After requesting a transfer from the varsity staff to junior high head coach, Shannon Rhea is set to begin his second season at the helm of the Junior Bulldogs, and he has quite an opening act to follow.
Last fall the Jr. 'Dogs went unbeaten (9-0) and won their third consecutive River Valley Conference title, extending their current winning streak to 27 games. While he (wisely) isn't predicting another unblemished season, Rhea does like what he's seen from this new crop of ninth graders.
"I've been real impressed with how they've been practicing," he said. "They've gotten a lot better. The competition seems to be coming on."
The coach was also quick to point out that it's another season and this team will be different from last year. "We're going to be a little different as far as depth. We're going to have a lot more guys having to play both ways," he explained.
"But we've been really practicing well and we've got some kids battling it out for some positions. It's pretty good competition right now, but we'll learn a lot Tuesday night," referring to his team's scrimmage at Bentonville earlier this week.
"We've got some guys that played a little bit last year, that are going to have to help us. The numbers are about the same, it's just that we are thin at some positions," said Rhea. "We've got to get some depth on the line. We've got a lot of guys that are going to have to play both ways there, and also at linebacker. We're going to have to find some [more] guys. We're just kind of small in some areas."
As for the numbers, 49 names can be found on the ninth grade roster, but the numbers in the younger grades are more impressive, especially in the seventh grade, which fields two teams. "We've got 70 seventh graders out. It's the biggest bunch I think we've had," he said.
As always, success in football starts with the offensive line, and the Jr. 'Dogs have produced an abundance of bigger kids over the past couple of years, many of which are now being counted on by varsity Head Coach Rick Jones. The ninth grade still has some size, but just not the volume.
"After we get past our [starters], it kind of drops off in size," said Rhea of his offensive linemen. "We're also probably not as tall as we were. Lance Oudomparamy is learning right guard now to give us some depth [there], and he's going to be a good defensive lineman for us too."
Other linemen in the mix include Nathan Nethers at left tackle and Coleton Erwin at left guard. "Stone Lee is at center, Oudomparamy is at right guard, and Traven Nichols at right tackle. That will be our starters right now," said the coach.
"We're trying to find some depth behind them, because a lot of those guys play defense too, and we'd really like to give them a rest. We're just going to have to be really good this year at subbing them in and out. Hopefully we can get some depth behind them. Hopefully, Michael Emberson can come through. We've also got Jackson Petty and Ryan Duncan on the second line."
While depth and size on the offensive line is a concern, team speed is a plus, especially at receiver. "We've got some guys that can run – Lazaro Angel and Breck Daggett," said Rhea. "Those guys have really good speed, so we'll be alright with our first group of receivers. We've got some guys who can run and catch the ball." Eli Martin and Logan Workman will also be counted on at receiver.
"Trey Dawson is another kid who can help us. He's really improved. He's going to have to play cornerback for us on defense, but he's right in the mix at receiver too."
Getting the ball to those speedy receivers will be the job of two quarterbacks, Jace Presley and Blaze Moore. Of Presley, Coach Rhea said, "Right now he's running #1 at quarterback, and we've got Moore backing him up. Coach [Josh] Holloway (offensive coordinator) said that Blaze is probably the best #2 quarterback he's had.
"He's done a real good job, and we don't drop off too much between our two quarterbacks. Both of them played a little bit last year, and we feel pretty good at that position." As eighth graders in 2015, this group finished the season with a 5-4 record.
The running back position is also well-stocked, according to Rhea, starting with an exceptional athlete in Hunter Wilkinson. "We called him up from the eighth grade team," explained the coach. "He's physical. He can run, and he's a bigger kid.
"Last year in the seventh grade games he would go 80 yards and nobody would touch him. We moved him up to the eighth grade games a little bit last year, and he handled it real well. So he's going to play running back and start at linebacker for us."
There's plenty of depth behind Wilkinson. "Caden Taylor, Colton Tuck, and Jackson Stewart have all been working at running back," added Rhea. "They're going to get plenty of carries.
Solid line play and good skill players should allow the Jr. 'Dogs to be very balanced offensively, running and passing effectively. "We're hoping to do both," said Rhea. "We've got to be good at running the ball, and I think we're going to be good at the screen game. We've got some kids that can catch.
"Last year we were able to move the ball on most of the people we played. We scored quite a few points. Not too many [teams] have held us down.
On the other side of the ball – on defense – Oudomparay and Halen Carter will start at defensive ends, with Coleton Erwin at nose guard. Linebackers will include some combination of Eli Martin, Blaze Moore, Hunter Wilkerson, Caden Taylor, and Sam Johnson.
In the secondary, Rhea and his staff are counting on Trey Dawson and possibly Cole McDaniel at the corners. "We need to find another corner to come on," said the coach. "We've got Colton Tuck at safety, and Angel Lazaro is playing both ways. He'll be at safety also, and Logan Workman too."
This season the kicking game relies on the foot of Jackson Stewart. "He's going to handle all three (kickoffs, field goals, punts)," said Rhea. "Our deep snapper is Sam Johnson, he's been doing a real good job, along with Nathan Nethers.
"Stewart's been kicking the ball really well. He kicked a 37-yarder [in practice] today into the wind. He's a soccer player. He's better than average for a junior high kid (punting). He really works at it and he's loves to do it. He gets out there and does extra work."
As for the upcoming schedule, nine games are on the slate with an open week after game two, just before the start of conference play. The Jr. 'Dogs open the season at home against Alma, in non-conference play, followed by Shiloh Christian, also at home, then comes the open week.
"We called and called, but couldn't get anything set up, so we have an open date," explained the coach. "The good thing is, it's right before our conference games. So we can have some good practice time and get a good scouting report on our first conference opponent (Fort Smith Ramsey).
As for the winning streak, Rhea says that his players seem to be taking it all in stride. "Our kids just do the same old routine. We do the same practice every day and just go to work," he said. "I don't think these boys are worried about the winning streak.
"It's a different team, and we're just going to go out and play and see what we can do. It's one day and one game [at a time]. We're just going to try to win every game. They're giving their all."
The only real change in the schedule is the addition of a new league member. "Harrison is coming into our conference this year," said Rhea. "I know Harrison had a real good team last year. [Ft. Smith] Darby has a lot of good athletes, and they're going to be a challenge, along with [Ft. Smith] Kimmons too. We've got to be ready for everybody. We're not so good that we can overlook anyone."
Summing up, Rhea was positive and enthusiastic about his team's chances of defending their league title, acknowledging that the biggest challenge was, "Just keeping them fresh. I know we're going to move the ball," said the coach. "I feel good about our quarterback play and our running backs. We've just got to keep our linemen fresh."