Maumelle averaged 4.8 victories per season from 2007 to 2012, but the Hornets broke through for a 10-3 record last season and advanced to the third round of the Class 4A football state playoffs.
If order to repeat or improve this season, they'll have to make up for the loss of dominant forces on offense and defense.
Maumelle Hornets
COACH Mike Buchan
CONFERENCE 5A-West
2013 RECORD 10-3, 6-1 4-4A
KEY RETURNERS Senior quarterback J.B. Minix, junior running back/wide receiver/kick returner Jacob Acklin, senior left tackle Trent Johnson, senior defensive back Nick Ingram and senior defensive back Blake Conner
SCHEDULE
DATE;OPPONENT
Sept. 5;at Jacksonville
Sept. 12;at North Pulaski
Sept. 19;Fountain Lake
Sept. 26;at Harrison
Oct. 3;Clarksville
Oct. 10;at Greenbrier
Oct. 17;Vilonia
Oct. 24;at Morrilton
Oct. 31;at Farmington
Nov. 7;LR Christian
Maumelle Coach Mike Buchan knew all along he would be without defensive end Kendall Donnerson, who graduated and signed to play for Southeast Missouri State, but he didn't know for certain until Thursday that quarterback Tyshaun Robinson would be lost for his senior season after being ruled ineligible.
Robinson rushed for 926 yards and 14 touchdowns last season and completed 52.4 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,760 yards and 14 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
"He was just a great threat at quarterback," Buchan said. "He had a strong arm, enough of an arm that nobody would load the box against us, and he was a great runner. Now he's going to have to buy a ticket to the games. That's going to be tough."
Senior J.B. Minix, Maumelle's leading receiver in 2013, will start at quarterback. Buchan said Minix is similar to Robinson in many way, but the most notable difference is size. Robinson is 6-1, 210 pounds, and Minix is 5-8, 175.
"J.B. will do fine," Buchan said. "He's a little smaller version of [Robinson]. He's also a great runner. He doesn't have quite the power, but he's probably better in the open field and he throws the ball well. And, he'll do anything we ask him."
Buchan said Minix fits the stereotype of past Maumelle's starting quarterbacks.
"A lot of times we don't have what you would call a 'quarterback' quarterback," Buchan said. "Most of the time we end up just putting our best athlete back there and whatever he can throw, he can throw."
The most significant loss might be Minix being used as a receiver after he caught 50 passes for 791 yard and 11 touchdowns last season.
"It's going to hurt us to have Robinson gone because Minix complemented him so well," Buchan said.
Among the receivers returning are junior Gabe Jones, who caught 25 passes for 298 yards last season.
Buchan said many of his returning defensive starters play with more consistency than Donnerson, whose all-or-nothing style occasionally resulted in the big plays for the opposition.
"We still have [senior linebacker] Michael Cole, and [senior defensive back] Nick Ingram, and [senior defensive back] Blake Conner, and [senior linebacker] Gary Burton," Buchan said. "The ones we have back are more consistent than the ones we lost."
Buchan said he will rely heavily on Ingram and Conner.
"They are two of the best secondary people in the state," Buchan said.
The Hornets should help lead a style of defense Buchan has employed throughout his career, which is now in its fourth decade.
"I like to go after people," Buchan said. "I like to have them worried about what we're doing rather than our worrying so much about what they're doing. We're going to adjust to their motion and their sets and try to stay gap sound, but after that we're going to go after people."
Sports on 08/23/2014