Nashville receiver has a nose for end zone

LaMichael Pettway has been efficient for the Nashville Scrappers this season.

Seven of the senior receiver's eight receptions have gone for touchdowns.

Pettway caught 4 passes for 122 yards and 4 touchdowns and had a rushing touchdown Friday night in the Scrappers' 45-2 victory over De Queen. That performance was good enough to be recognized as the Feat of the Week by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Nashville Coach Billy Dawson said he has been pleased with Pettway's performance on the field and his maturity.

"He's doing the little things," Dawson said. "From a coaching standpoint, I like to see the little things."

Pettway, 6-3, 200 pounds, scored two of his three touchdowns in the first quarter. Quarterback Leonard Snell threw a 54-yard pass to Pettway at the 8:30 mark, and 1:16 later Pettway ran 62 yards for a score. Later in the quarter, he caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Snell for a 20-0 lead with 1:46 left.

Snell threw two more scoring passes to Pettway, a 26-yarder in the second quarter and an 8-yarder in the third quarter, to help Nashville take a 32-2 lead.

Pettway caught 54 passes for 1,054 yards and 17 touchdowns last season after playing quarterback for the first three games of the season and had two rushing touchdowns. He has caught eight passes for 219 yards this season.

Dawson said Pettway has become a better route runner after going through a full off-season as a receiver.

"He's figuring out how to get himself open," Dawson said.

Teams also have to be concerned about more than just Pettway. Nashville, No. 3 in Class 4A, also has running back Darius Hopkins, who has rushed for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2 games.

"[Pettway] has been the benefactor," Dawson said. "Leonard has done a nice job of getting to them as well."

Pettway, who originally orally committed to Ole Miss, has received Division I scholarship offers from at least 14 schools, including Arkansas, Alabama, Louisville, Arkansas State, Nebraska and Southern Miss. Being one of the state's top recruits has raised Pettway's level of play, Dawson said.

"It's a performance-based society," Dawson said. "At the college level, it's all performance-based. The little things turn into the big things."

Dawson is in the third year of his second stint at Nashville, which means he has his first senior class that played for him in 2012 when he returned to the program.

Dawson said he believes the Scrappers, who won three consecutive state championships in 2005-2007 under Dawson, may be on the verge of being one of the state's top programs again.

"I don't think there's any doubt," he said. "There's a lot of pride and tradition here. The kids are doing well with it."

Sports on 09/17/2014