My Take 2014: 2-4A

[whippersnapper]

1:7 (#3 Fearless Poll) Newport: The Greyhounds bring back 14 starters. After a 2nd-round loss to Arkadelphia last year. There isn't anything I can say about Newport that you haven't heard me say already. The Greyhounds have new turf this year and a new stadium. I won't predict a total record for the Greyhounds out of my bias but I will predict them to win conference championship.
2:10 (Received votes) West Helena: The Cougars made playoffs last year in 5a and returns 17 starters with the drop to 4a this year. They host a home game week 4 against Newport which could set the tone for the rest of the season for the Cougars. 8-4, 2nd round loss.
3:4 (received votes) Lonoke: Coming in at preseason #4 the jack rabbits look to build off of last year's success but will have to do it without all state wide receiver Blake Mack, for all conference quarterback Cody Smith and 3 all conference linemen.But the Jackrabbits return just enough to have a winning record and get to the playoffs they go 7-4 1st round.
4:26 (received votes) Stuttgart: If Elmore was back I would give the Rice birds a winning record at least. But with the late hire of Vince Perrin I cant. He is bringing in a little bit more of a 4 wide offense and I am not sure if yall have the qb for it yet. Perrin is an excellent coach give him a rebuild year and watch out in 2015. 5-6 1st-round
5:19 CAC: Scored a lot but gave up a lot last year too. Lose a good qb and a couple receivers. Mustangs go 4-6.
6:25 Heber Springs: Panthers stayed in house when Janski left and promoted Coach Farr. The Panthers play a tough non conference schedule and may only get to a 4-7 record. Return 17 starters and gain a talented sophomore group but I think they are a year away still from a winning record again.
7:42 Southside: 2-8
8:48 Riverview: After consistently making playoffs in 3A the Raiders make the jump. But it may be a couple years till the make serious noise. 3-7

[SUGARTOWN]

That looks like a pretty accurate assessment IMO.

[cuckoobird]

whippers the man

[Razorhummer]

Looks pretty accurate to me. The game I'm most concerned about is on the road at Stuttgart. When these 2 teams play it's always a great game. Stuttgart had Newport on the ropes last year and that big defensive stop and the big td run by Crite saved the Hounds.

[cuckoobird]

It will be 11 against 11 this year so the hounds may be in trouble

[LakeRat]

The top 5-6 teams within 2-4A have been pretty competitive and the last five years the gaps have closed quite a bit.

This year brings 3 new teams in and 3 old foes out. Some key coaching changes and a lot of unknowns.

Newport seems the logical choice at the top for a lot of good reasons. Picking 2nd-5th place teams is a toss up. Looking forward to non-conference play to get a better guage on the rest of the conference before we start meeting up for real.

[Razorhummer]

Heber Springs will be tested for sure for the 1st 3 non conference games. I'm still don't think Lonoke should be ranked #4 in the other poll while Newport is at #7. I'm sure Star City will take care of that and if they don't then the Hounds will in week 5. Newport and Stuttgart has always been a really close and good game to watch no matter how good or bad of the season both teams are having.

[The_Laughing_Cow]

I think this summary is pretty accurate. There are some high expectations for the Rabs. I hope we can meet those expectations after losing some big linemen, the Mack kid, and our QB. Those were key parts for last years squad. It will be interesting.

[Razorhummer]

I think this summary is pretty accurate. There are some high expectations for the Rabs. I hope we can meet those expectations after losing some big linemen, the Mack kid, and our QB. Those were key parts for last years squad. It will be interesting.

Yeah losing some of your big lineman you had along with Blake Mack and your QB was a big loss but I'm sure you got some guys that'll step in. I sure hope Turner for the Hounds stays healthy because we don't have Kristen Crite to rely on since Turner wasn't healthy until the later part of last season.

[cuckoobird]

I think this summary is pretty accurate. There are some high expectations for the Rabs. I hope we can meet those expectations after losing some big linemen, the Mack kid, and our QB. Those were key parts for last years squad. It will be interesting.

Yeah losing some of your big lineman you had along with Blake Mack and your QB was a big loss but I'm sure you got some guys that'll step in. I sure hope Turner for the Hounds stays healthy because we don't have Kristen Crite to rely on since Turner wasn't healthy until the later part of last season.

I hope turner moves to batesville

[phdefense]

I think this summary is pretty accurate. There are some high expectations for the Rabs. I hope we can meet those expectations after losing some big linemen, the Mack kid, and our QB. Those were key parts for last years squad. It will be interesting.

Yeah losing some of your big lineman you had along with Blake Mack and your QB was a big loss but I'm sure you got some guys that'll step in. I sure hope Turner for the Hounds stays healthy because we don't have Kristen Crite to rely on since Turner wasn't healthy until the later part of last season.

I hope turner moves to batesville

Think most of the 4A-2 feels this way

[Razorhummer]

I think this summary is pretty accurate. There are some high expectations for the Rabs. I hope we can meet those expectations after losing some big linemen, the Mack kid, and our QB. Those were key parts for last years squad. It will be interesting.

Yeah losing some of your big lineman you had along with Blake Mack and your QB was a big loss but I'm sure you got some guys that'll step in. I sure hope Turner for the Hounds stays healthy because we don't have Kristen Crite to rely on since Turner wasn't healthy until the later part of last season.

I hope turner moves to batesville

Think most of the 4A-2 feels this way

Everyone except Newport

[SouthernerPride]

The Southerners are turning a corner this year. The defense will be very salty and if we can work out a QB and another receiver we'll be golden and could see the #5 conference seed at the end of the season.

[whippersnapper]

This definitely would be the year to do it. The conference as a whole isn't as strong as it has been the past few years.

[dhen]

I'm picking HWH to win the 2-4a

[SUGARTOWN]

The Southerners are turning a corner this year. The defense will be very salty and if we can work out a QB and another receiver we'll be golden and could see the #5 conference seed at the end of the season.

Did you copy and paste this from last year and the year before that?

[whippersnapper]

Surely not, there was no mention of them winning state with the Childress's

[MoChedda]

I'm picking HWH to win the 2-4a

Im picking them to win STATE

[SUGARTOWN]

I'm picking HWH to win the 2-4a

Im picking them to win STATE

Well they did win that 7 on 7, so I say they're well on their way........

[Jacketman65]

The Southerners are turning a corner this year. The defense will be very salty and if we can work out a QB and another receiver we'll be golden and could see the #5 conference seed at the end of the season.

Did you copy and paste this from last year and the year before that?

Who will they beat in the 2-4A?

[hasenpfeffer]

The Southerners are turning a corner this year. The defense will be very salty and if we can work out a QB and another receiver we'll be golden and could see the #5 conference seed at the end of the season.

Did you copy and paste this from last year and the year before that?

Who will they beat in the 2-4A?

The Souterners will beat Riverview maybe, but I do not see any other conference win for the SS.

[Jacketman65]

The Southerners are turning a corner this year. The defense will be very salty and if we can work out a QB and another receiver we'll be golden and could see the #5 conference seed at the end of the season.

Did you copy and paste this from last year and the year before that?

Who will they beat in the 2-4A?

The Souterners will beat Riverview maybe, but I do not see any other conference win for the SS.

Surely you guys can beat the burds this year!

[SouthernerPride]

The Southerners are turning a corner this year. The defense will be very salty and if we can work out a QB and another receiver we'll be golden and could see the #5 conference seed at the end of the season.

Did you copy and paste this from last year and the year before that?

Who will they beat in the 2-4A?

Should beat Riverview, Heber. Toss up with CAC and Stuttgart. Hope to upset Lonoke. Will lose to the Hounds and Helena kitty cats.

These next two years will be the most competitive seasons in school history. Success starts in the trenches and we'll be solid there in the next few years.

[cuckoobird]

Ok

[SUGARTOWN]

Gotta love the optimism of the Southerners. We see this every year until the first conference game when reality sets in.

[SouthernerPride]

Gotta love the optimism of the Southerners. We see this every year until the first conference game when reality sets in.

we grow and get better every year. You are ignorant and blind if you don't see it. The only place we haven't seen success is in the win column. It will come eventually, it is inevitable.

[TSW]

Gotta love the optimism of the Southerners. We see this every year until the first conference game when reality sets in.

we grow and get better every year. You are ignorant and blind if you don't see it. The only place we haven't seen success is in the win column. It will come eventually, it is inevitable.

You did not beat them last year , you probably lost your chance for awhile .

[SUGARTOWN]

Gotta love the optimism of the Southerners. We see this every year until the first conference game when reality sets in.

we grow and get better every year. You are ignorant and blind if you don't see it. The only place we haven't seen success is in the win column. It will come eventually, it is inevitable.

Unfortunately, the win column is actually how you gauge success. If you couldn't make the playoffs the year you had those two hotshot Batesville transfers then I can't see it this year either.

The Birds had a down year last year and the Southerners still got spanked by them. At home. Good luck...

[SouthernerPride]

Gotta love the optimism of the Southerners. We see this every year until the first conference game when reality sets in.

we grow and get better every year. You are ignorant and blind if you don't see it. The only place we haven't seen success is in the win column. It will come eventually, it is inevitable.

Unfortunately, the win column is actually how you gauge success. If you couldn't make the playoffs the year you had those two hotshot Batesville transfers then I can't see it this year either.

The Birds had a down year last year and the Southerners still got spanked by them. At home. Good luck...

don't be ignorant, you can gauge success in more than the win column. Like in success in the classroom, or development from athletes to football players.

Also, the year both Childress cousins were here, the 4A-2 happened to be loaded to the max. Probably one of the strongest years overall we've had as a conference.

[SUGARTOWN]

Thanks for enlightening us Coach Simpson.

[LakeRat]

To be fair... Since coming into 2-4A the Southerner's football program has grown and improved considerably.

That may not be reflected in the win column... but you also have to take into account the overall competitiveness of 2-4A over the last several years fielding multiple teams deep into the state playoffs.

This year brings a lot of changes to our conference... to me... outside of Newport being loaded with great talent. We may see some surprises within conference.

[SUGARTOWN]

So if they win another game or maybe even two in a weaker conference does that mean they've really improved? To them I'm sure it will. But I'm not sure the conference will be any weaker than it was last year.

[cuckoobird]

Im not either. Clinton < CAC. Hwhc > dollarway. Riverview > marianna. Honestly i wouldnt be surprised if SS went ofor in conference play

[hasenpfeffer]

Im not either. Clinton < CAC. Hwhc > dollarway. Riverview > marianna. Honestly i wouldnt be surprised if SS went ofor in conference play

Not to change the topic with Southern and his moral victories. Word around the conference is Stuttgart is down to 24 players.  Is that correct??

[cuckoobird]

Im not either. Clinton < CAC. Hwhc > dollarway. Riverview > marianna. Honestly i wouldnt be surprised if SS went ofor in conference play

Not to change the topic with Southern and his moral victories. Word around the conference is Stuttgart is down to 24 players.  Is that correct??

no

[phdefense]

Im not either. Clinton < CAC. Hwhc > dollarway. Riverview > marianna. Honestly i wouldnt be surprised if SS went ofor in conference play

Not to change the topic with Southern and his moral victories. Word around the conference is Stuttgart is down to 24 players.  Is that correct??

Your friend on the coaching staff is sand bagging you. Numbers are down this year though. As I have stated before the conference needs to make hay this year while the sun is shining. It is going to get rough for the 4A-2 in the very near future.

[SouthernerPride]

Thanks for enlightening us Coach Simpson.

I've been around a lot longer than him. I'm an alumni and k-12 student of Southside School District.

So if they win another game or maybe even two in a weaker conference does that mean they've really improved? To them I'm sure it will. But I'm not sure the conference will be any weaker than it was last year.

just as every school who fields a team in any sport, regardless of classification or conference, I'm sure we all strive to be the best. Of course we would be improved to win games in a weaker conference. It takes talent and team effort to win anywhere. Unfortunately we are a new program stuck in one of the toughest conferences in the state. & yes, the conference will be down this season. I only expect Newport to do anything beyond the regular season and deep in the play offs.

[SUGARTOWN]

Helena-West Helena will surprise you then. They could win a game or two in the playoffs.

[hasenpfeffer]

Helena-West Helena will surprise you then. They could win a game or two in the playoffs.

I expect Helena and West Helena to go further than NewPort.  This is Newports' year but expectations are too high. The curse of being Number one.   As I look into my magic ball, the conference will be decided by Oct 3.

[hasenpfeffer]

Im not either. Clinton < CAC. Hwhc > dollarway. Riverview > marianna. Honestly i wouldnt be surprised if SS went ofor in conference play

Not to change the topic with Southern and his moral victories. Word around the conference is Stuttgart is down to 24 players.  Is that correct??

Your friend on the coaching staff is sand bagging you. Numbers are down this year though. As I have stated before the conference needs to make hay this year while the sun is shining. It is going to get rough for the 4A-2 in the very near future.

I have no friends coaching or otherwise. LOL

[phdefense]

Im not either. Clinton < CAC. Hwhc > dollarway. Riverview > marianna. Honestly i wouldnt be surprised if SS went ofor in conference play

Not to change the topic with Southern and his moral victories. Word around the conference is Stuttgart is down to 24 players.  Is that correct??

Your friend on the coaching staff is sand bagging you. Numbers are down this year though. As I have stated before the conference needs to make hay this year while the sun is shining. It is going to get rough for the 4A-2 in the very near future.

I have no friends coaching or otherwise. LOL

Maybe you should try being a nicer person then

[LakeRat]

So if they win another game or maybe even two in a weaker conference does that mean they've really improved? To them I'm sure it will. But I'm not sure the conference will be any weaker than it was last year.

Too many variables at this point to say the conference will be weaker or stronger.

We've got 3 new teams that none of us have much history with as opponents. Then we've got new head coaches in Stuttgart & Heber facing program changes coming off multiple years from successful established coaching systems.

That leaves only 3 teams with known programs left in the mix.

Seems like in 2-4A we seem to have had a lot more teams cycling in and out our conference the last 8 years than other 4A conferences. The dynamics have taken some wide swings as far as conference winners... I hate to even mention it... there was that bizarre year when Bald Knob when undefeated in conference... Just sayin... It's tough making predictions with any sound confidence here...

[hasenpfeffer]

Im not either. Clinton < CAC. Hwhc > dollarway. Riverview > marianna. Honestly i wouldnt be surprised if SS went ofor in conference play

Not to change the topic with Southern and his moral victories. Word around the conference is Stuttgart is down to 24 players.  Is that correct??

Your friend on the coaching staff is sand bagging you. Numbers are down this year though. As I have stated before the conference needs to make hay this year while the sun is shining. It is going to get rough for the 4A-2 in the very near future.

I have no friends coaching or otherwise. LOL

Maybe you should try being a nicer person then

Lone Rabbit Mcquade

[cuckoobird]

You need to post more mcquad. It gets boring in the 2-4a at times.

[razorhogs72501]

Here is my take on the 2-4A, which is sure to be proven wrong....

I'm not going to predict the order of standings but break it down into 3 tiers.

Contenders for conference championship
Newport (9-3 last year) Has to be one of the favorites. New turf field in Newport which will only make Newport faster at home. How do they handle the pressure of being one of the favorites?

West Helena (6-5 last year in 5A) Lost to Dollarway 34-19 in Week 1 last year. One of the only teams to play Dollarway close last year. Moving down only makes them better but a lot unknown about this team.

Lonoke (9-3 last year) Beat Newport last year, always fields athletic teams. 3-1 last year in games decided by one possesion. How will the loss of Mack affect them?

2nd tier
CAC (4-6 last year) Beat Stuttgart 48-40 last year. Gave up 42.6 ppg last year. Has the defense improved?

Stuttgart (4-7 last year) Backed into the playoffs last year. Took a long time to find a new coach. Should be in playoffs but would not suprise me if they slip this year. They could also finish in the top 3. We'll know more after the non-conference games are played.

Everyone Else
Southside (2-8 last year) I'm a Southside supporter and fan. I'll admit my bias. No more new program excuses. This is 9th year of the program. New program excuse no longer applies. I will honestly say they have a shot of finally making the playoffs. Not saying it is going to happen, but it is possible. Stuttgart is down compared to their standards, CAC is an unknown team, Heber will be down. If the cards fall Southside's way they could sneak into the playoffs. Schedule is favorable as well. Riverview, CAC and Heber are home games. The games where Southside will be major underdogs are on the road. Actually have some size on the lines this year. New offensive designs are in. DBs are average for the conference but much improved from what Southside has been recently. SO QB takes over. He's athletic and has the ability to make someting out of nothing which is what a Southside QB will need to be able to do. Decent starting RB but lacking major depth besides the starter. I've been told you'll actually see them under center this year. I know you hear it every year but this could be the year they finally break through. They could also finish 2-8 again.

Heber Springs (2-8 last year) Lost long time coach. I would classify them as rebuilding. Could sneak into the playoffs if they get some lucky breaks. Great tradition and support but lacking the players they are used to.

Riverview (6-5 last year in 3A) Moving up to 4A football for a team that is similar to Southside. Going to take awhile to adjust to 4A football and could be in for a long season.

[phdefense]

+1 pretty fair assessment

[hasenpfeffer]

You need to post more mcquad. It gets boring in the 2-4a at times.

I just never have anything interesting to say.

[hasenpfeffer]

Here is my take on the 2-4A, which is sure to be proven wrong....

I'm not going to predict the order of standings but break it down into 3 tiers.

Contenders for conference championship
Newport (9-3 last year) Has to be one of the favorites. New turf field in Newport which will only make Newport faster at home. How do they handle the pressure of being one of the favorites?

West Helena (6-5 last year in 5A) Lost to Dollarway 34-19 in Week 1 last year. One of the only teams to play Dollarway close last year. Moving down only makes them better but a lot unknown about this team.

Lonoke (9-3 last year) Beat Newport last year, always fields athletic teams. 3-1 last year in games decided by one possesion. How will the loss of Mack affect them?

2nd tier
CAC (4-6 last year) Beat Stuttgart 48-40 last year. Gave up 42.6 ppg last year. Has the defense improved?

Stuttgart (4-7 last year) Backed into the playoffs last year. Took a long time to find a new coach. Should be in playoffs but would not suprise me if they slip this year. They could also finish in the top 3. We'll know more after the non-conference games are played.

Everyone Else
Southside (2-8 last year) I'm a Southside supporter and fan. I'll admit my bias. No more new program excuses. This is 9th year of the program. New program excuse no longer applies. I will honestly say they have a shot of finally making the playoffs. Not saying it is going to happen, but it is possible. Stuttgart is down compared to their standards, CAC is an unknown team, Heber will be down. If the cards fall Southside's way they could sneak into the playoffs. Schedule is favorable as well. Riverview, CAC and Heber are home games. The games where Southside will be major underdogs are on the road. Actually have some size on the lines this year. New offensive designs are in. DBs are average for the conference but much improved from what Southside has been recently. SO QB takes over. He's athletic and has the ability to make someting out of nothing which is what a Southside QB will need to be able to do. Decent starting RB but lacking major depth besides the starter. I've been told you'll actually see them under center this year. I know you hear it every year but this could be the year they finally break through. They could also finish 2-8 again.

Heber Springs (2-8 last year) Lost long time coach. I would classify them as rebuilding. Could sneak into the playoffs if they get some lucky breaks. Great tradition and support but lacking the players they are used to.

Riverview (6-5 last year in 3A) Moving up to 4A football for a team that is similar to Southside. Going to take awhile to adjust to 4A football and could be in for a long season.

I agree but I still question Newport.  Poole was able to get the best out of Turner, it has not been seen that Harrison can do this.  I know injuries last year but if Turner does not get the numbers this year, he definintely needs to move to Lonoke. LOL  Just a reminder the last two years of JR high I think they won 5 games total, I may be wrong on the total number of games won but not by much. Once this year is over Newport is done.

[SUGARTOWN]

You need to post more mcquad. It gets boring in the 2-4a at times.

I just never have anything interesting to say.

Neither do we most of the time...

[cuckoobird]

Sugartown and PH do and sometimes TSW but that darn cuckoo is always just full of it