A small picture hanging in the new office of Little Rock Central Coach Ellis "Scooter" Register captures a big moment for the football program.
"The drought ends," Register said Friday afternoon as he glanced at the image, dominated by the glowing lights of the scoreboard at Harmon Field in Fayetteville.
LR Central
COACH Ellis “Scooter” Register
CONFERENCE 7A/6A-East
2013 RECORD 7-5
KEY RETURNERS QB Cooper Westbrook, 6-2, 220, Sr.; LB Malcom Williams, 5-10, 235, Sr.; TE Tom Coulter, 6-0, 175, Sr.; WR Hayden McCarty, 5-10, 155, Sr.
SCHEDULE
DATE;OPPONENT
Sept. 1;at Dallas Madison#
Sept. 12;FS Northside
Sept. 19;Bryant&
Sept. 26;at Searcy*
Oct. 3;Jonesboro*
Oct. 10;at Mountain Home*
Oct. 17;Cabot*
Oct. 23;West Memphis*
Oct. 31;at Marion*
Nov. 6;at North Little Rock*&
at Lancaster, Texas
&at War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
*7A/6A-East game
Final: Central 34, Fayetteville 28.
The first-round Class 7A playoff victory last November may have flown under the mainstream radar, but it was another major sign of progress for the Tigers in light of recent events.
Central's victory over the two-time defending Class 7A state champion was its first in the postseason since 2004, and the first time a Little Rock School District team had beaten a 7A-West opponent on the road in the postseason since 1994.
"I think our kids figured out about the middle of the second quarter that they weren't better than we were," Register said. "At halftime, you could kind of see the momentum changing. We really played well. Probably about as well as we could play."
Two weeks earlier, Central clinched its first winning season since 2007 with a 41-35 victory over Marion.
The Tigers finished 7-5 overall -- their most victories since 2006 -- and sent five players to college programs, including All-Metro tailback Logan Moragne (Arkansas State walk on), defensive end Dalvin Simmons (UCA signee) and defensive tackle Daryl Coburn (Missouri State signee).
"All in all, it was a good year," Register said.
Register begins his fifth season at Central with 105 varsity players (grades 10-12), including 36 seniors and 8 returning starters.
Four players -- senior quarterback Cooper Westbrook, senior wide receiver Hayden McCarty, senior tight end Tom Coulter and senior linebacker Malcom Williams -- will be three-year starters.
Westbrook, 6-2, 220 pounds, completed 121 of 238 passes for 1,640 yards and 10 touchdowns last fall.
McCarty caught 37 passes for 378 yards and 1 touchdown. Coulter had 13 receptions for 135 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Williams, 5-10, 235, had 178 tackles last season, including 106 unassisted, 3 1-2 sacks and 3 recovered fumbles.
"We've got good leadership from the senior class," Register said.
Register inherited a program in late 2009 that had lost 21 consecutive games. Under his watch, Central has boosted numbers dramatically, embraced team camps and major 7-on-7 tournaments in the summer and lured a longtime college coach, Clifton Ealy, to coordinate the defense.
Central's coaches moved into plush new offices this summer -- roughly 1,800 square feet -- after converting a loft at the south end of Quigley-Cox Stadium. Seven or so coaches had shared an antiquated office, roughly 500 square feet.
Behind the scenes, the push for a privately funded major renovation of Quigley-Cox Stadium, Central's home since 1936, continues. The ambitious project includes a two-story indoor workout complex at the south end that would be named after Wilson Matthews, an iconic coaching figure in Central's storied history.
"I think the future is bright here, if we can keep the numbers up," Register said. "Last year was huge."
Sports on 08/17/2014