Bentonville planned to close out the first week of preseason drills with an hour-long scrimmage Saturday morning, but part of it had to be done inside the Tiger Athletic Complex after lightning entered the area.
Coach Jody Grant was pleased with how the Tigers performed on the first day high school teams could practice in full pads.
"It marked six straight days of practice, and I think our kids got after it," Grant said. "I think they were ready to go out and hit something besides a dummy, and I saw some good things out of it. It was nice to get out there and do it, even if the last 20-25 minutes had to be done inside. I was glad to see us get it in."
Grant pointed out a number of players that have caught his eye during the week of preseason drills. Donnie Thomas has performed well on the defensive line, as well as Zane Ochoa and Ethan Arnold in a rotation of players at outside linebacker.
Josh Ficklin and Johnny Pike, a pair of sophomores, has gained some attention at running back as they perform behind the Tigers' experienced offensive line. Pike could also see time at linebacker, Grant said.
"Right now, we're just trying to smooth some things out and trying to develop some depth in some areas," Grant said. "I think we still need more time for some players to get reps in some positions, but we will try to clean up some minor mistakes in some areas. We'll grow and we'll get better."
-- Henry Apple
ROGERS HIGH
Big shoes to fill
Rogers High lost its all-time leading passer and receiver to graduation, but Mounties coach Mike Loyd said it's someone else's turn now to step the forefront.
Senior Chris Francisco will start at quarterback, replacing Hunter Loyd, a three-year starter who threw for more than 7,000 yards and 70 touchdowns. Loyd will rely on a group of talented receivers in place of Mason Ross, who finished with more than 100 receptions and 1,300 yards last season.
"The thing the kids have to understand is they have to come out here and be who they are and do what they do," Loyd said.
Francisco may not be the same type of quarterback as Loyd, but he has to get comfortable with what he does well, Loyd said. He played some on both sides of the ball last year, starting in the secondary and some at receiver.
"Francisco's a good leader, a very intelligent young man," Loyd said. "He's got a good arm, can make the throws, pretty mobile young man. But you've got to enjoy the process. It's his time. He and I visited about that a little bit. You're Chris Francisco. You're not this guy or that guy. Be you."
Juniors Finley Bunch, Noah Goodshield, Kade Seldomridge and Joel Garner, along with senior Gavin Pitts should all figure in at receiver spots. Senior Aron Rendon and junior Josh Shepard will play running back.
"It's gonna be more than five or six different guys at receiver," Loyd said. "I threw the Bunch kid in as a sophomore and Goodshield. Joel Garner's gonna be a stud as a tight end or inside receiver. Pitts is a guy who has to step up as a senior. He's a guy who can run. Kade Seldomridge is one who's very impressive to me right now."
-- Paul Boyd
ROGERS HERITAGE
Offense dominates
Senior Eli Craig broke off a 40-yard touchdown run on the first play of Saturday's scrimmage that set the tone for the War Eagles' offense.
The Rogers Heritage first-team offense scored on all but one of its possessions in the scrimmage, which was forced indoors because of lightning.
Heritage Coach Steve Hookfin, who begins his second season with the War Eagles, acknowledged the offense took advantage a little bit of a vanilla look on defense in the first day in pads. But he was pleased overall with the effort.
"I like their aggressiveness. I like their body language," Hookfin said. "We don't lack energy. We don't lack physicality. I said earlier we lack a little discipline whether that be mental, emotional or physical. But I like where we're headed.
"We're bigger everywhere and that helps with their confidence. Even though we had that long layoff, they are much more confident than they were at this time last year. That's attributed to the coaches and the work they've put in."
Hookin also liked how his team stayed focused even though practice was delayed because of lightning. Players worked in individual groups for the first hour. They got the word lightning was in the area and were sent inside with part of the team going to the indoor facility and another portion going to the locker room because of covid-19 guidelines.
-- Paul Boyd
FARMINGTON
Birds flock together
Farmington will play Pea Ridge for the third straight year but for the first time as 5A-West Conference members.
Pea Ridge replaces Huntsville, which takes the Blackhawks' place in the 4A-1. Farmington beat Pea Ridge 24-7 last year after losing to the Blackhawks 42-0 in 2018. The teams are scheduled to meet in a league game at Pea Ridge on Oct. 30.
"This is a very physical conference, an extremely well-coached conference, and it's a battle every week," Farmington coach Mike Adams said. "Pea Ridge had been dominating their conference the last few years and with Shiloh Christian last year. Pea Ridge hired Jeff Williams, who won a state championship at Fort Smith Southside. They've got great numbers, a big staff, and I think they're going to fit right in and make it tougher."
Farmington finished 6-4 last year after starting the season 5-0. The Cardinals return several starters and should be strong in the passing game with 6-foot-3 Devonte Donovan leading the way at receiver.
"Our wide receivers are going to be our strong suit," Adams said. "We've got five or six guys there we feel really good about. Donovan's 6-3 and he ran a 4.46 and a 4.5 flat during the summer. He can go and he catches the ball really well."
-- Rick Fires
LINCOLN
Smooth transition
Reed Mendoza said it's mostly been a smooth transition in his return to Lincoln as head coach after one year at Dover.
Mendoza was formerly the offensive coordinator and head baseball coach at Lincoln, so he'll be quite familiar with some of the athletes who'll play for the Wolves this fall. But changes and disruptions brought on by covid-19 are still challenging on occasion.
"The transition is about as smooth as it could be," Mendoza said. "Obviously, everything with the circumstances, we've had to be very adaptable. But that's not unique to us. That's been everybody. We try to take those things and turn them into a positive."
Lincoln has more than 40 players as the Wolves move from Class 4A to Class 3A because of reclassification. Reed stresses Lincoln has plenty of work to do before the Wolves open the season Aug. 28 against Elkins.
Lincoln finished 5-5 last year under former coach Don Harrison, who is coaching now at Stilwell, Okla.
"Offensively, we need to work our execution," Mendoza said. "On the defensive side, the focus is knowing our assignments and getting in the right place to make plays."
-- Rick Fires
GENTRY
Bigham, Pioneers adjust
It's tough enough for a coach to take on a new football program and install his offensive and defensive strategies, but it becomes even tougher now that the coronavirus wiped out all summer workouts.
But new Gentry Coach Justin Bigham has taken things in stride during the first week of preseason drills.
"It's been a little bit of an adjustment, just due to the whole circumstance," Bigham said before the Pioneers practiced Friday morning. "Any time you take a new position, there are some adjustments anyway. But with covid and the new guidelines we have to follow, it's something new, for sure.
"Not being on the field for the past two months helped a little bit just because we could get on the board and show some X and O stuff and give the kids an idea of what we are trying to do. But it's a whole different story when you put pads on. Now since we are out there doing it in person, it's a little bit different but I think they are starting to figure things out."
Gentry has 42 players on the roster under Bigham, who took over after Paul Ernest resigned and took a job in Southwest Arkansas, but only about 30 to 35 players have shown up on a regular basis during the first week. Bigham said he knows the whereabouts of three or four players who have been absent and expects them to be back soon.
PEA RIDGE
Cram sessions await
Pea Ridge coach Jeff Williams said the Blackhawks have treated the first week of preseason drills much like they were spring workouts.
Even Friday's workout was much like a spring drill as lightning and rain forced Pea Ridge into starting things indoors.
"We've done some stuff in the summer, obviously," Williams said. "But we haven't been able to do things against each other. It's almost like being in May and starting back over.
"But you can see the kids more and more with practice, and the better and better they get. Just being able to go against a defense and read coverages and recognized fronts is going to be such a great deal. But it's going to be a slow start for everybody, but we are gradually getting better and better."
Williams said he expects the next two weeks to be cram sessions for his team as Pea Ridge prepares for its season opener Aug. 28 at Shiloh Christian.
"We've tried as much as possible to keep things as familiar to the kids as we can," Williams said. "Obviously, when there is a change, there are going to be changes. We have had to change some things, but the kids here have done a good job. They're smart, and they're picking things up pretty good."
-- Henry Apple