Arkansas Baptist should feature a lot of McGonigal to McGonigal this fall.
At a glance
ARKANSAS BAPTIST
COACH Brad Helm (Sixth season)
CONFERENCE 4-4A
2014 RECORD 3-7
KEY RETURNERS QB Cory McGonigal (Sr., 6-0, 165), WR Chad McGonigal (Sr.,
6-0, 175), OL Nathanael Himes (Sr., 5-10, 225), LB Jake Riddle (Sr., 6-5,
185), LB Jacob Long (Jr., 5-10, 185)
SCHEDULE
DATE;OPPONENT
Sept. 1 vs. CAC (War Memorial Stadium)
Sept. 11 at Cross County
Sept 18 Booneville
Sept. 25 at Robinson*
Oct. 2 Pottsville*
Oct. 9 at Dardanelle*
Oct. 16 at Subiaco*
Oct. 23 Clinton*
Oct. 30 at Ozark*
Nov. 5 Dover*
* 4-4A game
Twins Cory and Chad McGonigal hooked up 36 times for 516 yards and 9 touchdowns last season. If Eagles Coach Brad Helm has his way, the brothers will provide even more of an offensive punch this season.
"They have a brotherly connection," said Helm, who enters his sixth year at the school. "They like to throw to each other. They've thrown to each other all of their lives. They know what each other is thinking. They know when the other is about to make their move."
Arkansas Baptist averaged 22.6 points in nine full games last season -- the Eagles' 21-0 loss to Dardanelle was cut short before the end of the first quarter because of heavy rains -- and with quarterback Cory McGonigal and a solid core of receivers returning, the Eagles should continue to put up impressive offensive numbers.
"Cory is a little bit of everything," Helm said of McGonigal, who has thrown for a combined 1,957 yards the past two seasons. "He's a pocket passer. He can step back and throw the ball. And when it's time to scramble, he can do it. With his basketball background, he has that knack for making a play where he's able to scramble and find that open person."
Chad McGonigal will not be the lone offensive target for his brother. Junior Payne Warren, 6-3, 185, has stepped up his game, Helm said.
"He did a great job during our 7-on-7 season and he's doing exactly what we're asking," Helm said of Warren. "He's going above and beyond what we've expected of him."
Senior Trever Toney, 5-11, 165, could also be a "primary target" as a receiver.
Seniors Andre Maloy, 5-10, 180, and Thomas Lewis, 5-11, 185, should get the majority of the carries in the backfield.
Nathanael Himes is the senior on the Eagles' offensive line, but juniors Bobby Harvill, 6-1, 250, and Clint Henderson, 6-1, 275, are also returning starters.
Improvement on defense might also be in the works for the Eagles.
"Defensively, we're changing our style," said Helm, whose team gave up 352 points last season. "For us, it's always been 'What's going to work for us this year?' ... In the 4-4A, you've got to stop the run. We're putting more people in the box. We're going to do what it takes.
"The big thing is we bumped up our off-season program. We made our defensive linemen and linebackers understand that we've got to get bigger and we've got to get stronger to play in this league."
Leading that charge will be senior linebackers Jake Riddle and Jacob Long and junior Luke Vaden.
"That's where it's going to start," Helm said. "They take it seriously. They love the game of football and they want to play at the next level, so they're working hard in the weight room and they're working hard on the practice field for us."
Riddle, who led the Eagles with 82 tackles last season, is hard to miss with a 6-5, 185-pound frame. The coach says Riddle is also quick.
"He runs about a 4.5 40," Helm said of Riddle. "He can cover the field, sideline to sideline. And he has the bad attitude when he gets there, which is kind of nice to have."
The Eagles will get an early start to the season, playing Central Arkansas Christian at War Memorial Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 1, for the second year in a row.
"I like playing early," Helm said. "Anything you do that first week, you've already prepared for. When you play on a Tuesday of the first week, you get an extra three days to recover and work on improvements."
Sports on 08/16/2015