4-3A summer chatter

[beach bum]

There are plenty of 4-3A posters on here and the spring sports season is pretty much all, but over so the conversation on the boards is going to shift almost solely to football. How do you guys think the league will fall as far as standings in this upcoming 2017 season? How many players and what key ones will be returning for your team? Any sophomores going to play a big role on your team? Here are my general two cents on each school in no particular order and other posters will certainly know much more on their specific school........

Charleston- They're going to certainly finish on top of the 4-3A again. I think the gap between them and #2 in the league could be even bigger than last year and we all know there was a pretty big gap between them and Atkins last year. I think they'll be on the door of a state title too. Will they be good enough to finish the deal? We will see.

Paris- They will have speed and athleticism for sure however I think they will be a lot like last year too. They will have a winning record almost certainly, but won't be able to get over the hump and be a really good team and make noise state wide.

Lamar- I think they will be a team in transition as far as figuring out what is their bread and butter on offense. I could really see them being a swing team getting up pretty high in the standings if they mesh or dropping nearly out of the playoff picture if it does not gel.

Perryville- This is a team that could be a surprise in the 4-3A in my opinion. They run that methodical offense and played teams like Paris, Atkins, and Lamar with some grit. They return the majority of their roster and could jump up to #2 in the conference if it all fell right. They could easily be a sleeper team or have a typical Perryville season if they do not improve as much as I think they might.

Atkins- I think they will still be a very solid team. They certainly won't fall off the map, but that key WR and QB they had were really good players for 3A standards and they lose some of that big line. I know they had one sophomore skill guy so I imagine he might become the focal point of the offense? They won't be as stout as last year, but certainly won't be a pushover for anyone. However, that is just so much offense to replace I can only see them on a downward trend next year.

Mansfield- They relied heavily on that really good RB and showed some offensive explosiveness at times. Their defense is really what let me down last year. I could see them going to a little more pass oriented with the loss of the really good RB. The playoffs might be tough for them to get to, but certainly it is by no means out of the question. They will be right on that fringe again.

Cedarville- They ran the ball quite well as the season went along but lacked a passing game to go with that. Blowing two games against Perryville and Mansfield where they had 2 TD leads going into the 4th quarter cost them a playoff spot. Throw in that 2 point loss to Lamar and it really turned the season upside down for them. Same goes for them as Mansfield. The playoffs is certainly a very realistic possibility to attain.

Two Rivers- I really hope to see some improvement here. I hope the 9th grade group they had who was certainly very competitive in the JH conference and won some games gets bigger and stronger in the offseason and adds some to the team in the fall for the high school Gators. It may not show in a bunch of wins but they certainly will be more competitive.


Overall I would say there are certainly 7 of the teams that I think can go into their summer workouts with a realistic goal for them of getting into at least that 4th/5th area and getting a playoff spot. Outside of Charleston, I really think any of those 2nd-7th teams will be capable of winning against each other because I see Paris and Atkins coming back to the pack a little. Like I said, Perryville is a very interesting team to watch for. They may blow up in my face and let me down but they could be a sleeper team. And those Tigers from Charleston will certainly see a lot of running clock in late September and October.

[HorseFeathers]

Heard that two rivers had 30 out for spring ball....it's been a while since they've had that many...

[YC]

There are plenty of 4-3A posters on here and the spring sports season is pretty much all, but over so the conversation on the boards is going to shift almost solely to football. How do you guys think the league will fall as far as standings in this upcoming 2017 season? How many players and what key ones will be returning for your team? Any sophomores going to play a big role on your team? Here are my general two cents on each school in no particular order and other posters will certainly know much more on their specific school........

Charleston- They're going to certainly finish on top of the 4-3A again. I think the gap between them and #2 in the league could be even bigger than last year and we all know there was a pretty big gap between them and Atkins last year. I think they'll be on the door of a state title too. Will they be good enough to finish the deal? We will see.

Paris- They will have speed and athleticism for sure however I think they will be a lot like last year too. They will have a winning record almost certainly, but won't be able to get over the hump and be a really good team and make noise state wide.

Lamar- I think they will be a team in transition as far as figuring out what is their bread and butter on offense. I could really see them being a swing team getting up pretty high in the standings if they mesh or dropping nearly out of the playoff picture if it does not gel.

Perryville- This is a team that could be a surprise in the 4-3A in my opinion. They run that methodical offense and played teams like Paris, Atkins, and Lamar with some grit. They return the majority of their roster and could jump up to #2 in the conference if it all fell right. They could easily be a sleeper team or have a typical Perryville season if they do not improve as much as I think they might.

Atkins- I think they will still be a very solid team. They certainly won't fall off the map, but that key WR and QB they had were really good players for 3A standards and they lose some of that big line. I know they had one sophomore skill guy so I imagine he might become the focal point of the offense? They won't be as stout as last year, but certainly won't be a pushover for anyone. However, that is just so much offense to replace I can only see them on a downward trend next year.

Mansfield- They relied heavily on that really good RB and showed some offensive explosiveness at times. Their defense is really what let me down last year. I could see them going to a little more pass oriented with the loss of the really good RB. The playoffs might be tough for them to get to, but certainly it is by no means out of the question. They will be right on that fringe again.

Cedarville- They ran the ball quite well as the season went along but lacked a passing game to go with that. Blowing two games against Perryville and Mansfield where they had 2 TD leads going into the 4th quarter cost them a playoff spot. Throw in that 2 point loss to Lamar and it really turned the season upside down for them. Same goes for them as Mansfield. The playoffs is certainly a very realistic possibility to attain.

Two Rivers- I really hope to see some improvement here. I hope the 9th grade group they had who was certainly very competitive in the JH conference and won some games gets bigger and stronger in the offseason and adds some to the team in the fall for the high school Gators. It may not show in a bunch of wins but they certainly will be more competitive.


Overall I would say there are certainly 7 of the teams that I think can go into their summer workouts with a realistic goal for them of getting into at least that 4th/5th area and getting a playoff spot. Outside of Charleston, I really think any of those 2nd-7th teams will be capable of winning against each other because I see Paris and Atkins coming back to the pack a little. Like I said, Perryville is a very interesting team to watch for. They may blow up in my face and let me down but they could be a sleeper team. And those Tigers from Charleston will certainly see a lot of running clock in late September and October.

^^^^^^
Being a long time Tiger fan I wish I could be as optimistic as you concerning their chances for the upcoming season. Of course it's just my nature to look toward the pessimistic side rather than the positive. I always look at the weakness as opposed to the strengths. A couple of weakness on a team can turn what could be an outstanding team into an also ran. I've seen it happen on more than one occasion in the past.

Not being an insider to the program, most of my information comes from coffee shop and water cooler rumors. As we all know most of those turn out to have no merit. I do think they will have a very good chance of hanging another conference championship banner at seasons end, but I don't see the gap between them and the remainder of the conference as wide as you do.

The Tigers lost a lot from last year's squad that will be difficult to replace. At this time—and I hope that changes—I don't see them as a contender for a deep run in the playoffs. They do have a couple and perhaps three kids moving up from the freshman team that can help to an extent. However the talk around the water cooler is that one of those kids is considering giving up football to concentrate on his basketball skills. Their best soph will be a kid name Shane Turner. He has future superstar written all over him. He was a defensive end on the freshman team last year and probably made 40% or perhaps more of the tackles. I personally think he has all the tools to be a great linebacker (Erick Stewart/Jordan Ackers type) but that's not my decision to make.

The so-called skill positions looks good with some good people returning. I haven't been to any of the spring practices and have spoken to no one about it, so I don't know what's going on with the quarterback situation.  Both lines and the linebackers will be young and inexperienced at the Sr. high level. They will have to develop quickly if the Tigers are to continue to be a contender at the state wide level.

We most likely find out a lot about this team with the two non-conference games with Dardanelle and Ozark. If we can keep these two games completive and possibly win one out of two, we will probably be okay. I haven't heard any differently so I am assuming we still have an open date for week two.

I look for Perryville and Mansfield to be the two most improved teams in the conference.

Perryville will have an outstanding running back that will be hard to handle. Opponents best make sure they have strong defensive end and outside linebacker play or he will kill them on the sweeps.

Mansfield will have a very good quarterback. It most likely won't start out that way because he will be a sophomore but by season's end he just may be the best QB in the conference. A lot will depend on how well that young QB adjust to the speed of the game from Jr. high vs Sr. high. I look for them to spread the field and throw much more than they have in the past.

Paris will definitely miss Davidson but will have Preston Drewry (QB) returning (missed much of last season with an injury) and that's a huge plus. He is a very good quarterback. He can run or throw and has the ability to carry a team on his shoulders. They have a good sophomore group of linemen. Paris always has a lot of talent and it's just a matter of time until they break through. This just may be the year.

Atkins will be a formidable foe as they are most years. They have a longtime tradition of putting winning football teams on the field. Some will tell you that longtime tradition means nothing but I've been around highschool football for many years and I can tell you it does. That winning tradition at Atkins goes back for over sixty or seventy years and when fathers and grandfathers tell these kids of today how it was in their day it does have an effect. This year's kids will be hearing that from those people and it will have an effect and the kids will respond.

Two Rivers has an uphill battle. It is only my opinion but from what I can determine it appears their problem is keeping the kids participating and motivated. With Coach Harrison returning to his alma mater perhaps that problem can be somewhat resolved. If he is successful perhaps they can start the process this year of returning to the competitive program they were when he himself played for Ola in the mid to late nineties.

Lamar will be depending on a lot of young underclassmen with most being linemen. Sophomors who play the so-called skilled positions will adjust more quickly than linemen when making the move from Jr. high to Sr. high. If these youngsters develop quickly they could have a very good season. If not, Oh well. 

Cedarville played competitively with most of the conference last year but looks as if they will fall off some this year. They may again play competitively with most teams but only—this will anger some, but it's the truth—the conference as a whole with the exception of a couple teams will be way down this year compared to years past.

I too think Charleston wins the conference. I think Cedarville and Two Rivers bring up the bottom. I think the rest is a crap shoot. Lamar is the team that I just can't get a feel for. There seems to be so many if's concerning them. Of course there are many if's for all the teams including Charleston. I guess we will just have to see how it plays out. It should be an exciting and competitive conference season.     

[beach bum]

I definitely agree with you YC on a bunch & very good overall assessment on your part. I guess I am thinking Charleston will be ok even if they themselves drop off a little because I just think Atkins will have a tough time replacing all that offense from their 3 main skill players plus I will believe it when I see it that Paris will beat the Tigers. That WR and QB were really good players they had at Atkins. I think a wild card that could come into play would be a lot of sophomores contributing as you said with the very good Mansfield QB. The junior high conference was super competitive top to bottom which is not something you see a whole lot. What that means to me is there is certainly some talent coming up and whoever can get some quick contributions will have a leg up for those teams trying to snag the last 2 playoff spots. With Lamar I have a feeling they will move one of their speedier skill guys they have to QB and try to have a little bit of a duel threat potential there. They had some athletes in the skill positions last year and just couldn't seem to get the potential out of them. Plus, the Davenport kid will really be missed even more on defense. He was something special when it came to reading the ball carrier and getting to the ball.

[beach bum]

Heard that two rivers had 30 out for spring ball....it's been a while since they've had that many...

That is really good news to hear.... Even if they can hold on to about 23 or 24 of those players then they are able to hold scrimmage style practice time consistently. That is obviously so vital.

[MICHAELSPAPPY]

Lamar- I think they will be a team in transition as far as figuring out what is their bread and butter on offense. I could really see them being a swing team getting up pretty high in the standings if they mesh or dropping nearly out of the playoff picture if it does not gel.

They will be young, and young teams are hard to predict. I hear the attitude is good.

[HorseFeathers]

That is really good news to hear.... Even if they can hold on to about 23 or 24 of those players then they are able to hold scrimmage style practice time consistently. That is obviously so vital.

Russellville paper had a good article on them the other day.....they've now have their new field finished, and a new field house...no more traveling to ola for football...

[macadoshis]

Everyone will be playing for the two seed this year.  2-5 will be a toss up.

[MICHAELSPAPPY]

Charleston- They're going to certainly finish on top of the 4-3A again. I think the gap between them and #2 in the league could be even bigger than last year and we all know there was a pretty big gap between them and Atkins last year. I think they'll be on the door of a state title too. Will they be good enough to finish the deal? We will see.

How many starters did they lose from last year?

[MICHAELSPAPPY]

Charleston- They're going to certainly finish on top of the 4-3A again. I think the gap between them and #2 in the league could be even bigger than last year and we all know there was a pretty big gap between them and Atkins last year. I think they'll be on the door of a state title too. Will they be good enough to finish the deal? We will see.

How many starters did they lose from last year?

[macadoshis]

Maybe the Tigers will slip up and someone can get an upset.

[beach bum]

Rumor is that Atkins is still looking solid at camps even with a lot of player loss from last year. That surprises me a bit. It's just a camp and you don't know for sure what a team will look like based upon a camp, but that is pretty impressive if they stay even close to how good they were last year.

[Longfellow]

Rumor is that Atkins is still looking solid at camps even with a lot of player loss from last year. That surprises me a bit. It's just a camp and you don't know for sure what a team will look like based upon a camp, but that is pretty impressive if they stay even close to how good they were last year.

From what I hear, their QB can sling it

[beach bum]

From what I hear, their QB can sling it

You have seen more 2A and 3A ball than me so you know this even more than me.... But when you are in the smallest classifications you count your blessings as a coach or fan when you have a quarterback who can take the top off a defense cause a large number of teams struggle to find a QB capable of that. It's usually cause those 2A and 3A schools have one of the cornerbacks that you can pick on and when you have a QB who can exploit that weakness in defenses than that is huge for sure.

[HorseFeathers]

You have seen more 2A and 3A ball than me so you know this even more than me.... But when you are in the smallest classifications you count your blessings as a coach or fan when you have a quarterback who can take the top off a defense cause a large number of teams struggle to find a QB capable of that. It's usually cause those 2A and 3A schools have one of the cornerbacks that you can pick on and when you have a QB who can exploit that weakness in defenses than that is huge for sure.

Doesn't matter if you can't find someone to catch it haha

[beach bum]

Doesn't matter if you can't find someone to catch it haha

Oh yes, throw in a sure handed WR with just a little bit of speed and you are good to go. You have seen that combo in Hector for years on end now it seems which is tough to find in 2A and makes an offense so explosive. Atkins had that last year with their QB/WR combo they had. In fact, that would have been a good year for Hector and Atkins to battle it out last year. The game might have been 49-42 with those offenses.

[HorseFeathers]

Oh yes, throw in a sure handed WR with just a little bit of speed and you are good to go. You have seen that combo in Hector for years on end now it seems which is tough to find in 2A and makes an offense so explosive. Atkins had that last year with their QB/WR combo they had. In fact, that would have been a good year for Hector and Atkins to battle it out last year. The game might have been 49-42 with those offenses.

Idk if Gaines replacement will have the arm strength he did....but we'll have yet another athletic qb with a good receiver to throw it to this year haha

[macadoshis]

How has Lamar looked this summer in 7 on 7's and camps?  I haven't kept up with any of it so far. 

[Proud Buckaroo]

How has Lamar looked this summer in 7 on 7's and camps?  I haven't kept up with any of it so far.

From what I know of them so far, it's looking like this year could be a potential "down" year compared to how they have been the past three years or so. They will be very young. I look for the younger positions to get a little experience this year and next year they will be much improved.

[macadoshis]

I'll hit a few games this season and see what they have.   Hunters first two games are on Thursday so I'll watch Lamar week one and two for sure. 

[OLDSCHOOL82]

^ Mac, where is hunter playing ball at?

[MynameisJeff]

Just be glad they don't half to play mtn view.

[macadoshis]

Missouri Southern.  They don't know what they're gonna do with him yet.  Fullback H back is what he'll start off at.  But said he may ens up on defense when it's all said and done
I'd like to thank everyone that helped him along the way.  From the coaches that actively helped in all his recruitment to all the teachers and AD that set him up for success.

[macadoshis]

Just be glad they don't half to play mtn view.

Who's Mtn View ??

[beach bum]

Missouri Southern.  They don't know what they're gonna do with him yet.  Fullback H back is what he'll start off at.  But said he may ens up on defense when it's all said and done

All I know is in high school he sure knew how to read where the ball was going and light some kids up from the LB position.... I think he would do well on the defensive side. Hope it works out for him no matter the position. I am afraid his absence is going to be a massive hit to the Lamar defense this coming season when it comes to the overall physicality.

[Skip Baymore]

All I know is in high school he sure knew how to read where the ball of going and light some kids up from the LB position.... I think he would do well on the defensive side. Hope it works out for him no matter the position. I am afraid his absence his going to be a massive hit to the Lamar defense this coming season when it comes to the overall physicality.

That guy was an Awesome high school football player.  Best wishes to him.  Ill bet Missouri Southern will find a place for him to contribute some as a freshman.  And by the time he's a junior, maybe earlier, I could see him doing very well on the defensive side also. 

[CoolBreeze]

Just be glad they don't half to play mtn view.

Right. Running for all those 80- and 90-yard touchdowns can wear a team out. Could make it difficult to compete the next week.

[macadoshis]

That guy was an Awesome high school football player.  Best wishes to him.  Ill bet Missouri Southern will find a place for him to contribute some as a freshman.  And by the time he's a junior, maybe earlier, I could see him doing very well on the defensive side also.

Thanks guys for the kind words.  He has worked extremely hard this off NB season to give himself every opportunity to be a contributor.    As far as Lamar and physical goes,  I am anxious to see if anyone steps up in that role.  You have to have a little nasty side to play middle linebacker.  I know Hunter never wanted anyone to be injured but he definitely wanted to hit you hard enough that you still remembered it in the second half.  I see hints of that from junior Johnathan Mayes but I worry about his size.  Hes definitely not afraid to hit you.

[papaeagle]

Paris should be at least 5-5 this year, and they could go 7-3 if we don't lose any more critical players due to moving to another town in central Arkansas or being injured during the summer with an ACL tear. The coaching staff is all on the same page with regard to offensive and defensive schemes, use of true athletes going both ways and such. All across 2A and 3A football this year, player numbers are down. This is sad because an injury or two can force unproven Sophomores to have to play a lot. 

Having 35 to 40 out for football in past years has fallen to 30 or less in today's sports climate. Too many distractions for today's high school student athletes, and many just do not feel the "team concept" desire or to expend the energy I guess or perhaps they have a job that prevents afternoon practices, etc.  Ain't like the 50s thru 70s when sports were the 'thing to do' during three distinct seasons of FB/BB and Track. Anyway, all coaches are confronted with the same situation, but I promise the 5A thru 7A classifications can weather the storm by having 60 to nearly 100 out for football in the bigger 7A schools. Few if any athletes have to play BOTH ways. Injuries hurt but no so badly that you have to play an unproven or under-talented 9th or 10 grader. As they say, it is what it is... 

Go 4-3A and finish this last year of the current conference makeup. Then look forward to drastic conference team changes for the 2018 cycle... Don't forget you out-of-town visitors to try the food at the Grapevine. Lot of room for good conversation pregame and the food is excellent..   
Papa Eagle

[beach bum]

The more and more I hear from people this could be a possibly down(hate to say that) year for the 4-3A. However it could be a very unpredictable year at the same time with some close battles 2 through 6 or 7 seeds..... When it seems like everyone is trying to damper the expectations of their season you know this might be a down year. I thought Atkins would fall off with their losses on offense in particular, but now I am thinking they just might be able to hold that 2 position again if they could beat Paris.

[macadoshis]

I think if you don't count Charleston, this will be a pretty competitive league as far as conference goes.  Once post season hits though, I only see the Tigers advancing beyond the first round.  There's a handful of teams that are a year or two away.  Lamar being one of those. 

[athletic supporter]

I think if you don't count Charleston, this will be a pretty competitive league as far as conference goes.  Once post season hits though, I only see the Tigers advancing beyond the first round.  There's a handful of teams that are a year or two away.  Lamar being one of those. 

Agree totally!

[HSFBF]

I think if you don't count Charleston, this will be a pretty competitive league as far as conference goes.  Once post season hits though, I only see the Tigers advancing beyond the first round.  There's a handful of teams that are a year or two away.  Lamar being one of those.

Yes the win points max of 13 will be critical this year. So you can bet all coaches will be shooting for that 13+ point win and if their team loses, to limit the winner to 1-2 points. LOL  I also see Charleston at the top and then 1-2 at the bottom and the majority in the mix for #2 - #5 playoff spots. Should be a fun and exciting year. 

[papaeagle]

I just hope Paris can get in a playoff spot where they can play at home the first game at least. Hate those long trips in the playoffs to just likely add a loss to the record.  An "OK" 6-4 goes to 6-5 and 5-5 goes to a 5-6 losing record.  Uggg.

[Red Devil Dad]

Rumor is that Atkins is still looking solid at camps even with a lot of player loss from last year. That surprises me a bit. It's just a camp and you don't know for sure what a team will look like based upon a camp, but that is pretty impressive if they stay even close to how good they were last year.

I have not watched Atkins in 7 on 7 or team camps this year, my son graduated, so I haven't kept up this year like I have in the past. I will say what I know about this year's team. 

We will have to replace a big arm at QB and and stud running back from last year, our QB this year will not have the arm that Haney had but the guy is a gamer and can get you with his arm or his legs.  RB we will be fine, we may not run as many teams over but we will have more speed this year.  Receivers will be a question of who steps up this year, most of the receivers are returning from last year and they all got some playing time. 

Oline will have to replace 3 starters from last year.  The kids taking the rains this year will not be as quick but will be bigger.  The guys taking over got some playing time last year but mostly on defence.  We have a junior on the oline that I think will be getting some looks from some college's. 

Defence should be pretty good this year and improved from a pretty good defence from last year. 

Atkins should not have any drop off from last year if they can stay healthy.  Last year we had some speed but the really fast teams got us.  Namely the receiver in Charleston and the RB from Newport,  we just couldn't stop them.  This year we should be a little faster overall, fast enough to catch the kid from Charleston probably not.  We will be looking to improve on last season and make another deep run in the playoffs. 

[Longfellow]

Coach Cody is still at Atkins, correct?

[Red Devil Dad]

Yes Cody is still at Atkins

[fbisgreat]

I heard the QB from Paris that was good last year moved.If true I see Paris as a 3or 4 seed.

[beach bum]

I heard the QB from Paris that was good last year moved.If true I see Paris as a 3or 4 seed.

Oh wow.... That would be a big hit. You're right I think they'll still be solid, but drop slightly. The middle of this conference could end up being a jumbled up mess in the standings..... Team A beats team B, Team B beats team C, Team C beats team A..... That kind of season possibly.

[athletic supporter]

My prediction

1. Charleston
2. Atkins
3. Paris
4. Mansfield
5. Perryville
6. Lamar
7. Cedarville
8. Two Rivers

[beach bum]

My prediction

1. Charleston
2. Atkins
3. Paris
4. Mansfield
5. Perryville
6. Lamar
7. Cedarville
8. Two Rivers

I do agree that if that Paris QB departure is true then Atkins is sitting on paper as the team to get that #2 spot now....

[fbhound]

I heard the QB from Paris that was good last year moved.If true I see Paris as a 3or 4 seed.

I did not see that!  They have a very good QB in preseason drills is what I heard. Maybe the "move out" was a back up QB or a starter on defense or ? Any confirmation as to where that info comes from, some local fan or what? TU for any updates on Paris or ANY other school.

I would think any transfers this late , with school starting in a few days, might not be able to play under AAA rules, a complicated issue. Wud be nice if some Subiaco student athletes could transfer to Paris' system if the parents in Paris would favor that. Paris does have very good teachers and administrators to prepare students for college. Not sure what Subiaco's stats are on those graduating from there that end up going to college.

Anyway thanks for any added info. I suspect anything in place has been that way for weeks now, and a QB transfer should be clearly documented by local sources by now for sure.

[fbisgreat]

You Paris fans will no a lot more about the QB than i will but i was told this weekend that the Drewry kid moved.IThey could have the wrong kid.

[fbhound]

You Paris fans will no a lot more about the QB than i will but i was told this weekend that the Drewry kid moved.IThey could have the wrong kid.

Thanks.. I follow Paris and have friends there and express their feelings and concerns on FF occasionally. I also follow Charleston and Lamar, since I have close friends there. I usually catch at least 2 games a year for each team but stay with friends in Paris some Friday nights and take them out to eat before the game. LOL
FBH

[YC]

I just can't see— as some do—that Charleston is that far ahead of the remainder of the conference. Remember the disaster of 2015 when we had the worst record of the previous twenty eight years? This team will have less returning starters than that team. I don't believe this team will have some of the dedication and discipline issues that some on that team had but they will have less meaningful game experience.

I may be off one lineman on this but I believe on offense we will be replacing all five linemen, the tight end, one wide-out, and the all important position of quarterback. That heir apparent quarterback had some mop-up experience (we all know what mop-up duty at Charleston consist of) but no meaningful game experience at that position last year. On defense we lose all four down linemen, all three linebackers, and a d-back.

The returning starters are good players but they will need much help from a new and lacking in meaningful game experienced group of youngsters if we expect a year as we have grown accustom to and yes, we are spoiled fans! We tend to single out Sean Micheal because he is so talented. According to what the game situation dictates we will most likely see him being moved around to inside receiver, running back, and quarterback on offense and safety and linebacker on defense.

Of course replacing so many players is a concern but I'm also concerned about the same thing I've been for many years and that is special teams. Our place kicking should be ok but punting could stand some improvement over last year. The kickoff coverage and receiving is just atrocious and how we can play that poorly in that facet of the game year after year, after year, after year, is just simply not acceptable.

As of this time I have not decided on attending the opening game. I absolutely hate the fact it will be played on a Tuesday night. I also don't like driving hiway 22 from Paris to Dardanelle. If the state have not brush hogged the shoulders recently deer will be on the hiway before they can be seen. There is several deer crossing signs along the route and I just simply do not understand why they put deer crossings on major hiways! Of course I could drive to Ozark and take I-40. That way I could have a good dinner at the Old South. Living in Charleston I don't get the opportunity to dine at a good restaurant often.

Charleston fans don't get too angry with me over this post. I'm really not intending to bash the kids because they are just kids that give up a lot so they can prepare and play extremely hard. I'm just by nature a perfectionist and have trouble accepting less. I also like to gripe which is also the nature of old men.   

[MICHAELSPAPPY]

Who is the dark horse this year (not expected to do well, but might)?

[MICHAELSPAPPY]

We tend to single out Sean Micheal because he is so talented.

When he gets into the secondary, it becomes a one-man game, so unless other teams can find a way to keep him behind the line of scrimmage, it could be a long season for everyone else. Not many teams will have SEC talent to chase him.

[beach bum]

Who is the dark horse this year (not expected to do well, but might)?

I think Perryville will be a swing team... Not quite maybe a dark house per say. But I could see them topping out as a 3 seed with a lot of returning players. They played really sound and fundamental football last year. However, they won practically every close game they were in also so maybe their decent record was also their top out.... We will see this season where they land cause I could also see everything going wrong and them falling out of the playoffs as the 6 seed.

[beach bum]

So I have always said there is usually one game on each team's non conference schedule that gives us a good idea of the product each team is going to put on the field. Here is the game I believe for each school in the 4-3A that will tell us how good they will be and my reasoning behind it. Others can feel free who know these individual schools more to chime in on what they may think might be more important non conference games for their team.....

1)Atkins @ Dover- my reasoning here is Atkins should take care of business of Yellville Summit and Bigelow fairly easily if we expect them to fair well again in the 4-3A. If they can play Dover tight or win against the Pirates look for another solid year for the Red Devils

2)Cedarville vs. Mountainburg- two straight defeats to Mountainburg has been the start of rough 2-8 campaigns for Cedarville. Waldron should be a loss with them being one of the most improved teams in the state and a classification higher than the Pirates. Cedarville beat Pocola, OK last year and if they can do the same and beat Mountainburg then it may give them the confidence they need to get a playoff berth especially a win against their rival Mountainburg who has been a steady 2A program as of late.

3)Charleston @ Dardanelle- I think we'll know right out of the gate what we will see from the Tigers this coming year. I don't think Charleston will be quite as stout even as the obvious 4-3A favorite still though. However, I don't think the Sand Lizards will be quite as stout either. The Tigers should storm through Episcopal and an always good game with the rival Hillbillies week 3. I could have went with Ozark has the key non conference game, but Dardanelle is week 1 so I put it as the crucial non conference game for Charleston.

4)Lamar vs. Clarksville- I think Clarksville will win this game the coming year. The question is will it be a tight game or the 5A school actually wins big like they should. If Clarksville wins big look for Lamar to be scraping and clawing to even make the playoffs. Have a good showing here in week 1 and I think the Warriors will be ok in 2017. Mount Ida will be so tough and Lamar should beat Subiaco by default.

5)Mansfield vs. Greenland- these two schools are very similar in talent usually and have had some good battles throughout the years as either conference or non conference foes. If Mansfield can beat Greenland they could be a playoff team possibly. Lincoln will be tough for Mansfield and Waldron too.

6)Paris @ Hector- Although Hector loses a lot, I still think they'll be solid. Paris should handle Yellville easily, but Paris won't be expected to do much against Dardanelle. That's why I have circled the Hector game for us to figure out this 2017 Paris squad.

7)Perryville vs. Mayflower- The Mustangs don't exactly have the hardest non conference schedule. If they expect much of a season they should handle Bigelow and Poyen somewhat easily. But if they can beat Mayflower this coming year that might tell the rest of the 4-3A that Perryville is ready to jump up into the 3 or 4 seed in this conference.

8)Two Rivers vs. Danville- Gosh, is this an insanely tough non conference schedule for a program trying to pick up some wins wherever they can. Dover and Jessieville are really tough opponents too so I went with the rival Little Johns as the game to watch for the Gators simply cause of the Yell County rivalry.

[RTF]

" That's why I have circled the Hector game for us to figure out this 2017 Paris squad." lol