HOT SPRINGS LAKESIDE RAMS: Looking for new weapons

Rams will have to replace o◊ ensive ◊ repower to contend for postseason

— The 2008 Hot Springs Lakeside Rams could depend on a trio of players to carry the offensive load: quarterback Mitchell Scott, running back B.J. Jones and wide receiver Ben Crumpton. In games such as the Rams' 44-27 victory over crosstown rival Hot Springs, the trio combined for 483 yards and five touchdowns. But all three players have graduated, leaving a void in the Rams' 2009 offensive attack.

"[Scott] passed for over 2,000 yards, and B.J. rushed for

like 1,300 or 1,400 yards and that's just in 10

games," Rams head coach Randy Hornbeck

said. "We didn't make the playoffs. [Crumpton]

had over 1,200 yards receiving so that's quite a

bit of offensive firepower we lost." But the cupboard is not completely bare

at Lakeside. In that same Hot Springs game,returning player senior quarterback Will Warren (6-0, 165) caught three passes for 111 yards playing as a junior wide receiver. And junior running back Dennis Brunson (5-7, 170) finished the 2008 season with about 400 yards rushing.

"When we brought two backs into the backfield, [Brunson] was the other guy," Hornbeck said. "I really like the Brunson kid. He's real quick. He's real elusive. He's going to give us that dimension." But after finishing 5-5 in 2008, the 2009 Rams will be young: Warren started on defense and at wide receiver but received no game experience at quarterback, and the team only returns three offensive starters and two defensive starters.

"We're going to be pretty young," Hornbeck said. "We've got some guys that got to play that weren't necessarily starters." Senior receiver Josh Matthews is another skill player with experience but theRams' offensive line is inexperienced, with 6 1, 235-pound senior Matt McCormick and 6-2 265-pound junior Sam Subbiah the only play ers receiving quality playing time in 2008.

"Out entire offensive line is going to be pretty much untested," Hornbeck said. "It' always going to be tough [to replace an entire offensive line]. We've got some good, young kids. We've got two or three sophomores who are going to be pretty good at some point on the offensive line. When you start playing those sophomores you have to really hope and pray they mature." On defense, the Rams only return two start ers: senior cornerback/outside linebacker/safe ty Andre Wesley (5-8, 145) and senior outside linebacker Corey Lawrence (5-9, 175) (Law rence was an offensive starter at wide receiver before tearing his ACL at midseason).

"[Wesley] is real football savvy," Hornbeck said. "He's real aggressive. For being as little as he is he's not scared; he'll come get you."HS LAKESIDE RAMS Sept. 4 .................................White Hall Sept. 11 ...............................at Malvern Sept. 17 ...........................Fountain Lake Sept. 25 ................... Camden Fairview* Oct. 2 ..............................at Magnolia* Oct. 9 ....................at Pulaski Academy* Oct. 16 ..................................... Hope* Oct. 23 .............. at Little Rock Christian* Oct. 30 ......................Pulaski Robinson* Nov. 6 ........................... at Hot Springs*CUTTER MORNING STAR EAGLES

Sept. 4 ................ at Western Yell County

Sept. 11 ...........................Magnet Cove

Sept. 18 ............... at Conway Christian*

Sept. 25 ............................... at Hector*

Oct. 2 ................................... Lutheran*

Oct. 9 ..........................................Ola*

Oct. 16 .............................. at Danville*

Oct. 23 ................................. Quitman*

Oct. 30 ..................... at Mountain Pine*

Nov. 5 ....................................Bigelow*

Tri-Lakes, Pages 16 on 08/30/2009

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