John Fogleman's first season as Little Rock Catholic's football coach was marked by a sluggish start, but a strong finish.
After being soundly beaten by Little Rock Central (38-14) and Cabot (40-20) to open 2013, Catholic parlayed three consecutive late-season victories into a playoff berth and a 5-6 finish.
LR Catholic
COACH John Fogleman
CONFERENCE 7A/6A-Central
2013 RECORD 5-6, 4-3
KEY RETURNERS WR/CB Cole Moore, 6-1, 185, Sr.; DE Hayden Hum, 6-2, 225, Sr.; QB Andre Sale, 6-2, 205, Jr.
SCHEDULE
DATE;OPPONENT
Sept. 4;North Little Rock
Sept. 12;at Cabot
Sept. 19;LR Parkview
Sept. 26;at Alma*
Oct. 3;Bryant*
Oct. 10;at Russellville*
Oct. 16;Siloam Springs*
Oct. 24;at Conway*
Oct. 31;at Greenwood*
Nov. 7;Van Buren*
*7A/6A-Central game
How high did the Rockets climb in a little more than two months?
Catholic lost 21-14 to eventual Class 7A playoff semifinalist Conway in the regular-season finale and pushed preseason overall No. 1 Springdale Har-Ber in a first-round playoff game before falling 28-17.
"You hate to lose, obviously, at the end, but we were proud," Fogleman said. "You have some talented teams sometimes that don't reach their potential, but those guys last year got better. That's what it's about."
Although senior Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Metro utility back D.J. Brown moved to North Little Rock in the offseason, Catholic returns nine starters and added an impact transfer in senior center/nose guard Luc Bequette, 6-2, 281 pounds.
Bequette, who has orally committed to California, previously played at Champaign (Ill.) Centennial.
Bequette is the son of former Arkansas offensive lineman Chris Bequette and Debi Thomas -- a 1988 Olympic bronze medalist in figure skating -- and a cousin of New England Patriots defensive end Jake Bequette, a former standout at Catholic and Arkansas.
"Everybody needs linemen," Fogleman said. "Luc is going to provide some much-needed depth on both sides of the ball. He's strong."
Fogleman said Bequette bench presses 355 pounds and squats 475 pounds.
"He's just now got to get comfortable with our scheme," Fogleman said.
Junior Andre Sale, 6-2, 205, is projected to start at quarterback. Fogleman said Sale played extensively in several games last fall and has a strong arm.
Fogleman said he likes his team's depth at wide receiver, noting senior Cole Moore, 6-1, 185, has been offered a scholarship by Ouachita Baptist and 6-5 senior Trey Purifoy could create matchup problems because of his height.
Senior Burke Sanders, 5-10, 170, caught 16 passes last fall.
Defensively, senior end Hayden Hum, 6-2, 225, is a returning starter. Senior Anthony Smith, 6-0, 220, returns at linebacker. Moore and senior Will Jennings, 6-0, 190, return in the secondary.
A Little Rock native, Fogleman arrived at Catholic in the spring of 2013 after a six-season run at Class 4A Malvern, highlighted by a state runner-up finish in 2011.
Catholic's five victories last fall equaled its second-highest total in the past five seasons.
"It's going to take some time," Fogleman said. "We want to improve and build the program within the framework of what Catholic High stands for, and that's academics first. But there's no reason we can't have good athletics as well."
Sports on 08/13/2014