LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Activities Association will probably survey member schools next spring regarding the extension of the summer dead period for athletes from two weeks to three weeks, AAA Executive Director Lance Taylor said.
Taylor said the survey would be in response to growing support for extending the dead period, which began in 2008 and prohibits “coaches from engaging in any type of activity involving student athletes,” including practice, training, weight lifting, competition or travel to events like team camps or 7-on-7 competition, during the last two weeks in June.
“We’ve even heard that, to tell you the truth, from the football coaches association,” Taylor said. “There’s a lot of people talking about that.”
An explosion of 7-on-7 passing leagues, 7-on-7 tournaments, team camps and collegiate prospect camps during the summer has made football in Arkansas an almost year-round endeavor for many schools.
Fayetteville Coach Daryl Patton, who is president of the Arkansas High School Coaches Association, said he believes extending the dead period to three weeks is a “great idea.”
Patton said his players had three weeks off this summer - the mandated dead period and the first week in July.
“Our kids liked it; we liked it,” said Patton, who led Fayetteville to Class 7A state championships in 2007 and 2011. “We came back fresh and ready. I know there were a lot of schools that came back the week of July 4. But looking at the pros and cons, I just felt like it would be tough with the Fourth being on a Wednesday. Some kids would be out of town early and some late. It worked out well.”
Any extension of the dead period wouldn’t take effect until 2014, at the earliest.
Typically, spring survey results are presented to the AAA’s 19-member board of directors during its annual summer workshop in June.
The board would then make a recommendation on what would be a proposal to go before AAA-member schools in August.
Taylor said normally spring surveys that receive at least 66 percent support from schools automatically go before the governing body for the August vote.
CROSSETT A new era
Mark Kelley is only 25 years old, but he said he’s ready for his first head coaching assignment.
Kelley, Crossett’s offensive coordinator last fall, was promoted in the off season to replace interim coach Brad Bradshaw.
Kelley has a resume for success.
He threw for 2,050 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior at Morrilton in 2003.
His father, Ed, is an assistant at Dover and the former coach at Salem.
Mark Kelley also played quarterback for Arkansas coaching legend Jimmy “Red” Parker as a senior at Fordyce in 2004, played quarterback for new Ole Miss Coach Hugh Freeze at Lambuth (Tenn.) University and coached receivers at Ouachita Baptist before moving to Crossett in 2011.
Kelley said his age shouldn’t be a concern because of who he’s played and worked for.
“I’ve think that I’ve been around football, good football, for a long time,” said Kelley, a 2005 Fordyce graduate. “I’ve been around a lot of good high school coaches and then I was around good college coaches. When you’re there at Ouachita Baptist, and the only thing you do is football, I feel like a year there is worth two or three coaching high school because that’s all you do.”
Kelley said the Eagles, who are dropping to Class 4A for the 2012-2014 cycle, are committed to the Spread offense.
One of the biggest losses to graduation was running back Orlando Robinson, also one of the state’s top sprinters.
Kelley said Robinson plans to play football this fall for Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College.
MAGNOLIA Tough month
Magnolia didn’t win a game in Friday’s Oil Town 7-on-7 passing tournament at Smackover, but the scoreboard wasn’t a concern, Panthers Coach Robert Day said.
It was about healing emotionally.
“We needed to get out of the house and be together,” Day said.
Magnolia’s program was rocked July 4 when senior linebacker Justin Smith was killed and senior linebacker Zach Ellis seriously injured after a homemade sparkler bomb exploded prematurely, Day said.
Day said the Panthers took a week off to “rally around” Ellis in the hospital.
“It’s been a tough deal,” Day said.
Day said Ellis has been released from the hospital, but has yet to be cleared to play this fall.
Day also had to hire a new offensive line coach after Josh Willeford left earlier this month for a position at Jonesboro-Hodge (La.) High School.
He also said Mike O’Dell, formerly the head coach at Magnolia Junior High School, has been tapped to replace Willeford.
Bill Brasher is returning to Magnolia as the new junior high head coach, Day said.
Brasher was Magnolia’s defensive line coach before spending the 2011-2012 school year as an assistant cross country/track and field coach at Cabot.
SMACKOVER Strong in 7-on-7
Smackover completed its 7-on-7 tournament schedule by winning the second annual Oil Town on Friday afternoon at Buckaroo Stadium in Smackover.
Smackover also finished third in the Slingin’ in the South on June 1 at Arkansas-Monticello and runner up in the Fountain Lake tournament July 7.
“We’ve had a real good summer,” Smackover Coach Brian Strickland said. “We didn’t even get a spring practice this year because our baseball team made the finals and our track team did so well at state. We threw the ball around two days and went to UAM. It’s kind of carried over.”
Smackover finished 6-0-1 in the Oil Town, beating Norphlet 47-41 in double overtime in the championship game.
The Buckaroos were without standout junior running back/middle linebacker Kevante Lowery, who is recovering from heat related illness.
Strickland said Lowery, a college prospect, will be held out until fall practice begins July 30.
Sports, Pages 25 on 07/22/2012