SMALL SCHOOLS PREP FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Mobley Set For Monday Return

Duke Mobley, an assistant coach at Gravette, gets a high-five from a player Friday during practice.
Duke Mobley, an assistant coach at Gravette, gets a high-five from a player Friday during practice.

— Two weeks after suffering a heart attack, Gravette assistant football coach Duke Mobley is ready to return to the Lions' preseason workouts.

Coach Bill Harrelson said Friday that Mobley has received clearance from his doctor and can participate in practices beginning Monday.

"We're excited to have him back," Harrelson said. "He's a huge part of our program, and we'll let him help in any capacity he can.

"It's amazing that he's coming back to work so soon. It's because of the passion he has for this program and these kids."

Mobley was found by trainers in the equipment room near the end of an Aug. 2 practice and taken to Gravette Medical Center. He later was moved to Mercy Medical Center in Rogers, where doctors placed a stent in his heart after they discovered 90 percent blockage in his arteries.

Mobley was on hand for Friday's afternoon workout but didn't participate. Instead, he watched from the shade for a short time, but players made sure to give Mobley high-fives after completing drills.

Harrelson and other assistant coaches have filled Mobley's role in his absence, but Harrelson made it clear that Mobley's job is his again on Monday.

"He is our defensive coordinator, and he is in charge of our defense," he said. "We know his time will be limited out there because of the heat, but we're going to make the adjustments and work with him until he can resume the job at full capacity."

Numbers Helping Blackhawks

PEA RIDGE -- Increased numbers have altered the way Pea Ridge is preparing for the Sept. 3 season opener against Elkins in Blackhawk Stadium.

A year ago, coach Tony Travis welcomed just 25 players as the former Fayetteville assistant started his first year at the school.

This season, Pea Ridge has more than 40 players out for preseason drills, and Travis said that should help the Blackhawks improve on last year's 2-8 record.

"It's a tremendous help to have the numbers," Travis said. "We have competition for starting spots and guys are even battling to get on the depth chart. We have a lot more intensity in practice."

The increased numbers have also changed the way the Blackhawks are practicing this August.

"You are always worried about injuries, but last year we were worried about contact because of our numbers," Travis said. "We have been more physical in practice this year. The kids like that because that is why they play football."

Junior Bo Rylee (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) and sophomore Austin Easterling (5-9, 175) ended spring drills on equal footing at quarterback, and Travis said nothing has changed two weeks into August drills.

"They are getting equal reps," Travis said. "The good thing is that both of them will play somewhere."

-- PAUL NIELSEN

Little Likes Defensive Ends

Kevin Scherer and Tre Porter could form a potent 1-2 punch on the defensive line for the Gentry Pioneers this season.

Gentry coach Brian Little said the two should give a "stability" to the Pioneers defensive line.

Little hopes Scherer (6-5, 231) can stay healthy this season. He missed much of last season with a concussion and also missed part of his sophomore season with a knee injury.

"Kevin has some experience on Friday night, it's just the injuries have kept him from being able to play a full season for us," Little said.

Porter (6-2, 216) moved into the district from the Chicago area during the winter and went through spring drills with the Pioneers.

The two seniors bring different strengths to the table to try to help the Pioneers improve upon last year's 4-6 finish.

"Kevin's so tall, his wingspan is around seven feet," Little said. "That makes him hard to throw over. Tre's not short, but he has a strength in his core. That makes him tough to move. He really anchors his side really well."

The Pioneers have been trying to find ways to beat the extreme heat this fall, but Little said his players have proved to be better acclimated because of almost year-round work. Gentry has also shifted its practices to evening this week, going from 6-8 p.m.

-- PAUL BOYD

Decatur Has Favorable Schedule

DECATUR -- A year away from football has the Decatur Bulldogs hungry for action this fall.

Although the numbers are still low, first-year senior high coach Stanley Ellis said he expects about 21 players on the roster for the start of the season.

Decatur will not play the opening week of the season, but is scheduled to travel to Hartford on Sept. 10. That is, if Hartford fields a team. The Hustlers were another team in the 2A-4 Conference that did not field a team last season because of low player turnout.

"I sure hope they have a team," Ellis said, "because if they don't, we won't play a game until the middle of September."

The rest of the Bulldogs' schedule is very favorable, with six home games in the final seven weeks. The lone road trip will be a doozy, however, with a three-plus hour jaunt to Danville on Oct. 22.

"That's going to be a long ride, but it's the only one like that we have," Ellis said.

Hartford and Mountainburg are the only other road trips for Decatur, with Mountainburg joining the conference this year from Class 3A.

-- CHIP SOUZA

Saints Not Talking About Week 2

SPRINGDALE -- The date has been circled on the calendar for months, and the hype surrounding the game has generated more than 25 pages of commentary on prep website message boards.

Shiloh Christian's Labor Day tilt against Texas Class 5A powerhouse Euless Trinity in palatial Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is the most talked about game in the state.

Except at Shiloh. The Saints are not discussing the game anymore, coach Josh Floyd said.

"We're not even going to talk about it," Floyd said last week. "It's Dallas and we're excited, but we've got to get through Watson Chapel."

The Saints open the season on Aug. 30 against the top-ranked Class 5A Wildcats at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The game will be part of the Simmons First/Hootens.com Kickoff Week and matches up two of the state's top programs.

Watson Chapel was fell back to 5A after making back-to-back appearances in the Class 6A semifinals. And the Saints are the two-time defending Class 4A state champions.

"We've got to get focused on Watson Chapel," Floyd said. "We've got a great opportunity. They are the No. 1 team in 5A. They are very, very talented."

Shiloh Christian, coming off a 13-1 season, will scrimmage Greene County Tech on Aug. 23 in Harrison.

-- CHIP SOUZA

Tigers QB Race Still Open

PRAIRIE GROVE -- Danny Abshier doesn't have an answer yet, but he likes his options.

The Prairie Grove coach said the Tigers starting quarterback position is still undecided on Friday, with junior Dakota Daniels (5-10, 155) and sophomore Cooper Winters (6-1, 163) battling for the spot.

"The quarterback race is dead-even right now," Abshier said. "We will treat that like any other position until somebody surfaces, and nobody has surfaced yet.

"They're both doing a good job, and we're pleased with them but we're going to let them both do it."

Injuries have hit the Tigers hard so far at practice this month. Senior running back/safety Lex Wheeler suffered a torn knee ligament -- putting more responsibility on senior Skylar Ellis (5-11, 188), whom Abshier said can play multiple positions.

Also, Prairie Grove is without junior tight end Michael Bond, whom Abshier said also reinjured his knee after tearing a knee ligament during the spring playing basketball. The Tigers moved Nick Perez (6-0, 230) from tackle to tight end in Bond's place.

-- KURT VOIGT

Cardinals Adjust On Defense

FARMINGTON -- Farmington coach Mike Adams has an answer for the Cardinals' relative lack of size on defense.

Now he hopes it works.

"We're really small up front, so we've had to incorporate a lot more stunts," Adams said. "We've got to attack people. We don't have much size, so we've got to be aggressive.

"We understand we're going to give up some plays. We're going to guess wrong, and they're going to attack us where we're not. Hopefully, we'll force enough bad plays to offset that."

Adams pointed to three defensive players who have stood out so far during practice this month -- Austin Oslica, Benton Cooper and D. J. Gray.

"Those three have really shown the ability to penetrate and have a feel for being good blitzers."

On offense, Adams said senior quarterback Trey Spencer -- who missed most of spring practice while concentrating on baseball -- has thrown the ball well during practice. He also said junior running back Jared Martin has improved at both pass protection and running the football.

Farmington scrimmages Greenland on Aug. 23.

-- KURT VOIGT

Depth Improved For Elks

ELKINS -- For Elkins coach Aaron Clark, depth can sometimes be a sore subject -- depending on which year you catch the Elks.

In 2010, though, it appears the numbers are up and the depth issue isn't as much of a concern in some areas.

"We've got 31 kids and that's up for us," Clark said. "Last year we had about 25 at this time and, with some injuries, we were down to about 20 by the end of the season. So it seems like we've got more depth this year."

The Elks' biggest strength in numbers could be on the offensive line. A year ago, between seven and eight players were forced to rotate among the five offensive line positions. But Clark believes as many as 15 players could fill out spots for linemen.

"We've still got a couple of offensive line positions that need to be worked out and we've got a pretty good battle going on at center," Clark said. "But the numbers are there."

-- VERNON TARVER

Pirates Hope To Improve On 2-8 Season

After finishing 2-8 last season, Greenland football coach Lee Larkan admitted there wasn't just one area that needed improvement heading into the start of preseason camp.

The tackling needed to get better. A winning attitude had to be instilled again in the players. And in large part, the Pirates needed to quit being so "weak" and getting pushed around up front.

"One of our biggest issues was that we were weak last year. That was the first time we've ever been weak," Larkan said. "... We're back to being kind of strong like we have been in the past, and that's going to help us."

Larkan said Greenland's undersized offensive line had trouble holding its own last season and, as a result, it offered little protection for returning starting quarterback Jordan Larkan.

But the Pirates have shown over the first part of fall camp that they've benefited from an offseason spent in the weight room. They're noticeably bigger and stronger, yet Larkan has found other areas that must improve following a disappointing 2009.

"The big thing is we were 2-8 last year, so the list of things to improve on were long. But mainly giving them the idea that 2-8 was not acceptable and that we've got to really put the extra time in," Larkan said.

"We don't have the athletes to just be OK. We have to do things exactly right all the time."

-- ALEX ABRAMS

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