1,657 yards and 18 touchdowns, while completing more than 60 percent of his passes. Larkan was pleased with anderson, especially since he was forced to throw more than he wanted. COACH SPEAK "The five and six was totally un- expected and unacceptable. We don't have extreme amounts of talent, but we've got a bunch of kids who have worked hard for the last 10 months or so. I think we gained seven or 8,000 pounds in the weight room. Our issue is probably size. We've only got two or three guys over 200 pounds. I think we've got a lot of guys who are strong for their size. somebody told me a long time ago," 'you win with kids who wear large pants' and we don't have a lot of kids who were large pants," Lar- kan said sCHeDule sept. 1 ............... West Fork Oct. 6 at Mountain View* sept. 8 ............ at Mansfield Oct. 13 ............ Marshall* sept. 15 ...................gentry Oct. 20 .....green Forest* sept. 22 ............. at Clinton* Oct. 27 ............ at Elkins* sept. 29 ... yellville-summit* Nov. 3 ...........Melbourne* * — denotes 3a-1 Conference game GreeNlaND PIraTes 3 a - 4 C O N F e r e N C e C a P s u l e s MaNsFIelD TIGers 2016 RECORD 2-8 COACH Craig Bentley RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 4 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Ethan stovall (so., 6-0, 200), Wr Brennan James (sr., 5-10, 150), OL hunter haysmer (sr., 5-11, 260), OL Nathan Maness (sr., 6-0, 315), OL/dL Colton stipins (Jr., 6-2, 220), dB/Wr Jaicy griffin (so., 5-9, 145). THE SKINNY Mansfield finished 2-8 last season under first-year coach Craig Bent - ley, but now, with a full offseason cycle the Tigers are in a better place as the season opener against rival Waldron approaches. … sophomore Ethan stovall takes over the offense and possesses the intangibles needed to produce in the 3a-4. … Brennan James makes the move to receiver and looks to be stovall's top option in the pass- ing game. … The offensive line should be in good shape with a pair of 300-pound benchers and 500-pound squatters. … The Tigers are hoping to crack the 5-win mark for the first time since 2011. COACH SPEAK "The attitude has been great and we got to add another coach this year, so we have a little extra help we haven't had here in the past. Our numbers are a little lower than we'd like, but they're giving each other great looks and making each other better every rep. I've been pretty pleased so far. This time last year we had six weeks from the time I was hired to the first game. This year we've had a full offseason under our belt which has helped us kind of get on level playing ground with everybody else," Bentley said sCHeDule sept. 1 ..........................at Waldron Oct. 6 ....................at Cedarville* sept. 8 .......................... greenland Oct. 13................. at Two rivers* sept. 15 ......................... at Lincoln Oct. 20 ....................... Perryville* sept. 22 ............................... Paris* Oct. 27 ..............................atkins sept. 29 ............................. Lamar* Nov. 3 .................. at Charleston* * — denotes 3a-4 Conference game CHarlesTON TIGers 2016 RECORD 13-1 COACH greg Kendrick RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 3 defense KEY PLAYERS Wr sean Michael Flanagan (6-2, 195, sr.), Wr Mason Wisdom (6-0, 175, sr.), rB Bradyn Ketter (5-10, 195, sr.), Og dain young (6-2, 280, sr.), QB Brayden Caudle (6-1, 220, Jr.) THE SKINNY rebounded with a 13-1 season after a 7-5 finish in 2016. … ad - vanced to the championship game in Class 3a before losing 47-26 to Prescott. … Five starters return on offense, including Wr/dB sean Michael Flagan, who is committed to arkansas. … Flanagan also has college scholarship offers from Oklahoma state, Memphis, and Kansas. … Flanagan scored 31 touchdowns as a junior, including five on kick returns and two on punt returns. Tigers went 10-0 in conference play last year, including a 55-20 victory over an atkins team that reached the state quarterfinals. … Tigers averaged 38 points on offense and allowed 13 points per game on defense. COACH SPEAK "We had 19 seniors and they did a great job last year because they knew 7-5 was unacceptable. They had grown up in this program and they had pride in that paw on the side of their helmets. This group we have right now was on the coat tails of those guys, leadership-wise. But their work ethic is second to none and they're learning how to lead," Kendrick said. sCHeDule aug. 29 .................... at dardanelle Oct. 6 ...................... Two rivers* sept. 8 ........................... Episcopal Oct. 13.........................at Lamar* sept. 15 ........................... at Ozark Oct. 20 ............................ atkins* sept. 22 ....................... Cedarville* Oct. 27 ................... at Perryville* sept. 29 ........................... at Paris* Nov. 3 .........................Mansfield* * — denotes 3a-4 Conference game 2016 RECORD 5-6 COACH Josh Jones RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 5 defense KEY PLAYERS CB Cade Track (5-4, 145, sr.), QB Ike Pelts (5- 10, 170, so.), rB Joe Mueller (5- 11, 175, sr.), OT Jacob Combs (6- 1, 300, sr.), QB Jonathon Mayes (5-8, 175, Jr.) THE SKINNY Lamar retur ns four starters on t h e o ffe n s i ve line, including 300-pound senior Jacob Combs. … Lamar got off to a 1-3 start last season with losses to Clarksville, Mount Ida, and atkins. … The Warriors still made the playoffs but lost 35-16 in the first round to hard- ing academy. … Lamar won 10 games in 2015 and advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time in 2008. … Jones was hired by Lamar in 2012 from Magazine, where he spent seven years and led the rattlers to a state championship in 2010. … Former Lamar linebacker and quarterback hunter davenport is a freshman football player at Missouri southern. COACH SPEAK "starting 1-3 is not where you want to be, obviously. We've got to get off to a bet - ter start this year and that begins with Clarksville. That loss last year spun our heads around a little bit," Jones said. sCHeDule sept. 1 .............. Clarksville Oct. 6 ........at Perryville* sept. 8 . subiaco academy Oct. 13 ....... Charleston* sept. 15 ........ at Mount Ida Oct. 20 .... at Cedarville* sept. 22 ................. atkins* Oct. 27 ....... Two rivers* sept. 29 ....... at Mansfield* Nov. 3 ..............at Paris* * — denotes 3a-4 Conference game 2016 RECORD 7-5 COACH Bryan hudson RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 4 defense KEY PLAYERS Kristopher graham (5-8, 175, sr.), LB Matthew Ezell (5-9, 170, sr.), rB da'Kovan Wise (5-7, 150, sr.), Wr Justus Lee (5-9, 158, sr.), Wr James Potts (5-11, 160). THE SKINNY hudson returns to the field as head coach and athletic director following the resignation of Marc Tucker, who is as assistant coach at rus- sellville. hudson was the high school principal after previously coaching the Eagles for eight years. … Paris lost four potential two-way starters since last season, including quarterback Preston drewry, who moved to Mississippi. … The Eagles will take the field with nine seniors, including senior Kristopher graham, who will take over at quarterback. graham is a dual threat quarterback who won the conference championship in the 100-meter dash. COACH SPEAK "We've got some speed and some athletes we can put in space, but we don't have very many. We feel like we put a quality prod- uct on the field. We just can't get anybody hurt," hudson said. sCHeDule sept. 1 . at yellville-summit Oct. 6 ................. atkins* sept. 8 ............. dardanelle Oct. 13 ......at Perryville* sept. 15 ..............at hector Oct. 20 ....... Two rivers* sept. 22 ....... at Mansfield* Oct. 27 .... at Cedarville* sept. 29 ......... Charleston* Nov. 3 ................Lamar* * — denotes 3a-4 Conference game CeDarVIlle PIraTes 2016 RECORD 2-8 COACH Max Washausen RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 6 defense KEY PLAYERS QB/CB Keaton Crowley (sr., 6-0, 145), WB/s dylan Murray (Jr., 6-0, 180), OL/dL Lane Wertenberger (sr., 6-0, 240), OL/LB Billy Monogold (Jr., 5-9, 235), OL/dL Nathan heaton (Jr., 6-0, 220) THE SKINNY Washausen, a Prairie grove native, enters his third season as head coach and he's assisted by Matt Chandler and Jarrod remer. … The Pirates have not won more than two games since a five-win season in 2012. … Following a shutout loss against Mountainburg to open last season, Cedarville put up 14 points or more in each game the rest of the way. … Keaton Crowley started the final eight games of 2016 at quarterback and also starts at cornerback. … Billy Monogold recorded 50 tackles a year ago. … Bryson Craft could play a variety of skill positions on offense as the emphasis is to get the senior the ball more in space. … Last season, three conference losses were by a combined 13 points, so "we were two touchdowns away from being a .500 team." COACH SPEAK "We're trying to get it going. We've just got to create a culture of winning. When I took over last year, I was the fourth coach in five years, and there hasn't been a winning season since 2008. I think there have only been five in history and they started in the early 1980s, so stability is what we need. The mental part if the biggest thing and show - ing them you care about them and telling them the same thing over and over again. … We have some size and some speed, so we will be able to compete. The main thing is getting them to keep fighting and not wanting to quit," Washausen said. sCHeDule sept. 1 .....Mountainburg Oct 6 ................ Mansfield* sept. 8 ..........at Waldron Oct. 13 ............... at atkins* sept. 15 ....Pocola, Okla. Oct. 20 ...................Lamar* sept. 22 ..at Charleston* Oct. 27 .....................Paris* sept. 29 .........Perryville* Nov. 3 ........ at Two rivers* * — denotes 3a-4 Conference game laMar WarrIOrs ParIs eaGles J. Jones C. harbison B. Bishop