Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1506239
PREP RALLY: CLASS 4A | 8.20.2023 42 We support Pioneer football 884 S Gentry Blvd Gentry, AR 479-525-2022 Stop in with your football gang on game day! CLASS 4A BERRYVILLE BOBCATS RECORD 2-6, 1-6 4A-1 COACH Mack Chermak RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 5 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Decimus Ruiz (6-0, 195), RB/WR Andre Esparza (So., 5-9, 160), RB/WR Caden Veach (Jr., 5-10, 160), RB/WR/DB Cooper Summers (Jr., 5-9, 155), OL/DL David Moreno (Jr., 5-10, 265), OL/DL Talan Hill (Sr., 6-0, 200), OL Kaiden Flowers (Jr., 6-1, 270), LB Nick Utt (Sr., 5-10, 210). NOTABLE Berryville first-year coach Mack Chermak takes over the program after spending his previous four seasons coaching in Oklahoma, but he has coached in the natural state in the past at Mena and Southern Arkansas University. … Decimus Ruiz returns as the team's starting quarterback after playing the position for the first time last year. … He flashed his full potential in a 62-0 win over Decatur last year. Ruiz had 4 carries for 113 yards with 3 touchdowns to go with a 39-yard touchdown pass. … The Bobcats could turn to sophomore Andre Esparza to carry the ball often with departures to the team at the running back position. … Caden Veach and Cooper Summers also project to get carries. … Bobcats are still seeking for players to step up at wide receiver. … David Moreno and Talan Hill look to lead the team up front on both sides of the line of scrimmage. QUOTABLE "Coming back to Arkansas is good for me. It's what I wanted to do. I love the state and the football here. I still have some connections here. I'm very lucky to get this opportunity at Berryville. The administration and community has been outstanding. The team has struggled here in the past 15 years. It will take a little bit of time to fix this. It won't happen overnight. It will be a tough year, but we are really building a decent base and the kids are buying in slowly but surely. It's been 15 years since they've had a winning record. People want to see Berryville winning again. There is a lot of support here, which has been a nice surprise. This is a community that hasn't given up and wants to fight to win. This senior group has put us in the right direction in learning how to win again." — Chermak. SCHEDULE Sept. 1 ....... West Fork Oct. 6 ........................... Elkins* Sept. 8 ....... at Greenland Oct. 13 ................. at Gravette* Sept. 15 ..... at Magazine Oct. 20 ................... Huntsville* Sept. 22 ..... Ozark* Oct. 27 ....................... Lincoln* Sept. 29 ..... at Gentry* Nov. 3 ............at Green Forest* * – Denotes 4A-1 conference game All kickoffs 7 p.m. unless noted SCHEDULE Aug. 25 ...... Pottsville Oct. 6 .................. at Berryville* Sept. 1 ....... at Charleston Oct. 13 ...............Green Forest* Sept. 8 ....... Clarksville Oct. 20 ...................... at Ozark* Sept. 22 ..... at Gravette* Oct. 27 ........................ Gentry* Sept. 29 ..... Huntsville* Nov. 3 .................... at Lincoln* * – Denotes 4A-1 conference game All kickoffs 7 p.m. unless noted ELKINS ELKS RECORD 10-2, 7-0 4A-1 COACH Zach Watson RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 6 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Dizzy Dean (Sr., 6-2, 190), RB/WR Da'Shawn Chairs (Sr., 5-8, 190), WR John Townsend (Sr., 6-2, 155), WR Landon Martin (Jr., 5-11, 185), WR/RB Ja'Quae Walden (Jr., 5-11, 185), OL Kellen Combs (Sr., 6-4, 270), WR/LB Stone Dean (Sr., 6-3, 215), DL Dalton Schuman (6-1, 210), LB James Martin (Jr., 5-8, 183). NOTABLE Elkins continues to roll heading into the third year of the Zach Watson era, winning eight or more games in the past three seasons culminating with a conference championship last season. … The Elks' 10-win season last year was their most victories since 2002. … Elkins had the highest-scoring offense in the state last year and even was among the top in the nation with 50 points per game. … The program looks to build off a 63-62 loss against Nashville in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state tournament. … Dizzy Dean in his first year as a starting quarterback showed out, throwing for 2,836 yards with 37 touchdowns while completing 74% of his passes. … Dean finished with six total touchdowns and nearly passed for 400 yards against Nashville. … Da'Shawn Chairs earned all-state honors last year rushing 182 times for 1,882 yards with 31 touchdowns. He also caught 26 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown. … Chairs continues to dazzle and find the end zone often now finishing with more than 60 touchdowns in the past two seasons combined. QUOTABLE "Our season last year was just a testament to where the kids are at right now in the program. We expect to win and have that mentality. But they are putting the work in. You can expect to win and it not always turn out that way. We are getting better with the knowledge of our schemes. Kids are now getting comfortable. That helps out a lot. You have to be in the big games before you win them. You learn from it by getting to high stakes games. These kids are ready to try to take that next step with a deep playoff push." — Watson. GENTRY PIONEERS RECORD 7-4, 4-3 4A-1 COACH Justin Bigham RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 9 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Addison Taylor (5-8, 175), QB Talan Williams (So., 508, 155), QB/RB/LB Bennett Roberts (Jr., 6-1, 205), RB Caydon Koons (Jr., 6-0, 195), RB Demetrius Simmons (Sr., 5-8, 165), WR Dillon Owens (Sr., 6-2, 175), WR Tylan Owl (So., 5-9, 165), OL Isaac Jessen (Sr., 5-10, 235), OL Cary Tromp (Sr., 5-10, 210), OL Dalton Richardson (Jr., 6-2, 220), OL Kydon Lynch (Jr., 5-11, 190), DB Jared James (Sr., 5-7, 175). NOTABLE Gentry with another 7-win year put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 22 years as the program continues to make history. … The Pioneers have now won 7 or more games in 3 of the past 4 seasons providing stability for the program. … Gentry started the past two seasons 6-0 but lost its final 4 games after that. … Addison Taylor leads the quarterback group that will likely rotate three guys there this season with Talan Williams and Bennett Roberts. … Taylor has been a starter with the team since he was a ninth grader. He split time with highlight games between receiver (4 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in season opener) and quarterback (completed 6 of 8 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 76 yards and a score against Lincoln). … Caydon Koons, Demetrius Simmons and Roberts project to be the top handoffs targets in the backfield. … Dillon Owens returns to lead the wide receiver core after he caught 17 passes for 311 yards and 5 touchdowns. … Isaac Jessen, Cary Tromp, Dalton Richardson and Kydon Lynch bring back experience to guide the offensive frontline. QUOTABLE "We are excited about having back-to-back winning seasons and we don't want to take anything away from that, but 7-4 isn't what we are aiming for. It was a nice stepping stone. It's now about what we can do this year and not about what we did last year. It's been a long while since we won a playoff game. We have a lot of potential. Learning how to win is the hardest thing. We know what we can do. But we are just worrying about Week 0." — Bigham. SCHEDULE Aug. 25 ...... at Westville (Okla.) Oct. 6 .............at Green Forest* Sept. 1 ....... at Pea Ridge Oct. 13 .......................... Ozark* Sept. 8 ....... Quitman Oct. 20 ................... at Lincoln* Sept. 22 ..... at Huntsville* Oct 27. ......................at Elkins* Sept. 29 ..... Berryville* Nov. 3 .......................Gravette* * – Denotes 4A-1 conference game All kickoffs 7 p.m. unless noted Dizzy Dean Jaquae Walden Briar Mayberry Dyllen Labitad PREP RALLY 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2023