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Nesto Gonzalez
ROGERS MOUNTIES
Cam Cunningham
2023 RECORD 8-4 overall, 4-3 7A-West COACH Chad Harbison RETURNING STARTERS 2 offense, 5 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Jeff Regan( Jr., 5-7, 150),
Braxton Lindsey LB / WR Braxton Lindsey
( Jr., 6-3, 205), OL Aiden Lybbert( Sr., 6-1, 235), LB Marcus Mounce( Sr., 6-0, 170), DB Cam Cunningham( Sr., 5-8, 155), LB Corbin Norris( Sr., 6-1, 200), OL Braxton Holland( Jr., 5-9, 185), DL Nesto Gonzalez( Sr., 5-11, 250) NOTABLE Rogers opens its season with a North Little Rock team which it beat 44-6 in a first-round playoff game last year. … The Mounties will close out nonconference play with a rare Thursday night game at Sheridan, which has hired Kevin Kelley as its head coach. … There are only 13 seniors on the Mounties’ varsity roster, and none of them will start the season in the skill positions. … Regan turns into a full-time quarterback this season, where he threw for 515 yards and 5 TDs last fall. He combined for more than 900 yards and 13 TDs running and receving last season. … Lindsey, who will be a three-year starter at linebacker, will also give the Mounties some help as an H-back and receiver. … Lybbert started every game at a tackle last year, but he will make the move to center. … Holland moves to the offensive line after being a linebacker last season. … Gonzalez, who has alternated between nose guard and defensive end the last two seasons, will do it for a third year. QUOTABLE“ That’ s the cool thing about high school coaching— we have got to adapt to what we have. We really like this group. We’ re a little younger than a year ago, and we graduated a lot of good players. We had five to go sign to play college football. It was a good team that was big and physical. This year’ s team is a little different, but the culture is good. This kids have worked hard and responded well. They’ ve been fun to coach.”— Chad Harbison, Rogers football coach
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Evan Gaddy
Cohen Smith
ROGERS HERITAGE WAR EAGLES
2023 RECORD 1-9 overall, 0-7 7A-West COACH Eric Munoz RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 9 defense KEY PLAYERS QB / LB Domenic Castaneda( Sr., 6-0, 195), OL Luis Cerone( Sr., 5-9, 235), OL Dylan Lackey( Jr., 5-11, 235), DL Joseph Carroll( Sr., 5-10, 190), LB Tyler McCann( Jr., 5-9, 180), WR / DB Danny Basturdo( Sr., 5-9, 175), DB Jake Misukaitis( Sr., 5-9, 170), DB / WB Terrall Myers( Sr., 6-0, 180) NOTABLE The War Eagles had their spring workouts cut short by the tornadoes that came through the area during Memorial Day weekend. … While Castaneda returns as the starting quarterback, he is in the middle of a competition for that job with sophomore Brandon Carroll. If Carroll happens to get the upper hand, it could allow Castaneda to turn his attention to middle linebacker, where he also started last year. … Heritage returns four starters on the offensive line, led by Cerone at left guard. Lackey will make the move from center to right guard. … The War Eagles, who allowed an average of 43.5 points per game last year, will make a defensive switch from a 3-4 front to a 3-3-5 alignment. … Joseph Carroll showed signs of promise in the defensive line with 22 tackles, including 4 tackles for loss, before he suffered a season-ending injury). … Basturdo and senior Coen Smith return in the defensive backfield after having last season cut short by injuries, as did Myers. … Misukaitis will be joined by junior Jake Stout in the defensive backfield. QUOTABLE“ You get a feel for your team in the spring a little bit, and the tornadoes impacted the last week of spring practice. But this summer, we learned that our kids, they’ re in it for the grind. These kids are willing to put the work in, and they know everybody’ s telling us we’ re the underdog and everything, and they’ re feeding on it. These kids have had a heck of a summer, and this is the best attendance as far as for summer practices. The buy-in has been extraordinary this summer, and it’ s showing.”— Eric Munoz, Rogers Heritage football coach
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Xavier Engle
Trae Serrano
SPRINGDALE BULLDOGS
2023 RECORD 2-8 overall, 1-6 7A-West COACH Brett Hobbs RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 5 defense KEY PLAYERS QB Jack Pounders( Sr., 6-2, 190), SLOT Noel Howard( Sr., 6-0, 170), RB / DL Lajket Kannagaki( Sr., 5-9, 225), FB Rancel Orellana( Jr., 5-9, 220), OL Xavier Engle( Sr., 5-8, 250), OL Colby Cooks( Sr., 6-3, 310), DL Julian Arroyoe( Jr., 6-1, 260), LB Easton Hahn( Jr., 5-10, 205). NOTABLE The formation may look a little different, but the Bulldogs’ offensive concept will remain the same. Springdale wants to use the triple option, but it will line up in the shotgun at times as well as the Flexbone. … Pounders is a three-year starter at quarterback and may get to utilize his arm more while in the shotgun. … Kannangaki ran for more than 800 yards last season and was an all-conference tailback, but he will head to the defensive line this year. He still could run the ball at times. … Howard went from not playing football as a sophomore to a backfield starter, where he ran for 462 yards and 4 TDs. … Engle and Crooks give the Red’ Dogs a pair of experienced offensive linemen at center and tackle, respectively. … Arroyos earned second-team all-conference honors last fall as he compiled eight tackles for loss. … Hahn was Springdale’ s leading tackler last season and will be joined by junior Shem Paul, who was in every game last season. … A. J. Woods returns as the kicker, where he connected on 21 of 23 extra-point attemps and kicked a pair of field goals. QUOTABLE“ This group, they have a lot of experience playing because we’ ve had to play younger players throughout the year. But as far as this group goes, I feel like this is a close group that works hard. The first thing to being successful is not turning the ball over. Our turnover ratio last year— there’ s too big of a discrepancy and you can’ t win games win you turn the ball over. We also need to have that confidence in each other and in our team, knowing week in and week out we can compete with some of the top teams in the state.”— Brett Hobbs, Springdale football coach
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Rowan Graham
Evan Baker
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER WILDCATS
2023 RECORD 2-9 overall, 2-5 7A-West COACH Brent Eckley RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 5 defense KEY PLAYERS RB Titus Cramer( Jr., 5-10, 185), WR Hayden Wood( Sr., 6-3, 175), OL Landon Hughes( Sr., 6-1, 280), OL Rowan Graham( Jr., 2-11, 235), DE Daniel Esparza( Sr., 5-10, 215), DL Jayden Grayson( Sr., 6-1, 310), LB / DB Tate Beam( Sr., 6-1, 200). NOTABLE Senior Evan Baker, who started at quarterback most of last season for Shiloh Christian, moved to Har-Ber during the offseason and will assume that position. Baker threw for more than 1,200 yards and 13 TDs and ran for almost 1,000 yards and 8 more scores. … Craner enjoyed a 1,000-yard season and had 1o touchdowns despite missing the first two games with a broken collarbone. … Wood, the son of former Har-Ber coach Chris Wood, was an all-conference selection last year after he caught 52 passes for 747 yards and 11 TDs, with five of them coming against Fort Smith Southside. He has basketball offers from a number of schools. … Hughes, who returns at one of the tackle position, joins fellow offensive linemen Luke Griep and Rowan Graham as National Honor Society members. … Graham also returns at center, where he was an all-conference performer last season. … Esparza compiled 31 tackles last year, including 3 for loss, and also forced two fumbles and recovered one. … Beam, considered one of the Wildcats’ better defenders, dislocated one elbow during the regular season and the other one during the playoff game against Cabot. QUOTABLE“ It’ s been a good transition. The kids are acclimated pretty well to what we’ re doing. I’ ve been really pleased with the influx of the new guys coming up from the two junior highs, and we have some guys are returning that have had good offseasons, so I’ m optimistic. I’ m sure every coach will say a key will be to stay healthy. We’ re all going to struggle with depth with the kids’ ability to transfer. If you’ re not a one, you try to find another place to be a one. It’ s going to hinder a lot of schools that way.”
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