LITTLE ROCK — Conaway, Eagles flying high
Greene County Tech continues to fly higher and higher under Coach Jeff Conaway.
Since Conaway returned to his alma mater in 2008, Greene County Tech is 14-12 overall and earned its first playoff berth since 1991 last season.
The Eagles were only a combined 12-46-2 the previous six seasons.
Conaway, a 1999 Greene County Tech graduate, said he’s tried pattern his program after Class 4A juggernaut Shiloh Christian, where he had spent the previous four years as an assistant.
Shiloh, a private school in Springdale, is seeking its seventh state championship since 1998.
Not only do the Eagles (2-2, 1-0 5A-East) also run a Spread attack, their official football Web site, gctfootball. com, mirrors the Saints’ official site.
“People can say what they want about Shiloh, but here’s what I know because I worked there for four years,” Conaway said. “They outwork everybody. They use their resources very efficiently. If more schools would have that mentality, there would be a lot less complaining about the private schools.”
Conaway has energized apreviously anemic offensive attack.
The Eagles only scored 121 points in finishing 0-10 in 2007. In 10 games the following season, they scored 345 points and senior quarterback Seth Tripod threw for more than 3,000 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Senior Clayton Davis has completed 69 of 126 passes for 1,149 yards and 9 touchdowns this fall. He also leads Greene County Tech in rushing with 399 yards and 4 touchdowns on 53 carries.
Davis hadn’t played since the ninth grade because he was heavily involved in Future Farmers of America.
“I don’t think that I’m surprised what we’ve done because I was fortunate enough to be at Shiloh Christian, where I saw a lot of kids invest in themselves and invest in the program,” Conaway said. “If you’re coached right and you’re committed and you outwork everybody, I think the rewards are quick to follow.
I knew we could get the ball rolling because Greene County Tech does have some good athletes.
“I think the foundation has been laid. If we continue to make improvements like we have each year, with some behind-the-scenes things, I really think we can take our program to the top.”
Conaway said completion of a new high school at the south end of town is scheduled to be completed in January 2012.
The new football facilities will include a stadium with an artificial playing surface and an indoor workout area.
JESSIEVILLE Takes Kehner test
Tonight’s Prescott-Fountain Lake game, a rematch of last year’s Class 3A final, isn’t the only big game in the 5-3A this week.
Friday night, Glen Rose (4-0, 1-0 5-3A) hosts Jessieville (4-0, 1-0) at Beaver Stadium.
Jessieville Coach Don Phillips said the formula for success is simple - stop Glen Rose’s senior running back Steven Kehner.
Kehner, the son of Glen Rose Coach Mark Kehner, is on pace to become one of the most prolific rushers in Arkansas high school history.
Steven Kehner has rushed for 4,650 yards in his career, with 26 games of at least 100 yards.
“He’s the man,” Phillips said. “He’s got more career yards of offense than our whole team’s had for the last three years put together - and that’s no exaggeration.
“The problem is he’s just a part of their offense in terms of accumulated yards.
Their accumulated yards will surpass what we’ve had the last two decades put together.”
Glen Rose, which won the Class 3A state championship in 2007, is averaging 444 total yards per game this fall.
Sophomore quarterback Collin Hunter has completed 29 of 61 passes for 636 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed 37 times for 256 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“Defensively, we’ve got to get some stops,” Phillips said. “They’re going to get their yardage. They’re probably going to get big plays. They’ve probably made more big plays, I would imagine, than any other team in Class 3A football.”
Jessieville’s defense is led by junior end William Nasilai, 5-11, 250 pounds.
Nasilai, who is of Tongan descent, would have been in the defensive line rotation this fall at Euless (Texas) Trinity, which is ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today.
Nasilai played for Jessieville as a sophomore before transferring in the off-season to Euless, where he went through spring practice.
He returned to Jessieville over the summer.
“He’s doing good,” Phillips said.
NASHVILLE
The number
First-year Nashville Coach Tim Perry said junior wide receiver Max Pratt is wearing No. 2 this fall.
The number is normally given to a player who is considered a big-playoffensive threat, a tradition started by Billy Laird, who coached the Scrappers for 12 years before moving to Ruston, La., in 2004.
Perry said the number was presented to several other players, but all chose to keep the number they had as sophomores and juniors.
“But every year as a coaching staff, we’ll evaluate the team and we’ll select a young man or a couple of young men that we think are deserving of that and give them the choice,” Perry said.
Perry said Pratt isn’t a starter, but has played some this season.
Among the players who have worn the number are wide receiver Greg Washington, who caught 27 touchdown passes as a senior in 1996; tailback Willie Hopson, who rushed for more than 5,000 yards before graduating in 2003; and quarterback A.J.
Whitmore, who accounted for more than 10,000 yards running and passing in 2004-2006.
Wide receiver Allen Adams, who was a senior last season, previously had the number.
Super Six
CLASS 5A
RK TEAM (REC.) NEXT 1. Camden Fairview (3-1) at CAC 2. Batesville (4-0) at Paragould 3. Watson Chapel (1-3) at North Pulaski 4. Greenbrier (4-0) at Huntsville 5. Mills (4-0) vs. Sylvan Hills 6. Vilonia (4-0) at Alma
CLASS 4A
RK TEAM (REC.) NEXT 1. Shiloh Christian (3-1) vs. Pea Ridge 2. Pulaski Academy (3-1) vs. Nashville 3. Nashville (4-0) at Pulaski Academy 4. Ashdown (4-0) at Bauxite 5. Booneville (4-0) at Pottsville 6. Lonoke (4-0) at Newport
Sports, Pages 21 on 09/30/2010