PULASKI COUNTY PREVIEW SYLVAN HILLS

Withrow optimistic about a defensive bounce back

Vilonia running back Cody Mitchell (center) is brought down by several Sylvan Hills defenders during a game last season. The Bears return fi ve defensive starters from a team that finished 6-4 and gave up nearly 29 points per game in 2015.
Vilonia running back Cody Mitchell (center) is brought down by several Sylvan Hills defenders during a game last season. The Bears return fi ve defensive starters from a team that finished 6-4 and gave up nearly 29 points per game in 2015.

Fourteenth in a series profiling Pulaski County high school football teams.

Jim Withrow is enthusiastic when he talks about the Sylvan Hills defense, and he has high hopes the unit will have others heaping praise on it as well.

Sylvan Hills at a glance

COACH Jim Withrow

CONFERENCE 5A-Central

2015 RECORD 6-4

KEY RETURNERS QB Jordan Washington (Sr., 6-2, 200), WR Ryan Lumpkin (Jr., 5-10, 170), Slot Deon Youngblood (Jr., 5-8, 165), C Tucker Price (Jr., 5-8, 246), OL Garon Martin (6-5, 269), LB Ty Compton (Jr., 5-10, 183), DB Cameron Flippo (Sr., 5-9, 141), DB Fred Mackey (Sr., 5-6, 162), DB Darius Waddell (Jr., 6-0, 162).

“I like them,” Withrow said. “[Linebacker Ty] Compton is a very good player. Andre [Collins], a defensive end, is fast off the edge. [Defensive end] Cole [Miller] does a good job. I like those guys, and they’re going to get better as they go along. They’re good kids. They play hard. They get after it.”

Sylvan Hills gave up an average of 28.8 points a game last season after the Bears faded late in the year, giving up 39.3 points a game in their final four contests. Five defensive starters are back from a 6-4 team, but no one returns on the defensive line.

While the Bears’ past performances do not appear to stack up to Withrow’s avidity of his team’s defense, the coach is not backing down.

“It’s not the finished product,” Withrow said. “But at the end of the season, I think they’ll be the story. They are a group that’s looking for some respect and a group that’s looking for a little bit of fame.”

Collins, a 5-11, 200-pound senior who did not play a year ago, “has got an engine,” his coach said. “And I think the team will rally behind him.”

Senior defensive back Cameron Flippo, 5-9, 141, intercepted seven passes in 2015.

“He does a great job of talking the guys up,” Withrow said.

Compton, a 5-10, 183-pound junior, is the team’s lone returning linebacker. Senior linebacker Eric Givens, 5-8, 183, “plays as hard as anybody I’ve seen in a long time.”

Senior Fred Mackey, 5-6, 162, and junior Darius Waddell, 6-0, 162, are returners in the secondary.

Senior William Elliott, 6-1, 254, and junior Brenann Shelton, 5-10, 262, are newcomers to the defensive line, but Withrow raves about both. Elliott intercepted a tipped pass during the Bears’ scrimmage against Greenbrier.

Offensively, the Bears scored at least two touchdowns in every game last season and averaged 38.8 points.

Quarterback Jordan Washington passed for more than 1,300 yards and accounted for another 1,300 yards on the ground.

“He’s really improved throwing the ball,” Withrow said. “He’s 6-2 and 200 pounds, so he’s not easy to bring down. He’s smart. He’s got a good football IQ , and he’s mature. He’s got all of the intangibles that you want as a quarterback.”

Junior Deon Youngblood, 5-8, 165, ran for more than 500 yards last season and will share carries with junior Daelyn Fairrow, 5-6, 168, and senior tailback Jamar Porter, 5-4, 173.

Junior Ryan Lumpkin, 5-10, 170, returns as a starter at wide receiver. Withrow said juniors Jamar Lane, 5-11, 162, and Payton Terry, 6-0, 162, are capable of having big games at receiver.

Withrow said sophomore kicker Tito Mendoza is a threat to score points anytime the Bears advance inside the 25-yard line.

“I think we’re going to throw it more this year,” Withrow said. “We’ve worked hard on throwing it. That was the thing that we saw as our Achilles’ heel last year was that we ran it so well.

“We got down to that final stretch of games against good teams, and they were geared up to stop it. We didn’t have an answer for it. So we’ve worked really hard on our passing game, and we think we’ve gotten better at it. We better be better at it because we’ve spent enough time on it.”

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