SPRINGDALE — Deandre Murray has attracted plenty of attention following his breakout season in the fall, and colleges have taken notice of Josiah Wymer as well.
All of a sudden, Springdale High heads into the spring with a pair of offensive weapons who could be among the most highly recruited players in Northwest Arkansas next year.
And then there’s speedy defensive back Cua Rose, who could make a name for himself by the time he graduates.
It’s a nice luxury for Springdale football coach Shane Patrick to have. But he understands that he must spend the next few weeks of spring practice looking for newcomers to go along with his star players.
“We know what those guys can do,” Patrick said. “It’s just a matter of we need to put all the pieces together and make sure we’re using everybody efficiently and giving ourselves the best opportunity to win football games.”
When the Bulldogs open spring practice at 6 a.m. Monday, some of the focus will be on the team’s need to replace its entire defensive line as it returns to a 4-3 scheme.
But the bigger question — and the position battle that will surely gain the most attention — will be at quarterback.
Senior Terry Mounce will enter the spring as the favorite to win Springdale’s quarterback competition. However, Patrick said a pair of sophomores — including highly touted sophomore Drake Wymer, Josiah’s younger brother — will also be in the mix.
“All of them know it’s an open competition,” Patrick said. “Terry has the lead right now because of his maturation and his age and his understanding of the offense.
“But Drake Wymer and Chandler Fuller, they’re going to have an opportunity and they know that. And Terry knows that.”
Still, the focal point of Springdale’s offense will continue to be Murray and Wymer, who have gotten interest from Arkansas and several other major NCAA Division I schools.
Murray broke onto the scene as a junior, rushing for 1,443 yards and 17 touchdowns in his first season with the Bulldogs. He averaged 7.4 yards per carry and 144.3 yards per game, though Springdale missed the postseason after finishing 4-6.
Patrick said the Bulldogs will work this spring on trying to get Wymer more involved in the offense in the hopes of preventing opposing defenses from gearing up to stop Murray.
Wymer is a big tight end, and he’s bound to show his catching ability more in the fall.
“We are going to use the tight end more than we’ve ever used it now with Josiah,” Patrick said. “We’re going to be able to do a few little things different, but it’s still going to fit within our same scheme that we have been doing.
“So, it’s not totally new, but we’re going to have a little bit more emphasis maybe on some play-action and some different things.”
There has been plenty of change on defense as well, beginning with the hire of former Arkadelphia defensive coordinator Derek Moore to replace Springdale secondary coach Leroy Hood.
A year ago, the Bulldogs had experience along the defensive line and major question marks in the secondary. But that’s not the case anymore, as Patrick must find four new starting defensive linemen to complement his returning secondary.
“We think we’ve got some guys that can get the job done, but obviously in this league, the trenches are where the game is won,” Patrick said. “And so we know those defensive linemen are going to have to play well for us to have a chance to win football games.”
Of course, it helps to have Murray and Wymer, too.