SPRINGDALE -- Lincoln coach Scott Davenport knows the value of summer workouts for football.
That's why the former defensive coordinator at Rogers Heritage brought his new team to Springdale Har-Ber on Monday to participate in the Northwest Arkansas Passing League. Lincoln competed Monday with Huntsville and an A and B team from Har-Ber, a Class 7A school.
"There's definitely some good competition and a mixture of large schools and schools that play in our league," said Davenport, who was named the Wolves' head coach in May. "We'll see a wide range of different looks in the passing game, and that's helpful because we lost so many guys from last year. It's definitely good to get back on the field."
Davenport was hired in May to replace Brad Harris, who resigned from Lincoln to take a job as defensive coordinator at Benton. Harris' son, Drew Harris, moved with his family after starting at quarterback for Lincoln the past two years.
Replacing a two-year starter at quarterback is one of the many challenges facing Davenport, who was an offensive coordinator at Heber Springs.
"We return four starters on offensive and three on defense," said Davenport, who played football at Arkansas. "Hopefully, those guys will continue to grow and mature, and we'll be able to count on new guys as starters and get some kids in the right spot at new positions."
Lincoln is coming off its best season in school history. The Wolves finished 11-2 and won Class 4A state playoff games against Nashville and Malvern before being eliminated at Booneville. Davenport got to work with his new team for a handful of spring practice sessions in May.
"We didn't have a full spring, but we got in seven good practices," Davenport said. "I was really pleased with our kids' effort. They're still learning from me, and I'm still learning from them."
Lincoln will start this season with a bang Sept. 1 against Class 6A Lake Hamilton at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. The game is part of the Hootens.com Kickoff Classic, which pits top teams from around the region against each other.
Lincoln opened the past several seasons against Westville, Okla., and the Wolves won last year's game 45-6. Lake Hamilton finished 8-4 last year in Class 6A.
"I was able to run through the 'A' at Razorback Stadium, and there's nothing like it," Davenport said. "Everybody will be there, their parents, their girlfriends, and it'll be an experience our players will never forget. It's going to be fun, and we appreciate Hooten's for giving us the opportunity to play in such a big-time environment."
Sports on 07/08/2014