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SHINE ON
PREP RALLY: CLASS 7A | 8.18.2024
Coaches expect another tough 7A-West battle
Lajket Kannangaki
SCHOOL Springdale POSITION Fullback / defensive lineman CLASS Senior HEIGHT 5-9 WEIGHT 225 FIND ME ON X @ LajketK THE DIGITS Earned all-conference honors last season after he ran for a team-high 872 yards and 6 TDs out of Springdale’ s Flexbone offense. … He will make the move to defensive end this fall but will still get some opportunities to run the football. … Has received an offer from Central Arkansas. FAVORITE CLASS English or math. I just love doing math and love doing English and stuff. All the words are really fun for me, and I like doing home work. FAVORITE PREGAME MEAL I like Slim Chickens. I like the tenders. … I like everything. I’ m not gonna lie. I LISTEN TO I just listen to relax music before the game starts, get my mindset ready. I like Post Malone or Morgan Wallen sometimes. I BINGE WATCH I just watch a lot of football stuff. That’ s bascially it. I love‘ All-American.’ I’ M TERRIFIED OF I’ m scared of snakes, and I don’ t like spiders. I WOULD NEVER, EVER Jump off a cliff because I’ m afraid of heights. I DRIVE A Nissan. I just know the name is Nissan. MY HERO IS My dad and my mom. They are there for every game, and they cheer for me. WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT FOOTBALL IS Hitting drills and run stuff. Anything with contact. I like contact. IN 10 YEARS I WILL Hopefully be in the NFL one day, and I’ ll work hard for it.
HENRY APPLE NWA DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Fort Smith Northside football Coach Felix Curry likes his team being back in the 7A-West Conference when it comes to travel purposes.
The Grizzlies, who take over Fort Smith Southside’ s spot in the league, will trade their long journeys down Interstate 40 for much shorter trips up I-49 to Northwest Arkansas over the next two seasons. Northside’ s longest trip in the 7A-West will be 88 miles to Bentonville West, which is 40 miles less than its 128-mile
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trip to Conway— the closest school in the 7A-Central.
“ I’ ve always said with us being on this side of the state, you’ ll love the travel,” Curry said.“ For the fans, it’ s easier driving up the hill than it is going to Cabot and Bryant. I think the fans like being here, and it’ s better for us.”
On the flip side, Northside returns to the 7A-West at a time when the league may have just regained its supremacy for quite some time.
The 7A-Central’ s string of six straight state champions— five in a row by Bryant— ended last year with the first all-West final since 2015, and Fayetteville took the state title with a 22-16 victory over Bentonville. It was Bentonville who ended Bryant’ s reign with a 52-35 semifinal victory on the Hornets’ home field the week before and avenged its loss in the 2022 final.
“ There’ s a lot of good talent and a lot of really, really good coaches,” Springdale Har-Ber Coach Brent Eckley said.“ I have a really high level of respect for the coaches in our conference. Everybody seems to do a good job and finds the niche with their kids.
“ So it’ s going to be a challenge week-in