There's excitement in the air at Little Rock Central for the 2020 football season.
After winning six games and advancing to the Class 7A state playoffs for the first time since 2014, Coach Kent Laster believes the Tigers are on the right track to make a deeper run in the postseason.
"It helped us have a tremendous offseason," Laster said of the Tigers' playoff appearance at Springdale Har-Ber, a game that his team lost 16-10. "We've got quite a few starters back. We had the experience of going up to Northwest Arkansas and play on the road. We came up short.
"But our growth as a team has helped us. Our guys are hungry."
Arkansas high school football teams are in their first week of fall practice. Gov. Asa Hutchinson gave approval to schools Friday to allow players to wear helmets for their first two days of practice, which follows the Arkansas Activities Association 2020-21 calendar. The coronavirus pandemic didn't allow for football teams to hold spring practice, 7-on-7 events or team camps this year.
Laster said it's good for the Tigers to wear helmets again. They'll get to add shoulder pads today.
"It's definitely closer to normal," Laster said. "We do play with helmets and shoulder pads. We just have to keep being responsible."
Central returns 14 starters, including eight on offense. Quarterback Lawson Gunn, running back Samuel Franklin, left tackle Canaan Davis and right tackle Makilan Thomas -- all seniors -- are back for the Tigers for their third year as starters.
Gunn passed for 17 touchdowns a year ago, while Franklin finished with 1,396 yards and 20 scores.
"Those guys were all productive for us," Laster said. "They've also been our leaders throughout the offseason and summer. That's even better for us.
"They've gotten better. They want to improve."
Laster said he's been pleased with the Tigers' start to fall camp so far.
"It's going well," he said. "Our players are doing a great job of staying safe. We're spacing out as much as possible. We've been happy with everyone. That's all we can ask for."
The Tigers were the No. 6 seed from the 7A-Central Conference in 2019. The league features the two-time defending Class 7A state champion Bryant as well as North Little Rock, which has made four consecutive appearances in the title game. Cabot and Conway also have been solid in the 7A-Central.
Although Laster is optimistic about the Tigers' chances in 2020, he's also aware of what the 7A-Central presents.
"I feel like our experience and our success should give us an opportunity to make a jump with those teams," he said. "But we have some great teams in our conference. We will have our work cut out for us."
Central opens the season Aug. 28 against 5A-Central Conference champion Little Rock Christian at Quigley-Cox Stadium, then travels to longtime rival Little Rock Hall on Sept. 4 and finishes nonconference play against Bentonville West at home Sept. 11. The Tigers' first conference game is at North Little Rock on Sept. 25.
Having a tough nonconference schedule is not unusual for Central.
"Our kids want us to get better for conference season," Laster said. "Little Rock Christian, they've won an unreal amount of games. They've been playing for state. They've got a lot of great athletes, and they'll be a great test for us.
"Hall is a rivalry game for us. They'll have a lot to play for. Then, Bentonville West has been a top three or four team in their conference [7A-West]. They've had a lot of success the past few years."