War Eagles Hungry For More

Rogers Heritage defensive lineman Carson Scott celebrates after the defense created a turnover on downs against Springdale during the first half on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012, at Gates Stadium in Rogers.
Rogers Heritage defensive lineman Carson Scott celebrates after the defense created a turnover on downs against Springdale during the first half on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012, at Gates Stadium in Rogers.

— Rogers Heritage football coach Perry Escalante was extremely pleased with the War Eagles’ huge improvement this season, finishing 7-4 and making the playoffs after suffering though a 1-9 year last fall.

Escalante credited a year of maturity for the progress, but there’s good news for next season, too, as the War Eagles will return 13 starters including several playmakers on offense and defense.

A first-round playoff loss at West Memphis also whetted the War Eagles’ appetite for more, Escalante said.

“We felt like we just gave that one away,” Escalante said. “We made some mistakes, but overall it was a great improvement. Basically, it was a lot of the same kids on the 1-9 team, but a year of maturity goes a long way.”

Escalante said the team will be looking to continue to get better and set loftier goals, but with that comes more expectations and more pressure. Dealing with those expectations will be big for a strong senior class next season, Escalante said.

“This offseason will be key for us to take the next step and be better,” Escalante said. “We went 7-3, but 8-2 or 9-1 is what they need to be looking at. The potential is there, but they have to play like seniors.

Receiver Forrest Johnson will be the biggest loss for the War Eagles. He finished with 1,292 yards receiving on 71 catches, a 19.6-yard average, and 15 touchdowns. Johnson added 246 yards rushing and four more touchdowns.

However, quarterback Josh Qualls and running back Brandon Gates are both juniors, not to mention seven more returning on defense.

Qualls threw for 2,379 yards and 26 touchdowns, while Gates rushed for 1,240 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Heritage offensive coordinator Darren Hotelling said a key difference for the War Eagles this season was the offense offered multiple threats. The offensive line was also more solid.

“We ran the ball much better,” Hotelling said. “We were able to run on perimeter, which took some pressure off the offensive line to run it between the tackles.”

A big change was when Heritage lined up with no running back in the backfield this season, Hotelling said.

“When we got in empty, everybody wasn’t just selling out and bringing the world,” Hotelling said. “We were able to run it this year out of the empty set. Last year, all we could do was throw it and they knew that.

“We weren’t one-dimensional on offense. We had a lot of kids like Micca Brown, Carlos Hernandez at those skill positions. It wasn’t like we were just Forrest.”

Heritage made big strides defensively, after giving up yardage in large chunks in 2011. War Eagles defensive coordinator Paul Wilson said the big play was still a problem, but just not quite as often.

“Our kids had a better understanding of what we wanted to do this year and it showed,” Wilson said. “We hope it keeps going forward. We feel like we have a chance to be as good or even a little better next year.

“We had a lot of the same kids who were playing as sophomores, but a year of maturity in the weight room made a big difference, too.”

The War Eagles return several playmakers on defense including juniors Colby Isbell, Forrest Ward, Brandon White and Daniel Spickes.

Isbell, a defensive end, finished with 88 tackles, five sacks and an interception, while Ward led the team with 91 tackles from his linebacker spot. Spickes, a defensive back, had a team-high six interceptions to go with 66 tackles.

2012 Season

Rogers Heritage War Eagles

Date Opponent Time/Result

Aug. 31 Fort Smith Southside W, 20-19

Sept. 7 Fort Smith Northside W, 43-25

Sept. 14 Harrison W, 34-16

Sept. 21 at Siloam Springs* W, 70-21

Sept. 28 Springdale Har-Ber* L, 56-20

Oct. 5 at Fayetteville* L, 52-21

Oct. 12 at Bentonville* L, 48-7

Oct. 19 Springdale High* W, 42-22

Oct. 26 at Van Buren* W, 57-25

Nov. 2 Rogers High* W, 41-28

Nov. 9 at West Memphis# L, 43-36

"*" denotes 7A/6A-West Conference games

"#" denotes State playoffs

Upcoming Events