Casebolt Gives His All

SENIOR EAGER TO PROVE HE CAN HANDLE IRONMAN ROLE

— Tyler Casebolt wasn’t sure if he was ready for the grind of high school football when he first returned from a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury last season.

After suffering the injury to his left knee the year before during his sophomore season, he admitted it took a few games to return to normal.

These days, Casebolt is more than just back to normal. He’s almost refusing to step off the football field at all. And that’s just fine with Elkins football coach Aaron Clark, who plans on using the senior offensive lineman/linebacker as much as possible as the Elks look to return to the Class 3A playoffs after a one-year absence.

“I want to be on the field as much as possible this year,” Casebolt said. “It gives me a chance to improve my game and as a senior I want to show what I can do to help the team.”

Casebolt played just one game during his sophomore season before blowing out his left knee and missing the remainder of the season. While playing defense in the third quarter in the Elks’ 2010 season-opener at Pea Ridge, Casebolt was blocking for teammate Cody Downum, who had intercepted a pass. While running downfield, Casebolt was hit from behind, went down hard and was forced to sit out the rest of the year.

The injury and missed playing time is well behind him now. The focus this year is to help the Elks get back to the top of the 3A-1 Conference, and this senior captain figures to be plenty busy.

“Last year he moved to middle linebacker and he led us with 93 tackles and he is an important part of our defense,” Clark said. “And honestly he could also be our best offensive lineman.

“He wasn’t in the best of shape when he first came back from the injury last year and it took him a few games. But him being a senior now, the guys know he can be a leader and they know what he can do. So we’ll need him out there a lot.”

Casebolt speaks proudly of both units for which he will play, the offensive line and in the middle of the defense. But if forced to pick one over the other, he considers himself a linebacker first.

“I take more pride in the defense,” Casebolt said. “As a middle linebacker, I’m pretty much a big part of what we do. We’ve got our while defensive line back and our linebackers are strong. So for the most part we’re going to be pretty strong.”

At 5-foot-9, 230 pounds, he looks the part of a dominating middle linebacker just as much as he fits the mold of an offensive guard. And that’s a good thing for Elkins, because he will be counted on to do both roles on many occasions this fall.

“We’ve got more depth at linebacker, so if he does get a breather it will be on offense,” Clark said. “But we’re going to need him on both sides.”

Elkins Elks

COACH: Aaron Clark

LAST SEASON: 5-5

OFFENSE: Spread

DEFENSE: 3-5

RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 5, Defense 7

POINTS SCORED PER GAME: 24.0

POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 21.9

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH: Mitchell Clark (Sr., QB, 6-0, 190), Dakota Drummond (Sr., OT, 5-10, 225).

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH: Zeke Maurice (Sr., NG, 5-11, 230), Tyler Casebolt (Sr., OL/LB, 5-9, 230), Cody Downum (Sr., DB, 5-10, 160).

KEEP AN EYE ON: Experience in the trenches. Elkins has four starters back on the offensive line and solid depth up front on defense.

OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK: Elkins must replace all-conference quarterback Mac Leichner, who passed for more than 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns. Mitchell Clark, the son of coach Aaron Clark, has moved over from tight end, and should be able to give the Elks a run/pass threat.

DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK: The front seven is the strength for the Elks. Depth is solid at both defensive line and linebacker. Where Elkins will have some concerns is in the secondary. Outside of 3A-1 all-conference cornerback Cody Downum the Elks will rely on inexperienced defensive backs, particularly at the safety positions.

SEASON OUTLOOK: With experience in the offensive and defensive lines, Elkins should have success with its offense and with slowing down opponents who start with the run. But as is always the case, the Elks will need to stay healthy in certain spots. If Clark can stay on the field at quarterback and if players can develop quickly in the secondary, a postseason berth is a strong possiblity.

KEY GAME: Oct. 26 at Greenland: This rivalry game is always intense and important to both schools. This season, the matchup could have significant playoff implications in the conference if Elkins takes care of business earlier in the year.

QUOTING COACH CLARK: “I’ve talked up the offensive line for a lot of years now. I decided I’m not going to do that anymore. This year, they’ve just got to go out there and prove it.”

SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time

Aug. 31 at Pea Ridge 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 7 Lavaca 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 14 Huntsville 7:30 pm.

Sept. 21 Yellville-Summit* 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Mountain View* 7 p.m.

Oct. 5 OPEN

Oct. 12 at Melbourne* 7 p.m.

Oct. 19 West Fork* 7 p.m.

Oct. 26 at Greenland* 7 p.m.

Nov. 2 at Green Forest* 7 p.m.

An * denotes 3A-1 Conference game

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