THREE RIVERS AREA — OFFENSE QB - Jordan Dycus, May◊ower His 29 touchdown passes to only seven interceptions last season paced the Eagles.
RB - Jaalen Watkins, CAC Watkins showed signs of brilliance last year as a sophomore, tallying more than 1,200 all-purpose yards.
RB - Braylon Mitchell, Heber Springs Mitchell's a freight train looking for defensive backs to punish for daring to get in his way. He could top 2,000 rushing yards this year.
WR - Chase Calcagni, Conway Has one of the best football pedigrees in the state. His move from quarterback to wide receiver should better utilize his athleticism.
WR - Alston Brown, Dardanelle Brown no longer had all-area quarterback Kendall Pinkney tossing him the ball, but he's still the Sand Lizards' go-to target.
TE - Jordan Averitt, Dover Averitt is the quintessential go-to guyaround the goal line. He caught seven touchdowns last season and will look to get even more involved this year.
OT - Charlie Ghent, Atkins Atkins head coach Charlie Sorrells traditionally employs a run-heavy offense, and this year look for the Red Devils' tailbacks to get behind Ghent as much as possible. Of his 280-pound lineman, Sorrells said, "If he gets you blocked, you're blocked." OT - Mitch Hall, Russellville His older brother Matt got a lot of attention when he played at Russellville, and it looks like Mitch is cut from the same (large) cloth.
OG - Garrett Smith, Clinton◊ere's not much experience on the Yellow Jackets' o◊ensive line, but Smith, a junior, so far has been a bright spot.
OG - Clay Patterson, Vilonia Taking over for the graduated Cody Nash at Vilonia, Patterson has better overall size and an abundance of strength.
C - Chris Alverson, Perryville
He's one of the biggest centers in the
state, but he's agile on his feet and
quick with his hands. With a year of
Jimmy Clayton's tutelage under his
wide belt, look for Alverson to domi
nate the line in 2009.
K - Zach Hocker, Russellville
Hocker has 50-yard range on his◊eld
goals and was described by his coach
as "the best kicker in Arkansas." DEFENSE
DE - Ru Massey, Russellville
Massey is tall (6-4) and lean (210
pounds), which make him quick on
the end.
DE - Billy Grammer,
Heber Springs
◊e Panthers' motto is one team, one
heartbeat. If that's the case, Gram
mer's the le◊ventricle.
DT - Dakota Coker, Vilonia
Vilonia has a tradition of having
good linemen, and Coker, though
just a junior, seems to◊t in nicely.
He'll use all of his 5-10, 270-pound
frame to uproot o◊ensive linemenand plug up any running lanes.
NG - Logan Wright, CAC◊ough just a sophomore, Wright has won starting assignments on both sides of the line. He's big enough to make an impact, and his in◊uence will only grow with his experience.
S - Demetrius Lasker, May◊ower◊e heir apparent to DeShaun Bagby at running back, Lasker will use his speed and strength to give opposing quarterbacks◊ts in the secondary.
S - Justin Criswell, Morrilton Criswell's a natural athlete, and he'll be a di◊erence maker for the Devil Dogs on both o◊ense and defense.
CB - Jake Hink, Clinton Hink's deceptive speed will help make up for his short stature. He won't be outhustled on any play.
CB - Andrew Tryon, Russellville Tryon gave the Cyclones◊ts last season at corner for the Morrilton Devil Dogs, but Russellville head coach Je◊Holt welcomed the transfer with open arms in the o◊season. Tryon will beone of the fastest players on the◊eld and has good size for a corner.
LB - Tyler Robertson, Pottsville Robertson's a stout kid with a nose for the football. He'll look to improve his tackle total this year while leading a linebacking corps in which he's the only player who tops 200 pounds.
LB - Tye Kibbons, Bigelow Kibbons leads a group of mostly fellow juniors at Bigelow. He was the Panthers' leading tackler last season, and physically he stands out among his teammates.
LB - Mason Williams, Heber Springs An all-conference selection last season, look for Williams to be even more dominant this year with Braylon Mitchell funneling runners his way.
Players were selected for the River Valley and Ozark preseason team based on statistics from 2008 and coaches' comments from throughout the region.
Special, Pages 247 on 08/23/2009