NWADG Prep Rally Football Playoff

4 PREP RALLY PLAYOFF: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2017 T R E E S E R V I C E PR A I R I E GR O V E 4 7 9 - 6 0 1 - 5 5 9 1 4 7 9 - 8 4 6 - 43 3 3 HENRY APPLE NWA Democrat Gazette CENTERTON — It's an area where no Bentonville West football player has gone before, and now Jason Gloeckler and a few of his teammates are about to embark on it. e next game the senior free safety plays could very well be his last in the Wolverines uniform. "It's been quite a ride," Gloeckler said. "It's been fun and been awesome. I mean, I love this team. We're all family. "e growth of this team has been awesome to see. We were just trying to survive last year, where we're going into every game this year thinking we can win. As soon as last season ended, we believed this year could be our year. It's been awesome to see this work pay off." Gloeckler was one of the those players who spent their sophomore year at Bentonville, then made the transition over to West when its campus opened in August 2016. Before that season took place, West coach Bryan Pratt met Gloeckler during a Bentonville baseball game. Pratt immediately liked what he saw, and everything grew from that meeting. "I met this parents there, and they brought him out of the stands," Pratt said. "He's very polite, and I developed a relationship from him at that point. "He was one of the kids that, when he came over here, he was all in. He was locked in to what we wanted him to do and what we wanted to accomplish. He worked really hard and now he's had a great year." Gloeckler, like many of the older West players, was pressed into double duty as a defensive back and a wide receiver, but hasn't been the case this season. His only offensive statistic — one pass reception for 17 yards — popped up last week against Bentonville High, only because it came out of a fake punt. He currently ranks fourth on the team with 70 tackles (42 solo, 28 assists) — as well as two interceptions and three fumble recoveries. is came aer he was also given the title of "quarterback of the defense" title by Pratt this season, since he is the one that makes the defensive calls and adjustments in the defensive secondary. "Sabo (Sebastian Caniglia) was the leader of our defense last year, and he went down early (with a knee injury)," Gloeckler said. "Somebody had to fill his role, and I think me and Hunter Swoboda have been doing that. "One of the things I had to do differently was play with that leadership role, but be relaxed as well. It was about being out there playing and having fun. It's just about going out, doing your job and being succesful at it." e play that both Gloeckler and Pratt referred to as Gloeckler's "defining moment" this season came when West played Springdale Har- Ber. e Wolverines had a 20-7 lead, but the Wildcats had the ball aer an interception and appeared to be gaining momentum. Gloeckler, however, ended that when he stepped in an intercepted a Grant Allen pass. "It was one of those game-changing deals," Pratt said. "It's one of those plays that can turn a game around and definitely put us over the top. "He's a consistent football player, and he's Jason Gloeckler. You're not going to get anything over the top, and you not going to get anything under. You're going to get Jason Gloeckler, which is somebody you can count on. I love coaching those type of players." Steady Gloeckler evolves into West's defensive leader AT A GLANCE JASON GLOECKLER SCHOOL Bentonville West CLASS Senior POSITION Free safety HEIGHT 6-0 WEIGHT 175 NOTABLE Was one of West's players that came over to start the football program after spending a sophomore season at Bentonville. … Doubled as a receiver last season before being strictly on defense this season. … Has compiled 70 tackles (42 solo, 28 assists), putting him fourth on the team in that category, as well as two interceptions and three fumble recoveries. … Is keeping his college options open at the moment because he was also an all-conference baseball player in the spring. Bentonville West Wolverines (9-1) DATE OPPONENT RESULT Sept. 1 ........................ Pryor, Okla. ................................... W 49-13 Sept. 8 ........................ LR Central...................................... W 48-14 Sept. 15 ..................... at Muskogee, Okla. .................... W 43-35 Sept. 22 ..................... at Van Buren ................................. W 43-28 Sept. 29 ..................... Fayetteville ................................... W 38-28 Oct. 6 .......................... at Springdale High .................... W 45-29 Oct. 13 ....................... at Springdale Har-Ber ............... W 37-19 Oct. 20 ....................... Rogers Heritage .......................... W 59-21 Oct. 27 ....................... at Rogers High ............................ W 35-13 Nov. 3 ......................... Bentonville High ........................ L 37-28 Nov. 10 ....................... Bye ................................................... N/A TBA .............................. Rogers or Conway ...................... 7 p.m. CLASS 7A 1011 NW 11th Street, Suite B | Bentonville, AR 479-268-6465 Proudly Supports Bentonville Athletics! Like us on Facebook Cheetah Graphix Company

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