CHARLESTON -- It makes sense that Ben Thompson's favorite class is math now that he has a high grade-point average, and that his least favorite class is history since he's put that behind him.
Thompson failed several classes as a ninth-grader and carried a 1.7 GPA.
"After the ninth grade, I had to come in every morning to study and get my eligibility back," Thompson said. "I was doing credit recovery. I failed a lot of classes in the ninth grade."
Charleston Coach Ricky May became personally involved, and now Thompson will likely start at linebacker this season and maybe at right tackle on the offensive line as well.
"Two years ago, I didn't even know if he was going to be eligible," May said. "He's got his grades up and going to start at linebacker and possibly on the line for us."
More important than playing football, Thompson now has a 3.2 GPA and loves math.
"It just clicks," Thompson said.
Three years ago, though, Thompson's future as a student and an athlete were in doubt.
"I didn't think I'd have a chance to play," Thompson said. "He told me to work hard. Once I knew I had a chance to play, it was my time to shine."
It was May who provided the swift kick.
"It was Coach May," Thompson said. "For sure."
Thompson will be especially needed on defense in the upcoming season with the loss of starters at key positions and just 28 players on the roster.
"We lost a lot of defensive strengths last year," Thompson said. "Going through the team camps, I think we can be pretty good."
Thompson could be like several Tigers who go both ways this season.
"The biggest thing is we don't have a lot of depth," May said. "We have 28 kids on our roster. Most of the kids we have are at least one-year starters. The key is keeping them healthy."
Charleston hosted three team camps in June and will return to preparing for the season after the Arkansas Activities Association's mandatory dead period, which prohibits any organized team activities from June 26 through July 10.
Charleston returns to the 3A-1 Conference in the fall with only one change albeit a big one as rival Booneville, and May's alma mater, replaces Lincoln. The expectations remain the same for the Tigers, who have won or shared 28 conference titles since the AAA formed official districts in 1946.
"I've been in a place where they're not very high, and I'd much rather have them high," May said. "High expectations are good. Our kids know that. Every day when come to work, they know they're there and they're going to do their best."
HACKETT
Two quarterbacks again
Hornets Coach Michael Meador has had the luxury of not one but two good quarterbacks in recent seasons.
That will be the case again in 2022.
Cole Ketchum returns at quarterback after coming on in relief in the seventh game of the season and starting the final four games, throwing for 1,016 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore and guiding the Hornets to the playoffs.
Bryce Hamilton is another touted quarterback. He will be a sophomore.
Ketchum will remain at quarterback with the 6-1 Hamilton playing receiver now.
"He is a good quarterback but for us and what he does dynamically as far as wide receiver and with Cole being at quarterback he will help us more at wide receiver," Meador said. "Again, we have two good quarterbacks. For a small school, we've been blessed with good quarterbacks. This is my fourth year, and we've had two good quarterbacks every year." Hamilton recently turned heads at a Razorback football camp with a 4.59 time in the 40 but has also grown recently.
"He's grown six inches in a year-and-a-half," Meador said. "He's matured and gotten so much better. He's always been a good athletic, now he's sprouted. He's gotten God-given talent, but he works extremely hard. He's always the first one to show up and the last one to leave. On our days off, he's texting if the fieldhouse is open. He will definitely make a huge impact on our team this year."
After the mandated two-week dead period, the Hornets will gear up to four days a week of workouts and will participate in a senior high team camps, first to Pottsville on July 12, Ozark on July 20, Mena on July 26 and at home on July 26.
-- Leland Barclay
ALMA
Airedales building
Sounds of construction overshadowed the Lumber One 7-on-7 Tournament in early June as Alma broke ground on the new indoor athletic building on the south end of the football stadium.
"It will be great for our players to come straight out onto the field for games," Alma Athletic Director Doug Loughridge said. "So many activities will be able to use it -- soccer, baseball, and softball."
The indoor facility will include a 4,000-square-foot weight room, six batting cages, locker rooms for softball and baseball, and a full 50-yard practice area with an end zone.
"It's a true multi-purpose facility with everything that will be in there." Loughridge said. "It's going to be a great facility."
Also included in the project is an Agriculture building that will include classrooms, shop area, greenhouse and a barn for the Future Farmers of America organization that was part of a millage increase that was approved in November, 2020.
A 900-foot video board at the north end of the end zone will be completed by the annual Battle of Crawford County against Van Buren on August 23.
-- Leland Barclay
LITTLE ROCK CATHOLIC
Rockets drop to Class 6A
For just the second time in the past 50 years, Little Rock Catholic will not compete in the state's largest classification this season.
Catholic was moved to Class 6A due to the Competitive Equity Factor from Class 7A. The new rule for private schools, which moved Pulaski Academy, Little Rock Christian, Harding Academy and Shiloh Christian up in classification, allowed Catholic to move down in classification.
Catholic will compete in the 10-team 6A-East at least for the next four years.
"There are a lot of unknowns," Catholic Coach John Fogleman said. "We're still trying to figure out a lot of things. Right now, we're just concerned about ourselves."
Catholic joined the state's largest classification in 1971 and have played in it ever since except for a four-year span from 1979 through 1982.
"Some of these schools are getting so big," Fogleman said. "They're separating from us. We're a smaller school."
Catholic last won a conference championship in 2005 and before that it was 1985 and 1987.
Catholic was able to drop to Class 6A by accumulating just two points in the Competitive Equity Factor over the last four years with a playoff win over Van Buren in 2019.
"I know there are people that like it and people that don't like it," Fogleman said. "We think it's a good thing."
According to the latest numbers received by the Arkansas Activities Association for the 2020-21 school year, just 10 athletes at Catholic received financial aid out of 708 students enrolled in grades 7 through 12.
-- Leland Barclay
HARRISON
Goblins "fired" by Coach
Chris Keylon may have put Harrison's football team in shock with his announcement during the Goblins' first team meeting with their new head Coach.
"I told all the players they had lost their jobs," Keylon said. "I said everybody was fired, and all of them and had to come back and earn their job. It was just fair to all the kids. That being said, we still have July and August to work on some things."
The biggest jobs up for grabs lie in Harrison's secondary and linebacker corps as Keylon stressed the need to develop depth in those positions. Junior Tristan Thompson appears ready to man one inside linebacker position, as does sophomore Braden Long at another inside linebacker and junior Talon Stephens at a safety slot.
"The rest of up for grabs right now," Keylon said. "We have some good competition at the outside linebacker positions. Elijiah Lambert could see some time at defensive end, but it's going to depend on the other positions. A lot of still up in the air."
Offensively, the Goblins have inexperience at quarterbacks, and Keylon said the focus is getting them as good as possible. There is plenty of depth at running back as Beck Jones, Thompson and Long will all see time in the backfield, and Jhenry Brandt has caught some attention at wide receiver with his route running and his size (6-2, 175).
In the meantime, Harrison is counting on the offensive line -- one of the team's strengths -- to rise to the occasion.
"I've told some of them we need them to come on and do more," Keylon said. "We're being tough on those guys. I know Jonathan Schaffer will be the starter at center, but I don't know about the rest right now."
-- Henry Apple
BENTONVILLE
Tigers need LBs to emerge
If there was one area where Bentonville needs some of its players to rise to the forefront before the season starts, it would be at linebacker.
"We lost all four of linebackers, both inside and outside," Tigers Coach Jody Grant said. "To me, the big question mark was who's going to step up in those roles. We still don't know if we have that 100 percent answered at this point, but we've had a lot of players to get reps there in team camps and spring practices."
Before the Tigers entered the two-week "athletic dead period," Grant is confident Nick Stone has emerged to be a starter at one inside linebacker spot. The other three starters remained undetermined at this point.
Layson Johnson has worked out at both positions and should be in the mix, while Logan Roberson has worked some at inside linebacker and at defensive end. Andrew Wiseman and Brock Skidmore have also been working out at outside linebacker.
"We're just trying to find the right fit," Grant said. "Regardless of position, our goal is to get the best 11 on the field defensively. At times, we've even toyed with moving some of our safeties down to outside linebacker to figure out our best fit."
Eli Brooks is another candidate at a linebacker spot, but the sophomore has already emerged as the starter at tight end. Grant likes what he sees in Brooks' frame and his ability to run pass routes.
Meanwhile, Que Brown appears ready to make some noise at receiver, where he saw limited some last fall. Luke Coon has also impressed Grant in the spring, while J.J. Spafford and Carson Pate have some good things in the offseason and speedster Carson Tucker provides the Tigers with a deep threat and somebody who can run the reverse as well.
They give promise to a Tigers' offense that returns starting receiver C.J. Brown, Carter Nye at quarterback, and senior Josh Ficklin, who Grant tabs as "the best running back in the state." They will operate behind an offensive line that features Arkansas commit Joey Sua and Trevor Martinez.
"Our size is impressive," Grant said. "We're big at tackle, big at guard and smart at center. That's a good combination to make for a good offensive line."
-- Henry Apple