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RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE FOOTBALL PREVIEW | SUNDAY, AUGUST 26, 2018
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CENTRAL ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN MUSTANGS
CAC coach going back to Spread, expects success
BY TAMMY KEITH
SENIOR WRITER
Central Arkansas Christian fans didn’t have much to cheer about last season, but the coach believes this year will be different.
Tommy Shoemaker, in his 11th year as head coach, said the young team has matured. Last year, the Mustangs were 1-9, beating
only Baptist Prep.
“We were a really young football team, an
inexperienced football team. We didn’t have a big senior class,” he said.
Shoemaker changed the offensive strategy for the 2017 season from the Spread offense, which he’d run for nine of his 10 years, to the Wing-T formation.
“It didn’t turn out like we’d hope it would. We’re back in the Spread now,” the coach said. “We’ve got eight starters back on both sides of the ball; we’re not so young and inexperienced.”
Shoemaker said that as of early August, offensive starters would be Brandon Bishop, junior right guard; William Word, senior left guard; Austin Cook, junior center; sophomores Jeremiah Wingfield, right tackle, and Lance Morris, left tackle; junior Gentry Miller and seniors Seth Crews, Garrett Overstreet and Hugh Miller, receivers; and Blake Smith, senior tailback. Eli Garrison, a junior, will lead the team at quarterback.
PHOTOS BY CODY GRAVES/RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION
Central Arkansas Christian players run a play during preseason drills. CAC hopes to bounce back from a 1-9 campaign a year ago.
The Mustangs will continue with their 3-4 defense, Shoemaker said.
The coach said his lineup on defense at that time would be senior William Word, defensive end; junior Brandon Bishop, nose guard; senior Jackson Gay, defensive end; seniors Overstreet and Blake Smith, outside backers; senior John Dalton and sophomore Luke Pool, inside linebackers; secondarywise, senior Seth Crews, defensive back, a corner; senior Krishaun Watson, the other corner; and juniors Eli Jenkins and Gentry Miller, safeties.
“He was our third quarterback,” the coach
said of Garrison. “The two guys in front of
him, one got hurt (Miller). About halfway
through the year, we put Eli in there. He’s got
a little bit better arm, but he’s not as good a
runner as the other two. We started doing
some elements of the Spread with Eli to get
him prepared for this year, but he wasn’t
really ready. He’s grown physically in his
arm strength and had a good summer, so
we are much more solid at the quarterback
position.” CAC continued on 12VV
CENTRAL ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN MUSTANGS
AUG. 31 .................................. @MAYFLOWER SEPT. 7 ................................ @BAPTIST PREP SEPT. 14 ......................................... CLINTON SEPT. 21 ................................. @RIVERVIEW* SEPT.28 ......................................LRMILLS* OCT. 5 ............................... HEBER SPRINGS*
OCT. 12 ................ @SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE* OCT. 19 ..........................................LONOKE* OCT. 26 ..................................@BALD KNOB* NOV. 2 .......................................STUTTGART*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
CAC senior William Word, left, takes on teammate senior lineman Sam Harper, No. 66, during a blocking drill in preseason practice.
The team’s strength is the number of returning players, the coach said.
“We’re going to be a more experienced