Springdale Receivers Benefit From Spreading Ball Around

By Nathan Allen

Posted: November 12, 2009 at 4:56 a.m.

• Print item
• E-mail
• Share
• Tweet

SPRINGDALE — Blake Fogg likes the kind of variety Springdale High has in its passing game, especially when it comes to its receivers.

Fogg’s mentality about the position is pretty simple — the more, the better.

This season, Springdale has enjoyed a lot of success from its large group of receivers, who have all shown this season they can be effective in any situation.

“It’s a huge advantage for us, teams can’t game plan against all of us,” said Fogg, a senior receiver who’s caught 39 passes for a team-high 802 yards and fi ve touchdowns. “With so many of us catching passes, I think it makes us tough to defend, and that’s something we always keep in the back of our minds.”

Fogg certainly isn’t Springdale’s only receiver that’s put up big numbers this year. Senior Justin Bocchino has caught a team-high 46 passes for 634 yards and eight touchdowns while versatile senior T.C. Barkey has caught 44 passes for 444 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner against Rogers High last week.

Then there’s been other guys like Kempys Robinson, a sophomore who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 228 pounds. Robinson’s biggest advantage is his size and the way he’s able to run like a running back for extra yards after making a catch, he said.

“I’m not as fast as the other guys, but I can run people over,” Robinson said.

Springdale receivers coach Moe Henry said unlike previous years, when the Bulldogs had receivers like LaDarius Eckwood and Michael Upton as their only options, having so many guys at one position gives the off ense several options.

“We’ve got guys that can go off on any given night,” Henry said. “We may have one guy that leads in touchdowns, one that leads in yards and one that leads in catches, and that’s fi ne by us. This group loves how there are so many options because it gives us better chances to win games.”

One way the receivers improved over the summer was working with junior quarterback Joseph Calcagni during 7-on-7 games, which helped establish a rhythm and tempo between the players.

“It definitely helped with the timing of everything,” Bocchino said. “We’re all different in what we do, how we run our routes, so doing that over the summer helped (Calcagni) out to where he knows how to throw us all the ball.”

Fogg said that learning not to get so upset at himself after missing or dropping a pass has also been a work in progress this season, but something he’s getting better at.

“I’m really tough on myself, it’s because I’m so competitive,” Fogg said. “It’s like playing NCAA Football (video game), when I call a bad play, I get made at myself.

“But in reality, I’ve just to realize there’s always going be another chance to redeem myself.”

Comments

To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Please read our comment policy.

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.