PULASKI COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEWS LR Fair

Skeletal War Eagles aim to 'show up for all games'

The Little Rock Fair War Eagles football team has gone from top to bottom over the span of most its current players' lifetimes.

Fair won an Arkansas state championship in 1999 but over the last seven seasons has won a total of five games. Other than a forfeit that overturned its 52-6 loss to Little Rock McClellan last season, Fair hasn't won a game since a 20-0 victory over North Pulaski in the 2013 season opener.

Fair has 42 players on its roster, counting freshmen and its junior varsity squad. That's at least a half dozen fewer than second-year Coach Roosevelt Turner expected. A total of six players projected by Turner as starters last spring have either transferred to nearby schools or moved out of state. Consequently, Turner said he will begin the 2015 season with limited goals. "I want to make sure we show up for all the games on our schedule and that everyone gets some playing time," he said. "All I can ask for is effort. I just want effort."

Two players Turner said he thought would compete to play quarterback have transferred. A third has not yet had a physical examination and is thus not allowed to practice, and Turner said he has counted him out. He said his two new candidates are freshman Ebrion Lewis, who took limited snaps at quarterback for Mablevale Middle School last season, and sophomore Kalik Brazle, who has never played the position in a sanctioned game.

Turner said Lewis was the most likely starter through the first two weeks of preseason practice, but that Brazle has made strides. "The job is still open," Turner said.

Turner said Brazle has the ability to help Fair at any of the skill positions on offense. Brazle said he expects to start at quarterback. "I've only played quarterback for fun, never in a real game," he said. "But I have good vision, and I can run pretty good. I can see who's open and who's not open, and I can guarantee I'll get it to him."

Brazle is one of three players Turner said have never missed a practice under his guidance, along with senior safety Austin Liand, and junior wide receiver and defensive end Cleo Ridgel.

"Those are the only three guys who put the effort in over the spring and summer to actually try to make a difference," Turner said. "I know I can count of them."

"I stay dedicated," said Liand, who immigrated to Arkansas with his parents from Guangzhou, China, when he was 8. "I work hard. That's my mentality."

Brazle said he hoped his effort would help Fair at least begin to turn around its long run of failure. "I've always been competitive," he said. "I hate losing. I just want to show people that we're a good team and that we try. It's going to take dedication, pride, hard work, and we have to execute plays, and we need more people to come out to help turn this program around."

Little Rock Fair War Eagles

COACH Roosevelt Turner

CONFERENCE 5A-Central

2014 RECORD 1-9

KEY RETURNERS Sophomore wide receiver Barry Sykes; junior tailback Datrick Johnson; sophomore center Demetrius Covington; sophomore quarterback/tailback/wide receiver Kalik Brazle

SCHEDULE

DATE;OPPONENT

Sept. 4 Subiaco Academy

Sept. 11 at Little Rock Parkview

Sept. 18 at Cabot

Sept. 25 Jacksonville

Oct. 2 at Sylvan Hills

Oct. 9 open

Oct. 16 at Little Rock McClellan

Oct. 23 Beebe

Oct. 30 at Pulaski Academy

Nov. 5 LR Mills

Sports on 08/24/2015

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