Boudrey Carries Big Workload For Cardinals

Spencer Boudrey, a senior running back/safety at Farmington, is expecting an increased workload for the Cardinals this season.
Spencer Boudrey, a senior running back/safety at Farmington, is expecting an increased workload for the Cardinals this season.

— Spencer Boudrey should be a busy man on most Friday nights this fall at Allen Holland Field.

Boudrey, a senior running back/safety at Farmington, played a big part in the Cardinals’ run to the Class 4A state semifinals last year. But his workload is expected to increase even more this season as the team moves into a new year with a backfield full of new faces around Boudrey.

“He’s a guy we’re going to build our offense around,” Farmington coach Mike Adams said. “He’s one of our strongest kids and he is our fastest kid, so he’s a guy who has to have the ball in his hands.

“And when you cross over to the other side of the line, he’s going to be playing quite a bit as well defensively. He’s just too good to be standing on the sidelines behind me. So he’s obviously going to be out there a lot.”

Boudrey, at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, played both receiver and running back and on the defensive line as a junior. This year, he will move primarily to tailback while also switching to safety.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Boudrey said. “It’s my senior year and I’m looking forward to having a big year. It’s a pretty big challenge, I have a big classload and I’m trying to take care of that as well. And on the field, my teammates are making it pretty easy on me. They’re giving me big holes to run through and just letting me do my job.”

Farmington has to replace all-state quarterback Deon Clay and is still sorting out that position in fall camp, with sophomore Keaton Austin and junior John Larabee battling for the starting job. With inexperience under center, the Cardinals could lean more on the running game and a strong offensive line.

“We have a bigger set of linemen than we’ve had in the past few years and that’s going to help,” Boudrey said. “So it’s going to be a little better for me because all those big boys will be pushing big old holes and making it easier for me than in the past.”

Boudrey knows some folks around the 4A-1 Conference might not expect Farmington to repeat the same success it had a year ago with Clay and other seniors now gone. But in his mind, that’s a big mistake.

“We’re young this year, but a lot of our young players are pretty good athletes,” Boudrey said. “So I think we’ll compete really well and we’ll play our best all year.”

Farmington Cardinals

COACH: Mike Adams

LAST SEASON: 11-3

OFFENSE: Pro-I

DEFENSE: 4-3

RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 4, Defense 2

POINTS SCORED PER GAME: 32.1

POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 16.6

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH: Spencer Boudrey (Sr., RB, 5-11, 190), Michael Ryan (Jr., OL, 6-2, 260).

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH: Brennan Warren (Sr., DL, 6-0, 210), Chase Garner (Sr., LB, 6-2, 220), John Larabee (Jr., S, 5-9, 150).

KEEP AN EYE ON: Junior Thomas Clay, a 330-pound defensive lineman who is the younger brother of former Farmington quarterback Deon Clay.

OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK: Seven starters must be replaced from last year’s unit. Senior tailback Spencer Boudrey will be the foundation this offense is built on, and the Cardinals could look quite different without Deon Clay at quarterback.

DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK: The Cardinals will need to shore up some inexperience in the secondary, but some solid veterans on the defensive line and at linebacker should help.

SEASON OUTLOOK: Last year’s run to the Class 4A semifinals will be hard to match. Farmington breaks in a new quarterback and nine new starters on the defensive side of the ball this fall. But the Cardinals still have plenty of size and depth to hang around the conference race. If enough younger players emerge, another trip to the postseason is easily in the cards for Farmington.

KEY GAME: Oct. 12 vs. Gravette: This matchup has been for playoff positioning in recent years and could be again this season. While the Cardinals and Lions might not be battling for a conference title in mid-October, this contest could decide home field advantage come November.

QUOTING COACH ADAMS: “We feel real good about our defensive front. We’re going to as good as we’ve been in a long time there. And on the offensive line, we’re going to be pretty good there. We’ve got some good size on both sides of the line this year.”

SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time

Aug. 31 at Huntsville 7 p.m.

Sept. 7 West Fork 7 p.m.

Sept. 14 Paris 7 p.m.

Sept. 21 at Gentry* 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Prairie Grove* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 5 Berryville* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 12 Gravette* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 19 at Ozark* 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 26 Pea Ridge* 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 2 at Lincoln* 7:30 p.m.

  • denotes 4A-1 Conference game

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