Class 5A Football Capsules | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

ALMA AIREDALES

RECORD 2023 7-4, 5-2 5A-West

COACH Rusty Bush

RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 8 defense

KEY PLAYERS LB Israel Towns-Robinson (Sr., 6-1, 220), OL Easton Daily (Jr., 6-4, 285), DL Jackson Mitchell (Sr., 6-1, 215), FS Cash Farris ( Sr., 6-0, 185), LB Byron Standridge (Sr., 6-3, 190), CB Ashton Chanhnouvong (Sr., 5-10, 178), LB Landon Morris (Sr., 6-0, 180 )

NOTABLE Rusty Bush enters his fifth season as head coach of the Airedales. … Alma was tied for third place in the 5A-West with Harrison last year. … The Airedales return eight starters on defense, including their top two tacklers from a year ago in defensive backs Ashton Chanhnouvong, who had 79 stops, and Cash Farris, who had 59 with six for loss. … Alma also returns Israel Towns-Robinson, a two-way player who moves from defensive end to linebacker on defense and becomes the focal point of the offense at running back after rushing for 392 yards and three scores last year. … Junior Sam Schlegel returns after an All-State campaign last year as a sophomore and should see more action on offense after catching 53 passes for 800 yards and four scores. … The Airedales have just three road trips in the regular season this season, but they will travel to Harrison to open the regular season.

QUOTABLE “We’re really excited about the year ahead. It’s been a great offseason, a great spring and transition into summer. The biggest thing for us is we have a lot of returning players. We have eight on defense and five on offense. It’s a senior class with a lot of guys that have a lot of experience. A lot of them have been playing since the 10th grade and are contributing. It’s a veteran soccer team.” — Rusty Bush, Alma soccer coach

DIAGRAM

Aug 29;Van Buren;Oct 11;Vilonia*

Sept. 6; at Siloam Springs; Oct. 18; at Greenbrier*

Sept. 13 at Hot Springs; Oct. 25 at Clarksville*

Sept. 27; at Harrison*; Nov. 1; Pea Ridge*

Oct 4;Morrilton*;Nov 8;Farmington*

* — Denotes 5A-West Conference game

All kick-offs at 7pm unless otherwise stated

CLARKSVILLE PANTHERS

TRAINER Mitchell Powers

2023 RECORD 0-10, 0-7 5A-West

RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 8 defense

KEY PLAYERS QB Angel Alvarez (Sr., 5-10, 205), RB/LB Ryder Miranda (Sr., 5-10, 205), RB/LB Brack Denton (Sr., 5-10, 160), RB/ LB Ba Cho (So., 5-6, 130), OL/DL Bo Davis (Sr., 5-11, 205), OL/DL Ben Holland (Jr., 6-1, 225), OL/DL Cole Frizzell (Jr., 6-2, 320), WR/DB Rylan Melson (So., 6-1, 160), WR/DB Cyprus Tuck (Sr., 5-11, 140), WR/DB Juan Gonzalez ( Sr., 5-7, 130), LB/RB Denver Pickartz (Jr., 5-11, 175), DL Trey Turner (Junior, 6-0, 185)

NOTABLE First-year coach Mitchell Powers takes over the program, but he has no shortage of experience with Clarksville. He has been with the Panthers for 10 years and has guided the JV team the past few years. … The team is switching to a more balanced approach to offense with spread concepts after implementing single wing. … After two winless seasons, the Panthers are looking for their first win since beating Morrilton 35-28 on Nov. 5, 2021. … Alvarez takes over as signal caller after splitting time there the past two seasons. … Miranda, Denton and Cho are expected to get carries out of the backfield. … Davis, Holland and Frizzell lead the team on the line. … Melson, Tuck and Gonzalez lead the wide receiver group. … Pickartz leads the defense from his middle linebacker position. … Turner, a newcomer to the program who played basketball, is looking to secure an edge on the defensive line. … The number of players in the upper grades of high school is low, but the depth of the program is increasing. This summer, there are more seventh-graders than ever before.

QUOTABLE “It’s been a while (since we last won). Wins are hard to come by. We’re going to get them all. But the biggest thing is rebuilding the culture. It hasn’t been where it needs to be. Every player wants to win football games, but there are ways to win off the field. We’re working on the big picture and we feel like the wins are going to come. We talk about barriers. Our guys are hearing from the outside about the tough schedule and how we can’t compete. Everyone has barriers, but they can’t be the way we do things. It goes back to changing the culture.” — Mitchell Powers, Clarksville football coach

DIAGRAM

Aug. 30; in Ozark; Oct. 11; in Harrison*

September 13; Pottsville; October 18; Pea Ridge*

Sept. 20; in Dover; Oct. 25; Alma*

Sept. 27;Vilonia*;Nov. 1;in Farmington*

Oct. 4; at Greenbrier*; Nov. 8; Morrilton*

* – Denotes a 5A West conference game

All kick-offs at 7pm unless otherwise stated

CARDINALS OF FARMINGTON

RECORD 2023 7-4, 6-1 5A-West

TRAINER Tommy Tice

RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 4 defense

KEY PLAYERS RB Luke Elsik (Sr., 5-10, 170), RB Russell Hodge (Sr., 5-10, 180), QB Ayden Lester (Jr., 5-10, 150), WR Akin Johnson (Jr. , 5-11, 145), DL Jacquel Brown (Jr., 5-10, 175), DL Taylor Conran (Sr., 6-0, 240), DB Ryan Berger (Sr., 5-8, 150), DB Brandon Clark (Sr., 5-7 145).

NOTABLE Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame Coach Tommy Tice came out of retirement to replace J.R. Eldridge, who resigned to work in the private sector. …. Tice coached for 42 years and had 289 wins, mostly at Harrison. … Farmington’s most successful position has been in the backfield with senior running backs Luke Elsik and Russell Hodge and junior quarterback Ayden Lester. … Elsik was all-state after rushing for nearly 1,000 yards. …. Lester took over at quarterback after all-conference quarterback Cameron Vanzant was injured. … Lester threw for more than 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns.

QUOTABLE

“It’s the best feeling in the world for an old coach like me. It’s exciting. It’s fun to watch kids perform and do well, or not do well, and see who responds the right way. It’s just a great treat for me to be here and be with them.” — Tommy Tice, Farmington football coach

DIAGRAM

Aug. 30; at Shiloh Christian; Oct. 11; Greenbrier*

September 6; at Springdale Har-Ber; October 18; at Vilonia*

September 13; Prairie Grove; October 25; Morrilton*

September 27; at Pea Ridge*; November 1; Clarksville*

Oct. 4; Harrison*; Nov. 7; at Alma*

Indicates a 5A-West Conference game

All kick-offs at 7pm unless otherwise stated

PEA RIDGE BLACK HAWKS

RECORD 2023 5-5, 2-5 5A-West Conference

COACH Brey Cook

RETURNING STARTERS 7 offense, 6 defense

KEY PLAYERS LB Jace Dye (Sr., 6-1, 210), RB Garrett Foltz (Sr., 5-11,180); OL Peyton Kitterman (Sr., 6-4, 280), OL Peyton Carney (Sr., 6-2, 270); WR Brayden Wright (Sr., 5-7, 140), OL Aaron Hinojosa (Sr., 5-11, 200), TE Aiden Dickerson (Sr., 6-2, 198)

NOTABLE Pea Ridge is hoping to increase its win total after improving from 3 wins in 2022 to 5 wins in 2023. …. Senior Jace Dye is drawing recruiting interest at linebacker after making 80 tackles, including 15 tackles for lost yardage, as a junior. …. Brayden Wright is a three-year starter who finished second in receiving in the 5A-West last season. …. Two-way starter Waylon Fletcher produced 602 total yards and 10 touchdowns last season. … Offensive lineman Peyton Kitterman is also a standout bowler for the Blackhawks. … Pea Ridge Coach Brey Cook has started 30 of his 48 career games on the offensive line at Arkansas, including his last 25.

QUOTABLE “We’ve adopted the late Coach Ryan Mallett’s slogan ‘BEaDAWG’ this year. Our focus as a team is not on the barking, noise-making yappie dog, but on the kind of dog that doesn’t have to bark. The kind of dog that performs with the intensity of Pea Ridge when called upon. That’s our expectation, and if we can live up to that expectation, we’ll be playing in Little Rock this year.” — Brey Cook, Pea Ridge football coach

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DIAGRAM

August 30; Gravette; October 11; Morrilton*

September 6; in Gentry; October 18; in Clarksville*

September 13; Siloam Springs; October 25; Greenbrier*

Sept. 27; Farmington*; Nov. 1; at Alma*

Oct. 4; in Vilonia*; Nov. 8; in Harrison*

*Denotes 5A-West Conference games

All kick-offs at 7pm unless otherwise stated

HARRISON GOBLINS

RECORD 2023 7-4, 5-2 5A-West

TRAINER Chris Keylon

RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 8 defense

KEY PLAYERS LB Eli McNutt (Jr., 6-3, 220), LB Caydem Long (Sr., 6-0, 185), DL Ben Estes (Sr., 5-10, 225), OL Tate Robertson (Jr. , 5-10, 220), WR John Bartlett (Sr., 5-11, 150), WR Lucas Brumley (Jr., 5-7, 155)

NOTABLE Harrison finished 7-4 after a 58-42 loss to Hot Springs Lakeside in the Class 5A state playoffs. … Goblins must regroup on offense after losing all-state running back Braden Long, who signed with Arkansas Tech. … Quarterback Mason Ketterman also graduated. … Harrison has experience with eight returning starters on defense. … Caydem Long was all-state at linebacker, and McNutt is a two-way player who has drawn interest from Division I schools Arkansas State and Nevada-Las Vegas.

QUOTABLE “As every year, we have high expectations for our team. The revamped 5A West is back to what it was a few years ago. Vilonia, Morrilton and Greenbrier are back in the conference, which makes it a lot of fun and competitive. We’re looking forward to that challenge.” — Chris Keylon, Harrison football coach

DIAGRAM

Aug. 29; in Branson, Mo.; Oct. 11; Clarksville*

Sept. 6;Mountain Home;Oct. 18;in Morrilton*

Sept. 13; at Searcy; Oct. 25; Morrilton*

Sept. 27; Alma*; Nov. 1; at Greenbrier*

Oct. 4; at Farmington*; Nov. 8; Pea Ridge*

*Denotes 5A-West Conference games

All kick-offs at 7pm unless otherwise stated