After winning four consecutive Class 5A state championships, Pulaski Academy is using the offseason to reload.
The Bruins lost eight starters on offense and eight on defense, leaving three returning starters on both sides of the ball for Coach Kevin Kelley’s team.
During the offseason, Pulaski Academy has participated in several team camps, including a camp at Greenwood earlier this month, and played in the Shootout of the South 7-on-7 tournament Friday and Saturday in Little Rock.
“When you’ve got as many guys as we’ve lost on offense and defense, you need all the reps,” Kelley said. “We need every single play we can get on offense and defense. We run an offense where there’s a lot of spacing, a lot of timing. We need to get it to where it’s effective.”
One position Kelley is focused on is quarterback.
The Bruins are turning to junior Braden Bratcher, who takes over for Layne Hatcher. Hatcher, who is now at Alabama, led Pulaski Academy to three consecutive Class 5A state championships and was 41-1 as a starting quarterback.
Bratcher, Hatcher’s backup in 2017, completed 52 of 66 passes for 539 yards and 6 touchdowns last season.
“He’s the kind of kid who is a people-pleaser,” Kelley said. “He wants to please you so bad. Sometimes he’ll get down on himself if he makes a bad throw. So we’ve been saying, ‘Hey, every once in a while that’s going to happen, so get your confidence back and you have to make the next one.’ You make up for it for a quarterback. You don’t let it snowball and go, ‘Bad throw, bad throw, bad throw.’ ”
However, the Bruins’ top returning offensive player has been out because of a thumb injury.
Senior tight end Hudson Henry (72 receptions, 984 yards, 10 touchdowns in 2017) underwent surgery in May to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb, which he suffered during spring practice.
Henry has been held out of team camps and 7-on-7 tournaments, Kelley said.
“He’s good to catch balls, but we don’t want to him to catch it on the ground or hit somebody’s pads,” Kelley said of Henry, a four-star recruit by Rivals, 247 Sports and ESPN.com whose top five schools are the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Clemson, Penn State, Stanford and Wisconsin. “We know he knows the offense.”
Pulaski Academy will compete in a 7-on-7 tournament Wednesday at the University of Tennessee before the two-week Arkansas Activities Association’s dead period begins Sunday, June 24.
MONTICELLO
Culture change
Monticello has not made it to the playoffs since 2011 when the school was in Class 5A.
The Billies’ new coach is attempting to change that.
Robbie Coplin was hired in December to replace Marty Davis and arrived in Monticello in February after completing his tenure at New Diana, Texas, which he led to the Texas Class 3A state quarterfinals last season.
“We’re trying to make a culture change,” said Coplin, a Nashville native. “But it’s going to take some time. Early stages for coaches, it’s frustrating because you want everything done yesterday. It’s a grind for the coaches just like it is for the kids. Everything is new for them. Everything is new for us.
“We have to let the kids embrace what we’re doing and buy in. Once everybody buys in, we’ll be OK.”
Monticello, which plays in the 8-4A Conference, returns 12 starters, with six on offense and six on defense.
Coplin is confident he can help the Billies, who last won a state championship in 2009, become a winning program once again.
“I was able to have a little success at my last head coaching stint, so I want to bring that to this state, my home state, and see what we can do,” Coplin said. “Monticello is a great place to live and to raise a family. When I came and interviewed, I fell in love with it.”
JOE T. ROBINSON
Pulling through
Joe T. Robinson won its Senator Showdown 7-on-7 tournament Thursday 30-28 over Greenbrier at Charlie George Stadium in Little Rock.
Senior quarterback Greyson Tackett threw three touchdown passes and the Senators got a defensive stop on the Panthers’ two-point conversion attempt with 1:00 remaining that would have tied the game.
“Days like this, when the skill guys compete and you win and the big fellas aren’t out here yet, it makes you smile a little bit,” said Coach Todd Eskola, who led the Senators to a 7-4A Conference championship and to the Class 4A semifinals.
Robinson finished 2-1 in pool play. The Senators defeated Baptist Prep, Clinton and Little Rock Christian before their championship victory over Greenbrier.
In fact, Robinson’s final three games Thursday were played consecutively.
“That’s the reason why you do the 7-on-7s in the summertime, to make them fatigued mentally, to make them think and execute when they’re tired,” Eskola said. “In touch football, there’s a lot of negatives to it, but that’s a positive to it. You get fatigued like it’s the fourth quarter, but you make decisions and execute, so that’s important.”
ENGLAND
Changing it up
First-year Coach Andrew Roberson is bringing the Spread offense to England.
The former Conway Christian assistant had the Lions work on the offense during the two-day Shootout of the South 7-on-7 tournament Friday and Saturday.
“There’s a lot of learning to be done, but the boys are learning fast,” Roberson said. “I’m excited about the upcoming season.”
Junior quarterback Mason Brazeal has adjusted well to the new offense, Roberson said.
“He’s getting his reads correct,” Roberson said. “I’ve thrown a lot on him since April. His job is to get the ball to the athletes and he’s done a good job.”
Roberson, 29, is England’s third coach in as many years. Terry Farmer, who led the Lions to the Class 2A semifinals in 2016 with current Baylor linebacker B.J. Thompson, resigned after the 2016 season for a coaching position in Michigan, while Matt Garrett coached one season in 2017. Garrett is now at Two Rivers.
Roberson, a Ouachita Baptist University graduate, said he’s excited about the 2018 season with the Lions.
“I’ve had nothing but support from the community, the school board, Superintendent Tyler Scott,” Roberson said. “My family and I moved down there in April. We love it. It’s a different community type than Conway, but we’ve had nothing but positive feedback from them. It’s going pretty well.”