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THREE RIVERS EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE FOOTBALL PREVIEW | SUNDAY, AUGUST 26, 2018
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BATESVILLE PIONEERS BATESVILLE continued from 42SS
playoffs. He said there was a string of at least seven years when Batesville made it to at least the semifinals.
“It was a close ballgame, but we just came up short,” King said.
Returning this year on offense is starting senior quarterback Hayden Childers, who fin- ished All-Conference last year.
“He is looking really good right now, so I think that’s got to be a strength for us,” King said. “He is really an outstanding leader and a fine young man.
“He is just a really good leader of kids.”
Also returning is senior starter Said Bernal at fullback and punter. King said Bernal may be the best punter Batesville has ever had.
“So I feel like our kicking game could be strong,” the coach said. “He’s an outstanding punter.”
Lastly, senior Titan Nguyen returns as a starting strong tackle.
“They are really great kids, first and fore- most,” King said. “They are coachable, the kind of kids you love to coach.
“They give 100 percent effort every day, and they not only lead by example but also their actions as well.”
Senior running back Kadar Floyd did not start last year, but the coach said Floyd ran for about 700 to 800 yards.
“So even though he wasn’t the starter, he got quite a bit of action,” King said.
The biggest weakness for Batesville this year will be its offensive line, the coach said.
“We are a bit undersized,” King said, “and that’s been a place that we have always excelled at in years past.
“But we are getting great effort from them, and they are getting better every day. We are just a little bit undersized, so that’s going to be a work in progress.
“We will get better as the year goes on.”
Defensively, Batesville has just two starters returning to its 3-4 scheme.
“But the effort has been there,” King said. “They are just as good as any group that has been there the past 10 years.
“We are excited about that. They have great attitudes and great work ethics and are com- mitted to the program.”
Senior defensive tackle Jorge Sanchez has looked good at this point, King said, and senior Brayden Gammill has moved from safety to outside linebacker.
“He is a young man that we are really excit- ed about,” King said. “We think he is going to have a good year for us.”
This group has a great
attitude and spirit.”
DAVE KING
BATESVILLE HEAD COACH
Senior linebacker Clayton Roberson didn’t start last year but is being leaned on as a possible leader this year, the coach said, and he described senior corners K.J. Frierson and Jackson Beck as small but feisty.
“They are a little bit undersized, but they are quick and good hitters,” King said. “We really like them, and they will have a chance to be good at the corner.”
Junior Blayne Dowell had shoulder surgery in the offseason, so King said it has been kind of a slow start for Dowell, but “he is looking good, and we are excited about him.”
Batesville opened the season against Little Rock Christian on Friday but will travel to Jonesboro on Aug. 31. The coach said moving the schedule up a week is beneficial because it gives the Pioneers a week off before they start conference play.
“We scrimmage a 6A school, and we play two others out of the same conference, so our schedule is definitely not soft,” King said. “Conference wise, Wynne is always going to be in the mix, and Nettleton had a good year last year, too.
“I look at Valley View, and I thought they had a nice team last year, and they seem to have it going over there.”
King said that for several years, it was just Wynne and Batesville rotating good runs.
“But I really think the conference is going to be a lot more balanced this year,” he said.
Batesville has the same goals every year. The team wants to win a conference championship and wants to compete for a state championship at the end of the season. Batesville won a state championship in 2003 and made it to the finals three years in a row from 2011 to 2013.
“We also want to have the kind of team that everyone in our community, our parents and our fans can be proud of,” King said. “This group has a great attitude and spirit.
“They have been really fun to coach at this point.”
STACI VANDAGRIFF/THREE RIVERS EDITION
Batesville senior running back Kadar Floyd, right, is chased by a teammate.
MIDLAND MUSTANGS
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1227 N. Saint Louis St. | Batesville
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1100 North St. Louis St. • Batesville, AR.