Quarterback Showdown On Tap In Rogers
Posted: November 13, 2009 at 5:38 a.m.
ROGERS — Rogers Heritage and Little Rock Catholic will have the same game plan when the two teams meet in Gates Stadium in a first-round Class 7A playoff game tonight.
And that game plan is to stop the opposing quarterback. The game features two of the best quarterbacks in the state in Catholic’s Taylor Bartlett and Heritage’s Reed Brown.
Bartlett is a three-year starter for the Rockets and the 5-foot-9, 180-pound senior has passed for 1,750 yards and rushed for more than 700 more this season. Bartlett was 195 of 311 passing for 2,360 yards and 22 touchdowns his junior season. He also rushed for 734 yards a year ago and has appeared in three playoff games.
“This will be the 34th game he has started for us,” Catholic coach Scooter Register said. “(Bartlett) is a warrior. He throws the ball well and he runs well. But he is bummed up a little. He’ll play but he is not 100 percent.”
Bartlett’s top target is 6-3, 235-pound tight end Garrett Uekman. Uekman, who has 59 catches for 700 yards, has orally committed to Arkansas and is rated as the No. 4 tight end prospect in the country by Scout.com.
“(Uekman) is our go-to guy,” Register said. “He has been a starter for two-plus seasons and is a really good player.”
Heritage coach Perry Escalante said Catholic will look for Uekman when it powers into the red zone.
“They will throw to that big No. 82 (Uekman),” Escalante said. “They are going to run the football. But when they get down to the red zone, they are going to throw it to him. He is a big physical guy with good hands.”
Uekman isn’t the only highly-touted prospect on the Catholic roster, as defensive back Eric Redmon has an offer from Boston College. Catholic gave up 15 points a game during 7A-Central Conference play.
“Catholic is pretty good on defense,” Escalante said. “They run downhill real hard. We are going to have to play good football and execute.”
Brown will be starting his 21st game for the War Eagles and the junior has completed 173 of 276 passes for 2,335 yards and 27 touchdowns. He has thrown just six interceptions.
Brown is coming off his best game in a Heritage uniform. In last week’s 49-20 victory against Fayetteville, Brown completed 21 of 26 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns.
“(Brown) was 81 percent the other night, that’s outstanding,” said Heritage offensive coordinator Chad Harbison. “That’s like a 7-on-7 game where people throw 80 percent. Brown is a really intelligent kid and he doesn’t make the same mistake twice. To me, he is just getting better and better.”
Little Rock Catholic defensive coordinator David Estes said he has been impressed with the War Eagles’ efficiency on offense. Estes is a 1992 graduate of Rogers High.
“Heritage is multi-dimensional and they put a lot of pressure on the defense,” Estes said. “We have had some success on defense with our strong senior class. We have quite a few guys with experience.”
Senior Jeff Couch will miss tonight’s game after suffering a broken leg in last week’s win against Fayetteville. Escalante said Couch’s spot on the defensive line will be filled by committee.
“We got the X-ray Wednesday, and it’s broken,” Escalante said. “Spanky (Purdy) is back and he is ready to go. As long as Spanky is ready, we are solid.”
(Advertisement)
« Previous Story
Purple’Dogs Look To Bounce Back
This season has been a roller coaster of sorts for the Purple’Dogs. Read »
Next Story »
Farmington Bracing For Ashdown’s Speed
Based on his one-word response, Farmington coach Mike Adams is well aware of the challenge awaiting his defense tonight at Ashdown. “Speed,” Adams said. Read »
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.
Registration is required to make comments. Click here to LOGIN.
You can register for FREE to post comments and receive alerts.