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going for a loss, and eight sacks.
The Elks have plenty of playmakers around them as well after averaging 53 points per game a season ago. Landon Martin and James Townsend return as seniors with other receivers looking to breakout as well. Martin and Townsend terrorized opposing secondaries a year ago. Martin caught 54 passes for 890 yards and 9 touchdowns, while Townsend hauled in 62 passes for 707 yards and 12 touchdowns.
After allowing just 11 points per game with five shutouts last year, Elkins returns nine starters on its defense. Owen Baublits finished with 47 tackles and six sacks last year, and he doesn’ t see a letdown in the defense’ s productivity.
“ You love to see a good defense,” Baublits said.“ This senior class wants to finish this out strong. We want to leave an impact on the younger guys. Friday nights are special at Elkins. If you make a big play, you’ ll hear about it from the fans. Everyone is fired up for the season. We want to protect that conference title and more.”
It won’ t be an easy task for Elkins to repeat though with Prairie Grove, Gravette, Lincoln, Gentry and Green Forest all pushing for playoff spots given to the top five in the league.
Prairie Grove, shifting from Class 5A back to Class 4A, is no stranger to winning 4A-1 Conference titles. Outside of Elkins, the only program currently in the league that has won it in the past seven years is Prairie Grove.
The Tigers are coming off a 4-6 season but return 16 total starters from a group that has been tested at a higher classification. Coach Danny Abshier, entering his 35th year with the school, and the Tigers are eager to get back to their winning ways after averaging nine wins per season in recent stretches.
“ I’ ve lived through 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A and now back down to 4A,” Abshier said.“ Being in 4A for so long, it just seems more natural. It’ s more comfortable in the 4A. We are dropping down, but the competition is still
PREP RALLY: CLASS 4A | 8.18.2024
going to be tough. Elkins made a semifinals run last year. The league is strong. Our overall attitude stands out with this group. It seems( more fun) for some reason. They try to make it that way. This group meshes together really well.”
Abshier’ s grandson, Alex, will guide the team from the quarterback position. Depth at running back will be a big key for a team looking to replace the production of graduated all-state senior running back Conner Hubbs, who had a school record 298 yards in a single game last year.
Gravette continued its upward trend last season in a big way, now the winners of 13 games in the past two seasons after winning nine total games from 2018-2011. A senior
class of 16, the biggest in recent memory at the school, now looks to push for even more success. Cameron Bedwell returns from injury to guide the team at quarterback with do-it-all playmaker Gabe Holmes also returning.
“ We want to be in the mix,” Gravette Coach Kelby Bohannon said.“ We feel the momentum. We ran into a really talented team in the second round of the playoffs, but our kids walked away knowing where we needed to be. We now want to get back to that. We’ ve continued to develop as a football team. I see a hungry bunch ready to get started again. It’ s a good bunch of seniors. They are highly motivated and there is great leadership. They are a fun bunch to coach.” Lincoln is under new leadership with first-year Coach Jacob Jarvis, but he was the team’ s defensive coordinator, now looking to continue a banner campaign from last year. The Wolves finished 8-4 last year, which was the most wins in program history since 2018.
Senior quarterback Kale Jones in a league full of stars is one of the brightest and gives them a chance to beat anyone on any given night.
“ When the ball is in his hands, it makes defenses nervous,” Jarvis said.“ He can run and throw it. Preparing for him isn’ t an easy task. We will try to make it hard on defenses this year. I’ ve said it 20-30 times
Carson Rico Elkins File Photo
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