Football Tab PDF

Transcription

Football Tab PDF

High School Football
CABOT • JACKSONVILLE • BEEBE •
LONOKE • SYLVAN HILLS • CARLISLE
Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015 • A supplement to
2•
Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015
A Supplement to The Leader
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•3
CONTENTS
team analyses
Cabot Panthers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Jacksonville Red Devils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Beebe Badgers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Sylvan Hills Bears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Lonoke Jackrabbits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Carlisle Bison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
features
Cabot’s Kolton Eads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Jacksonville’s Brandon Hickingbotham . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Beebe’s Jo’Vaughn Wyrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Sylvan Hills’ Temuulen Zolbayar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Lonoke’s Josh Coleman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Carlisle’s Clay Parker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
razorbacks
The Cabot Panthers link arms and walk
onto the field as they are introduced at the
2015 Red-White Frenzy last Friday night.
SPORTS EDITOR
RAY BENTON
EDITOR
JONATHAN FELDMAN
COVER DESIGN
Arkansas Razorbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
KEVIN RICHARDSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
CHRISTY HENDRICKS
SPORTSWRITER
GRAHAM POWELL
GENERAL MANAGER
JOHN HENDERSON
PUBLICATIONS MANAGER
Team Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21
MATT ROBINSON
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
SUSAN SWIFT
Hood
Shields
Splash
Guards
Seat
Covers
Tool
Boxes
Bedliners
Bedrugs
Hitch
Covers
Floor
Liners
Door
Handle
Covers
Bed
Covers
Grills
Grill
Guards
Step Bars
Vent
Visors Mirror
Covers
GET Y O U R
TR U C K
RE A D Y A T
Hitches
Exhaust Fender
Liners
Tips
Bedmats
CABOT PANTHERS
4•
The 2015 Cabot football team is going to find out how a team with 14 returning starters will handle the physical play of Class 7A football.
E
MAKING ANOTHER RUN?
ver since spring practice in May, Cabot
football coach Mike Malham has been on
record that he expects
a good season from the 2015
Panthers. Saying, “If we don’t
contend next year and have
a really good season, I’ll be
disappointed.”
At the time, they returned
14 starters and 18 with significant varsity experience.
That number has dropped a
bit, with the loss of two players during summer, but there
Jarrod Barnes
have been additions as well
that leaves the head Panther still feeling good about
his team’s potential, but worried about injuries.
“Injuries will kill us
because depth isn’t there,”
Malham said. “But if we stay
healthy, I think this team
has the potential to be pretty
good.”
A lot of talk has been made
since spring and throughout
the summer about a possible
shift in scheme from Cabot’s
famous Dead-T to a Wildcat
formation. Malham indicates
Jess Reed
the talk is overblown.
“It’s just one of those things where if we need,
we’re going to do it out of the shotgun,” Malham
says. “It just depends on how the game goes. If
we don’t need it, we won’t run it. We ran it some
last year, we just took it under center. This year
ARTICLE BY
RAY BENTON
•
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
DAVID SCOLLI
Mike Malham
Year at school: 35th
Record at school:
274-121-4
2014 Record: 6-5
Conf. Finish: 4th
Off./Def. Returns: 5/9
we’ll do it from the shotgun.”
Moving to the shotgun is largely due to the athleticism of junior quarterback Jarrod Barnes. The
5-foot-11, 170-pound junior started last year as a
sophomore, a rarity at Cabot, before breaking his
thumb in week seven and moving to halfback. A
big focus of this year’s offseason has been keeping
him healthy.
“He’s working pretty good,” Malham said.
“We’ve taken it pretty easy
on him to be honest because
we don’t want him hurt. He’s
one of them that’s a lot better when the lights come on
anyway. He’s just got a lot of
things you can’t coach.”
Senior Jess Reed filled in
for Barnes when he broke his
thumb in week seven of the
season and moved to halfback. He and sophomore
Kameron Eide
Cody Skinner have both been
efficient as backups this offseason.
Kolton Eads (5-10, 184) is the team’s leading returning rusher, but
his duties at fullback may
be more limited this season
for two reasons. Junior Alex
Roberts (5-6, 152) transferred
in from Alaska just before
preseason practice officially
began, and has been impressive carrying the ball. Also,
returning starting defensive
end Bryce Crockom (5-9, 164)
is out for the first few weeks of Bryce Crockom
the season with a knee injury.
Eads has the right combination of size, strength
and aggressiveness to be a force at defensive end.
Please see RUN, Page 5
t
Run
Continued from Page 4
“It’s not 100 percent settled yet,” Malham
said last Wednesday. “If Roberts starts at
fullback, Eads will start at defensive end. Alex
has looked pretty good. He’s not very big, but
since we put the pads on he’s been hard to
bring down. They’ll both probably carry it,
though.”
Braxton Burton (5-3, 132) and Austin
Morse (5-6, 150) return with experience at
halfback. Reed (5-5, 161), who started at
quarterback when Barnes got hurt last year,
has also worked at halfback this offseason.
Sophomore Adam Flores (5-7, 157) worked
at halfback and fullback in the spring, but
has been almost exclusively at halfback in
preseason.
“We feel pretty good about our halfbacks,”
Malham said. “Flores probably has the best
combination of strength and speed, but they
all run the ball hard and do a good job.”
Cabot also has an experienced offensive
line returning, though not much size on it.
Kameron Eide returns at center. At 5-5, 168,
he’s probably the smallest center in all of 7A.
Hunter Wood, at 5-6, 208, could be one of
the smallest tackles in the state’s top classification as well. Luke Ferguson (5-8, 232)
and Jesse George (6-0, 298) are working at
the other tackle position. Antonio Pilacios is
the biggest returning starter at 5-11, 255. He’ll
start at one guard spot while Peyton Glisson
(6-1, 280) is currently working at guard and
tackle.
The loss of two tight ends leaves the probability of having to play people on both sides
of the ball. Junior Easton Seidl (6-1, 233),
who will start full time at inside linebacker,
and sophomore John Weins (6-2, 182) will
rotate at tight end.
Cabot switched from a two-tight formation to one tight end and one split end last
season. That will likely be the case again
this year. Holdyn Barnes (5-8, 150), who
starts in the defensive secondary, and Sawyer
Stalnaker (5-11, 192) will fill that role this
season.
Cabot returns three of its four starting
defensive linemen from last year, but the
one lost was a pivotal player. Nose guard
Tristan Bulice signed with Ouachita Baptist
after a phenomenal high school career, but
his replacement could also be a difference
maker.
Dayonte Roberts is a 6-1, 255-pound
sophomore that has been a force in practice,
as long as he stays fresh.
“He gets a little tired and wants to rest
sometimes, but we’ve been bringing him
along slow,” Malham said. “He’s one of two
freshmen we brought over for spring that are
going to help us on defense as sophomores.
He’s a puppy, but he’s going to be a good
one. He’s got good size. He’s a strong kid and
moves well.”
Working at the tackle positions are juniors
Chris (5-10, 255) and Austin (5-7, 232) Jones,
along with senior Lino Garcia (6-0, 248). All
three started last season and the four make
DAVID SCOLLI/Leader photo
Cabot sophomore halfback Adam Flores scores a
touchdown in the Red-White game on Friday.
up a strong group of linemen Malham is high
on.
“We’ve got four working those three spots
that we feel really good about,” Malham said.
“After those four there’s a drop off, so we’ve
got to stay healthy there.”
The two inside linebacker positions are
also a strong point for Cabot. Seidl returns
as a junior and two-year starter. Junior Cody
Nabors (6-0, 165) started some last season,
and senior Trenton Erickson (5-8, 160) has
worked his way into the rotation. Also, junior
Drew Stout will get his share of playing time
in the middle of the defense.
The defensive backfield also has several
returning starters and a sophomore. Connor
Daigle (5-9, 167), who is one of the team’s
fastest players, started at linebacker late last
season. With the emergence of Nabors and
Erickson, Daigle will be able to move to
strong safety this year. Holdyn Barnes will be
at the other safety and Dylan Smith (5-11, 155)
also returns on the corner. Kale Eddington
and Logan Edmondson are two juniors that
will get into the corner rotation. Sophomore
Austin Swackhammer (5-7, 150) will also see
a lot of time in the secondary.
“We lost a really good one in Jake
Ferguson out of that secondary,” Malham
said. “Logan Melder was a good one back
there, too. But as a unit, I think this group has
a chance to be one of the best ones we’ve had.
We got six guys that got some experience last
year. We lost three starters on defense but we
have nine back with experience, and they’re
mostly juniors. So we should be pretty good
on defense the next couple of years if we can
all stay healthy.”
Last year’s starter at place kicker transferred to Conway, but Malham says senior
Caleb Schulte (5-10, 145) will fill that role this
season.
•5
6•
SETTING OWN
GOALS ASIDE
T
Cabot Panther Kolton Eads makes the transition from fullback to defensive end for his senior season.
Serving: Cabot, Jacksonville, Austin, Ward, Beebe and surrounding areas.
Go !
m
a
Te
Sco
re
Big
!
ake one for the
teammate and the arrival
ARTICLE BY
team is an often
of another capable fullRAY BENTON
used phrase in
back means Eads probasports, usually meanbly won’t get enough car•
ing that a player sacrito achieve that goal.
P H O T O G R A P H Y riesEads
fices temporary personal
will move to
comfort to help the team B Y D A V I D S C O L L I weak-side defensive end
accomplish a win. In footin the early part of the
ball it could mean taking a big hit. In base- season to replace injured starter Bryce
ball it could mean taking a pitch off the Crockom. The newcomer, Alaska transfer
shoulder.
Alex Roberts, at just 5-foot-6, 155 pounds,
Other times it can mean something big- isn’t big enough to play defensive end,
ger, like sacrificing personal goals for an while Eads’ 5-10, 184 frame, complimented
entire season. That’s what Cabot’s Kolton by 4.55 second speed in the 40-yard dash,
Eads has done for the Panther football makes him a perfect fit.
team this preseason.
When asked if being moved to defense
Eads rushed for nearly 1,300 yards last caused any hurt feelings, Eads responded
season as a junior in the Dead T offense’s honestly.
feature position, fullback. He had a person“It did a little bit at first, but it’s just
al goal of becoming Cabot’s second 2,000- whatever is best for the team,” said Eads.
yard rusher in three years ever since last “If we win, you got to do it together. If we’re
season ended. But an injury to a defensive successful this year, I’ll be happy.”
Eads was a linebacker in junior high and
wanted to play linebacker for the varsity his
sophomore year. That team had two quality seniors in that position, but the Cabot
coaches still felt Eads was a strong enough
athlete to bring up for spring ball his freshman year. They put him at defensive end
that spring, but things didn’t go as well
then as they are now.
“They brought me up and I was real, real
nervous,” Eads said. “I couldn’t understand
the plays and the calls. They had me at
Bar-B-Q Chicken, Pork, Beef, weak end, and there’s a lot more going on at
end than there is on strong side. You
Ribs, Burgers, Fish & Shrimp weak
have to do a lot more thinking. Sometimes
I think I still think too much, but I feel a lot
more confident now. I’m playing faster and
it’s going a lot better.”
Tuesday & Friday
When things didn’t work out on defense
his sophomore year, his athleticism couldn’t
6:00 - 9:00 pm
be ignored. The decision was made then to
make him the backup fullback to Zach
Launius, a 2013 senior who topped the
2,000-yard mark in the state championship that Cabot lost to Bentonville.
w/purchase of any meal
Now that he’s back on defense, defenMust present coupon.
sive coordinator Randall Black likes having
Valid thru 09/30/15 only at
him.
Papa’s Place
“I think if he had a choice he’d probably
play offense,” said Black. “But he’s got the
attitude that no matter what you ask of him
2798 S. 2nd • Cabot
he’s going to give you everything he’s got. I
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Please see GOALS, Page 7
t
Goals
mean he works. He’s, without a doubt, one
of the hardest workers on the team, and he
might be one of our best pass rushers. He’s
a good tackler and he’s aggressive. He’ll hit
you.”
Eads, the son of Erick and Sherrie Eads,
grew up in Ward where he learned about
hard work on a small cattle farm. The farm
work has slacked off since joining the high
school football team. After school practices leave little time for much else besides
homework once back at the house.
Eads hopes his work on the field and
in the weight room pays off in the form of
a football scholarship, though none have
come so far.
He attended a camp at Southern
Arkansas University in Magnolia over the
summer that he feels good about.
“SAU looked pretty good,” Eads said. “I
liked them but I don’t know if I want to go
that far away. I want to go to UCA, but if I
get a football scholarship somewhere else
that’s probably where I’ll go.”
Eads has his qualifications in order for a
scholarship, and has some idea of what he’d
like to pursue once in college.
“I was wanting to be a game and fish
officer,” Eads said. “I duck hunt and I like
to fish a little bit. I like the outdoors so I
thought that would be something I’d enjoy.
But I don’t know for sure. There’s still time
for that.”
Even though he wasn’t a starter, Eads
pulls the highlight of his career so far from
his sophomore year. In the semifinal game,
with a trip to the state championship on
the line, Cabot had scored a touchdown
in double overtime and trailed rival North
Little Rock by one point. Head coach Mike
Malham called for a two-point conversion
that would win or lose the game, rather
than kick the extra point and force a third
overtime.
Cabot converted when Launius was
stood up at the goal line and just barely
broke the plane into the end zone.
“That double overtime game and
(Malham) saying go for two, that was pretty
exciting,” Eads said. “Even not playing that
had to be the most exciting moment.”
Eads was guarded about making predictions and being analytical about the
Panthers’ strengths and weaknesses, but
thinks they can be good this season.
“The only problem we have offensively is
we’re not as fast as we were a couple years
ago,” Eads said. “On defense we should be
the steel curtain, but I think our offensive
line has done a good job. There’s been some
room to run. I feel pretty confident in this
team.”
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•7
8•
The Cabot football coaching staff includes Brandon Jay, from left, Jason Rogers, Randall Black, Brock Bunting, head coach Mike Malham, Matt Malham, Michael Bryant, Michael Falcinelli and Clark Bing.
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Cabot High School’s
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athletic trainer Jennifer
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•9
10 • Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015
Greystone
Nursing & Rehab
Good Luck
This Season!
Football changed my
life and it gave me a
platform to get out my
aggression and it gave
me a sense of value.
- Dwayne Johnson
Kolton Eads will likely rotate at fullback and defensive end once the team gets injured players back.
Christy Powell Ward
501 941-8267
801 West Locust • Cabot
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• 11
Submitted photo
Cabot High School dance team
The 2015 Cabot dance team includes Ginger Daily, front from left, Shelby Thompson, Co-captain Christian Weatherley, Captain Emma Reed, Co-captain Amber Baker; second row from left, Carley Henard,
Destiny Coyle, Kara Crabbe, Calista Farinelli, Emily Harness, Leah Conley; third row, Amber Thomas, Ashley Reider, Maurie Gangluff, Haley Morris, Ambrynne Ward, Skyler Ward, Emily Pichon; fourth row from
left, Meagan Wallace, Carley Jones, Faith Ball, Ashlee Hankins, Kaylei Gabriel, Samantha Ball, Braylin Powers, Brooke Ashworth; fifth row from left, Allison Smart, MacKenzie Clem, Bailey Rea, Ashley Sims, Emily
Smith, Shayne Clem and Savannah Wiggins.
GO CABOT
PANTHERS!
Have A Great Year!
GOOD LUCK IN 2015!
Cabot
Panthers
Jacksonville
Red Devils
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Bears
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835-2156
JACKSONVILLE RED DEVILS
The 2015 Jacksonville Red Devil football team has more players than any JHS team in recent years, and hopes that leads to more depth for another run at the 5A playoffs.
E
CONTINUING TO BUILD
xcitement and expectations remain high at
Jacksonville in coach Barry Hickingbotham’s
second year at the helm of his alma mater’s
football team. One reason for the excitement is a big
senior class of 21 leads a relatively large roster of 73 players in grades 10 through 12.
Many teams have more players
than 73, but not many in Class
5A, and it’s the most players
Jacksonville has had in many
years.
There’s also the momentum
last year’s team built at the end Kendrick Rhynes
of the season. Hickingbotham’s
first year didn’t end with an impressive overall
record at 4-7, but it sat at 1-6 after seven games
before winning its last three
regular-season games to get
into the playoffs as the four
seed from the 5A-Central.
The Red Devils also took the
two and three seeds, Beebe and
Sylvan Hills, to the wire before
losing each of those games by
seven points or less.
Four players from that team
are now in preseason football
camps in college, so there are Stevie Eskridge
big shoes for this big senior
class to fill, but players’ expectations are high, nonetheless.
Hickingbotham sees a lot of potential in his
ARTICLE BY
RAY BENTON
•
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
DAVID SCOLLI
BARRY HICKINGBOTHAM
Year at school: 2nd
Record at school: 4-7
2014 Record: 4-7
Conf. Finish: 4th
team, but also sees many things he’d like to improve.
“We’re just not consistent as a team like I think
we should be right now,” Hickingbotham said. “I
think we have the pieces in place to have a chance to
be pretty dang good, but we’ve got to get a lot better
than we are right now to get there.”
One thing the Red Devils don’t have, despite the
large roster, is a lot of depth, and that has to do with
a lack of consistent participation in practice. Up until
school began, the team only
averaged a little more than 50
of the 73 dressed out per practice. That increased to between
60 and 65 after school started,
with several others present but
nursing nagging injuries, and
the rest still not attending every
day.
“That’s been the most disappointing thing,” Hickingbotham said. “We’re trying Bradley Brown
to change that attitude and
approach to things. We’re battling against the way
things have been done around here for a long time,
and that’s a process. But we have that core group of
about 45 or 50 that have been committed that I’m
real excited about. And I think even a lot of the ones
who haven’t been here, now that they are, will start
to understand better what we’re about and will buy
in and become good teammates.”
One area that Jacksonville does appear to have
more depth than it usually does is on the interior. There are about a dozen different players that
Hickingbotham says can contribute on the offensive
and defensive lines, but hasn’t yet established who
the starters will be and where they will be starting.
“We’re still trying to fine tune some things and
Please see BUILD, Page 18
• 13
Jacksonville varsity cheerleaders
The 2015 Jacksonville High varsity cheerleaders won several awards at the Central Arkansas Cheer camp this summer. Squad members include Emilee Perry, front row from left, Taylor Youngblood, Alexus Scott,
Jenna Shellito, Ashley Jones, Lindsey Martin; back row from left, Cassidy Kendrick, Lilliana Prince, Megan Cavano, Haley Smith, Kenzie Dean, Marissa Wallace, KiKi Welch, Madeline Graves and Brooklin Clark.
“Winning is only half of it . . . Having FUN is the other half.”
Bum Phillips, Former NFL Coach
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The Jacksonville football program added four new coaches to the staff for 2015. Staff members include assistant coach Jerry Wilson, front row from left, head coach Barry Hickingbotham, new varsity assistant
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• 15
The 2015 Jacksonville High
School dance team includes
Jade Melton, front row from
left, Trinity Morris, Kiarra
Lambert, Nadya Gabriel,
Kamryn DaCosta; back row
from left, Terionna Stewart,
Ti Te Yonna Abrams,
Domonique Robinson,
Kaylan Martin, Derriunna
Shockley, Kahayla Evans
and Emmalea Bias.
HOMETOWN LEGACY ADDS PRESSURE
B
randon HickingBarry
Hickingbotham
ARTICLE BY
botham
has
said. “Expectations are
RAY BENTON
always been a
always high for a coach’s
person of quiet
son. He’s got to be that
•
demeanor who usually
that works harder than
P H O T O G R A P H Y guy
shows very little outward
the average guy, make sure
emotional range. It’s B Y D A V I D S C O L L I he’s always doing the right
something that can be an
thing in the classroom,
advantage or a disadvantage, especially for lead by example, that type of thing. And then
a senior starting quarterback and especially there’s that extra pressure you put on yourself
for the son of his high school football team’s to just do right. You always feel like you got to
head coach.
make your dad happy.”
Brandon Michael Hickingbotham is the
Barry Hickingbotham played baseball for
son of Barry and Lisa Hickingbotham and his father, Bob Hickingbotham, in the 80s,
the returning starting quarterback for the during one of Jacksonville’s most successful
Jacksonville Red Devils. Brandon, like the stints in its history. The elder Hickingbotham
rest of the team, struggled through much had been coaching for decades by the time
of last season, his dad’s first as head coach. Barry came through his American Legion
When the quiet guy who doesn’t show his system, and is still coaching today at age 80.
emotions is struggling, people don’t always
With Barry now in charge of the JHS
see the acknowledgement that struggles are football program, where he’s working hard
taking place. When that quiet kid is the to instill some drastic changes in all facets,
coach’s son, scrutiny is intensified.
Brandon is not only playing for his dad, but
But dad saw the struggles and the inner also carrying the name of a hometown legacy.
doubt. He was enduring them as well in his
But the head coach having had the same
first year at the helm of his beloved home- experience, Barry tries hard to alleviate as
town team. He also knows what it’s like to much of that pressure as he can for his son.
play for your father, and he’s tried to alleviate
“My dad and I had some wars at the
some of that pressure for his son.
Please see LEGACY, Page 17
“It’s tough to carry that burden sometimes,”
house,” Barry Hickingbotham said. “My dad
was a perfectionist and that taught me the
importance of striving to be perfect and the
dedication that takes. But with me being an
only child, the focus was more on myself.
I’ve made sure I didn’t take it to that level. I
always try to find something positive to say to
him. When we get to the house, we’ll have a
short conversation and then it’s just be a dad.
He’s got sisters and we have to make sure that
at home, it’s family time. Leave most of that
other stuff at the field.”
The younger Hickingbotham says playing
for dad has advantages and disadvantages,
but one of those advantages is the conversations at home.
“Everybody is watching you, waiting for you to make a mistake,” Brandon
Hickingbotham said. “But I like playing for
my dad. It helps me because I’m comfortable
with him and he’s comfortable with me. I like
talking with him at home about stuff and he
encourages me.”
But Brandon is not just the coach’s son.
He is the starting quarterback. In Barry
Hickingbotham’s first year, the team battled
back from a 1-6 start to make the playoffs. Expectations are higher this year, and
that means improvement in all facets. Team
activities since spring practice have given
the senior QB confidence that he has gotten
better.
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Senior Brandon Hickingbotham gained a lot of confidence at quarterback during the offseason.
t
• 17
Legacy
He visited a quarterbacks’ camp at the University of
Memphis, led his team to a second-place finish in a large
7-on-7 tournament, and won a quarterbacks’ challenge at that
tournament.
“The camp taught me coverages and stuff like that,”
Brandon said. “I left there feeling more confident about what
I’m seeing out there. I could tell a difference from before I
went to after.”
That confidence may have played a key role in his performance at the Aim High/Let it Fly 7-on-7 tournament the
team hosted in late July. Finishing second to rival Sylvan
Hills in a game that went down to the wire wasn’t much of a
highlight, but winning the quarterback challenge was another
confidence boost.
“That helped me a bunch,” Brandon said. “There were
some good quarterbacks in that thing out there. For me to win
that, it just helped me a ton.”
Jacksonville didn’t play in any passing tournaments last
summer, and the team struggled all season in the passing
game that fall. Another confidence boost for Brandon was the
performance of his receivers in that tournament.
“I’ve got a lot more confidence in the receivers,” Brandon
said. “I have a lot more trust in them after that tournament.
They caught a lot of balls for me, even some that weren’t perfectly on target. We didn’t start out that good, but we came
together and finished that tournament strong. I think we all
left there with more confidence in each other.”
Of course 7-on-7 is rarely an indicator of how good a team
will be in a real football game. When you put on the pads,
bring the linemen in and the receivers are facing the very real
JHS quarterback Brandon Hickingbotham, 7, takes a shotgun snap during the spring Red-White scrimmage game in early June.
threat of taking a hit when they go up for a pass, things can
change from the non-contact, no-pad, one-hand touch summer game.
Still, Brandon is confident in his protectors, too.
“We definitely have a better offensive line this year,”
Brandon said. “As a team we’re all faster and stronger than
we were last year. And we have more linemen than we did last
year so they won’t be getting as tired. That’s going to give me
more time in the pocket and more time for receivers to develop their routes. My expectations are really high this year.”
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t
Build
see where everyone will be able to
help us most,” Hickingbotham said.
“We’re teaching some of them multiple positions, trying to get where
we can just put the next guy in.
We have more big bodies this year
than last year. Hopefully through
the Red-White game and the scrimmage with Mena we’ll get some
separation in some places.”
Some of the positions have been
settled, starting with left tackle,
where Bradley Brown, 6-foot-4,
330 pounds, returns as a senior
starter. Madison Shelton and Jacob
Toney are battling for right tackle
and will likely both play significant
minutes. Tony Savage, Terry Brown
and Brandon Barnes have all practiced at center.
Still in the mix for the starting job at the guard positions are
Tim Hammond, Darian Phillips,
Keith Pervall, Mario Ribana, and
also Shelton.
Pervall started and played on
both sides of the ball last year, and
will be a key figure on the team this
season as well, but which side he
will start, and which side he will
rotate has yet to be determined.
Jacksonville lost its best playmaker in Lamont Gause from
last season, who is now playing at
Arkansas Tech, but Hickingbotham
likes his crew of running backs of
one senior and two sophomores.
Robert Knowlin is a senior who
came back to JHS after a year at
North Little Rock. He is joined
by sophomores Shawn Ellis and
Danny Smith. Ellis led the Red
Devil freshmen team in rushing last
year, while Smith, who moved in
during the summer, did the same
for Vilonia. Senior Avery Wells also
figures into the mix. He started all
season on defense last year, but saw
his carries increase in the later portion of the season. Another possible
contributor is Malcolm Crudup, but
not until later in the season.
“We don’t have a Gause this
year,” Hickingbotham said. “We
don’t have that guy with the kind of
speed and quickness where, if you
needed something big you could
just give him the ball and make
something happen. It’s going to be
committee, but I think we’ve got
some good ones. Robert is a fast
kid that runs hard. The two sophomores are both extremely strong
runners that can get you that extra
yardage after contact.
“Avery Wells will be in the mix.
He’s also big asset for us on defense.
Crudup is a guy we’re going to limit
Jacksonville receiver Har’Derrious Martin makes a one-handed catch during the Red-White game that closed spring practice.
at the start just from the fact that we hardly threw vertical. This year
he’s still nursing a quad and com- I think we’re going to try to expand
ing off knee surgery. He’s
it, spread some defenses
cleared to play and he
out.
will on defense, but we
“Rowdy’s going to
probably won’t insert him
play, too. He gives us
on offense at all in the
the ability to do some
nonconference games. At
things we couldn’t do
the start of conference, if
with Brandon. He’s got
we still need him back
decent speed as well and
there we have the ability
his confidence is improvto do that, because he’s
ing. They’re both doing a
capable.”
lot better at taking charge
Both of Jacksonville’s Rowdy Weathers in the huddle and being
top two quarterbacks
leaders out there.”
return from last season. Senior
Senior Stevie Eskridge returns
Brandon Hickingbotham will be the as a starting wide receiver, along
starter, but junior Rowdy Weathers with Jonathan Hall. Harderrious
will get ample playing time.
Martin is a sophomore with athletic
“Both of those guys are growing abilities the coaching staff is very
and have improved tremendous- excited about, and Jabril Smith has
ly,” said coach Hickingbotham. become a contender for a starting
“Brandon’s the starter. He’s put in a receiver job.
lot of work this summer. His reads
“I feel real comfortable with
are better and he’s hitting receiv- those four,” Hickingbotham said.
ers more consistently. His confi- “We’re still trying to get a couple
dence level is way up. I think we more to fill it in, get them develmight be able to do some things we oped. Stevie is a solid guy, dependhaven’t been able to do. Last year able. Jonathan Hall is the same
way. HD (Martin) is going to be
counted on on defense, but he’s a
guy we’re going to count on in a lot
of places. He’s got a tremendous
gift of athleticism and we’re going
to try to find ways to utilize that.”
Damien Smith is another player
that had worked his way into the
wide receiver mix before breaking
a finger during 7-on-7 play. He still
could figure in at wideout, but like
Crudup, will now play the first three
games on defense only, and move
to offense in conference if necessary.
Damien Smith will start at one
of the corner positions, along with
many of the same players who will
be playing wide receiver and running back.
“Those skill players on offense
are the same ones who’ll be playing D-back,” Hickingbotham said.
“It’s just a matter of how we rotate
them in and keep them as fresh as
we can. We’re going to have to do a
great job as a staff of getting them in
shape, and recognizing how much
they’re playing and when to rotate.”
Sophomores Destry Sturgis,
who is also the third-string quarterback, and Debois Cobbs will also
provide some depth in the defensive backfield.
Jacksonville has no one with
much varsity experience at linebacker. Gone is Justin Abbott, who
was the centerpiece of the defense
last year and now at Southern
Arkansas University. Nate Robbins
is the only player returning with
linebacker experience. Terry Brown
will move from the line to one of
the inside backers. Crudup, Cody
Savage, Tevin Tucker, Ellis and
Zach Estes could also see time at
that position.
“Linebacker is kind of the question mark of the whole bunch for
us this year,” Hickingbotham said.
“There’s not a lot of experience
there. So we’ll find out how good
they’re going to be.”
The defensive line does return
some experience. Kendrick Rhynes
was an All-Conference player last
season as a sophomore and will
start at tackle and end, depending on the situation. Pervall and
Phillips played a lot at defensive
tackle last season. Ricky Hatton got
some experience on the defensive
line a year ago and has come along
well at end. Seth Burroughs could
play tackle and/or end.
“Rhynes is kind of our iron
man last year, never left the field,”
Hickingbotham said. “This year I
think we’re going to have enough
depth that will be able to find ways
to get him some rest. But he’s still
been working hard to get himself
in shape in case he has to go both
ways. He’s an extremely strong kid.
As a sophomore he just did it all.
Great work ethic, doesn’t complain,
leads out there, tries to motivate his
teammates. That’s why he was AllConference.”
Jacksonville also has big shoes to
fill on special teams, ones left by AllConference kicker John Herrmann,
who is now at the Army’s West
Point Academy.
“Herrmann was a guy we
felt like, if we could get it to the
30-yard line, we had three points,”
Hickingbotham said. “That doesn’t
come along too often in high school.
Tyler Hooper is going to kick for
us. He went to some camps and
worked on it this summer. But he’s
been dealing with some leg soreness and we haven’t been able to
kick him much the first couple of
weeks. So it’s kind of an unknown
right now.”
Jacksonville’s season begins on
Friday, Sept. 4 when it travels to
Maumelle, a team ranked in the
Top-4 in 5A in most publications.
• 19
RED DEVIL’S PERSEVERANCE REWARDED
By NATE ALLEN
Special to The Leader
FAYETTEVILLE – Kevin Richardson
didn’t know how he had run afoul of his
head coach.
The Arkansas Razorbacks third-year
sophomore walk-on defensive back from
Jacksonville just knew somehow that he
had. The look, gestures and tone of defensive backfield coach Clay Jennings said it
all.
“I really had no clue but I thought I was
in trouble,” Richardson said. “He waved a
finger and he said, ‘The head man has got
to talk to you.’ I was surprised like, ‘What
have I done?”
What he had done for two years plus
this August’s first
three practices had
Bret Bielema beaming, not scowling,
when the bewildered
walk-on walked in
fearing the worst.
Bielema still beamed on
that Aug. 9 Media Day
Sunday when he told
media what he said.
“We announced K-Rich
Richardson
was on scholarship
about a half hour ago and the place went
up for grabs,” Bielema said.
Two years going on three, the first as a
model scout-teamer while redshirting, last
year playing every game on special teams,
and now approaching this season as the
secondary’s most versatile reserve paid off
for himself and his parents.
“It was extremely humbling,” Richardson
said. “Gets a lot of weight off my parents’
shoulders and made me excited. This is
something I have been working for since
the whole time I got here. And to have it
right in front of my eyes, it’s something I
have dreamed of.”
Turns out for Richardson the whole
team shared his dream.
“I have never seen so many guys jump
up and down,” Jennings said, likening that
Sunday announcement to a Sunday revival.
“You would thought they were in church
today when coach announced it. All those
guys are excited for Kevin. I am excited for
Kevin.”
For some, that dream alone would suffice. The scholarship is achieved. Your way
is paid. Relax and ease off that effort pedal.
But Bielema and Jennings knew there
was no risk in the reward.
Richardson’s practices since his scholarship proved them right.
“That’s the thing you like about Kevin
Kevin Richardson, 30, makes a tackle against Georgia last season. Richardson was awarded a scholarship two weeks ago after two years of being a walk-on.
Richardson,” Jennings said. “He is not
going to sit and rest on his laurels He is a
highly motivated kid who busts his behind
and we are excited about having him on
scholarship and as a part of our program.”
An in-state kid declining small college
scholarships to walk on for his dream to be
a Razorback while shouldering the hard
academic load of majoring in kinesiology
isn’t just a part of the program, but really
the lifeblood essence of the Razorbacks to
Arkansas.
“He is what being an Arkansas
Razorback is all about,” Jennings said. “He
has got Razorback blood in his family. All of
his brothers and sisters have gone to school
here, too.”
Such Arkansas pride confidently reinforces his efforts to pay back Arkansas now
that Arkansas pays his way.
“Getting my scholarship has given me
more confidence to step up as a leader on
the defense,” Richardson said. “The work
doesn’t change, but I am playing with a
little more confidence on the field.”
The Razorbacks may need Richardson’s
confidence all over their defensive backfield.
Always versatile, for Jacksonville he
played as an undersized quarterback, running back, receiver, safety and returned
punts and kickoffs. Richardson is like the
secondary’s backup extension cord that
plugs in any socket.
He redshirted as a cornerback his freshman year.
Last year he worked as the fifth defensive back in the nickel defense and played
almost all special teams plays. This year
he is still the backup nickel back and now
works at safety, too.
“They are trying to work my role in as
a safety,” Richardson said. “Because I am
comfortable with nickel and corner and
he wants me comfortable at safety so I am
familiar with that.”
Sounds like the handyman of the secondary.
“I’m sure that’s what they want me
to do,” Richardson said. “I am comfortable with anything playing the back end.”
And of course on special teams where he
excelled last year and now provides his
largest presence.
“I was 157 when I got here as a freshman,” Richardson, 6-0, said. “I have
worked my way up to 175 and eventually
would like to get up to 185.”
Look for Richardson ultimately to reach
it and keep it if 185 proves his ideal weight.
He can afford to eat better and more often
with that scholarship paying his college
bills.
2015 FOOTBAL
CABOT PANTHERS
Sept. 4 vs. Conway
Sept. 11 at Catholic
Sept. 18 vs. J.A. Fair
Sept. 25 at North LR
Oct. 2 vs. Marion
CARLISLE BISON
BEEBE BADGERS
Sept. 1 vs. Greenbrier (WM Stadium)
Sept. 11 at Lonoke
Sept. 18 vs. Vilonia
Sept. 25 vs. LR McClellan
Oct. 2 at Jacksonville
Oct. 9 at West Memphis
Oct. 16 vs. LR Central
Oct. 23 vs. Mountain Home
Oct. 30 at Jonesboro
Nov. 6 at Searcy
Oct. 9 at Pulaski Academy
Oct. 16 vs. Mills University Studies
Oct. 23 at J.A. Fair
Oct. 30 vs. Sylvan Hills
Nov. 5 OPEN
Sept. 4 at England
Sept. 11 at DeWitt
Sept. 18 vs. Augusta
Sept. 25 vs. Des Arc
Oct. 2 at Marvell
Oct. 9 vs. Hazen
Oct. 16 at Palestine-Wheatley
Oct. 23 vs. Brinkley
Oct. 30 at Clarendon
Nov. 5 at McCrory
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JACKSONVILLE RED DEVILS
Sept. 4 at Maumelle
Sept. 11 vs.Benton
Sept. 18 vs. LR Christian
Sept. 25 at J.A. Fair
Oct. 2 vs. Beebe
Oct. 9 at Sylvan Hills
Oct. 16 vs. Pulaski Academy
Oct. 23 OPEN
Oct. 30 at Mills University Studies
Nov. 5 vs. McClellan
LONOKE JACKRABBITS
Sept. 4 at Star City
Sept. 11 vs. Beebe
Sept. 18 vs. McClellan
Sept. 25 at Heber Springs
Oct. 2 vs. Newport
Oct. 9 at Southside Batesville
Oct. 16 at Helena- West Helena Central
Oct. 23 vs. CAC
Oct. 30 vs. Stuttgart
Nov. 6 at Riverview
HARDING ACADEMY WILDCATS
Sept. 4 vs. Highland
Sept. 11 at Vilonia
Sept. 18 at Heber Springs
Sept. 25 vs. Atkins
Oct. 2 vs. Barton
Oct. 9 at Perryville
Oct. 16 at Marianna
Oct. 23 vs. Rose Bud
Oct. 30 at Mayflower
Nov. vs. Bald Knob
SYLVAN HILLS BEARS
Sept. 4 vs. Vilonia
Sept. 11 vs. Hot Springs Lakeside
Sept. 18 at Newport
Sept. 25 at Mills University Studies
Oct. 2 vs J.A. Fair
Oct. 9 vs. Jacksonville
Oct. 16 OPEN
Oct. 23 vs. McClellan
Oct. 30 at Beebe
Nov. 6 vs. Pulaski Academy
GO EDDIE JOE
Re-Elect Eddie Joe
WILLIAMS
State
Senate
DISTRICT 29
• 21
BEEBE BADGERS
Prognosticators have high expectations of the Beebe Badgers for the 2015 football season, as well as the players and coaching staff, led by head coach John Shannon.
BEEBE AFTER BIGGEST PRIZE
U
sually, when a team that plays smash-mouth
football loses almost its
entire offensive line,
expectations for the following
season are tempered. That’s
not the case this year for the
Beebe Badgers.
Publications everywhere are
tapping Beebe as one of the
top three or four teams in all
of the 5A classification, and the
Badgers aren’t necessarily disagreeing.
Trip Smith
Even though they will be
running behind a brand new offensive line, two
Badger running backs rushed for more than for last
season’s state semifinal team, and both believe even
better things await.
Fullback Trip Smith, 5-foot10, 205 pounds, who has
rushed for nearly 3,700 yards
in two seasons, is one of those
who thinks the sky is the limit
for the 2015 Badgers.
“State championship, that’s
our goal,” said Smith.
Halfback Jo’Vaughn Wyrick
agrees.
“A championship is all we Connor Patrom
expect right now,” said Wyrick.
Beebe coach John Shannon is a little more
guarded than his players, primarily because of depth
ARTICLE BY
RAY BENTON
•
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
DAVID SCOLLI
John Shannon
Year at school: 9th
Record at school:
49-42
2014 Record: 8-5
Conf. Finish: 2nd
issues. But he also thinks his first 22 have loads of
potential.
“After our starting group it gets pretty thin,” said
Shannon. “We only have 46 on the roster. We think
we have several that will make good football players,
we just don’t know right now if they’ll be good this
year. Hopefully we’ll keep finding more and more to step up
and help us out with our depth,
but that’s going to be an issue.
If we can stay healthy and hang
onto the football, I think we
have a chance to be right there
in the mix of things.”
Smith fell less than 100
yards short of a 2,000-yard
season as a sophomore. He
rushed for 1,643 yards as a Justin Burlison
junior, despite missing the first
three games due to a weight-lifting injury.
“He’s our bread and butter,”
Shannon said of Smith. “He got
bigger last year and didn’t lose
speed. He’s even stronger this
year and he helped the 4x100
relay team break the school
record, so he hasn’t slowed
down either. He’s a workhorse.
I said when he was a sophomore that he had a chance to be
a real special player and I think
he’s become that. He’s one of
Bo Smith
the best ones we’ve ever had.”
Wyrick (5-7, 170) is also a senior who transferred
Please see PRIZE, Page 25
Beebe halfback Jo’Vaughn Wyrick averaged 14.3 yards per carry after transferring from Augusta.
ADJUSTMENTS MADE
M
oving from one
for Beebe as a junior. “But I
ARTICLE BY
school to another as a
really like it here now.”
RAY BENTON
high schooler comes
Wyrick is mostly introvert•
with challenges and
ed, and his quietness made it
requires adjustments. Coming
P H O T O G R A P H Y harder for his new teammates
from a place like Augusta to B Y D A V I D S C O L L I to read him. He struggled early
a place like Beebe, where size
to adjust to Beebe’s different
and demographics are drastically different, brand of football, and to the demands the
probably requires a little more adjusting than program puts on its players, demands not
other moves. That move was made by Beebe required at Augusta.
halfback Jo’Vaughn Octavius Dwight Wyrick,
“Smash mouth football,” Wyrick said.
and the adjustments took time.
“It was a lot different coming here,” said
Please see ADJUSTMENTS, Page 24
Wyrick, who played his first year of football
• 23
t
Adjustments
“That was the big difference. Augusta likes
to run sweeps and get to the outside. Here
you have to hit the hole and grind those yards
out. I wasn’t used to that. Coach was always
yelling at me to hit the hole, and I was always
really eager to bounce it outside. But I finally
took his advice and it’s all worked out for the
best.”
The best last year was a remarkable 14.3
yards per carry average. Even more remarkable is the fact that he did that on offense,
while also starting at safety on defense and
returning kicks.
He also eventually formed a strong bond
with his new teammates, including the team’s
other statistically remarkable running back,
senior Trip Smith. Wyrick readily embraced
the team concept at Beebe and has no qualms
being the big-play threat while Smith gets the
bulk of the carries at the Dead T’s featured
fullback position.
“That’s my best friend here,” Wyrick said
of Smith. “I’m always hanging out with him.
We’re always talking. If I’m going somewhere
I invite him. If he’s going somewhere he
invites me. We’re just always hanging out,
having a good time.”
Right away, Wyrick’s ability spoke loudly
and earned him respect as a good athlete. It
took him a little more time to earn that same
respect as a teammate. One person that saw
the unspoken struggles the newcomer was
dealing with was defensive backs coach Tim
Harrison.
Wyrick, son of La’Monica Gray and Khalil
Anthony, a sophomore halfback for the
Badgers, singled out Harrison as the person
who made the biggest impact in helping him
adjust to the new surroundings.
“Coach Harrison, he’s really taken me
under his wing and I really appreciate it,”
Wyrick said. He’s had a really good influence
on my life.”
“Jo didn’t know anybody,” said Harrison.
“I don’t think they had the same kind of
demand on their players we have here, and
you could see that early when Jo got here. We
actually had a joke when he would do something a little lazy, that it was the Augusta coming out in him. But oh my gosh. He’s done a
180 turn. Towards the end of the season last
year we saw him starting to mature, and now
he’s one of the vocal leaders on the team.
Whereas last year he was one of them getting
yelled at. So he’s changed dramatically.”
The key to the change was doing what the
coaches asked and seeing it work. Wyrick
admits to feeling pressure to dazzle upon
realizing he was joining a team with a 2,000yard rusher. It was likely one of the factors
that led to his proclivity for dropping the
football early on in his Beebe career.
“It was really hard being that Trip had
rushed for 2,000 yards the year before,”
Wyrick said. “He was the centerpiece of the
football team. So I had to come in here and
make a way for myself and show that I’m
good, too. But I also didn’t want to take anything away from him.”
Beebe head coach John Shannon believes
the pressure was directly related to the early
fumbles.
“I think a lot of it was just his comfort
level,” said Shannon. “I think he was trying
to prove himself at a new school and just trying to do too much. It took him a little while
to figure out what our philosophy was, but I
think when he got relaxed and settled in, he
went several games without a fumble. That
was one of the things we talked about all offseason long is that we have to hang onto the
football. I can’t recall one fumble or even a
dropped pass by him all spring and summer.”
After going several games without a fumble, he coughed it up twice in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs at Hot Springs.
It was a cold, damp night and Wyrick wore
spandex sleeves in the first half. After the two
drops, he took them off.
“I’m not going to sit here and try to blame
the sleeves for my mistake,” Wyrick said. “But
the sleeves won’t be coming back.”
Despite averaging more than 14 yards per
carry, Wyrick doesn’t have a stack of scholarship offers. In fact, he currently has none.
Shannon believes that will change.
“Most the coaches we’ve talked to think
he’s a little on the small side,” Shannon said.
“He’s 5-foot-7, 170-pounds, but he’s a football
player. I think sometimes coaches get a little
too caught up in the measurables. If a kid is a
good football player, he’s just a good football
player. Jo is either the fastest or second fastest kid on our team, depending on which day
you run. Him and Connor Patrom are right
there neck and neck. But Jo is shifty. He’s got
great hips, and also a really strong kid. He’s
squatting 450 pounds, and he runs with such
a great forward lean, by the end of the year
last year, he wasn’t just making people miss,
he was making people bounce off of him. He’s
just a natural at carrying the football.”
He’s also now a wholehearted believer in
the Badger way. He has no personal yardage
goals. He has confidence in himself and in a
brand new offensive line, and is willing to do
anything that’s asked of him.
Last year, because of several key injuries
to the team, Wyrick played every play on
defense and more than half the snaps on
offense. He says he’ll do it again if necessary.
“I like offense better, but I just want to do
whatever I can to help the team win,” Wyrick
said. “That’s our team goal is to win. Win with
mental toughness, physical toughness, and
by leaving it all on the field.”
Wyrick is now loaded with confidence in
himself and a sense of kinsmanship with his
teammates.
“I feel a whole bunch of trust with these
guys and love for them like brothers,” Wyrick
said. “The coaches work with me and making
sure I take the right steps and the right angles
and just helping me get better. The offensive
line is much better than I expected since
we’re losing everybody. I really appreciate
the time and effort and work they put in. And
I know what I’m doing. I’m confident. I have
no doubts.”
Jo’Vaughn Wyrick hopes to have a breakout year after rushing for more than 1,300 yards last season.
t
• 25
Prize
from Augusta before his junior year. He ran
for 1,342 last season and became a threat to
score every time he touched the ball. He averaged 14.3 yards per carry last season.
“He’s amazing,” Shannon said. “Seems
like as the season went on, every time he
touched the ball big things happened. He’s
our home run hitter. He returned a kickoff for
a touchdown last year. He’s just got a natural
knack for running the football.”
The other halfback position will be held by
a committee of Badgers who will also start full
time on defense. “Tyler Woodall, who returns
to the team after missing most of last season
with an injury, provides some quickness,
while Bo Smith and Quentin Scherer, are big
blocking backs that can run. Sophomores
Nathan Bowle and Isaac Curry also figure
into the mix at halfback.
“We have several we feel good about and
they’re all likely to get some time back there,”
Shannon said. Tyler and Quentin both missed
most of last season. They’re back and they’re
going to be key players for us. Nathan Bowle
had a really good camp. He’s a big kid who
can block and runs pretty well. Curry also had
a good summer as far as having some speed
and hitting the dive for some good gains and
also catching the option pitch.
“We’ll rotate them through and hopefully
help get Jo and Trip loose.”
Transferring the ball from center to those
backs will be junior Justin Burlison. He also
got hurt in the first game last year as a
defensive starter. He was one of several players competing to replace three-year starter
Aaron Nunez at quarterback this year.
“We had a competition of about five different kids in spring and he really separated
himself,” Shannon said. “Early on it was hard
to tell. One kid would do one thing well and
another kid would do another. As spring went
on he sort of elevated himself, and this summer it really hasn’t been close. He’s gotten
better and better and looked really good.”
Shannon’s Dead-T offense doesn’t look
to throw the ball, but in the cases where it’s
necessary, the head Badger believes Burleson
is the best passer he’s had in a while.
“I think he does throw a little better than
Aaron did,” Shannon said. “He runs the
option extremely well, too. What we miss
from having Aaron is a guy that did it so long
he knew everything like the back of his hand.
It might take Justin a while to get where he’s
that comfortable and can recognize things so
well, but he’s done a great job for us so far and
we feel like in the long run, he’s going to be a
pretty good one for us.”
That new offensive line does include
one returning starter, and he’s right in the
middle anchoring the cast of youngsters.
Logan Yarbro will start again at center, and
off his right shoulder will be Sam Henry
at right guard. Henry is the second-most
experienced lineman. He rotated in many
times last year. At left guard is senior Brady
Flannery, who is starting for the first time.
Beebe celebrates its quarterfinal win at Hot Springs last season. The goal for 2015 is to get a game beyond last year, which would mean the state title game.
“He’s a first-year starter but he’s been in
the program since seventh grade,” Shannon
said. “He really knows what he’s doing.”
At left tackle is the team’s biggest player, Caleb Hurt. He’s 6-foot-3, 287 pounds
and drew some of the highest praise from
Shannon.
“People talked a lot about how big we were
last year,” Shannon said. “Well the only one
we’ve got that’s very big this year is Caleb.
He’s one of those kids that works hard every
day. He did not miss one day this summer.
He’s got some room to improve, but he’s one
of those kids you just know is going to work
himself into a good football player.”
At the tight end positions will be a rotation of four players. Reece Anders will also
start on defense, where he started last season, but his blocking ability makes him a
major asset in Beebe’s running game. Garrett
Grier, younger brother of all-time Beebe sack
leader Dusty Grier, who signed with SAU in
February, will handle much of the tight end
work as well.
Owen Bates, a 2014 transfer from Cabot
who sat out last season because of the transfer rule, will help at tight end, as well as Grant
Jackson, who came out after only playing
basketball last year.
In the instances the team lines up with
a split end instead of tight ends, that duty
will usually be taken by starting cornerback
Connor Patrom. Woodall and Wyrick have
also worked at receiver.
On defense, the Badgers stay in the 5-2,
3-4 set, where Bates will start at nose guard
in the middle of the line.
“He had a pretty good spring and summer,” Shannon said of the Cabot transfer.
“He’s a very strong kid, he’s just got some
learning to do. We do some things a little different than Cabot and he’s in the process of
picking on those things. Each day, though, I
feel like he’s making strides.”
Anders will start at one tackle, where
Shannon doesn’t think there will be much
drop-off from the stellar season turned in by
Dusty Grier last year.
“We think he could be that speed rusher
Dusty was,” Shannon said. “He played linebacker for us last year. He’s not as big as
Dusty, but he’s about as strong and we think
maybe a little faster. So we think he can be
that kid that fills that role for us.”
Hunter Newman will start at the other
tackle after moving over from nose guard,
where he started last year.
Curry will start at weak side linebacker
and Grier will start at strongside. The two
inside backers are both returning starters in
Smith and Scherer.
“We’re excited about both of them,”
Shannon said. “They both had outstanding
camps. Quentin moved in from Conway last
year and did a really good job until he hurt his
knee against McClellan. He’s bounced back
and had a great spring and summer.
“Of course Bo is solid. He’s started for two
years. Strong, aggressive kid that moves really well. We think inside linebacker is going to
be a big strength for us with those two.”
The talent in that position doesn’t stop
with the two starters. Shannon is also high on
sophomore Nathan Burnett.
“We think he could be one of the best ones
we’ve ever had when it’s all said and done,”
Shannon said. “He’s probably the third fastest kid on the team right now behind Connor
and Jo. So he gives us a third guy that we
have no problems putting in there.”
As much as Shannon likes his inside linebackers, he likes his defensive backfield at
least as much. Patrom returns as a threeyear starter at right cornerback and another
returning starter in Nathan Clifton on the
other corner. Woodall was tapped as a starter
at safety last year before getting hurt in the
Greenbrier game. That forced Wyrick to play
full time on defense last year, something
Beebe coaches say won’t be necessary this
year with the addition of talented sophomore
Mason Walker.
“He’s a sophomore we think can be really good,” Shannon said. “He’s a tall, rangy
kid and hopefully he can step in and clear
Jo’Vaughn to just play offense. You know he
was on the field just about every play each
game last year. That’s the main reason he
didn’t touch the ball any more than he did.
Hopefully we don’t have to work him as hard
this year, and get a chance to see what he can
do getting a little rest while the defense is out
there.”
SYLVAN HILLS BEARS
The Sylvan Hills football team has a large class of seniors but not a lot of experienced players. That lack of experience means patience will be key in the early part of the season.
BEARS TALENTED, INEXPERIENCED
T
he Sylvan Hills Bears had a tremendous
start to the 2014 season, winning their first
eight games before injuries hampered the
team down the stretch. The Bears lost their final
three games of the season, and
those losses were against three
of the four semifinalists in the
5A playoffs, including the two
teams that played for the state
championship.
As a result, the Bears finished 2014 with an 8-3 record
and third-place finish in the
5A-Central
Conference.
Twenty-three seniors graduated from that team in May, Jordan Washington
but despite the loss of those
graduated players, the Bears entered fall practice
with more than 70 players on their roster.
The Bears do have a handful of experience returning on both sides of the ball, and a double-digit
senior class. However, the team
consists of a lot of youth and
inexperience at the varsity level.
“I like them,” said Sylvan
Hills coach Jim Withrow of his
team. “I think there is talent
there. We do have some good
athletes. Our problem is we’re
young, and a lot of the older
guys that are getting ready to
play now haven’t played a lot.
“There’s going to be good Brandon Bracely
nights and there’s going to be
bad nights. We just have to somehow stay with the
process and get better every day.”
ARTICLE BY
GRAHAM POWELL,
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
DAVID SCOLLI
Jim Withrow
Year at school: 9th
Record at school:
43-44
2014 Record: 8-3
Conf. Finish: 3rd
Running the Bears’ Spread Option offense this
season will be junior Jordan Washington (6-2, 190).
Washington started the first nine games of last season at receiver, but took over at quarterback for the
final two games because of a broken hand suffered
by the team’s graduated All-State quarterback.
“He’s got the ability to throw it or run it,” Withrow
said of his junior QB, “and we try to do both with
him. I think the sky’s the limit for him.”
Also on the depth chart at QB are senior Joe Craft
(5-10, 165), who starts at outside linebacker, and
sophomore Ryan Lumpkin (5-11, 160), who led the
junior high Bears to a 9-2 finish
last year.
In the backfield, senior
Brandon Bracely (5-7, 175) and
sophomore Dion Youngblood
(5-8, 155; 4.5 speed) will start
at the slot back positions.
Bracely has been impressive in
fall practices and Youngblood
paced the junior high last year
with more than 1,000 yards.
“Both of them do a good job Monroe Lucas
of getting on the edge for us,”
Withrow said. “They’re not the biggest guys in the
world, but they do have speed and they’re strong
kids.”
Withrow said he’s got a three-way competition
going at tailback as of now.
Junior Jamar Porter (5-5, 165)
and sophomores Ty Compton
(5-10, 185) and Daelyn Fairrow
(5-7, 180) are the three getting
the most reps at the position.
“I think all three are very
capable,” Withrow said, “and
all three are underclassmen.”
Sophomore Payton Terry
(6-0, 160) and Lumpkin have
been sharing time at one of the Cameron Sharp
two starting receiver spots, and
senior Cameron Sharp (6-2, 175) is another receiver
Please see BEARS, Page 27
Bears
The competition for starting spots in the
secondary is still going, but Withrow said
if the team played today, that Terry and
Mackey would get the nod at corner, and
that’ll figure heavily into the team’s offensive junior Cameron Flippo (5-9, 145) and sophomore Darius Wadell (6-0, 160) would start
plans this season.
“Cameron’s a big receiver,” Withrow said. at the safety positions, with Flippo playing
“He’s one of those guys that catches the ball strong safety.
Sharp and Washington could also contribwith his hands, doesn’t let it get to his body.
We think we’ve got a good weapon there with ute at the safety positions if needed.
“All four of those guys are sharing both of
Cam.”
On the offensive line, senior Temuulen those spots,” Withrow said.
Team speed and talent at the
Zolbayar (6-0, 227) returns for his
skill
positions will be the Bears’ bigsecond year starting at right tackle.
gest strengths this season, but with
Fellow senior Sam Perez (6-0, 240)
the plethora of youth and inexperiis expected to start at right guard,
ence on the team, that’s meant a lot
and junior Tucker Price (5-10, 241)
of teaching throughout the sumwill likely get the start at center.
mer and fall practices.
On the left side of the O-line,
“We may have to figure out how
senior Knoa Smith (6-4, 275) will
to get on the bus,” Withrow said.
likely start at left guard after spend“It’s incredible how many young
ing time at multiple spots up front
guys we’ve got. There’s talent there.
last season. Starting at left tackle
It’s not like we don’t have talent. It’s
will likely be fellow senior Monroe
Perez
just there’s no experience.
Lucas (6-1, 270).
“It’s going to be a process. The other thing
“We’ve still got guys battling up front,”
Withrow said. “It’s just going to be a process.” is we’ve got to have good leadership and
Withrow added that senior Landon we’ve got to have some mental toughness to
Martin (6-2, 233), junior Garon Martin (6-4, ourselves. I know those are things that every252) and sophomore Garrett Gilbert (5-9, body says every single year, but when you’re
230) all still have a chance to start on the line. young, you’ve got to have good leadership.”
The Bears begin their regular season at
“Those three guys still have a chance to
start,” Withrow said. “We just have to see home against Vilonia on Monday in game
where we’re at, who wants to compete and two of the 103.7 The Buzz Kickoff Classic.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
who wants to play.”
On special teams, junior Wesley Smith
(5-9, 150) will handle kickoff and extra point
duties, and Washington returns as the Bears’
punter. On kickoff return, Withrow said
Youngblood and junior Fred Mackey (5-7,
162) will be the Bears’ top return men, and
Bracely and Mackey will begin the season
sharing punt return duties.
On the defensive side of the ball, expected
to start at nose guard in the Bears’ 3-4 base
defense will be senior Juan Muldrow (5-5,
185), and the defensive tackle positions will
likely be anchored by senior Devin Spencer
(5-8, 250) and junior Vonta Bens (5-9, 274).
Garon Martin, Gilbert, Perez and Zolbayar
Good Luck to aLL!
can also help on the defensive lines, according to the head Bear.
The linebacker corps will be the group
bringing back the most experience for the
Bears’ defense this season. At the inside linebacker positions will be returning starters
Jonathan Hicks (5-10, 200) and Marquaylan
Jones (5-9, 185), both of whom are seniors.
“They started every game last year,”
Withrow said of Hicks and Jones. “Both of
them do a really good job and they’ve gotten
better.”
Craft and fellow senior Hunter Phillips
(6-1, 185) will start at outside linebacker.
Craft and Hicks both made All-Conference
last year at their defensive positions.
Sherwood Alderman
“Those four linebackers have really done a
good job,” Withrow said, “and are definitely
playing fast and definitely getting to where
they need to be.”
t
• 27
Jordan Washington takes over as the Bears’ starting quarterback after playing the backup role last year.
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MONGOLIA NATIVE LOVES FRIDAY NIGHTS
ARTICLE BY
GRAHAM POWELL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
DAVID SCOLLI
T
Sylvan Hills senior Temuulen Zolbayar has become a high achiever since moving to America and learning a new language as a grade-schooler in Arkansas.
lineman does at some point, wanted to be
This year’s group of Bears, as a whole,
a skill player.
isn’t nearly as experienced as last year’s.
ishing he esT
f
“I was a pretty chubby kid in eighth They still have close to 20 seniors on the
grade,” Zolbayar said. “I wanted to be a skill team, but a lot of those players haven’t gotuck O
LL eAms
player, but I started on the offensive and ten much playing time at the varsity level.
defensive line, and my first game, I thought
Due to the lack of experience on the
I played pretty well.”
team, the Bears aren’t expected to have
Zolbayar continued to stand out on both the kind of season they did last year. But
sides of the line. At the end of his ninth Zolbayar said this year’s senior class is
grade year, he earned the team’s defensive playing with a bit of a chip on its shoulder,
player of the year award. Zolbayar didn’t because those players remember all too
see the field as much his 10th grade year, well the less than stellar seasons they’ve
his first season with the high school team, had in the past.
but he earned a starting spot at right tackle
“I think we have a little chip on our
last season – his junior year.
shoulder as seniors,” Zolbayar said. “Our
Last year’s Bears were led by a plethora ninth grade year we went 0-9, so no one’s
of senior standouts, and the team quickly ever talked seriously about us. But we have
Q
became state title contenders after winning a lot of good players. We just have to make
& C a te ring
its first eight games of the season, most of it work as a team.”
which were in convincing fashion.
As far as goals Zolbayar and the team
Injuries decimated the Bears toward the have set for this upcoming season, the
The Greatest American
end of the regular season. That and the fact senior right tackle said this year’s approach
the competition stiffened down the stretch needs to simply be taken one week at a
Barbecue House
all led to the Bears losing their final three time.
games of the 2014 season, including their
“This year, we’ve just got to take it one
– Catering For All Occasions –
first round playoff game to the eventual game at a time and see what happens,” he
Class 5A state runner-up.
said.
7824 Hwy. 107, Sherwood
Zolbayar described what it was like to go
As far as what he’d like to do after his
through last season’s highs and lows.
time at Sylvan Hills, Zolbayar has several
“I thought coming into the season we ideas he’s been considering. He’s currently
had a really good team,” Zolbayar said. “I trying to get accepted to one of the military
www.pignchik.com
thought if we stayed healthy we could have academies, but if that doesn’t work out, he
won state. The run, when we went 8-0 at
Open Mon.-Sat. 10:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
first, I was like no team could beat us at that
Dine-In or Carry-Out
Please see MONGOLIA, Page 29
point. But injuries just killed us.”
T B
T A T
’N-Chi
g
i
Co
.
B
O
!
k
P
W
L
B
he Sylvan Hills Bears don’t return
much experience on the offensive
line in 2015, but they do have what
will be a two-year starter at right
tackle in reliable senior Temuulen Zolbayar,
a native of Mongolia who first moved to the
the U.S. when he was 6 years old.
Zolbayar played a pivotal role up front
for the Bears’ 8-3 team a season ago, and
much will be expected of him again his
senior season. Zolbayar is one of three
returning starters for the Bears’ offense.
When the 6-foot, 220-pound offensive
tackle took part in fall practices earlier this
month, he had just gotten back from his
native country, where he visited family.
Zolbayar said his mother was the first of his
family to come to the U.S. from Mongolia’s
capital city of Ulaanbaatar, and that he
later followed.
The main reason for the move to central
Arkansas was simply to have the opportunity at a better life, according to Zolbayar.
“She just wanted a better life for us,”
said Zolbayar of his mother’s decision to
move to the states. “The economy wasn’t
great back then. She came over here in
2002 and she brought me over here in
2004. I was 6 years old.
“I came with my grandparents and I
didn’t know any English, so my first day of
school was kind of awkward.”
Zolbayar said the transition to this country took some adjusting on his part, but he
managed to do so just fine and it didn’t
take very long for him to start speaking the
language.
“It was kind of hard, but I guess I
adjusted and started speaking the language
when I was like 7, 8,” Zolbayar said. “The
American lifestyle was kind of different, but
I’m more adjusted now. It wasn’t that bad
getting adjusted to.”
Playing football is one thing Zolbayar
didn’t have a problem adjusting to. He’s
been playing football since seventh grade,
but didn’t start playing for the school district till his eighth grade year.
“Eighth grade I started playing for the
school,” Zolbayar said. “At first, I liked it,
and my first game I was kind of good at it,
so I just stuck with it.”
In addition to starting at right tackle
for the varsity Bears, Zolbayar also contributes on the defensive line. Though he’s
not the biggest guy, his size, strength and
physicality are all factors that make him the
lineman he is. But he didn’t always want
to play up front. He, like just about every
501-834-5456
• 29
Sylvan Hills cheerleading squad
t
The 2015 Sylvan Hills cheerleading squad includes Lizzy Freeling, front from left, Ka’Neicia Allen, Apple Dennie, Hope Maley, Hadleigh Cahoone, Brittney Percefull, Ann Marie Bailey; middle from left, Lacey
Finch, Brianna Crowder, Miranda Chambers, Brooke Howard, Michaela Malone, Kensley Humphries, Brandie Ridinger, McKenzie Reed, Hayley Cook, Krista Sullivan, Katrina Gray, Tamia Denson; back from left,
Abbi Goodman, Sara Heil, Carson Beeching, Sami Dillow, Alize Williams, Sarah Phillips, Jadyn Perkins, Cory Tessman, Justin McMinn, Mackenzie Heslep, Jade Denson, Madison Brown, Ayinda Collins, Sarah Seibel,
MacKenzie Ellis, Kacie Smith and Anna Snyder.
Mongolia
said he’s interested in aviation, and may
even go to college and pursue a degree in
engineering.
He currently ranks fourth in his class,
academically. Regardless of what he decides
to do post high school, his head coach said
he’s the kind of kid that will be successful in
life at whatever he chooses to pursue.
“He’s a great kid,” Bears’ coach Jim
Withrow said of Zolbayar. “He’s a smart
kid. He’s going to be successful in whatever
he decides to do with his life.”
As far as football, Withrow added, “You
win games with guys like him.”
Some kids find it quite difficult to balance school and academics, but Zolbayar
said his grades are usually better during
football season.
“I think my grades are more up during
football season because I’m more excited
and just happy to get up and go to school
because we have practice or we might have
a game that week,” Zolbayar said.
“During the offseason, I probably get
lazy because we might not have football
practice and it’s like there’s nothing to be
able to look forward to that week. I find it
easy to balance, really.”
Zolbayar is in line to have a successful
life after football, but the senior enjoys
being a Bear right now, and described how
much it truly means to him to be able to
suit up in a SHHS uniform and take the
field on Friday nights.
“It’s like the greatest feeling in the
world,” Zolbayar said, “when all those fans
are cheering and it’s Friday night, everybody’s talking about the game. All week
you’ve been preparing for it – all summer
and all spring.
“All those workouts and those reps, it’s
just for that moment. It’s a big deal and
is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me, is just going out there and
playing football. Now it’s my senior year,
it’s my last chance. I just got to end it on a
good note.”
Temuulen Zolbayar, 58, helps open a hole for last year’s quarterback Tra Doss against Jacksonville.
LONOKE JACKRABBITS
The 2015 Lonoke Jackrabbit football team is small in size and numbers, but has implemented a game plan that’s designed to play to the team’s strengths, particularly it’s quickness.
TECHNIQUE KEY FOR SMALL RABBITS
T
he Lonoke Jackrabbits struggled out of the
gate last football season, losing four of their
first games, prompting head coach Doug Bost to
make some personnel changes on both sides of the
ball at midseason.
That helped Lonoke reverse its 1-4 record in the
final five games of the regular season and earn a
playoff berth for a fourth consecutive year. On both
offense and defense, the Jackrabbits have seven
starters returning from last year’s 5-6 team, including what will be the Bost’s first
two-year starter at quarterback.
Returning at quarterback in
2015 is senior Savonte Rountree
(6-1, 200), who threw for 1,500
yards and 16 touchdowns last
year with 11 interceptions.
Rountree, a baseball pitcher,
has one of the strongest arms
out there, and his experience
and arm strength are of great
value to the Rabbits’ offense.
Savonte Rountree
“We’re real excited with
what we have,” said Bost. “We’ve got every returning skill guy that played last year, so that’s exciting.
This is the first time I’ve had a two-year starter at
quarterback in my seven years as head coach, so that
experience will be real valuable.”
The biggest weakness for the team this year will
be its undersized linemen, but Bost says they’ll focus
their offense to where those linemen can use their
quickness to their advantage.
“We understand our weakness is we’re small
compared to the other teams in 4A on the offensive
and defensive line,” Bost said. “But we’re going to do
some things on offense I think we can use to their
advantage, and we’re really preaching good tech-
ARTICLE BY
GRAHAM POWELL
•
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
DAVID SCOLLI
Doug Bost
Year at school: 7th
Record at school:
40-30
2014 Record: 5-6
Conf. Finish: 4th
nique and hustling to the football.
“Those are the two things we’re really preaching
this year.”
As Bost said, he has every returning skill player
back that started a year ago, and at tailback, senior
Josh Coleman (5-11, 205) is expected to pace the
Rabbits’ run game in 2015.
Coleman ran for more than 1,400 yards and
scored 18 touchdowns as a sophomore, but was
slowed last year after injuring his Achilles and ankle
in the first regular season game.
Coleman then missed the next two games, weeks
two and three, and didn’t get back to form till the latter part of last season.
As a result of the injury and
the backfield contributions of
other teammates down the
stretch, Coleman was unable
to match the stellar offensive
numbers he put up in 2013,
and ended his junior season
with 524 yards rushing and
seven TDs. Bost and the rest of
the coaching staff are expecting
Coleman to have a big senior Justin Meadows
year.
“Had a great sophomore year,” Bost said of
Coleman, “1,400 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns.
That first game against Star City he got tackled from
behind and kind of stretched
his Achilles. He wasn’t himself
till about week five. So we hope
we can keep him healthy and
we’re expecting a big year out
of him.”
Justin Meadows (5-11, 170;
4.3 speed), who committed to
play football for the University
of Central Arkansas in the
spring, is back after a stellar junior season. The senior
Gabe Rooney
speedster played at receiver the
first seven games of last season, and caught 32
passes for 722 yards and seven scores.
Please see RABBITS, Page 31
t
Rabbits
He then shifted to running back for the
final four games, and had 73 carries for 769
yards and four scores.
“We’re definitely going to move him
around,” Bost said of Meadows. “We need to
get him the ball. He has 4.3 speed, has already
committed to UCA. We definitely want to get
him the ball.”
Jawaun Bryant (5-10, 150) is another
senior returning starter at receiver, and
senior Casey Martin (5-10, 155) rejoined the
team after taking his junior year off from
football. Martin, a baseball standout, should
figure heavily into the Rabbits’ offensive plans
this season at receiver.
“He’s the second-fastest kid we have,” Bost
said of Martin. “He’s made some great plays
in 7-on-7s and team camps. We’re excited to
have him there.”
Versatile junior Logan Dozier (5-10, 205)
played quarterback, running back and receiver last year for Lonoke, and like Meadows,
will be lined up at different spots on offense.
“As a sophomore last year he started at
receiver,” Bost said of Dozier, “played my
Wildcat quarterback. He caught a couple of
touchdowns, he threw a couple and he ran a
couple, so we’re excited to get him back, too.”
Other than Coleman and Meadows,
seniors Deondray Joyner (5-3, 120), Joe
Carter (5-11, 155) and Gabe Rooney (5-8, 175)
all contributed in the backfield a year ago, and
are expected to do so again in 2015.
“All those guys contributed on last year’s
team,” Bost said. “Like I said, I’m real excited
about the skill guys.”
On the offensive line, junior Zach Murray
(5-11, 220) earned All-Conference honors last
season as a sophomore, playing guard, but
will shift to center this season.
Seniors Kane Williams (6-0, 200) and
Ethan Ellis (6-1, 195) start at tackle and Bost
likes what he’s seen from those two.
“They look real good,” Bost said. “I’ve been
real impressed with those two seniors.”
Junior Daylan Henderson (5-10, 225) will
start at one of the guard spots, and junior
Ricky Nichols (5-10, 210) and sophomore
Jacob Miller (5-11, 240) are battling for the
other starting guard position.
The Rabbits won’t emphasize the tight end
position as much this season, but do have
certain packages where they’ll use one. Senior
Lucas McKenzie (6-1, 230) played center last
year, but will start at tight end this season.
On special teams, Ethan Holland (5-10,
175) returns at punter after averaging 35
yards per punt last fall. Martin kicked extra
points in junior high, and will take over
kicking duties this season, giving this year’s
Rabbits a much needed boost at the position
after the team struggled with extra points last
year.
Bost said that special teams will be a
strength for his team this year. Meadows and
Dozier will be the main Rabbits returning
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kickoffs this season, and Meadows will return
punts after doing so throughout the 2014 season. Last fall, Lonoke scored four touchdowns
on special teams.
On the defensive side of the ball, Bost likes
the progress his front seven has made since
offseason. Last season, Lonoke’s safety led
the team in tackles, which is never good for
a defense.
“We looked a whole lot better,” Bost said.
“I’m real proud of our front seven. That’s
where it all starts. Last year our leading tackler was Trey Bevis (who graduated in May)
and that was our strong safety. So we’ve got to
do a better job with our front seven. You can’t
have a safety be your leading tackler.”
On the defensive front, Williams will start
at one of the end positions, and his technique
is perfect, according to Bost.
“Kane Williams is going to be a two-way
starter for us,” Bost said, “and his technique
is perfect on both sides of the ball. He’s doing
a great job.”
Murray is expected to start at the other
end, and McKenzie will play at the position as
well to make up a three-man rotation. Nichols
returns at tackle and Bost said sophomore
Michael Hodges (5-8, 230) will start at the
other defensive tackle position after having an
excellent summer.
“He probably looked the best out of all the
team camps,” Bost said of Hodges. “He’s a
young man that led the junior high in rushing
last year. He’s quick as a cat down there and
looks real big for just being a sophomore.”
Lonoke County
Co-op, InC.
• 31
Hodges will help in the offensive backfield
this season as well. Anchoring Bost’s 4-3
defense at middle linebacker is Holland, a
three-year starter at the position. Holland
led the team in tackles as a 10th grader after
being inserted into the starting spot at the
midway point of the 2013 season.
“As far as going through his reads, he’s the
best I’ve ever had,” Bost said of Holland. “He
gets to the ball in a hurry.”
Seniors Rooney and Lance Dugger (5-10,
185) will start at the outside linebacker positions. Anchoring the corner positions are
Martin and Joyner. Meadows returns at free
safety and at the Rover (strong safety) position, Coleman and Dozier will likely alternate
series with both expected to have heavy offensive duties.
All in all, Bost and his staff are excited
about the upcoming season with this team,
which is led by a good group of seniors.
“We’ve got a big senior group,” Bost said.
“I think in ’09 I had 16 and we’ve got about
that many this year, so a real big senior group
and we’re excited about what we got with
those guys. A lot of those guys played a lot
last year.
“So we’ve been talking, hey, we want to
win a conference championship. I feel like
practices have been going good, and we’ll
start that week four and that’s when we’ll
make a push for that.”
Lonoke opens its regular season next
Friday at Star City, the No. 3 team in Class
4A. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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SENIOR SEASON
IS TIME TO SHINE
B
ig things are expected from Lonoke
senior tailback Josh
Coleman this year.
As a sophomore, Coleman
played a pivotal role in the
team’s nine-win season,
rushing for more than 1,400
yards and 18 touchdowns.
Coming into his junior
season a year ago, more big
things were expected of the
hard-running Jackrabbit, but
an injury to his Achilles and
ankle suffered in the team’s
week one game against Star
City slowed the playmaking tailback’s production in
2014.
Coleman missed the next
two games, weeks two and
three, but didn’t get back
to playing the way he was
capable till the latter part of
last season. Lonoke turned
its season around in the final
five games of the 2014 regular season, winning four of
its five final regular season
games.
As a result of the midseason turnaround, the
Jackrabbits earned a playoff
berth for the fourth-straight
year. The team lost its first
round playoff game at
Prairie Grove in week 11, and
Coleman ended his junior
season with 524 yards rushing and seven TDs.
Coleman described what
it was like to go through that
injury, and how it affected
his play on the field last season.
“Especially mentally,”
said Coleman. “Say if you’re
going for a 20-yard run and
you see a safety coming
down, you want to make a
cut so bad but you know your
ankle or Achilles won’t allow
you to. It’s just a stressful
situation.”
Because of the injury,
Coleman’s numbers didn’t
match those he posted his
sophomore season, when he
burst onto the varsity scene
in a huge way. Playing early
ARTICLE BY
GRAHAM POWELL
•
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY DAVID SCOLLI
hasn’t been anything new for
the senior standout, though.
He first started playing
football in fifth grade. By
the time he got to seventh
grade, playing for the school
district, he entered that
school year expecting to play
seventh grade ball with his
fellow seventh-grade classmates, but instead, Coleman
got moved up to the junior
high team.
“Going into junior high,”
Coleman said, “I was supposed to play seventh grade
ball. Instead, the junior high
coach moved me up and I
ended up playing with the
eighth and ninth graders.
About the fifth game of the
season I started with the
ninth graders.”
Coleman said that sudden
transition was a little intimidating at first, but that everything worked itself out once
they started playing football.
“I felt intimidated sometimes,” Coleman said. “I was
like, man, those kids are big.
I’m only in seventh grade
and they’re freshmen in high
school, but then you kind of
get used to it. You kind of get
used to getting hit and it was
like, alright, let’s do it again
next Thursday.”
Coleman led the junior
high Jackrabbits in rushing
as a seventh grader, and continued to show out at that
level before taking his playmaking abilities to the high
school varsity level in 2013.
Coleman said playing with
older guys in seventh grade
helped better prepare him to
be the feature back for the
high school team as a 10th
grader.
“I was very confident,”
Coleman said. “I was a little
nervous at first. I mean, what
kid doesn’t get nervous going
to high school ball, and then
Friday nights, the stands are
full. But I did feel prepared.”
It wasn’t like Coleman
got the starting spot on a
scrub team, either. That 2013
Lonoke High School football
team went 9-3 and advanced
to the second round of the
Class 4A playoffs.
Last year’s team, as a
whole, wasn’t as talented as
that 2013 team, and even
though that was known coming into the 2014 season, the
team’s 1-4 start was unexpected. Coleman spent half
of that time on the sidelines
recovering from his injury,
and even though he was
unable to compete for multiple games in that time, that
didn’t make the experience
of losing any less frustrating.
“It was very stressful,” Coleman said, “but we
picked it up toward the end
of the season. We beat CAC
and it was on from there.
Unfortunately we had a loss
at Prairie Grove. We were
winning at halftime, had a
few missed plays and that
kind of cost us the game.
“But a down year coming
off a successful season, it was
kind of stressful.”
One of the positive things
the Jackrabbits can look forward to this season is the fact
they return every starting
skill player from a year ago,
including Coleman. Coleman
said the team has made it
a goal to win conference in
2015, and the senior tailback
has a personal goal as well.
“We want to win conference,” Coleman said. “For
myself, I want 1,000 yards
rushing. But as far as a team,
we really want a conference
championship.”
Please see SHINE, Page 33
Lonoke’s Josh Coleman has big goals as a senior after injuries hampered a promising junior season.
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Coleman said not getting 1,000 yards last
year bothered him some, but he’s used that as
motivation for this upcoming season.
“It did in a way,” Coleman said, “but I’ve
kind of looked at it as a stepping stone. We
all fall sometimes, but, you know, you’ve just
got to get up and keep on fighting, keep on
pursuing what you want to do.”
Coleman has and continues to excel on
the football field, but he’s also done that in
the classroom. He enters his senior year with
a cumulative 3.5 grade point average, and
said he’d like to focus his studies on clinical
psychology once he gets to college.
As far as collegiate schools that want him
to play football, Coleman is being evaluated
by various schools around the state, such as
Ouachita Baptist, Hendrix, Arkansas State,
and he’s even taken unofficial visits to the
University of Arkansas and Memphis.
He said he’ll also likely take an unofficial
visit to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.,
where he’s already received a verbal offer
from the school. He’s also received verbal
offers from various Division II level schools
in Oklahoma and Texas.
Coleman will decide where he’ll study
and resume his football playing days later
on, though. As for now, he enjoys being a
Jackrabbit, and he and the rest of the seniors
on the team want to leave the most positive
• 33
Go Jackrabbits!
Lonoke’s Josh Coleman carries the ball in the
regular-season finale last year against Riverview.
mark they can on the program before their
final season in a Jackrabbit uniform comes
to an end.
“This senior group is a very special group
of kids,” Coleman said. “Everybody has their
head on straight. As far as us wanting to set
a goal here, we just want to have a successful
season and enjoy making memories, good
memories, on the field.”
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CARLISLE BISON
The Carlisle football team used last season’s disappointing record as motivation to build the program back into a championship contender in the powerful 2A-6 Conference.
BISON WORKING TO CONTEND
T
he Carlisle Bison football team went through
a rebuilding year in 2014, and suffered its
first losing season since 2005 as a result,
finishing with a 4-7 overall record.
It was a tough year by Carlisle football standards,
but the Bison worked hard in the offseason and
summer and are hoping all the hard work leads to
more wins this season.
“I think we’re real optimistic,” said second-year
Carlisle coach Jack Keith. “I think the kids have
bought in real well and they’ve worked real hard,
and we’re looking to have a good year this year.
“Even last year, the kids worked real hard. They
did everything they could. Things just didn’t work
out the way we wanted them to and we’ve kind of
taken that to heart.
“We don’t want to have that happen again, so
we’ve been working that much harder to have a season back to the way we should have it and the way
Carlisle’s used to having it.”
The early favorite to quarterback Carlisle’s Double
Wing offense this season is junior Ty Golleher (6-0,
170), but senior Brynden Weems (6-1, 150) is also
competing for the starting job.
“Him and Brynden Weems are still battling for
that,” Keith said. “Golleher’s probably got a leg up
right now. If we were to start tomorrow it’d probably
be Ty at quarterback and Brynden would probably
be split out at receiver. He’s athletic and we’ve got to
find somewhere to get him on the field.”
Keith said he expects a trio of backs to carry
the load at the featured fullback position this year.
ARTICLE BY
GRAHAM POWELL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
DAVID SCOLLI
JACK KEITH
Year at school: 2nd
Record at school: 4-7
2014 Record: 4-7
Conf. Finish: 5th
Those players are senior Ben Wilson (5-9, 180)
and juniors Devon Kendrick (5-10, 200) and Tyler
Sanders (5-11, 200).
“All three of them have run pretty solid all
through the spring and through the summer,” Keith
said. “I’m looking for them to have a good season.”
Working at A-back, or wingback, are Kevin Young
and sophomores Kolton Davidson (5-10, 160),
Garnell Harris (6-2, 210) and Tristan Seidenschwarz
(5-11, 160). Seidenschwarz played quarterback the
last two years for Carlisle’s junior high team.
Brent Bowlan (5-5, 160), a junior, has also been
working at wingback, and Keith said Kendrick and
Sanders could also go back and forth between wingback and fullback at times this season.
On the offensive line, Keith said it looks like
senior Clay Parker (5-10, 170; 4.1 GPA) will start at
left tackle. Parker started at tight end the last two
seasons.
“He’s a real smart kid, plays hard, has good feet
and is going to do everything you ask him to do, and
he’s getting better every day,” Keith said of Parker.
Junior Mason Carter (6-0, 265) is expected to
lock up the starting spot at left guard. Keith said
Carter is strong, very coachable and has good technique. Strong senior Cody Edge (5-6, 200) and
sophomore Conner Bray (5-10, 220) are battling for
the starting center spot.
Keith said that if Bray starts at center then Edge
will likely be the one to take over at right guard.
“Edge is one of those we need out there somewhere,” Keith said. “He’s kind of a short kid, but he
can use that to his advantage. He has leverage and
can play low. He’s got a stout, compact body. He can
get some movement up front.”
Athletic junior Zach Means (5-10, 165) will get
Please see BISON, Page 37
• 35
HEAD OF THE CLASS WANTS MAX EFFORT
ARTICLE BY GRAHAM POWELL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID SCOLLI
H
ard work on and off the field have
shaped Carlisle Bison two-way
starter Clay Parker into a young
man bound for success after football, but
before he graduates in May with a grade
point average above 4.0, Parker and the
rest of the CHS seniors are hoping to lead
the Bison back to their winning ways after
a disappointing 2014 season.
Carlisle, by its football standards, suffered a down year in 2014, finishing with a
4-7 record and first-round exit in the Class
2A state playoffs.
Before last season, the Bison won at
least 10 games for four consecutive years
and hadn’t suffered a losing season since
2005.
Parker, who will be a three-year starter
this season, played tight end for the Carlisle
team that won 12 games and advanced to
the semifinals of the 2A state playoffs in
2013, and after last year’s less than stellar
season, Parker described what it was like to
go through the 2014 season after being part
of the highly successful 2013 team.
“It was tough,” said Parker. “You could
see it a lot in the offseason. We were giving
max effort all the time and I really think
that’s what it’s going to take. We’ve got to
play with a chip on our shoulder like we
went into the offseason with, because that’s
just not going to cut it.
“It’s not going to cut it for me and I don’t
think it’s going to cut it for anybody else on
the team. We want to win and we want to
prove everybody wrong. We really do.”
Parker has played football for the Carlisle
school district since he’s been eligible to do
so, in seventh grade. It wasn’t his first love,
though, as far as sports.
“When I was in elementary school I
really wanted to be a professional baseball
player,” Parker said. “I was dead set on it.
Then I was like, OK, I’m not that great at
baseball. I figured that out, but I always
knew I was going to play seventh-grade
football.
“I’ve had a lot of different coaches and
a lot of different experiences with football.
I’ve been really blessed. I was one of the
kids riding the bench all the way through
elementary and pee-wee sports. Football
really gave me a chance to shine and show
my worth, I feel like, and I love the game.”
Parker, at 5-foot-10 and all 170 pounds
of him, started at tight end and strong-side
linebacker last season in head coach Jack
Keith’s 4-4 base defense, where he led the
team in tackles.
Parker will remain a two-way starter this
season, but will play at left tackle in 2015
Carlisle senior Clay Parker is a vocal team leader with a goal of proving wrong those who pick the Bison to turn in another losing season in 2015.
rather than tight end. Parker is, of course,
undersized for that position, but makes up
for his lack of size with his strength and
physicality.
“Being a small guy,” Parker said, “I’ve
got to be able to outwork or at least hit the
other guy harder, because most of the guys
I’ve been lined up with, they’re usually a
good 60 pounds heavier.
“Just being physical and being able to
get a lot stronger in the offseason, it’s
helped me be able to compete with these
bigger guys.”
Parker currently bench presses 245
pounds and squats 445, but he wasn’t
always that strong.
“I’ve gotten a lot stronger in the past
few years,” Parker said, with a bit of a
chuckle. “In seventh grade I couldn’t bench
65 pounds our first max out. Then in 10th
grade I was benching about 185 and now
I’m up to 245.”
Parker said he isn’t a gym rat that works
out two-to-three times a day, but said he
does work hard in the weight room. He
credits his increase in strength over the
years to work in the weight room, simply
growing up and the manual work he routinely puts in at his family’s farm.
“Working on the farm helps a lot,”
Parker said. “That’s what I want to do
when I get out of school. Go to college and
get an ag (agriculture) degree and do stuff
like that.”
In addition to doing well on the football
field, Parker excels in the classroom as well,
boasting a grade point average that’s above
4.0, which currently ranks him at the very
top of his senior class.
“I think I have just shy of a 4.1,” Parker
said. “I’m not sure how it worked out after
AP classes, but yeah, I’ve always been really
blessed as far as my ability to keep up in
school and do well.”
Parker has seen success both on the
field and in the classroom, and he and the
rest of his teammates are hoping the team
can share similar success this season. As
far as goals he’s set for this football season, Parker’s are all team-oriented, and
involve giving the best effort possible – not
necessarily for his benefit, but for his teammates’.
“Really, my own personal goal is to do
the best I can by my teammates,” Parker
said. “That’s what I’m worried about. I’m
not worried about myself. I’m worried
about these other guys.
“I’m just going to do my best and I want
the other guys to do their best with me.
That’s all I can ask and that’s all they can
ask of me.”
Playing in a Bison uniform is also something that means a lot to Parker, as he
described what it’s like to suit up and play
in a Bison uniform on Friday nights.
“There’s nothing like it,” Parker said.
“There are a few towns where football is
it, and Carlisle’s one of those towns. It’s a
town of 2,300 people and a good portion of
them will be sitting in the stands. It’s really
special.”
Submitted photo
Cabot High School cheerleaders
The 2015-16 Cabot varsity cheerleaders include captain Brylee Quarnstrom and co-captain Andi Lamb, seated, Jennifer Wallace, middle row from left, Brooklyn Jennings, Mallory Tullos, Halie Eastham, Hailey
Schafer, Jessie Thrush, Micah Long and Reagan Walker; back row from left are Taylor Parker, Emily Sumler, Miranda Walker, Kyla Soden, Laura Davidson, Lauren Osburn, Sydney Shumate and Kara Scroggins.
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The Carlisle football coaches are Lonnie Robertson, Jack Keith, Jeffery Liggin and Danny Mallett.
State Representative
Camille Bennett
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• 37
E
work at either guard or tackle on the right
side, and fellow junior Gray Amaden (5-11,
190) could start at right tackle, according to
Keith.
Keith said his offense won’t use the tight
end position as much this season, but the
ones expected to line up at the position when
needed will be juniors Tyler Teel (5-11, 180)
and Zack Caviness (6-0, 150). Caviness will
also split out at wide receiver.
Weems, Caviness, senior Colby Flynn
(5-10, 130) and junior Carson Cunningham
(5-6, 120) are expected to be the main ones
contributing at receiver.
“We’ve got more receivers than we’ve
had recently and less tight ends,” Keith said.
“When you have less tight ends and more
receivers you run less tight end sets.”
On special teams, Kendrick will handle the
team’s kicking and punting duties. He’ll also
help return kickoffs, along with Golleher and
Weems. Golleher and Weems are also slated
to return punts.
Defensively, the Bison will base out of
a 4-4, but will also line up in a 4-2-5. Teel,
Amaden and Harris are the three that will
likely see the most playing time at end this
season.
“All three of them are very athletic and
have good hands and they should be able to
help us out pretty good,” Keith said.
Other than Parker and Means, who will
start at inside linebacker, Keith said the
majority of his offensive linemen will anchor
the interior line on defense. Other than Carter
and Edge, junior Brian Henderson (6-0, 245)
and sophomore Mitch Lewis (5-10, 170) are
expected to contribute at defensive tackle.
Parker, Means and Wilson will contribute
the most at inside linebacker this year.
“All of them are athletic, tough, strong
kids,” Keith said of those three inside linebackers. “They do a good job of reading the
offense and getting to where they need to be.”
Parker, from his strong side linebacker
position, led the team in tackles last year
as a junior with 78. Davidson could help at
outside linebacker, but may also help out at
defensive end, according to the head Bison.
Kendrick and Sanders are expected to contribute at outside linebacker as well.
At the safety positions, Golleher and
Weems have been the two that have seen the
most action and have looked the best thus far
in that area of the secondary.
“They both have been working at safety all
spring and all summer,” Keith said. “They’re
both real athletic. Ty does a great job of coming downhill on runs. Brynden’s probably a
little better on pass coverage, but Ty’s pretty
good at coming downhill on the run.”
Seidenschwarz, Bowlan, Flynn, senior
Grant Sumner (5-8, 145) and Cunningham
have been working the most at corner.
Seidenschwarz could also play back at safety
when needed.
“All the other ones have done a good job so
far playing corner for us,” Keith said. “Brent
and Colby Flynn, they played a good bit last
year. They came on and got a lot better as the
year went on last year, and they’ve just gotten
better. Both of them should be able to compete real well for those corner spots.”
Carlisle has seven seniors on the team this
season, which is a bit low for a senior class at
CHS, but the team’s numbers are right where
they usually are – in the mid to high 20s. That
means Keith expects a number of underclassmen to contribute this season.
“We could have four or more sophomores
on the field at any given time,” Keith said.
“They’re going to have to step up. It’s going
to be trial by fire pretty quick. We’ve got to
be able to get better every day, and I think
they’ll get there. They got better every week
last year, so I think they’ll be able to help out
a lot.”
The Bison won’t be the favorites to win the
2A-6 Conference this year. McCrory, Hazen,
Des Arc and Brinkley are among the teams
expected to have good seasons, but Keith
likes his team’s chances against anybody
within the conference.
“I think we can compete or even beat
anybody we’re going to play,” Keith said. “I
think if we play to our potential I think we
can play with anybody. So I think we should
be in the mix and be able to compete, and be
right where we need to be when it’s all said
and done.”
Carlisle opens its season with a nonconference game at England next Friday. Kickoff is
scheduled for 7 p.m.
O
R
Bison
ST
t
676-6566
WORKING FOR ARKANSAS
I am honored to represent you at the
State Capitol. Thank you for your
support and your vote! Look for me in
your local community or visit my office
in Lonoke at 108 East College St.
501-257-7993
P.O. Box 414, Lonoke, AR 72086
BIELEMA’S RAZORBACKS STILL LAUNCHING
By NATE ALLEN
Special to The Leader
FAYETTEVILLE – From trashing Texas, 31-7 at the Advocare
Texas Bowl through spring practice, summer conditioning and the
first 14 days of August, the Arkansas
Razorbacks rolled.
Then Aug. 15 they waged their
first preseason scrimmage. Their
senior quarterback kind of fell flat
and their senior running back fell
out.
Quarterback Brandon Allen, the
MVP of the Texas Bowl, only completed 10 of 23 passes and threw
an interception without a TD pass.
Last season he threw 20 TD’s
against only five picks.
“Not one of Brandon’s better
days,” Arkansas coach Bret Bielema
said.
But really not that bad. Bielema
said, especially with Allen surging at the finish completing 5 of
his last 7. And especially upon
recalling his favorite wideout,
senior leading returning receiver
Keon Hatcher, was withheld to rest
an injury while his other favorite
receiver, Mackey Award watch list
tight end Hunter Henry, scrimmaged only briefly so the other
eight tight ends in camp could get
some snaps.
Besides, much time remains for
Allen to regroup before the Sept.
5 season opener against UTEP at
Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Give Allen a healthy Hatcher and
lots of Henry, plus time to work
with the other receivers, including
speedster newcomer junior college
transfer speedster Dominique Reed
of Camden, and his quarterback
will be fine, Bielema said.
Unfortunately, senior running
back Jonathan Williams won’t be
football fine in 2015.
The team’s leading returning
rusher (1,190 yards and 12 touchdowns on 211 carries), won’t play
this season except maybe a bowl
game, Bielema said.
Williams injured his left foot
during that Aug. 15 scrimmage. It
required inserting a screw in his
foot through surgery and a prolonged rehab, sidelining him for the
regular season, Bielema said.
Never redshirted, Williams has
a 2016 Arkansas season available if
he wants it, but is projected to heal
fully by winter and opt this time
to declare for the NFL draft from
which he withdrew in 2015.
The Arkansas Razorbacks expect continued steady improvement in coach Bret Bielema’s third year in charge of the program.
A team leader in addition to
a stellar back, Williams will be
missed, but as Bielema said, “If
there’s one team in college football
that could take a hit at the running back position it’s probably the
Arkansas Razorbacks and not get
fazed too much.”
Junior Alex Collins, the co-star
with Williams and exceeding 1,000
rushing yards in 2013 and 2014
and tying Williams with 12 rushing
touchdowns in 2014, takes center
stage alone now, but with capable
understudies in the wings.
Fullback-tailback Kody Walker,
a 260-pound bruiser, and freshman Rawleigh Williams III, a freshman speedster popping a 63-yard
touchdown during the scrimmage,
provide “change the pace” backups,
Bielema said, for Collins, the SEC
Freshman of the Year in 2013 and
starting this season on the Doak
Walker Award and Maxwell Award
watch lists.
Getting Austin Allen, Brandon’s
brother and sophomore backup,
ready to step in on injury notice is
a priority.
Senior Hatcher, 43 catches for
558 yards and six touchdowns and
junior two-time All-SEC tight end
Hunter Henry, 28 catches for 409
yards and four touchdowns, are
Brandon Allen’s old reliables, but
he has more targets now.
Elusive redshirt freshman Jojo
Robinson and speedster Reed add
sizzle at receiver. Sophomore Jared
Cornelius seems more confidently
shifty while junior Drew Morgan
excelled as Brandon Allen’s scrimmage improved.
Veterans Jeremy Sprinkle and
Alex Voelzke both spell Henry and
complement him in two tight end
sets.
The offensive line, the biggest
in the country, filled the cover of
Arkansas’ media guide. Returning
starters Mitch Smothers at center,
and left guard Sebastian Tretola,
both seniors, and returning junior
starting tackles Denver Kirkland,
a guard the last two years, and
Dan Skipper, all are on some
preseason award watch list.
Sophomore Frank Ragnow, starting in Kirkland’s old right guard
spot, was on the 2015 All-SEC
Freshman team from backing up
Smothers at center.
In the wake of 2015 defensive stars Trey Flowers, Martrell
Spaight, Darius Philon and Tevin
Mitchel drafted into the NFL and
steady safety Alan Turner graduated, too, Bielema affectionately calls
his defense “The Bad News Bears”
as a collection of no-names excelling like the Little League no-names
did in the movies.
Indeed they were “Bad
News” for the first offense
much of that first scrimmage.
What Arkansas defensively lacks in
names, the Hogs make up in depth.
The defensive line, its linemen
say, and Bielema concurs, go 1A,
1B, 1C deep across the board
and dominated the first scrimmage. Third-year sophomore
defensive end Tevin Beanum of
Forrest City, Flowers’ understudy
last year, had a big-play first preseason scrimmage in the Flowers
tradition with three sacks.
“On the back end, we’re deep,
man,” Bielema said of the secondary.
He said he’s never had the fiveman cornerback depth like with
first-teamers Jared Collins, DJ
Dean and nickel/corner Henre
Toliver plus the August emergence
of true freshman Ryan Pulley and
sophomore Cornelius Floyd.
Another true freshman, Willie
Sykes, emerges behind safeties
Rohan Gaines and Josh Liddell
while versatile sophomore Kevin
Richardson of Jacksonville is the
backup nickel and available at safety and corner.
At linebacker, Bielema would
love to clone junior Brooks Ellis.
Starting the last two years at middle
linebacker, Ellis moved to Spaight’s
SEC leading tackling weakside linebacker spot last spring. However,
as true freshman backup weakside
‘backer Dre Greenlaw surged in
August, Bielema pondered moving
Ellis back to the middle because
spring promoted sophomore firstteamer Khalia Hackett struggled.
Toby Baker led the punting and
redshirt freshman Cole Hedlund
led the place kicking in the early
preseason.
In Bielema’s second season, the
Razorbacks improved from 3-9
overall and 0-8 in the SEC to 7-6,
2-6 with SEC shutouts over LSU
and Ole Miss before trashing Texas.
Improved but not satisfactory,
Bielema said noting 7-6 was his
worst record in seven years coaching Wisconsin.
“It’s a launching pad, not a landing point,” Bielema says repeatedly.
Award-Winning
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