4-4A CONFERENCE: Booneville sticking to its power game

— Booneville will try to win games the old-fashioned way this year.

As usual, the Bearcats are poised to earn their victories in the trenches, overpowering opponents on the line and using raw power in the backfield to blast right up the gut.

At a time when most teams in the 4-4A Conference haveshifted to the finesse-style Spread offense, the Bearcats are sticking with the same run-oriented Wing-T they used to compile a 9-3 record and advance to the second round of the playoffs lastyear.

They'll do so with nine returning starters on offense, including quarterback Brock May and four husky linemen who range from 205 to 240 pounds.

The Booneville offense is built around May, a tough, versatile athlete whose strength and speed allowed him to rush and pass for nearly 800 yards last year. May, a 5-11, 185-pound junior, sustained a high-ankle sprain last summer and wore a brace throughout the season but still managed to start every game.

"He was never full-speed last year," Booneville Coach Scott Hyatt said. "He's bigger, faster and stronger this year. He's a leader on the field, and he finds a way to get things done."

May will have an experienced and dependable set of linemento protect him this year in Blake Langway, Jake Nichols, Isaac Brown and Doug Cagle.

The Bearcats have some turnover in the backfield, but Taylor Cox should provide speed at halfback while Dwight Ashley, Weston Hughes and 220-pound sophomore Anthony Napier supply size and depth at fullback.

Led by linebackers Dwight Ashley and Weston Hughes, McKnight at cornerback and Nichols at tackle, the Booneville defense will be stout and wellbalanced. The Bearcats allowed a conference-best 19.0 points per game last year.

CLARKSVILLE

Clarksville lost most of its skill-position players, but the Panthers still have junior slot back Wesleigh Foster, considered by many the conference's best player.

Foster finished with 816 receiving yards, 501 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns last year as Panthers Coach Michael Banning switched from the I-formation to the Spread offense. Foster has gotten stronger and cut his 40 time to the 4.4-4.5 range.

Junior Trey Schucker steps in at quarterback to replace Damon Redman, who graduated after setting school records by passing for 3,247 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Linebacker Thomas Plugge is the only returning starter on defense for Clarksville, which must improve on the 35.1 points it allowed per game to challenge Booneville.

WEST FORK

West Fork won nine consecutive games last year to earn the4-4A Conference title in Rodney Selph's head coaching debut.

Junior Logan Genz moves from fullback to wide receiver and will be the first option for speedy senior Isaac Muggy, who shifts from receiver to replace three-year starter Daniel Holliday at quarterback. Muggy also can look to senior Lee Gaesswitz, a proven possession receiver in the Spread.

"We feel good about him," Selph said about Muggy. "He's a great athlete, first and foremost. He has some big shoes to fill, but he has a great arm and he's a good decision maker."

POTTSVILLE

Pottsville is a program on the rise and one of a handful of teams capable of grabbing a playoff spot this year.

The Apaches reached the state playoffs for the first time in 2007, Coach Bryan Rust's first year, but slipped to 3-6-1 last season.

Fullback/linebacker Tyler Robertson is a four-year starter and gives Pottsville hope for a rebound. Robertson rushed for close to 500 yards last year and will be counted on to exceed that as the heart of the Apaches' Dead-T offense.

DARDANELLE

Dardanelle's three conference losses last year were by a combined nine points, and all three were road games decided in thefinal minute.

Wide receiver Alston Brown, a 6-3, 230-pound senior, has developed into one of the conference's top players. Brown shifts from tight end, where he caught 43 passes for 700 yards and 6 touchdowns last year. He is also a third-year starter at defensive end after recording 42 tackles last season.

Junior Quayd Standridge moves from wide receiver to quarterback.

OZARK

New Coach Brooks Coatney brings the Spread offense to Ozark, which is looking to bounce back from a 1-9 season that followed conference titles the previous two years.

Senior running back Christian Coody is one of the fastest players in the conference and averaged close to 100 yards rushing per game last year, but he missed four games with an ankle injury. Senior Ben Brooks provides depth behind Coody in the running game.

The Hillbillies are unsettled at quarterback, with senior Tyler Yell trying to hold off juniors Kody Rudolph and Brody Martinez. Jackson Wimberly, a 6-3 senior, is the top returning receiver and starts on defense alongside Martinez in the secondary.

SUBIACO ACADEMY

Michael Berry began his experiment with the Spread offense last year when he returned to coach the Trojans after a fiveyear hiatus.

The plan was successful overall, with Subiaco increasing its scoring average from 10.2 points per game in 2007 to 27.9 last year. However, the Trojans still struggled to a 1-6 record in conference play after outscoring their three Class 2A nonconference opponents 128-16.

"The biggest thing was to instill confidence any way we could," Berry said. "We were going to do the little things right. If we did that, the wins would come."

The Trojans moved 6-3, 210-pound senior Keon Walters from running back to quarterback after Walters gained 1,720 all-purpose yards last year. With his size, speed and versatility, Walters is an ideal athlete to direct the Spread offense.

DOVER

Dover began last season 2-2, but ankle injuries to two key players led to a six-game losing streak the rest of the way.

Senior Colton Williams scored seven touchdowns in the first five games before missing the rest of the season with an ankle injury. He shifts from wide receiver to replace quarterback Trevor Cooper, who played through his ankle injury with limited mobility as a senior last year.

Sports, Pages 74 on 08/30/2009

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