Death shakes Knights
Centerpoint Coach Cary Rogers said his team plans to honor a popular player who died last week with helmet stickers bearing his jersey number, 55.
Senior offensive guard/ linebacker Ryan Swain, 17, died Saturday after apparently drowning in an accident while dove hunting near Amity, Rogers said.
“There’s been a lot of together time around here,” Rogers said Tuesday afternoon.
Rogers said he, other Centerpoint coaches and Swain’s Future Farmers of America sponsors were pallbearers in the player’s funeral Tuesday morning at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Amity.
In addition to helmet stickers, Rogers said the school plans to stencil No.
55 on the field at Rosboro Stadium and release balloons before Friday night’s home game against Magnet Cove.
Rogers said Swain was one of the most respected students at Centerpoint, vice president of the school’s FFA chapter and a model citizen.
“He was that kid for us,” Rogers said.
According to Swain’s obituary, he planned to attend Southern Arkansas after graduating from Centerpoint and pursue a career as a wildlife officer with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Rogers said the 6-1, 160-pound Swain played split end and cornerback as a junior but requested to change positions as a senior to help the team.
Swain started in Friday night’s 36-24 loss to Dierks, Rogers said.
Rogers said the Knights didn’t practice Tuesday because of Swain’s funeral but will today. Rogers said he isn’t sure how his team will react Friday night, just six days after Swain’s death.
“You just don’t know,” Rogers said.
CROSS COUNTY Stacked offense
Class 2A Cross County rolled up 668 total yards, including 565 rushing, in Friday night’s 81-57 victory over Harrisburg.
The Thunderbirds trailed 33-20 at halftime before scoring 61 points in the final 24 minutes.
“It was one of those games that got away from both of us,” Cross County Coach Steve Williams said.
“I know Harrisburg folks are probably mad at me for scoring 81 points, but I felt like we had to to win.”
Cross County was led by sophomore tailback Anfernne Davis, who rushed 27 times for 303 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Davis, 5-10, 170 pounds, is the deepest of three players lined up directly behind each other in Cross County’s stack-I formation.
Senior power back Marquez Turner - the second player - carried 15 times for 216 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Davis scored on runs of 49, 42 and 6 yards in the first half and 9, 50 and 50 yards in the second half.
Davis moved up for the final two games of the 2012 season and rushed 18 times for 147 yards and 3 touchdowns against Marked Tree, Williams said.
“He’s something else,” Williams said. “I’ve been here for 12 years, coached for 23 years and have Blake Veasley playing at UCA.
He’s better than all of them.
He’s got it all - vision, speed and toughness. If he can’t find a hole, he’ll make one.”
Turner is one of only five seniors for Cross County, which has 31 players. Only three seniors start, Williams said.
Williams said this could be Cross County’s best team since 2006, when the Thunderbirds were beaten 7-6 by Junction City in the Class 2A playoff semifinals.
“This team has better running backs,” said Williams, a 1982 Cross County graduate. “That team had a better defense.”
GLEN ROSE Burton returns
Glen Rose Coach Mark Kehner said junior tailback Carlos Burton practiced Tuesday and should play in Friday night’s game at Bauxite.
Burton, a member of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Super Sophomore team after rushing for almost 2,000 yards, didn’t play in last week’s 35-27 loss at Class 4A Malvern after “tweaking” a hamstring muscle in a preseason scrimmage.
In Burton’s absence, senior fullback Austin Kehner, the coach’s son, moved to tailback and rushed 15 times for 70 yards and 1 touchdown.
“He did a really good job,” Mark Kehner said.
“We feel good with him at fullback and Carlos at tailback.”
Austin Kehner is also used at receiver and outside linebacker.
Glen Rose, last year’s Class 3A runner-up, was within striking distance throughout the game, which was tied 14-14 at halftime and 21-21 in the third quarter. Mark Kehner said Glen Rose has only 29 players, including five sophomores, and a lack of depth played a factor late in the game.
“We just ran out of gas in the fourth quarter,” Kehner said.
Kehner said Glen Rose has 45 junior high players, so high school numbers should rebound in the future.
Class 3A Super Six
RK TEAM (REC.) NEXT
Charleston (1-0) at Gentry
Harding Acad. (1-0) at Heber Springs
Barton (1-0) at Des Arc
Mayflower (1-0) vs. Dardanelle
Fordyce (1-0) at Crossett
McGehee (0-1) vs. Dumas
Class 2A Super Six
RK TEAM (REC.) NEXT
Junction City (1-0) vs. Rison
Carlisle (1-0) at Mountain Pine
Bearden (1-0) at Hampton
Gurdon (1-0) at Benton HG
East Poinsett County (1-0) at Manila
Strong (1-0) vs. Smackover
Sports, Pages 26 on 09/11/2013