Dardanelle is the favorite to win the 4-4A Conference, but Coach Josh Price wants no part of the hype.
"I don't know, and I won't talk about it," Price said when asked if the honor was deserved. "It's not something we do. I learned here in 2008, when I was a dumb second-year coach and that's all we talked about. Conference championship. Conference championship. Conference championship.
"In Week 7, we were 5-1 and go to West Fork and lose by two points. Our starting tailback goes down with an ankle injury. Our quarterback is out with a bad shoulder. It was just one of those deals where it snowballed. ... We had preached conference championship all year, but now we can't win it and we got ready for basketball season."
Whether Price likes it or not, the Sand Lizards have to be seriously considered for the league's top honors with 10 starters back on offense and five on defense from a team that finished 8-4 in 2013,
Four offensive linemen are back, including junior right tackle Caleb Hicks, 6-2, 235, junior tackle T.J. Gentry, 6-4, 225, senior left guard Easton Carter, 5-10, 210, and junior guard Josh Holmes, 5-11, 185.
Quarterback Kristian Thompson, 6-0, 235, went down with a broken arm in the second game last fall but returned to lead the Lizards to the second round of the playoffs. Junior Chris Kershner, 5-10, 160, who filled in for Thompson last season, will spend more time at receiver this season. Senior running back T.J. Tucker, 5-7, 140, also is back after running for 1,546 yards and 18 touchdowns a year ago.
Dardanelle's kicking game should be among the best in the state. Senior Gerrardo Hernandez, 5-6, 170, averaged more than 40 yards per punt a year ago.
"Until the seventh grade, all I did was play soccer," said Hernandez, who is also a running back and outside linebacker. "Now I enjoy every part of football. ... I don't have the speed of T.J. or the strength of Kristian. I'm not going to hit the home runs they do, but I know I'm capable of getting a yard or two when we really need a first down."
Depth at linebacker is a concern. Parker Witt, who starred at defensive end a year ago, is attempting to make the adjustment to outside linebacker.
"I'm still learning coverages," said Witt, 6-2, 225. "It's a lot different from last year when I was at defensive end trying to get in the backfield to tackle the quarterback. Now I've got to stay with receivers and take on blockers. It's not all about making the tackle. It's about getting other people free to make the tackle."
Pottsville no longer has quarterback Michael Perry, a four-year starter who threw for more than 10,000 yards in his career, but the Apaches aren't planning a free-fall to the lower tier of the conference. Pottsville returns six offensive and eight defensive starters from last season.
"We've got an unselfish bunch who plays well together and hard for each other," Pottsville Coach Bryant Rust said. "They can make things happen."
Junior Jake Dugger, 5-9, 145, will take over at quarterback.
"Dugger had a lot of success at the junior high level," Rust said. "He has to have a very good year if we're going to be successful. ... He's a smart kid. He's a very competitive kid, and he really wants to win."
The Apaches have depth at the halfback position. Senior Taylor Waddell, 5-10, 150, is at the top of the running back bunch while teammates Josh Dugger, 5-9, 140, Austin Moore, 5-10, 270, Logan Hunt, 5-19, 175 and Alec Metz, 5-10, 140, should all get an opportunity to contribute.
Center Keegan Gray, 5-10, 225, is back for his third year as a starter.
Rust said the Apaches will break in two new tackles on the offensive line, right tackle Bailey Woodson, 6-4, 250, and left tackle David Piker, 6-0, 290.
"They are good enough to do the job, but they have to go out and prove it," Rust said.
Ozark had 12 victories in 2012 but won twice in 2013. The Hillbillies, with 51 players out for football, return six starters on both offense and defense.
Improvement is expected in 2014 while playing in a completely different conference.
"We need to make sure we are more consistent in every area," Ozark Coach Jeremie Burns said. "We've got a lot of experience back. We had a lot of injuries last year and we did a lot of growing up."
The Hillbillies' strength should be in the trenches. Burns said senior right guard Patrick McCartney, 6-1, 265, has had a productive practices, as has senior left tackle Ryan Hopper, 6-2, 205.
Burns also said senior Ryan Jenkins, 5-8, 165, is working well at quarterback.
Injuries took their toll on Subiaco Academy last season. Quarterback Kelly Hollis, 5-11, 180, suffered a hamstring pull in the second game. Receiver Jon Nolasco, 5-8, 130, also was hurt (knee) in Week 2. Christian Lowery, 5-9, 175, suffered a broken arm in Week 3.
Senior receiver/cornerback Demarcus McDaniel, 6-0, 165, will be a player to watch.
Sports on 08/24/2014