FAYETTEVILLE -- Scott Davenport played on teams that won 25 games during his three years as an offensive lineman at Arkansas.

He'll settle for one victory today when he returns to Reynolds Razorback Stadium as head coach of the Lincoln Wolves. Davenport will lead his new team onto the field at 5:30 p.m. against Hot Springs Lakeside, which is coached by Jared McBride, another former Razorback who begins his fifth year with the Rams. The Lincoln vs. Hot Springs Lakeside game will be followed by Highland vs. Midland (Texas) Christian at 7:30 p.m.

"Playing at Razorback Stadium is an experience theses players will remember the rest of their lives," Davenport said. "They're excited about it, but we have to remember that it's still football. The stadium might be bigger, but the field is the same size as the one we've been practicing on at Lincoln the past month. When they whistle blows, it's still 11-on-11."

Davenport hopes to keep the momentum going at Lincoln, which is coming off its best season in school history. The Wolves finished 11-2 and won playoff games over Nashville and Malvern before being eliminated by Booneville in the quarterfinals in Class 4A. But Lincoln could face some difficulty with the loss of several top players and its former coach, Brad Harris, who left to become defensive coordinator at Benton. Drew Harris, a two-year starter at quarterback, left with his father and all-state running back Tyler Cummings is gone after rushing for nearly 2,000 yards as a senior.

Lincoln is picked to finish fourth in a preseason poll of the 4A-1 Conference coaches.

Lakeside is picked fifth in a 5A-2 Conference dominated by Camden Fairview. The Rams return five offensive and five defensive starters from a team that finished 3-7 last year. Clint Smedley, who caught 31 passes for almost 600 yards as a junior, takes over at quarterback back the Rams.

"Lakeside does a good job of mixing the run with the pass," Davenport said. "Their offensive line comes off the ball really well. We've got to be aggressive and do a good job of getting off the blocks."

Charles Rowe will make a big position change for Lincoln when he moves from the offensive and defensive line to running back and linebacker. Rowe won the job as feature back in the off season when he surprised his coaches with his speed and cutting ability.

Lincoln will also rely heavily on Alec Pitts, who'll play receiver, running back, and on special teams for the Wolves. Pitts caught two touchdowns last year at Farmington.

Lincoln will turn to sophomore Harrison Swayne at quarterback this season. He'll need protection from an offensive line that includes George Avenallada, David Adams, and Luke Bieber.

Lakeside will use a Spread offense to attack a Lincoln defense led by Rowe and Kaleb Ayers at linebacker and Pitts and Dalton Hamby in the secondary. The Rams hope for some carryover today after beating rival Hot Spring 47-14 in its final game last season.

Sports on 09/01/2014