High school football report

Burgess right on schedule

Greenwood senior quarterback Jabe Burgess said he is scheduled to have his walking boot removed Sept. 5, a day before the defending Class 6A state champion Bulldogs open at home against Sallisaw, Okla.

Burgess, who has orally committed to Tulsa, broke a small bone on the outside of his left foot July 29 and underwent surgery Aug. 2 to have a pin inserted.

Greenwood Coach Rick Jones said Burgess is expected to miss eight weeks because of the injury.

Burgess said Monday afternoon that he remains on schedule to return before Greenwood opens 7A/6ACentral play Sept. 27 at Fort Smith Northside.

Burgess will not play in Week 1 but said he could be available the following week against Alma.

“I’ll be able to practice, but if I’m not full speed … it’s just all up to Coach Jones if he wants to put me in that week or the week after that,” Burgess said.

Burgess was injured doing a change of direction drill in FASDOGS, Greenwood’s summer strength and conditioning program.

He said former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett also broke the same bone (fifth metatarsal) in a change of direction drill.

PULASKI ACADEMY Major exposure

Pulaski Academy has moved its Sept. 13 home game with Warren to Sept.

12 to accommodate live television coverage by Comcast SportsNet Houston, Bruins Coach Kevin Kelley said.

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Kelley said he was approached in June about a televised game, adding CSN Houston signed off on the deal after production officials visited Joe B. Hatcher Stadium last Sunday.

CSN Houston (Comcast Channel 269 in central Arkansas) is a regional sports network under the NBCSports Group umbrella and serves Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

CSN Houston will television a game live each Thursday throughout the regular season, beginning this week with Port Lavaca (Texas) Calhoun against Corpus Christi (Texas) Carroll.

All televised games will involve schools from Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

Kelley said the Warren-Pulaski Academy match up was attractive for CSN Houston because of the success both programs have enjoyed the past 15 years.

RISON Numbers up

Rison has 44 varsity players this fall, the most in Coach Clay Totty’s 16 seasons at the Cleveland County school.

Totty, who led the Class 2A Wildcats to state championships in 2000 and 2004, said Rison normally has between 25 to 35 players.

Totty said the increase is likely tied to the merger of Rison and nearby Kingsland, which was announced in2004.

Kingsland didn’t play football, but more and more athletes who live in the small community are being assimilated into Rison’s program,Totty said.

One Kingsland resident who plays for the Wildcats is defensive end Chris Leaks, a member of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Super Sophomore team.

Totty said Leaks, 6-4, 205 pounds, can put his elbows on a basketball rim and already power cleans 250 pounds.

“He has a chance to be very special,” Totty said.

Leaks helped the junior high team finish 8-0 last fall and win a conference championship.

FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE Minor setback

Fort Smith Southside Coach Jeff Williams said junior linebacker Ian Jackson is questionable for the Sept. 6 season opener against Rogers Heritage because of knee and finger injuries.

Williams said Jackson was scheduled to have surgery last week to repair torn meniscus in his knee and a torn tendon in his ring finger. Williams said Jackson has had lingering knee problems and injured his finger in practice.

Jackson, 6-2, 220, was a member of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Super Sophomore team and is the younger brother of Isaac Jackson, Southside’s standout senior quarterback. The brothers helped the Rebels finish 8-4 and reach the Class 7A playoff semifinals last fall.

Southside also finished 8-4 and made the semifinals in 2010 and 2011.

“We really want to get back to War Memorial Stadium,” Williams said, referring to the site of the state championship game.

“It’s been awhile for us.

Our goal is to practice on Thanksgiving, but the expectations around Southside are to play in the final game. We want to take that next step.”

Williams led the Rebels to the Class 7A state championship in 2006 and runner-up finishes in 2008and 2009.

EXTRA POINTS

Marianna Coach Kevin Mosley is on paid leave because of an “incident over the weekend,” Superintendent Willie Murdock said Thursday afternoon. Larry Mitchell, who coached the Trojans last fall, is interim coach, Murdock said. Mosley was hired this summer after previously being defensive line coach at Forrest City. … Genoa Central has tapped assistant Jon Gosdin as interim coach, Superintendent Bear Bryant said. Gosdin replaces Vince Perrin, who was hired in July but resigned about two weeks later, Bryant said, because of personal reasons.

Bryant said the job will be advertised again following the season. … Camden Fairview Coach Buck James said assistant Sherman Brooks may not coach this fall (surgery Monday to repair heart artery blockage and battling cellulitis). … Russellville Athletic Director Johnny Johnson said the Class 6A Cyclones are scheduled to play Morrilton (Week 1), Rogers Heritage (Week 2) and Class 4A power Pottsville (Week 3) in the next cycle. … Conway Coach Clint Ashcraft said the Wampus Cats will play Cabot (Week 1), Jonesboro (Week 2) and Springdale Har-Ber (Week 3) in the next cycle. … Charleston Coach Greg Kendrick said he is debating a season-opening match up with Class 2A Junction City next fall. … The Arkansas Activities Association app is available at the Apple App store and Google Play store. AAAExecutive Director Lance Taylor said his organization is really pushing for school officials to use the app to report scores throughout the 2013-2014 school year.

… Rison Coach Clay Totty said tight end/defensive end Justin Ross, who was severely injured in an automobile accident last August and missed his senior season, is planning to attend Arkansas-Monticello. … Totty said Rison will play Camden Harmony Grove in Week 3 in the next cycle. … Fayetteville Coach Daryl Patton said the Bulldogs will scrimmage Greenwood next fall and play Muskogee, Okla., in Week 3. Fayetteville is still looking for opening game in the next cycle, Patton said.

… Fort Smith Southside will open with Van Buren in the next cycle, Rebels Coach Jeff Williams said.

Sports, Pages 35 on 08/25/2013

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