CONWAY CHRISTIAN EAGLES

By The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

LITTLE ROCK — BOYS Conference: 5-2A Coach: Shane Davis, second year Assistant coach: Brian Narretto Last year’s record: 8-17, sixth in conference, fourth in district Returning starters: Kirby Powell, 6-1 junior forward/center, 18 points, eight rebounds per game; Caleb Stanton, 6-0 junior guard eight points, five assists; Zach Johnson, 6-5 junior guard/forward, 13 points, eight rebounds; Jeremy Jacobs, 5-10 senior guard, six points, five assists, three steals.

Best inside players: “Kirby Powell is a workhorse on the inside for us,” Davis said. “He plays like he’s 6-6 with great footwork and body control.” He also said he expected Tyler Kalchik, a 6-1 senior, to help on the inside, along with William DenHartog, a 6-2 sophomore who averaged 9 rebounds last year as a freshman on the junior high team.

Best outside players: Davis said Johnson, Stanton and Jacobs, along with junior guard Jackson Wilson, were all good perimeter shooters. Johnson averaged nearly four 3-point field goals per game as a sophomore.

How will you match/exceed/fall short of your success from last year? Davis said he hoped the Eagles would pick up where they left off last year, when they peaked at the right time.

“We had a very good run to the (regionals) last year and a very good first year in the (Arkansas Activities Association),” he said. “We started off very slow (0-8 in the first half of the season, 8-9 in the second half) due to the fact that most of our kids play multiple sports, which gives us about one or two days to practice before the season starts, making it very difficult to compete with the nonfootball-playing schools.” Strengths of team: Four returning starters give the Eagles experience and confidence they didn’t have last year. A solid sophomore class coming off conference and district runner-up finishes should provide depth. Scoring should be more consistent both inside and out.

Weaknesses of team: “We have to be more physical in all aspects this year,” Davis said. “We need more consistency night in and night out, and somehow, some way, we’ve got to get through the first month or two with little to know practice for most of our guys the best we can.” In a nutshell: The Eagles have plenty to build on from last year. “We hope to do so again this year,” Davis said.

EAGLES SCHEDULENov. 12 ........................... Harding Academy Nov. 13 ........................ Episcopal Collegiate Nov. 20 .........................Fayetteville Christian Nov. 23 ........................................ @ Clinton Nov. 24 .......................... Little Rock Christian Dec. 1 ............................................. Lutheran Dec. 4 .............................................Quitman Jan. 8 .............................. Conway St. Joseph Jan. 12 ................................ @ Abundant Life Jan. 15 ......................................@ Quitman

Jan. 16 .......................@ Fayetteville Christian

Jan. 18 ............................. White Co. Central

Jan. 19 ........................................ @ Lutheran

Jan. 22 .........................................@ Bigelow

Jan. 26 ............................ Conway St. Joseph

Feb. 2 ......................@ White County Central

Feb. 4 ..................................... Abundant Life

Feb. 9 ..............................................Bigelow

Feb. 12 ........................................Mayflower

GIRLS

Conference: 5-2A

Coach: Ashley Nance, second year, 19-7

Assistant coach: Kim Powell

Last year’s record: 19-7, second in conference

and district

Returning starters: Mallory Clutts, 6-1 senior,

10 points per game; Cheyenne Wood, 5-4 senior,

seven points per game; Kelly Hays, 5-6 junior,

14 points per game; Christina DenHartog, 5-5

junior, 14 points per game; Bre’Anna Hobbs, 6-1

junior, eight points per game.

Best inside players: Clutts, a senior, averaged

10 points per game last year. Hobbs, a junior,

averaged eight points.

Best outside players: Hays, a junior, averaged

14 points per game. DenHartog, a junior, also

averaged 14; Wood, a senior, averaged seven

during her junior season.

How will you match/exceed/fall short of your

success from last year? The Lady Eagles ex

ceeded expectations in their debut season in

Arkansas Activities Association play, despite

having no seniors. Nance said that experience

would only help this season.

Strengths of the team: Nance said the Lady Ea

gles would be well-rounded and feature a good

inside game and outside game as well as depth.

Weaknesses of the team: “A high school girls

basketball team is made up of teenagers,” Nance

said. “There are times you never know what

you’re going to get.”

Games to watch: Nance pointed to Harding Acad

emy, Clinton, Little Rock Christian and Conway St.

Joseph. Of Little Rock Christian, she said, “This game

should be a true test of what our team is made of this

season. LRC is a (Class) 5A school and is coming off

a great season.” St. Joseph is Conway Christian’s big

gest rival. “Last year all three games went to the wire

in a standing room-only environment,” she said.

Toughest opponent: Conway St. Joseph. “When

Conway Christian and St. Joseph play, it is the place

to be,” Nance said. “The basketball atmosphere is at

its best when we play. They were state runners-up

last season with only one senior who was a starter,

and their junior high team was very good.”

In a nutshell: Nance, who played and coached

under her father, the legendary John Hutch

craft at Guy-Perkins, said, “If we stay healthy, we

should have another good season.” She knows

something about good teams.

River Valley Ozark, Pages 210 on 10/25/2009

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