NEWPORT GREYHOUNDS: Not just any team

THREE RIVERS AREA — When one looks at a 5-6 overall record, the state football playoffs are probably not the first thought that comes to mind. But the Newport Greyhounds are not just any organization. They are the state’s record holder in consecutive playoff appearances. With another playoff game last year, that marked the 23rd straight appearance for the Greyhounds.

Though the Greyhounds lost in the firstround of the state playoffs, the state leading appearances record is still a tremendous feat. One might not expect a second-place finish in the conference with a finishing 5-6 record. But once again, the Greyhounds disappointed the doubters. The Greyhounds took home the 4A runner-up honor.

“What a lot of people do not see is that we play a very tough nonconference season,” head coach Greg Brannon said. “A lot of hard work was the key last season.” The Greyhounds played the likes of Batesville and Winn during the nonconference season. They will also face off with both of the teams again in 2010.

The 2010 Greyhounds hope to improve on last year and make it back to the playoffs for the 24th straight season.

“We are as fast as ever this year,” Brannon said.

Though the squad is very fast, they also lack depth on both sides of the ball. The offensive anddefensive lines are small, and there are not many of them this season, he said.

With all good teams come very good standout players. For the Greyhounds, this honor belongs to senior tailback and free safety Artez Brown. Brown, with his great speed and character, has already committed to Ole Miss for next year.

“[Brown] is just an all-round great athlete and kid with good grades and never gets into trouble,” Brannon said. “He is a world-class individual, and I think that is why the colleges like him so much.” The other key player for the Greyhounds will be junior quarterback Michael Reynolds. In junior high, Reynolds broke all of the passing records at Newport, Brannon said. But for Reynolds to be successful, another group of athletes has to perform up to par in 2010.

“The offensive line has to come off of the ball, and if they do that, we will be fine on offense,” Brannon said.

When a team breaks down a season into strengths and weaknesses, one usually outweighs the other. This is still the case with the 2010 Greyhounds. They are very fast and have senior leadership, he said.

“We are faster than we have been in years,” Brannon said.

For the weaknesses of 2010, the list is a little longer. The Greyhounds have only 32 players taking the field in 2010. That is down quite a bit compared to past seasons and other teams.

“Thirty-two players is the smallest turnout for us in years,” Brannon said. But perhaps the biggest weakness for the Greyhounds is overall depth, he said. “Our numbers are down, and I think that is the case for a lot of schools this year.”

As if the nonconference schedule was not hard enough, the Greyhounds still have to contend with a tough 4A conference for the rest of the games in 2010. Stuttgart, Lonoke and Heber Springs are the top three teams that Newport will have to compete with. Lonoke is returning as the 4A state tournament runner-up. The team was beat by Shiloh Christian in 2010 on a very cold night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

“I think that the numbers at Lonoke and Stuttgart will be down, but barring injury, I think we should compete well this season,” Brannon said.

If the Greyhounds are going to make it back to the state playoffs, they are going to have to concentrate on controlling the ball and the offensive and defensive lines. With plenty of speed and key leadership, the Greyhounds will compete very well this season.

NEWPORT GREYHOUNDSSept. 2 ........................ Batesville Sept. 10 .....................Bald Knob Sept. 17 ..................... @ Wynne Sept. 24 ................@ Cave City* Oct. 1 ...........................Lonoke*

Oct. 8 ..................... @ Stuttgart*

Oct. 15 .......... @ Heber Springs*

Oct. 22 .........................Clinton*

Oct. 29 .................... Marianna*

Nov. 5 .... @ Southside Batesville*

Three Rivers Football, Pages 50 on 08/29/2010

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