MANSFIELD TIGERS
2016 RECORD 2-8
COACH Craig Bentley
RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 4 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Ethan Stovall (So., 6-0, 200), WR Brennan James (Sr., 5-10, 150), OL Hunter Haysmer (Sr., 5-11, 260), OL Nathan Maness (Sr., 6-0, 315), OL/DL Colton Stipins (Jr., 6-2, 220), DB/WR Jaicy Griffin (So., 5-9, 145).
THE SKINNY Mansfield finished 2-8 last season under first-year coach Craig Bentley, but now, with a full offseason cycle the Tigers are in a better place as the season opener against rival Waldron approaches. … Sophomore Ethan Stovall takes over the offense and possesses the intangibles needed to produce in the 3A-4. … Brennan James makes the move to receiver and looks to be Stovall’s top option in the passing game. … The offensive line should be in good shape with a pair of 300-pound benchers and 500-pound squatters. … The Tigers are hoping to crack the 5-win mark for the first time since 2011.
COACH SPEAK “The attitude has been great and we got to add another coach this year, so we have a little extra help we haven’t had here in the past. Our numbers are a little lower than we’d like, but they’re giving each other great looks and making each other better every rep. I’ve been pretty pleased so far. This time last year we had six weeks from the time I was hired to the first game. This year we’ve had a full offseason under our belt which has helped us kind of get on level playing ground with everybody else,” Bentley said
SCHEDULE
Sept. 1 ...........................at Waldron
Sept. 8 ...........................Greenland
Sept. 15 ..........................at Lincoln
Sept. 22................................ Paris*
Sept. 29..............................Lamar*
Oct. 6 .....................at Cedarville*
Oct. 13................. at Two Rivers*
Oct. 20........................ Perryville*
Oct. 27...............................Atkins
Nov. 3 ................... at Charleston*
- — Denotes 3A-4 Conference game
CHARLESTON TIGERS
2016 RECORD 13-1
COACH Greg Kendrick
RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 3 defense
KEY PLAYERS WR Sean Michael Flanagan (6-2, 195, Sr.), WR Mason Wisdom (6-0, 175, Sr.), RB Bradyn Ketter (5-10, 195, Sr.), OG Dain Young (6-2, 280, Sr.), QB Brayden Caudle (6-1, 220, Jr.)
THE SKINNY Rebounded with a 13-1 season after a 7-5 finish in 2016. … Advanced to the championship game in Class 3A before losing 47-26 to Prescott. … Five starters return on offense, including WR/DB Sean Michael Flagan, who is committed to Arkansas. … Flanagan also has college scholarship offers from Oklahoma State, Memphis, and Kansas. … Flanagan scored 31 touchdowns as a junior, including five on kick returns and two on punt returns. Tigers went 10-0 in conference play last year, including a 55-20 victory over an Atkins team that reached the state quarterfinals. … Tigers averaged 38 points on offense and allowed 13 points per game on defense. COACH SPEAK “We had 19 seniors and they did a great job last year because they knew 7-5 was unacceptable. They had grown up in this program and they had pride in that paw on the side of their helmets. This group we have right now was on the coat tails of those guys, leadership-wise. But their work ethic is second to none and they’re learning how to lead,” Kendrick said.
SCHEDULE
Aug. 29..................... at Dardanelle
Sept. 8 ............................Episcopal
Sept. 15 ............................at Ozark
Sept. 22........................ Cedarville*
Sept. 29............................at Paris*
Oct. 6 ....................... Two Rivers*
Oct. 13.........................at Lamar*
Oct. 20............................. Atkins*
Oct. 27....................at Perryville*
Nov. 3 ..........................Mansfield*
- — Denotes 3A-4 Conference game
CEDARVILLE
PIRATES
2016 RECORD 2-8
COACH Max Washausen
RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 6 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB/CB Keaton Crowley (Sr., 6-0, 145), WB/S Dylan Murray (Jr., 6-0, 180), OL/DL Lane Wertenberger (Sr., 6-0, 240), OL/LB Billy Monogold (Jr., 5-9, 235), OL/DL Nathan Heaton (Jr., 6-0, 220)
THE SKINNY Washausen, a Prairie Grove native, enters his third season as head coach and he’s assisted by Matt Chandler and Jarrod Remer. … The Pirates have not won more than two games since a five-win season in 2012. … Following a shutout loss against Mountainburg to open last season, Cedarville put up 14 points or more in each game the rest of the way. … Keaton Crowley started the final eight games of 2016 at quarterback and also starts at cornerback. … Billy Monogold recorded 50 tackles a year ago. … Bryson Craft could play a variety of skill positions on offense as the emphasis is to get the senior the ball more in space. … Last season, three conference losses were by a combined 13 points, so “we were two touchdowns away from being a.500 team.”
COACH SPEAK “We’re trying to get it going. We’ve just got to create a culture of winning. When I took over last year, I was the fourth coach in five years, and there hasn’t been a winning season since 2008. I think there have only been five in history and they started in the early 1980s, so stability is what we need. The mental part if the biggest thing and showing them you care about them and telling them the same thing over and over again. … We have some size and some speed, so we will be able to compete. The main thing is getting them to keep fighting and not wanting to quit,” Washausen said.
SCHEDULE
Sept. 1 ......Mountainburg
Oct 6 ................. Mansfield*
Sept. 8 ...........at Waldron
Oct. 13 ................at Atkins*
Sept. 15 .....Pocola, Okla.
Oct. 20....................Lamar*
Sept. 22...at Charleston*
Oct. 27......................Paris*
Sept. 29..........Perryville*
Nov. 3 ......... at Two Rivers*
*— Denotes 3A-4 Conference game
LAMAR WARRIORS
2016 RECORD 5-6 COACH Josh Jones RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 5 defense
KEY PLAYERS
CB Cade Track (5-4, 145, Sr.), QB Ike Pelts (5-10, 170, So.), RB Joe Mueller (5-11, 175, Sr.), OT Jacob Combs (6-1, 300, Sr.), QB Jonathon Mayes (5-8, 175, Jr.)
THE SKINNY
Lamar returns four starters on
the offensive
line, including 300-pound senior Jacob Combs. … Lamar got off to a 1-3 start last season with losses to Clarksville, Mount Ida, and Atkins. … The Warriors still made the playoffs but lost 35-16 in the first round to Harding Academy. … Lamar won 10 games in 2015 and advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time in 2008. … Jones was hired by Lamar in 2012 from Magazine, where he spent seven years and led the Rattlers to a state championship in 2010. … Former Lamar linebacker and quarterback Hunter Davenport is a freshman football player at Missouri Southern. COACH SPEAK “Starting 1-3 is not where you want to be, obviously. We’ve got to get off to a better start this year and that begins with Clarksville. That loss last year spun our heads around a little bit,” Jones said.
SCHEDULE
Sept. 1 ...............Clarksville
Oct. 6 .........at Perryville*
Sept. 8 ..Subiaco Academy
Oct. 13 ........Charleston*
Sept. 15 .........at Mount Ida
Oct. 20..... at Cedarville*
Sept. 22..................Atkins*
Oct. 27........Two Rivers*
Sept. 29........ at Mansfield*
Nov. 3 ...............at Paris*
*— Denotes 3A-4 Conference game
PARIS EAGLES
2016 RECORD 7-5
COACH Bryan Hudson
RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 4 defense KEY PLAYERS Kristopher Graham (5-8, 175, Sr.), LB Matthew Ezell (5-9, 170, Sr.), RB Da’Kovan Wise (5-7, 150, Sr.), WR Justus Lee (5-9, 158, Sr.), WR James Potts (5-11, 160).
THE SKINNY Hudson returns to the field as head coach and athletic director following the resignation of Marc Tucker, who is as assistant coach at Russellville. Hudson was the high school principal after previously coaching the Eagles for eight years. … Paris lost four potential two-way starters since last season, including quarterback Preston Drewry, who moved to Mississippi. … The Eagles will take the field with nine seniors, including senior Kristopher Graham, who will take over at quarterback. Graham is a dual threat quarterback who won the conference championship in the 100-meter dash.
COACH SPEAK “We’ve got some speed and some athletes we can put in space, but we don’t have very many. We feel like we put a quality product on the field. We just can’t get anybody hurt,” Hudson said.
SCHEDULE
Sept. 1 .. at Yellville-Summit
Oct. 6 ..................Atkins*
Sept. 8 ..............Dardanelle
Oct. 13 .......at Perryville*
Sept. 15 ...............at Hector
Oct. 20........Two Rivers*
Sept. 22........ at Mansfield*
Oct. 27..... at Cedarville*
Sept. 29.......... Charleston*
Nov. 3 .................Lamar*
*— Denotes 3A-4 Conference game