7A-WEST CONFERENCE capsules

BENTONVILLE HIGH TIGERS

2016 RECORD 10-3

COACH Jody Grant

RETURNING STARTERS 2 offense, 4 defense

KEY PLAYERS WR Kam’ron Mays-Hunt (6-1, 180, Sr.); TE Tyler Johnson (6-2, 205, Sr.); DL Angel Guerrero (5-9, 250, Sr.), DB Jadyn Loudermilk (6-0, 190, Sr.); RB Easton Miller (5-11, 180, Sr.), LB Jared Richey (5-11, 200, Sr.), WR/DB Collin Snieski (5-10, 170, Sr.).

THE SKINNY Bentonville, despite winning a share of the 7A-West title last season, didn’t earn a first-round bye in the playoffs for the first time since the format was expanded to 12 teams in 2008. The Tigers, however, earned victories over Little Rock Catholic and Fort Smith Northside to reach the semifinals for the seventh consecutive year. … Bentonville caught some attention during the summer when the Tigers won the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 tournament with a 27-18 victory over defending champion Bixby, Okla. Those two teams meet again in Bixby next month after Bentonville won the first meeting 44-34 in Tiger Stadium last year. … The Tigers’ two returning offensive starters, Mays-Hunt and Johnson, have committed to play college baseball at Arkansas and combined for 98 receptions for 1,648 yards and 14 TDs. … Nathan Lyons, mainly a receiver last season, moves to quarterback and has been impressive with his ability to run the offense, as well as give the Tigers a run-pass threat. … Miller gave Bentonville a preview to this fall when he ran for 92 yards and 2 TDs in a playoff win over Fort Smith Northside. … Guerrero returns for a third season at noseguard and anchors the Tigers’ defensive line and will get help from transfer Adam Brazell, who started at his school in Texas last fall. … The secondary features Loudermilk, who had 52 tackles at cornerback last season and earned all-conference honors, and Collin Snieski, who had 60 tackles. … Bentonville doesn’t have a kicker named Moehring for the first time since 2013, and there’s a “healthy competition” for that spot, according to Grant.

COACH SPEAK “I think this is a team that we like. They practice hard, and they seem to be a close group. We’re excited about seeing them compete. At this point, when you’re competing against yourself, I still think there are a lot of unknowns about how good you can be. Athletically and talent-wise, I think we have a chance to have a pretty special year. Right now, our offense is operating really well, and our defense played well in our last scrimmage, which was good to see. The guys we are counting to make plays are making plays, and they’re stepping up in areas where we need people to step up,” Grant said.

BENTONVILLE WEST WOLVERINES

2016 RECORD 3-8

COACH Bryan Pratt

RETURNING STARTERS 11 offense, 11 defense

KEY PLAYERS QB Will Jarrett (6-0, 160, Jr.), WR Jadon Jackson (6-1, 170, Jr.), OL Michael Toney (6-2, 299, Sr.), WR/LB Hunter Swoboda (6-4, 225, Sr.), DB Jason Gloeckler (Sr., 6-0, 160)

THE SKINNY West turned heads last season by not only earning a playoff spot, but hosting a first-round playoff game in its inaugural season. … With no seniors on last year’s team, the Wolverines enjoy a rarity this season — all their starters are back. … West has slightly more than 100 players on this year’s roster, compared to 70 in its first season. … The defense has been hit with injuries this offseason as linebacker Sebastian Caniglia, the team’s leading tackler, suffered a knee injury at a Tulsa team camp, and transfer Hunter Swoboda broke his leg during a combine in Little Rock. Swoboda, who had 136 tackles and two interceptions as a middle linebacker at Pulaski Robinson last year, hopes to be back by the season opener, but Caniglia may not return until the latter part of the season. … Jarrett threw for 1,883 yards and 23 TDs, then ran for 541 yards and two more scores, including a 74-yard run in West’s playoff game against Cabot. … Swoboda can also play a tight end/receiver spot and adds to a group that includes Jackson (59 receptions, 916 yards, 9 TDs), who is already received major college offers (including Arkansas), senior Stefan Banda (36 catches, 658 yards, 5 TDs) and Jackson Prince (37 receptions, 404 yards, 6 TDs). … The extra depth will be beneficial because there will be fewer players forced to play both sides of the ball. That will be beneficial to a defense that allowed 40 points per game last year. … Linebacker Kendall Young was voted by 7A-West coaches as the defensive newcomer of the year after recording 69 tackles in seven games before suffering a broken arm.

COACH SPEAK “We’ve worked hard to make sure our team stays focused and make sure they understand how important the offseason was. I think our team is a whole lot more mature and a team that comes out with a purpose instead of just being there like we were last year. I think our philosophy is in place and we’ve built a good foundation. Now our expectation is going to be bigger, so we’re not letting down any. We’ll keep fighting to get better because we’re in a very good conference,” Pratt said.

FAYETTEVILLE BULLDOGS

2016 RECORD 12-1

COACH Billy Dawson

RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 1 defense

KEY PLAYERS QB Darius Bowers (Jr., 6-2, 190), WR Cody Gray (Sr., 6-0, 170), WR Jon Conley (Sr., 6-1, 170), OG Gunner Sebastian (Jr., 6-2, 280), DE Dotson Schaefer (Sr., 6-4, 240), DT Keondre Conley (Jr., 6-3, 245), CB Cemari Dobbins (Sr., 5-11, 180), RB Dan Hinton (Sr., 5-10, 260), FS Will Litzinger (Sr., 6-2, 180).

THE SKINNY Dawson is the third head coach in as many years for the two-time defending 7A champions. He led Russellville to last year’s 6A state title and also won three state championships at Nashville. … Bowers provides a dual-threat at quarterback, giving the offense a different look than it had with Taylor Powell, who set the state’s career record for passing touchdowns (113) and is a freshman at Missouri. … Conley is in his first season of football after two years off and has been a playmaker during fall camp. … Schaefer has verbally committed to sign with Navy and leads a young, but talented defense. … Key games will be back-to-back trips to Bentonville and Bentonville West to begin 7A-West play. Consecutive home games against Springdale Har-Ber and Springdale High late in the season also will be important. COACH SPEAK “It’s a neat situation. I like this part of the state, obviously, and I like the opportunity to coach in this league against some great teams and great coaches, so I think there is a lot of things that draw you to the Fayetteville area … From the standpoint of developing players and all those things, I think it’s the same everywhere. We’re keyed in on development of some young guys and getting the program to be able to maintain where we are for a period of time,” Dawson said.

ROGERS HERITAGE WAR EAGLES

2016 RECORD 1-9

COACH Tony Travis

RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 3 defense

KEY PLAYERS QB Trey Kitterman (Sr., 6-3, 225), RB Dylan Qualls (Sr., 6-0 200), WR Jay De La Rosa (Sr., 5-9, 160), QB/ TE Zach Brown (Jr., 6-1 184), DL/FB DeAndre Mendez (Sr., 5-9 236), WR Zach Gall (Sr., 6-0 200), OL Jacob Lanham (Sr., 5-8, 265).

THE SKINNY The War Eagles return several talented players at the skill positions led by quarterback Trey Kitterman and running back Dylan Qualls, who rushed for almost 1,000 yards. Kitterman threw for more than 1,100 yards and rushed for 561 as a true dual-threat. … Receivers Jay De La Rosa and Zach Gall should also form a nice 1-2 punch. However, all four of those players will likely do some double duty on defense as well. … Coach Tony Travis said the key will be striking the right balance, especially early in the game so they will still be strong in the fourth quarter. … Senior center Jacob Lanham anchors the offensive line. End Jheovany Hernandez (6-0 205) is one of the few holdovers on defense. … Nic Lastovica (6-0 260), DeAndrea Mendez and Zion Adair (6-4 342) also saw some action on the line. … Kitterman and Qualls will both see some action at linebacker, while Travis is excited about sophomore defensive back Isaiah Tibbs (6-0 176) and senior Liam Alderson (6-0 174) , a speedster from the track team that decided to come out in the spring. … Gall and De La Rosa could provide depth in the secondary, too.

COACH SPEAK “We’ve still got some question marks at some positions, but guys we have with returning experience are showing some good leadership traits for us. Kitterman, Gall, De La Rosa, Qualls, Ty Graser, Jacob Lanham at center. I think that group is developing into the leaders of the team. We’re trying to eliminate the selfishness and the character issues that can bring a program down. I feel like we can put guys in positions on both sides of the ball and be competitive. Now the question is with everybody else in our conference not doing that, how are we gonna factor in as the game goes,” Travis said.

ROGERS HIGH MOUNTIES

2016 RECORD 6-5

COACH Mike Loyd

RETURNING STARTERS 3 offense, 3 defense

KEY PLAYERS QB Hunter Loyd (So., 6-4 195), RB Colin McWhorter (Sr., 5-11 163), WR Hunter Hawkins (Sr., 5-11, 178), OL Dusty Schureman (Sr., 6-3 260), DE/FB A-ron Jones (Sr., 6-1, 235), DB/QB Andrew McGlynn (Sr., 6-2, 185), OL RJ Long (So., 6-2 275).

THE SKINNY The Mounties will try to mix a few key returners with a group of talented sophomores that should see significant playing time. … Seniors Hunter Hawkins (51 receptions 529 yards 2 TDs) and Colin McWhorter (650 yards combined receiving/rushing w/10 TDs) will play key roles with sophomore Hunter Loyd at quarterback. Loyd brings a combination of speed and a strong arm. … Dusty Schureman, the lone returner on the offensive line, will move to center, while as many as three sophomores could see action there led by RJ Long (6-1 281). … In addition to the shifty and quick McWhorter, coach Mike Loyd said the 235-pound A-Ron Jones, a starter at defensive end, has ran well in the preseason. … The 6-foot-5 senior Garrett Dake, who came out for football for the first time in the spring, can team with 6-4 senior Andrew McGlynn at receiver to offer mismatches in size. … Defensively, Jones returns at end, while junior Casey Allred and senior Tony Casey (6-3 195), a newcomer from basketball have shown well on the line. … Sophomore Quade Mosier (6-2 195) is looking strong at linebacker, while junior Brandon Husted (5-8 175) and sophomore Nathan Hahn could see time, too. … Junior Brandon Workman, McGlynn, McWhorter and twins Shane and Jacob Taylor and senior John Horn all figure in the mix in the secondary.

COACH SPEAK “We’re a lot better athletically. Now, it’s going to take some time for some of these younger guys. I don’t know if it equates to more wins, but we’re better defensively than we were a year ago. These kids are fun to coach. They have a great attitude.I think we’ll get better as the season goes on. Next few years, we’re going to compete with anybody out there. I’m not scared to say that. We’ll see. We had a couple step up last year that weren’t afraid to lead. We’ve got to find a few leaders. Colin McWhorter is our leader right now. He’s turned into probably as good a football player as we have,” Loyd said.

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER WILDCATS

2016 RECORD 8-3

COACH Chris Wood.

RETURNING STARTERS 3 offense, 5 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Grant Allen (Jr., 6-1, 180), RB Logan Collins (Sr.,

5-11, 190), RB Payton Copher (Sr., 6-1, 190), WR Nick Parchman (Sr., 6-0, 200), DL Alejandro Ramirez (Sr., 6-2, 290), DB Blaze Brothers (Sr., 5-8, 160), DB Tevin Eckwood (Sr., 6-1, 170).

THE SKINNY The Wildcats’ quarterfinal loss at home to Bryant came as a surprise to many across the state last November, but once again, Har-Ber is expected to finish toward the top of the 7A-West. … Har-Ber won its second straight conference title in 2016, and the Wildcats’ senior class has its sights set on a third league crown. … Junior Grant Allen (466 yards, 5 TD) takes over at QB and will be joined by senior RBs Payton Copher, an Air Force commit, and Logan Collins (610 yards, 5 TD) to create a more diverse offensive look. … Har-Ber must also fill the void left by WR Trey Smith, who finished with 771 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air. … Wood’s defense (14 ppg in 2016) should be stout once again as senior DL Alejandro Ramirez stars up front. … Three All-State performers (Blaze Brothers, Brock Pounders, Tevin Eckwood) return to the secondary as well to round out arguably the state’s top unit. … All-State linebacker and 2016 NWADG Defensive Player of the Year Oliver Nasilai moved to Class 3A Jessieville during the summer.

COACH SPEAK “The kids have got a purpose to this year, and they’ve got a chip on their shoulder. They want to go out and leave a stamp no other senior class has done and they want to go to Little Rock. … For our guys to have a chance to three-peat in the West, that’s huge. But we know that’s the back-end of the deal. If you don’t take care of today all of that stuff is irrelevant,” Wood said.

SPRINGDALE HIGH BULLDOGS

2016 RECORD 4-7

COACH Zak Clark.

RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 6 defense

KEY PLAYERS QB Layne Hutchins (Sr., 6-0, 180), RB Garrett Vaughan (Jr., 5-9, 160), WR Alex Thompson (Sr., 5-10, 175), WR Kamond Robinson (Sr., 5-10, 165), DL Isaiah Nichols (Sr., 6-3, 265), LB Mason Hutchins (Sr., 6-0, 220), DB Kapone Wise (Sr., 5-9, 160).

THE SKINNY After winning only two games in coach Zak Clark’s first season at Springdale, the Bulldogs doubled that total in 2016 as they battled through a heart-wrenching year after the mid-season death of star WR Kyler Williams in an automobile accident. … Arkansas commit Isaiah Nichols (54 tackles, 12.5 for loss) is the team headliner and leader at defensive tackle. … LB Mason Hutchins (80 tackles) returns and LB Dylan Sisemore is hopeful to return to action after knee three surgeries since Nov. 2015. … Clark likes the experience Springdale carries into 2017 and hopes it will result in a third consecutive playoff appearance. … Senior QB Layne Hutchins completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,223 yards in 2016 and will look to WRs Kamond Robinson (164 rec. yards, TD vs. Bryant), Alex Thompson (743 yards, 5 TD) and others for explosive plays. … With Erick Mendez graduated, RBs Garrett Vaughan and Jonathan Lopez will see a majority of the snaps in the backfield. The shifty Darrell Parchman has a chance to shine early as well.

COACH SPEAK “We’re so much further along than we have been the last two years just from an experience standpoint. We get through just the little things, like the practice script, so much quicker. That tells me the pace, the kids’ familiarity and what we can do. We’re so much further along. If we can clean some things up I really like where we’re at, but until then we’ve got to keep plugging away,” Clark said.

VAN BUREN POINTERS

2016 RECORD 2-8

COACH Greg Werner

RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 4 defense

KEY PLAYERS QB Caleb Salisbury (Sr., 6-3, 200), RB Walter Green (Sr., 5-8, 180), WR/TE Logan Humphreys (Jr., 6-4, 190), OL Nathan Westbrook (Sr., 6-1, 310), DL Jayden Mendez (Sr., 6-1, 260), SS Landry Wilkerson (Jr., 5-10, 170.

THE SKINNY The Pointers finished 2-8 overall and 1-6 in their first season in the 7A-West last season, but coach Greg Werner has reason to feel more confident this fall. … Walter Green, the league’s leading rusher in 2016, is back for his senior season, as is quarterback Caleb Salisbury. … Texas move-in Nathan Westbrook, who started two seasons at guard for powerhouse Allen, has been a welcome addition on the offensive line. … Jayden Mendez returns for his third season on the defensive line following a 64-tackle junior season. … Van Buren hopes to make a playoff push after missing out by a game last fall.

COACH SPEAK “We’re moving along really well and no doubt we’re more talented than we’ve been, so we’re excited about that. But as always there’s a long, long ways to go. But to this point we feel pretty good so far. … (Walter Green) is an exciting back, and he’s a lot stronger and faster than he was last year. I’m excited to see what he’ll do this year,” Werner said.