Football: Spring capsules

Bentonville West quarterback Will Jarrett dives into the end zone for a score on Nov. 10, 2016, during the Wolverines’ first-round playoff game against Cabot at the Tiger Athletic Complex in Bentonville. Jarrett, the All-NWADG Division I Newcomer of the Year last season, returns to lead the Wolverines in their second season.
Bentonville West quarterback Will Jarrett dives into the end zone for a score on Nov. 10, 2016, during the Wolverines’ first-round playoff game against Cabot at the Tiger Athletic Complex in Bentonville. Jarrett, the All-NWADG Division I Newcomer of the Year last season, returns to lead the Wolverines in their second season.

Spring Prep Football Capsules

Bentonville High Tigers

2016 RECORD 10-2 (6-1 7A-West Conference)

RETURNING STARTERS Offense 2, Defense 4

WHAT'S NEW There will be plenty of new faces in Bentonville's starting lineup this year, particularly in the Tigers' offensive and defensive line and a majority of the linebacker spots. Coach Jody Grant said this is the first time in a long while that Bentonville has to replace so many starters on both sides of the ball, but it's not like the Tigers will be in total rebuilding mode. Some of these players did gain some playing time and experience last year.

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Springdale Har-Ber linebacker Oliver Nasilai (35) celebrates tackling Erick Mendez of Springdale High for a loss Sept. 30, 2016, at Wildcat Stadium in Springdale. Nasilai, the All-NWADG Division I Defensive Player of the Year last season, returns to lead a strong Wildcats’ defense this fall.

SPRING STORYLINES Bentonville must replentish its receiving corps and find players that will complement its two returning starters -- receiver Kam'ron Mays-Hunt and tight end Tyler Johnson. With Nathan Lyons likely assuming the starting quarterback spot, it gives the Tigers an added dimension in the running game, and they hope to incorportate that into their usual offensive package.

COACHSPEAK "We like some of the youth we have coming in this season. They have worked really hard in the offseason, and their time is here. This group that will be sophomores has some very good skill position guys, and it has a lot of potential. You do as much as your kids can handle, and each class is different. This class seems to be understanding what we are doing, and we're already farther along than what we've been with som eof the other groups." -- Bentonville coach Jody Grant.

Bentonville West Wolverines

2016 RECORD 3-8 (3-4 7A-West Conference)

RETURNING STARTERS Offense 11, Defense 11

WHAT'S NEW A lot of things will remain the same since West had no seniors last year, but coach Bryan Pratt believes five new players have a chance to contribute -- even though they haven't played football before -- if they can quickly adapt and learn the Wolverines' style of play. That group includes basketball players Levi Rutherford and Ben Larsen, as well as Shawn Gardner, a transfer from Missouri.

SPRING STORYLINES Barring transfers or players quitting, the Wolverines will have everybody back from last year's team, plus Pratt welcomes a group of freshmen who played in the Northwest Arkansas Conference junior high championship last fall. That will give West additional depth that it didn't have last year and possibly keep several players from having to play on both sides of the football.

Pratt said there are two major areas West must address before the 2017 season begins, and both have to do with running the football. The Wolverines must establish a more effective ground game, where quarterback Will Jarrett was the team's leading rusher with 541 yards and the team just scored five touchdowns on the ground. West must also become more physical on both sides of the ball, particularly on the offensive line in order to protect Jarrett and help improve the ground game, as well as in the defensive front seven, where the Wolverines want to stop opposing teams' running game.

COACHSPEAK "It's definitely a different situation now when we're talking about a varsity team with 120-plus kids as opposed to one with 70. It's going to be a lot of fun having a full boat, you could say. We're definitely a different team than we were at this time last year, and definitely more experienced and seasoned. They understand the speed of the game a lot more. I feel like our kids have had a great offseason, and now it's time to start preparing for next season." -- West coach Bryan Pratt.

-- Henry Apple • @nwahenry

Fayetteville Bulldogs

2016 RECORD 12-1 (6-1 7A-West Conference)

RETURNING STARTERS Offense 4, Defense 2

WHAT'S NEW Billy Dawson was hired as head coach in January after leading Russellville to the Class 6A state title. Despite the Purple'Dogs winning back-to-back 7A state championships and four state titles in the past six seasons, Dawson is the program's third head coach in less than a year. He's installing a 4-2-5 defensive scheme and will primarily run a one-back spread offense while also mixing in "some two-back stuff."

SPRING STORYLINES In addition to implementing a new system, Fayetteville will replace quarterback Taylor Powell, a Missouri signee who was named the Arkansas Gatorade Player of Year. Darius Bowers, a 6-foot-2, 188-pound junior, is the leading candidate after serving as Powell's back-up last season. Other candidates are sophomores Hank Gibbs, Connor Flannigan and Beau Stuckey and senior Matt Burton. Bowers will be aided by the return of receivers Cody Gray and Kris Mulinga and guards Cameron Ervin and Gunner Sebastian. Senior running back Dan Hinton saw significant playing time and will help as well.

COACHSPEAK "They have responded really well to the transition and have made it really smooth for us. Been really proud of their sweat value, work ethic and attention to detail; I don't know if they could have handled it any better. My wife (Karen Dawson, who will celebrate 25 years of marriage on May 23) got us moved in and got pictures on the wall, so we feel at home. We have enjoyed all of the Fayetteville Bulldogs things and really all things about Northwest Arkansas. It's been a really good, really smooth transition for us, too." -- Fayetteville coach Billy Dawson.

Farmington Cardinals

2016 RECORD 3-7 (2-5 5A-West Conference)

RETURNING STARTERS Offense 7, Defense 4

WHAT'S NEW The main change this offseason has been switching from a 4-2-5 to a 4-3 defense. Because of a variety of stunts and blitzes out of the 4-2-5, the coaching staff believes defenders were out of position far too often to make plays. Moving to a 4-3 should help the team focus more on basic technique and be "faster to the football."

SPRING STORYLINES Senior Trey Waggle returns at quarterback after completing 50.8 percent of his pass attempts last season. However, Waggle has missed time during the offseason with back issues, which has allowed junior Seth Swain to get extra work and he's made enough progress that he's given coaches confidence that he can compete for playing time. Eric Hill also will vie for reps after finishing up baseball. Whichever quarterback is under center, he'll get some help from an emerging playmaker in junior running back in Dimariae Donovan. The 5-6, 135-pounder ran the 100-meter dash in 11.4 seconds this spring and is among the strongest players on the team pound-for-pound.

COACHSPEAK "I feel like we've had a really, really good offseason. We've made some jumps in the weight room and we're starting to get our numbers up as a football team. We should have 72 out there for first day of spring and there's another seven or eight that play baseball, so we'll have around 80 kids total. It's a step in right direction as far as closing in on Alma and Greenbrier and other 5A schools, so we're making progress there." -- Farmington coach Mike Adams

-- Mike Capshaw • @NWACappy

Rogers High Mounties

2016 RECORD 6-5 (3-4 7A-West Conference)

RETURNING STARTERS Offense 3 Defense 4

WHAT'S NEW The Mounties will a look at a couple of good athletes, who will be trying football for the first time at the high school level. Tony Casey and Garrett Dake will both trade basketball jerseys for shoulder pads. The athletic Casey (6-2, 200) will get a look at outside linebacker, while the 6-foot-4 Dake will play receiver. In addition, Andrew McGlynn, who played in the secondary and was the backup quarterback last season, will also get some time at receiver. The Mounties will also change from from a 4-3 defesnive alignment to 3-4 .

SPRING STORYLINES Coach Mike Loyd will get a look at plenty of new faces, some younger and others coming over from different sports. But the thing they will have in common is lack of playing experience on Friday night. But Loyd also believes they share athletic ability, which should improve overall. The search for a starting quarterback and running back will be key, but the Mounties also return just one starting offensive linemen.

COACHSPEAK "I'm excited about some of the younger kids we've got coming up. I think our sophomore and freshmen groups have a good combination of linemen and skill kids. That's huge. We'll be young, but I'm excited about the abilities of some of the kids we have. We're going to be a differen team from last year. We have to figure out what kind of identity we're going to be, especially offenisvely." -- Rogers High coach Mike Loyd

Rogers Heritage War Eagles

2016 RECORD 1-9 (1-6 7A-West Conference)

RETURNING STARTERS Offense 5, Defense 4

WHAT'S NEW Zero week won't go into effect until 2018, but Heritage has already lined up Fort Smith Northside as an opening-game opponent since Russellville has already said it will drop Heritage for Conway in the new cycle. The only change in coaching staff responsibilities is Jason Upton will go from running backs to defensive line. Defensive coordinator Paul Wilson had also been coaching the D-line. Coach Tony Travis will now coach running backs.

SPRING STORYLINES The biggest question to be answered is on the offensive line where guard Armando Lugo is the lone returning starter. The 5-10, 263-pound rising senior is also coming off knee surgery to repair a torn miniscus which cost him the final four-plus games of last season. Several others got some playing time on Friday night because of a rash of injuries last season, but now they will need to take the next step to become starters. Travis said his team has made significant gains strength-wise already -- something that was a focal point of the offseason.

Having returners at quarterback, tailback and receiver gives Travis some flexibility to look at some younger players in those spots and even see what players like receivers Jay De La Rosa and Zach Gall and tailback Dylan Qualls can do in the secondary.

COACHSPEAK "It's going to be an important 10 days for us. A lot of times if you've got a lot of returning starters, spring ball is more about getting your younger guys involved. There's going to be a lot of things decided for us in these 10 practices over starting positions. We've got a lot of them up for grabs. I hope these guys realize the opportunity that's in front of them. It's there for the taking." -- Heritage coach Tony Travis

-- Paul Boyd • @NWAPaulB

Springdale Har-Ber Wildcats

2016 RECORD 8-3 (6-1 7A-West)

RETURNING STARTERS Offense 4, Defense 6

WHAT'S NEW Har-Ber officially begins life post-Trey Smith, the school's all-time leader in receptions. In February, the 5-foot-8 receiver signed with Arkansas Tech just months after accounting for 52 percent of Har-Ber's receiving yards and 11 of the Wildcats' 16 passing scores. He also averaged 8.1 yards per carry on 35 touches and was tied for second on the team with five rushing touchdowns. Smith (771) was the lone Wildcats receiver with more than 155 yards receiving last season.

SPRING STORYLINES Coach Chris Wood's offense will not lack playmakers out of the backfield this fall. The Wildcats' leading rusher from a season ago, Payton Copher, will make the move from quarterback to tailback, a position he became familiar with toward the end of last season. Pair Copher's big-play ability with rising senior Logan Collins and Har-Ber has one of the more explosive 1-2 rushing options in the state. Collins rushed for 140 yards per game in the first four weeks of the 2016 season before an ankle injury limited his touches. Connor Sikes, a junior, will be another option after rushing for 514 yards and five scores last fall.

Wood, prior to last season, told the NWADG he believed the 2016 Har-Ber defense would be the fastest the program had seen. This year, it might be even faster. Wood says Copher -- a Har-Ber track star -- is likely to see time at safety as well, joining Tevin Eckwood, another track speedster, Brock Pounders, Blaze Brothers and others in the secondary. Pounders, Brothers and Eckwood combined for seven interceptions and 18 pass deflections last season.

COACHSPEAK "I'm excited about the group. They've worked really hard and showed up. They enjoy coming into the fieldhouse and trying to get better. They're excited about playing; they love football. They want to get better. I like our team. It's a group of guys that are really focused. We've got more depth than we've ever had and when you've got guys who like to compete and you've got to work for it it makes you better." -- Har-Ber coach Chris Wood

-- Scottie Bordelon • @NWAScottie

Springdale High Bulldogs

2016 RECORD 4-7 (2-5 7A-West)

RETURNING STARTERS Offense 8, Defense 7

WHAT'S NEW Springdale coach Zak Clark is welcoming in what he considers to be the top sophomore class of his tenure with the Red'Dogs. He is remaining cautiously optimistic at this juncture, but the group has a contributor at nearly every position and Clark could envision 4-5 kids pushing for significant playing time. There will be no rush to throw the underclassmen on the field on Friday nights, though, unless the staff believes it can maximize certain players' athleticism and ability. In the past, with a group like this, a majority of them would have to factor in right away, he said.

SPRING STORYLINES On April 4, Springdale rising senior linebacker Dylan Sisemore (6-0, 210) finally got the news he'd been anxiously waiting to hear. Sisemore, who was sidelined all of last year with yet another knee injury, was 100 percent cleared by doctors. He will not go through contact during spring practices, but has his sights set on fall camp. Sisemore has had three knee surgeries since Nov. 2015 and will be one of the leaders on Clark's defense at the second level once he returns.

Since football season ended in early November, defensive end Isaiah Nichols has been on the radar of a number of college coaches across the country. And the list grows by the day. As of the start of spring practice, Nichols has scholarship offers from Divison I 10 schools, including Mississippi State and Missouri of the SEC, Kansas State and Iowa State of the Big 12 and NC State in the ACC. Nichols was more than a handful for opposing offensive lines as a junior in 2016, recording 54 total tackles, 12.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. It isn't out of the realm of possibility for Nichols to exceed last season's numbers, and if that happens he will, without question, be one of Arkansas' can't-miss prospects in next year's class.

COACHSPEAK "Hopefully we can go into the summer feeling good about our starting lineup and can hammer out position battles. It never seems to happen, but if we can narrow it down, guys can understand roles going into the summer. We're returning more experience than we have (in the past), and I think we'll be more physical than we have been, and that's exciting. I'm interested and anxious to see if indeed that's going to come true." -- Springdale coach Zak Clark

-- Scottie Bordelon • @NWAScottie

Sports on 04/29/2017

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