Page 27 - Demo

RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE FOOTBALL PREVIEW | SUNDAY, AUGUST 26, 2018
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HECTOR WILDCATS
New coach sizes up Wildcats, looks for improvement
BY AMBER QUAID
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
As another season begins, the Hector Wildcats find themselves with a new head coach, Scott Poteete, whose quest for improvement is what will drive them forward this year.
“It’s just a process of getting better, and we’re going to do it,” Poteete said. “Our goal is to be bet- ter by Week 10, Week 11 than we are right now.”
Poteete, who was an assistant coach for the Morrilton Devil Dogs for the past eight years and has a total of 11 years coaching, was part of Morrilton’s 2013 Class 5A state championship. Bringing that level of knowledge and experience to his first year as a coach in the Class 2A, Poteete said he is evaluating each player to find the best fit for the individual and the team.
After starting the 2017 season with only one loss, the Wildcats went on to win the next four games in a row, with only one 2A Conference game loss (6-1). They ended the regular season with a record of 8-2. In Round 1 of the play- offs, they found their match and lost against Salem (41-35).
The 8-2 finish includes wins against Marshall, 45-14; Paris, 55-22; Cutter-Morning Star, 35-6; Conway Christian, 31-30; Bigelow, 37-0; England, 41-8; Poyen, 42-14; and Quitman, 48-3.
The starters for this season are still being eval- uated because Poteete wants to make sure they are “the best fit for our team” this season, but there are a few key players returning: seniors Cody Day, Blake Koehn, Cain Lusk, Ethan Church and Brandon Loppe; juniors Caleb Profit, Bobo Humphrey and DeAngelo Holloway; and sophomores Ty Day, Gunner Garrison and Tim Ingram.
“This is new. Coach Taylor is the new defen- sive coordinator, and I’m new,” Poteete said. “We are in a transition season.”
As players are being evaluated for their skills, these key players have shown improvement on the field and in the weight room, Poteete said. Last year, Cody Day (running back, outside linebacker) weighed in at 140. This year, he’s at 185 and he has added the position of quarterback to his abilities for the Wildcats. Koehn weighed in at 180 last season. He’s 205 this year and is focused on being a running back this season. Lusk (defensive end, tackle) weighed in at 170 last year, 285 this year and is holding his positions solid. Ethan Church (running back, inside linebacker) weighed in at 170 last season and comes in this season at
PHOTOS BY AMBER QUAID/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Hector senior quarterback Cody Day awaits the snap from center during a team camp scrimmage against Perryville.
195 and is also holding his positions solid. Loppe (wide receiver, defensive back) weighed in at 185 last season and is at 190 this season.
It is not just the seniors putting in the hard work this year, but the underclassmen as well, Po- teete said. Caleb Profit (wide receiver, free safety) weighed in at 125 last season and weighs 155 this season. Humphrey (defensive line, offensive line) weighed in at 210 last season, 220 this season and has made himself an all-around lineman as com- pared to last year. Holloway (running back, defen- sive back) has added 2 inches to his height while maintaining his weight. Ty Day (running back) weighed in at 133 as a freshman, 160 this year and has added wide receiver and defensive back to his positions. Gunner Garrison (wide receiver, defensive back) weighed in at 122 last year, 145 this year and added quarterback to his positions. Tim Ingram, positions to be determined, weighed in at 295 last season and is at 315 this season.
“[The Wildcats’] strengths are size and depth for the 2A level,” and they will primarily run a Spread offense with a 3-4 defense, as speed currently seems to be their weakness, the coach said. This transitional time for the Wildcats means changes are on the horizon, and each day is taken one by one, the coach said.
“Every game is important. We just want to take one Friday night at a time,” Poteete said. “There will be no looking ahead for us [for key games].”
Hector senior running back Blake Koehn attempts to get away from a Perryville defender.
HECTOR WILDCATS
AUG. 24 ............................................ ATKINS AUG. 31 .......................................MARSHALL SEPT. 7 .................................... @PERRYVILLE SEPT. 21 ..............@WESTERN YELL COUNTY* SEPT. 28 ........ WESTSIDE JOHNSON COUNTY* OCT. 5 ...................................... @MAGAZINE* OCT. 12 ......................................@HACKETT* OCT. 19 ........................................... LAVACA* OCT. 26 ..................................JUNCTION CITY NOV. 2 ................................ MOUNTAINBURG*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES