LITTLE ROCK — EPC move is all about numbers
East Poinsett County named Brian Weathers its new coach Friday in hopes that the 11th hour move will increase player participation in time for the school's scheduled Sept. 4 opener against Corning, Superintendent Micky Pierce said.
Pierce said Bryan Harris, who led the Warriors to a share of the 3-2A title last season, decided to "step aside for the betterment of the program."
Weathers also will continue to lead the junior high program, Pierce said.
Pierce said EPC had just 13 players practicing earlier this month, but the hope was that number would increase after school began Wednesday.
Pierce said EPC still has enough players to practice, but it canceled a benefit scrimmage Monday night against Hughes.
"That's a $64,000 question," Pierce said, referring to specific numbers in the program. "I can answer that Monday. Right now, we have enough to practice. But with the announcement just being made about the change, no other kids have come out.
"At this point, we still don't have enough to compete. But hopefully with this change, between now and Monday afternoon, we'll have enough to take the field."
Pierce said school officials probably can monitor the numbers until late this week before deciding whether to play.
"We're still planning on being ready to play Corning in two weeks," Pierce said.
Pierce said earlier this month that EPC normally begins the season with a little more than 20 players.
Initial numbers declined this year, he said, because of a small junior class and a handful of players opting not to play.
Harris said he hopes Friday's decision will spur interest in the program, adding the decision was made mutually with school officials.
"With the numbers being like they were, this was worth a try to see if we could get some more bodies out for football," Harris said.
Harris said Friday afternoon that he wasn't sure about his exact coaching role this fall, because he hadn't talked with Weathers.
OSCEOLA Moving on
Who isn't playing for Osceola has become just as big a story as who is.
On the heels of an 11-2 finish and a Class 4A semifinal playoff appearance last fall, the Seminoles unexpectedly lost five projected starters in the off-season.
"We're scrambling right now," Coach Clinton Gore said.
Senior C.J. Jones, the returning starter at quarterback, moved to Jonesboro. So did his brother, senior Taje Jones, a returning starter in the secondary. So did sophomore wide receiver Zac Brooks, a junior high school track and field standout.
The returning starter at center and a returning starter at offensive guard later decided not to play.
"When we finished up last year, we kind of felt like we had all the pieces in place for this coming year," Gore said. "Then when those first two left, then another one left and these two : I don't know right now. It's just going to be how we mesh together here in the next month.
"If we can get them together, I think we've got a chance. We've still got some good players."
Gore said he expects to have about 35 players this season, a normal total for the tradition-rich school.
Gore, who led Osceola to state championships in 1995 and 1997, said he has no thoughts of retirement. He turns 70 in October.
MAGNOLIA Healthy outlook
Don't count Class 5A Magnolia among the schools struggling with numbers.
There are 88 players going through fall drills for the Panthers, the highest total in several years, Coach Robert Day said.
"We're getting those kids, and we're just hanging on to them," said Day, in his 13th season as the school's coach. "We lose a few here and there that probably lose interest, like everybody else. But I think our coaching staff is doing a really good job of hanging on to the role-playing guys. I think as a football team we do a good job of letting everybody know that everybody is important. It takes everybody. Somebody has to play scout team."
Magnolia returns eight starters from an 8-4 team and welcomes a promising group of sophomores.
The Panthers have almost 30 seniors, including tailback L.J. Berry (1,000 yards rushing last season), wide receiver Jamar Cooper (40 receptions) and offensive tackle Demarte Clayton (major college prospect).
Mario Moore, 6-3, 320 pounds, a highly regarded sophomore, will start opposite Clayton, Day said.
The defensive line received an unexpected boost in the off-season when junior Landry Smith, 6-1, 260, transferred from Hot Springs Lakeside.
Smith moved to Magnolia after his family bought a restaurant in town, Day said.
"We've got holes, spots that we're shaky, where depth's not very good," Day said. "But we think we've got a good football team. We've got some things that we haven't had. Offensive line, defensive line depth has always been a worry. We feel really good there." EXTRA POINTS
Former Benton assistant Greg Mundy is coaching receivers at defending Class 6A state champion Lake Hamilton. Mundy was the 1989 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Benton.
...Maurice Moody, who led Earle to a share of the 6-2A title and a semifinal playoff berth in 2007, is coaching defensive ends this fall at West Memphis. ... Earle's top returning player, senior offensive tackle Jarvis Gray, has transferred to West Memphis. Gray, 6-4, 330, is a major college prospect. ... Shep Campbell, the son of former Arkansas assistant coach Louis Campbell, is the new secondary and special teams coach at Greene County Tech. Shep Campbell coached cornerbacks last season at Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn.
Call us
Please call the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with game reports before 10:30 p.m. each Friday night this fall.
In Northwest Arkansas, call 1-888-223-9846. In other parts of the state, call 1-800-272-4650 or (501) 378-3411. We need records, score by quarters, scoring plays and top rushing, passing, receiving and defensive performances.
The Democrat-Gazette will run statistics each Friday throughout the regular season.
To report statistics, e-mail ryates@arkansasonline.com.
2009 7-on-7 champions
OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY TEAM CAMP DATE June 3-4 SITE Ouachita Baptist WINNER/RUNNER-UP Lake Hamilton/LR Parkview AIR RAID DATE June 6 SITE Harding University WINNER/RUNNER-UP Pulaski Academy/ Greenbrier SUMMER SHOWDOWN DATE June 11 SITE Pulaski Robinson High School WINNER/RUNNER-UP Bryant/Pulaski Academy HARDING UNIVERSITY TEAM CAMP DATE June 12-13 SITE Harding University WINNER/RUNNER-UP Addison (Texas) Trinity Christian/West Memphis SHOOTOUT OF THE SOUTH DATE June 19-20 SITE Mighty Bluebird Complex, Little Rock WINNER/RUNNER-UP Fayetteville/Arlington (Texas) Bowie
SOUTHWEST ELITE SHOWCASE DATE July 10-11 SITE Shiloh Christian High School WINNER/RUNNER-UP Shiloh Christian/ Fayetteville
FOUNTAIN LAKE TEAM CAMP DATE July 11 SITE Fountain Lake High School WINNER/RUNNER-UP Lake Hamilton/HS Lakeside (big-school division), Fountain Lake/Perryville (small-school division) VYPE SELECT DATE July 17-18 SITE University of Arkansas WINNER/RUNNER-UP Fayetteville/Rogers PERRYVILLE TEAM CAMP DATE July 18 SITE Perryville High School WINNER/RUNNER-UP Fountain Lake/ Perryville
Sports, Pages 29 on 08/23/2009