Prep Rally Football Preview 2024 | Page 15

2019-2020-2021-2021

7A-WEST CONFERENCE BENTONVILLE TIGERS

2023 RECORD 9-4 overall, 6-1 7A-West COACH Jody Grant RETURNING STARTERS 2 offense, 6 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Trevor Grant( Sr., 6-0, 170); RB Chris Ficklin( Jr., 5-10, 165), WR Blair Irvin III( Jr., 6-0, 170), TE Eli Brooks( Sr., 6-3, 220); OL John Brandenburg( Sr., 6-2, 300), DL Kellen Wrona( Jr., 6-0, 330), LB Jonah Knapp( Sr., 5-11, 180), DB Will Fusselman( Sr., 5-9, 165), DB A. J. Looney( Sr., 5-8, 170) NOTABLE Grant begins his 10th year as head coach with his son as the Tigers’ starting quarterback. The younger Grant saw varsity snaps before a broken collarbone in a junior varsity game ended his season. … Ficklin, the second of his family to play tailback at Bentonville, had 388 yards rushing last year, with almost a quarter of them coming in the second half of a semifinal win over Bryant. … Grant believes Irvin has the opportunity to be the next big-time receiver for the Tigers, who have recently produced two big-time receivers that went on to SEC schools. … Bradenburg has spent the past two seasons and spent most of his spring workout time at right tackle, next to returning starter Taz Goodman at right guard. … Knapp and Looney were both all-state performers last year. Looney had the most tackles of any returning player in the 7A-West with 126, while Looney had 49 tackles and 1 interception despite dealing with injuries last season. … Grant said the defensive line could be one of the best units he’ s had. Wrona, Kameran Thornton- Mead and Jullian Grundy all played as sophomores last season. … Parker Schatzman, who was projected as a receiver, was pressed into action last season and intercepted a pass in the state championship game. … Bentonville has a kicking quandry most teams would love to have as Ryan Fernstrom and Nico Martinovic both return. Fernstrom was the starter for most of the season, but Martinovic stepped in a kicked a 29-yard field goal in the state championship game. QUOTABLE“ This is a close group and a unique group in the sense that a lot of things that has happened to this group has made this group closer together, which is fun to watch. They’ ve had a great offseason, and this summer had success in team camps and 7-on-7s. It feels like a group that cares a lot about each other, which is important in a team aspect kind of deal. I’ m excited. They’ re fun to practice with and fun to be around, and that usually lines up for a good year.”— Jody Grant, Bentonville football coach

SCHEDULE Aug. 30........... Tulsa Union Oct. 11................. at Rogers Heritage *

Sept. 6............ at Conway Oct. 18............................. Fayetteville * Sept. 20.......... at Lee’ s Summit( Mo.) North Oct. 25................................... Rogers * Sept. 27.......... Springdale Har-Ber * Nov. 1.......................... at Springdale *

Oct. 4.............. at FS Northside * Nov. 8..................... Bentonville West * *— Denotes 7A-West Conference game All kickoffs 7 p. m. unless noted

Kaleb Chandler

Que Thompson

BENTONVILLE WEST WOLVERINES

2023 RECORD 7-4, 5-2 7A-West COACH Bryan Pratt RETURNING STARTERS 7 offense, 6 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Tre Thompson( Jr., 6-1, 185), WR / LB Harris Vinson( Sr., 6-1, 205), RB Braden Nash( Jr., 5-11, 185), WR / CB Que Thompson( Sr., 6-1, 165), OL Kaleb Chandler( Sr., 5-10, 275), OL Peter Greenfield( Sr., 6-1, 220), LB Boston Bischke( Sr., 6-1, 195), LB Aidyn Myers( Sr., 5-10, 200) NOTABLE Tre Thompson, the son of defensive coordinator John Thompson, assumes starting quarterback role— a position Pratt says is a key because of the way the Wolverines like to throw the football. … Que Thompson had 19 catches for 178 yards last season, and more than half of them came in one game against Cabot. He also had three interceptions. … Vinson does a little bit of everything for West. He was the team’ s second-leading receiver last year, hauling in 34 passes for 577 yards and 6 TDs, and he notched 106 tackles as an outside linebacker. … Nash will be the primary ball-carrier out of the backfield after splitting time there last season. … Chandler is a rarity in the 7A-West— a four-year player— and will man the left guard spot. … Bischke joined the team last year after moving from North Dakota and proceeded to compile 86 tackles at linebacker. … Myers is back at a linebacker spot after he made the move from running back. … West will get its share of tough tests early as three of its first four opponents— Greenwood, Muskogee and Fayetteville— are defending state champions. QUOTABLE“ We’ re really excited about this team. It seems like every year we have certain situations we have to work through and speed bumps throughout the spring and summer ball. This team, we don’ t have those. These guys have worked very hard to get in what they are supposed to do, and I can’ t be more proud where they are right now. We’ re ready to get the season started, and we have some younger players that need to step up. But we feel good where we are at.”— Bryan Pratt, Bentonville West football coach

CLASS 7A

FAYETTEVILLE BULLDOGS

PREP RALLY: CLASS 7A | 8.18.2024

2023 RECORD 13-0, 7-0 7A-West COACH Casey Dick RETURNING STARTERS 7 offense, 6 defense KEY PLAYERS WR Jaison DeLamar( Sr., 5-11, 190), WR Charlie Graves( Sr., 6-1, 180), OL Riley Lunningham( Sr., 6-1, 240), OL Drake Orsburne( Jr., 6-2, 250), OL Matt Heckman( Sr., 6-3, 280), DL Jackson Oliver( Sr., 6-3, 310), LB Rhett Tidwell( Sr., 5-10, 230), DL Jadon Holte

Kaleb Johnson

( Sr., 6-0, 215)

NOTABLE DeLamar, who is committed to play baseball at Arkansas, is one of the state’ s best receivers after he caught 89 passes for 1,438 yards and 17 TDs last year, including a 5 TD performance in the conference opener against Bentonville West. … Graves provides the Purple’ Dogs a quality one-two punch at receiver as he caught 44 passes for 506 yards and 11 TDs. … Fayetteville has benefitted from transfers. QB Garyt Odom, the son of UNLV Coach Barry Odom, joined the team from Nevada during the offseason, as did former Bentonville RB Christian Battles. … Defensively, LB Parker Meese transferred from IMG Academy in Florida and already has numerous college offers, and former Bentonville player Dax Horton joined the team after he compiled more than 100 tackles for the Tigers last year. … Lunningham, Orsburne and Heckman give the Purple’ Dogs three returning starters in the offensive line. … Kicker Nathan Kachel will be a three-year starter and hit 71 of 73 extra-point attempts and 9 of 10 field goals last fall. … Tidwell had 80 tackles at middle linebacker and will be a defensive captain. … The additions at Meese and Horton at linebacker allows Holte to shift to a defensive end position. QUOTABLE“ Obviously, it’ s a new season— new group of faces, new kids. This group is a group that has played together for a long, long time. We have some additions that have decided to come here and be a part of our program, and they’ ve done a good job of coming to our summer workouts and buying in to what we have, getting in line with that senior class. I’ m excited about this group, excited to watch them grow. We’ re not what we’ re going to be when we play that first game, but the goal is to get better every single day we get out there.”— Casey Dick, Fayetteville football coach

SCHEDULE Aug. 30........... at Cabot Oct. 11.......................... FS Northside *

Sept. 6............ at Broken Arrow, Okla. Oct. 18......................... at Bentonville * Sept. 20.......... Texarkana( Texas) High Oct. 25............................. Springdale * Sept. 27.......... Bentonville West * Nov. 1...................... Rogers Heritage *

Oct. 4.............. at Rogers * Oct. 6.............. at Springdale Har-Ber * *— Denotes 7A-West Conference game All kickoffs 7 p. m. unless noted

Taylor Webster

Lucas Caldarera

FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE GRIZZLIES

2023 RECORD 2-9, 2-5 7A-Central COACH Felix Curry RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 7 defense KEY PLAYERS WR Cam Massey( Sr., 6-0, 175), RB Warren Bijou( Jr., 5-9, 195), OL Aaron Torrez( Sr., 5-10, 280), OL Jordan Moseley( Sr., 5-9, 250), DL Taylor Webster( Sr., 6-3, 300), LB Lucas Caldarera( Sr., 6-0, 190), LB Malachi Warren( Jr., 5-11, 210), DB Jayden Chavez( Jr., 5-10, 160), DB Max Chavez( Jr., 5-10, 160) NOTABLE Northside’ s move back to the 7A-West means the Grizzlies will cut their travel to conference games in half over the next two years. Northside’ s longest road trip in the 7A-West is 88 miles to Bentonville West, while its closest trip in the 7A-Central was 128 miles to Conway. … Northside was forced to start eight sophomores last year because of various circumstances, which leads to more experience this fall. … The departure of McLane Moody because of injury leaves the Grizzlies’ quarterback duties in the hands of a sophomore— Drew Jackson— and Fayetteville junior transfer Dorien Bowers. … Bijou moves from linebacker last season to the offensive backfield, where he will share duties with Jayden Youngblood and JaLell Covin. … Massey, a state champion in the long jump, had 1,000 receiving yards last season. … Torrez returns at center, while Moseley will be at either tackle or guard. … Warren had 103 tackles last season at inside linebacker. … The Chavez twins, Jayden and Max, will split the kicking duties. QUOTABLE“ I think, right now, this team has a hightempo, very intense personality. The guys realize they played with a lot of young guys last year, particularly in the secondary and the offensive line. Those players got put in the fire as young guys and came out with their heads spinning for a while, but I think playing so many young guys got us anticipating the season right now.”— Felix Curry, Fort Smith Northside football coach

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