From puppy to pack leader

Extra attention OK with Alma's top dog

— Lab work helped turn Alma's Isaac McCoy into a star.

When McCoy was a child, his parents turned him loose in the yard with a pack of Labrador retriever puppies. McCoy was told to keep the puppies from catching him.

"They said that's where I got all my moves from," McCoy said. "They'd catch me and trip me up sometimes."

McCoy is still trying to stay a step ahead of the pack, although now the pack consists of Bulldogs, Devil Dogs and the rest ofthe 5A-West Conference. McCoy, a 6-1, 168-pound junior, has developed into one of the state's best athletes.

"He's the most talented kid I've coached in 26 years," Alma Coach Todd Dilbeck said. "He's a kid who has unbelievable speed and he has great hands.

"When the ball touches his hands, he's going to do something special."

McCoy had nearly 800 yards in combined offense rushing and receiving last year. A wide receiver in the Airedales' Spread offense, he also took snaps in theWildcat-style formation.

"Every opportunity we can, we're going to give him the ball," Dilbeck said. "He'll make plays that make you say, 'How did he do that?' He's got it. Some kids have it, and he's got it."

Dilbeck said he expects even bigger and better things from McCoy this season. Other 5AWest coaches also know that Mc-Coy will be more dangerous.

"This year, he will be even more of a weapon," Siloam Springs Coach Bryan Ross said.

Greenwood Coach Rick Jones said McCoy is difficult to defend because he is tall and fast. He also was impressed that Dilbeck, a longtime friend, called McCoy the most talented player in his coaching career.

"McCoy has a huge reach, and he's very athletic," Jones said. "He makes plays all over the place. He's scary. He's a smooth, smooth athlete."

Knowing that opposing coaches are aware of his talents and are intent on not letting him beat them inspired Mc-Coy to work hard this offseason and in practice. McCoy, though, said even if opponents shut him down, his teammates will fill the void.

"I like that," McCoy said. "When they all get targeted in on me, I've got teammates who will show that they're good, too.

"I always have to be ready for anything."

McCoy excels in football even though it isn't his favorite sport. McCoy led the Airedales to the 5A-West Conference basketball title as a sophomore point guard.

McCoy was named to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Northwest basketball team after averaging 20 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds a game. He spent some of this summer playing AAU basketball in Fort Smith but has since thrown himself back into football.

One of McCoy's goals this season is to go the entire year without dropping a pass. He said he spends time after practices working on his catching.

It's part of what he feels is his new responsibility of being a leader.

"I try to be first in line," Mc-Coy said. "I take it seriously."

McCoy's love of sports came naturally. Both of his parents played basketball, as did his two older sisters.

C.J. McCoy, Isaac's brother who is seven years older, was a standout basketball player for Alma and played in the 2003 Arkansas High School CoachesAssociation All-Star game. C.J. McCoy played one year of football at Alma.

Isaac McCoy would tag along with his older siblings. Watching them play made him want to play all the more.

"I always had to be on the sideline when they played sports," McCoy said. "[C.J. Mc-Coy] pushed me into sports."

Alma Airedales

COACH Todd Dilbeck

LAST SEASON 6-5

OFFENSE Spread

DEFENSE 4-3

RETURNING STARTERS Offense 6, defense 5

POINTS SCORED PER GAME 29.1

POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME 27.6

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH Isaac Mc-Coy (6-1, 168, WR, Jr.); Jesse Pennington (6-4, 235, OL, Sr.); Nathan Workman (6-4, 195, WR, Sr.); Patrick Lewis (5-9, 175, RB, Sr.)

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH Ethan Vogel (5-10, 250, DT, Sr.); Brandon Wilson (6-3, 250, DE, Sr.); Jason Hensley (6-3, 225, LB, Jr.); Aaron Craig (6-0, 165, DB, Jr.)

KEEP AN EYE ON Burke Broadfoot. Broadfoot, 5-5, 165, has big shoes to fill replacing graduated standout quarterback Matt Vinson, but Alma Coach Todd Dilbeck isn't concerned. Broadfoot is a decent passer but a strong runner and makes smart decisions in the pocket, Dilbeck said.

OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK The Airedales have talented skill players in Patrick Lewis, Isaac Mc-Coy, Nathan Workman and Mikai Williams. Team speed is much improved. Burke Broadfoot needs to have a good year at quarterback and avoid making mistakes.

DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK Alma has talented defensive linemen and linebackers. Better team speed will allow the Airedales to be more aggressive defensively.

SEASON OUTLOOK The Airedales took a big step back to prominence in Dilbeck's second year. Alma has enough talent to make another run at the conference title and maybe even make some noise in the playoffs.

KEY GAME Nov. 6 vs. Greenwood. Last year, the game was for the conference title and was won by Greenwood. This year's game could decide the conference again.

QUOTING COACH DILBECK "We are real excited. We have more returning starters than we have had the past three years. The biggest key for us is staying injury-free."

Sports, Pages 50, 51 on 08/30/2009

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