SPRINGDALE — Robert Johnson is doing a lot more teaching this spring, which shows both the potential and inexperience of Springdale High’s defensive front.
As Springdale’s defensive line coach, Johnson has gotten up early over the past week and worked with a mix of newcomers and older players.
He has taught them where to line up, which direction to go when the football is snapped and what’s the the proper technique to shed their blockers.
“Right now, it’s a teaching process,” Johnson said. “But at the same time, they’ve got to be able to step in and fill some shoes that were played last year.”
A year ago, the defensive line was one of the strengths of the Bulldogs defense. But Springdale coach Shane Patrick must find four new starting defensive linemen as the team returns to a 4-3 scheme.
Despite all the changes, Patrick said the defensive line has actually been a “pleasant surprise” during spring practice.
“We’re not getting knocked off the ball, and our ends, they’re not to where we need to be yet. But they’re really doing a good job on their technique,” Patrick said. “They’re keeping people off our linebackers, which is a big key to our defense.”
Senior Austin Jarrett and junior Raul Gonzalez are Springdale’s most experience defensive line, with both earning playing time last season when several starters went down with injuries.
As a sophomore, Gonzalez was even penciled in as a starting defensive tackle. But they combined for only 16 tackles last season, and now they’re being asked to anchor the team’s new-look defensive line.
Jarrett, at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, will likely assume one of the starting defensive end spots. He recorded six tackles as a junior, but Patrick said Jarrett has shown that he can be explosive off the line of scrimmage.
“Austin knew his biggest deal was he had to be able to improve his change of direction and his quickness,” Patrick said. “He was a straight line guy, and when he changed directions, it was really hard for him.
“He has worked extremely hard this offseason and has really come along way in that.”
Gonzalez, meanwhile, appears to be in position to enter the fall as one of Springdale’s starting defensive tackles. He recorded 10 tackles last season, but he has impressed coaches with the strength he has added in the weight room.
Junior Keyonta West could complement Gonzalez at defensive tackle, and Steven Juarez has had such an impressive spring that Patrick said the senior reminds him a lot of his son Jay Patrick.
Like the younger Patrick, who led the Bulldogs with six sacks last season, Juarez has a combination of speed and strength that could help him come off the edge and emerge as a pass rusher in the fall.
“He just has to learn the game and understand the game a little bit more,” Patrick said of Juarez. “He’s really, really strong and powerful, so we’re thinking he’s going to have a chance to be one of our defensive ends.”
Of course, Springdale’s coaches have more time to figure out their starting defensive line — and teach the linemen who’ll be thrown into the mix.
“We’ve got some guys that had some playing time in the varsity games, but their playing times were either late in the ball game or when somebody got hurt,” Johnson said. “Now, we’re expecting them to be that position.
“The difference is they’ve got to be able to prove that they can play that position in a way that they’re going to be there every week.”