FARMINGTON -- Avery Burrow could have easily balked when Gravette football coach Bill Harrelson approached him during the offseason and informed him of position changes this fall.

Instead, the senior lineman embraced the idea. Burrow, who started last season on the Lions' offensive line, will make the switch and be primarily a defensive end this season.

"It's a little bit different, going from reading people to attacking," Burrow said during a team camp Monday. "But I like defense a lot more. You can tackle somebody and hold onto people. It's a lot more fun on defense.

"I think my size is better suited for defense because I'm so small. Weighing only 200 pounds and being on the offensive line normally isn't a good thing."

Burrow only stands 5-foot-9, but he makes up for his lack of size with his strength and quickness. He caught Harrelson's eyes during the offseason when he lifted 320 pounds in the bench press and broke the school record.

He saw limited time at defensive end last year because Gravette was so senior-laden at that position, and he didn't register a tackle. That will not the case this year, so Harrelson knows he will be leaning heavily upon Burrow's efforts on defense this year.

"We're going to count on him big on the defensive line," Harrelson said. "He brings a lot of quickness. He can run about a 5-flat in the 4o, and with the strength he has, he will be tough to handle at defensive end.

"He can play either defensive end spot, and you might see him at noseguard every once in a while. You never know. We're expecting big things out of him, though."

Burrow said the position change didn't cause him to do anything different as far as offseason preparation. He remained faithful in his visits to the weight room, and he would take two or three days per week to run a set of 10 wind sprints in order to increase his speed and quickness.

As a result, he believes he has cut about two-tenths of a second off his 40-yard time -- a necessity for his new position.

"I think I'm running closer to a 4.9 now," Burrow said. "I did it because you have to be fast on the defensive line."

Harrelson said Burrow will split his time with another player on the offensive line, but there are even changes headed that way. Burrow will play right guard this fall after he started all season as Gravette's left guard.

"It was easier to move Avery to right guard because he already knows our offense," Harrelson said. "It's a pretty easy switch for him. He's worked hard all season long and developed into a leader for us."

Sports on 07/23/2014