WEST FORK -- Brayden Burnett doesn't mind playing on both sides of the football. But the physical 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior would choose to deliver the hits, rather than absorb them if he had to make a choice.
"I like to do both," Burnett said. "The switch is good, but I love to hit if I'm playing offense or defense. I'm the one doing the hitting no matter what."
West Fork Tigers
Coach: Brad Lindley
LAST SEASON: 9-2
OFFENSE: Spread
DEFENSE: 4-4
RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 5, Defense 5
POINTS SCORED PER GAME: 27.6
POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 17.3
OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH: Colton Wise (Sr., QB, 6-1, 180), Brayden Burnett (Sr., RB, 5-11, 180), Jake Julich (Sr., OL, 5-9, 220), Dalton Dickinson (Sr., RB, 5-9, 145), Graham Langston (Jr., 5-11, 225).
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH: Brayden Burnett (Sr., LB, 5-11, 180), Preston Russell (Sr., DL, 5-11, 230), Anthony Greenlee (Sr., DL, 6-3 210), Taylor Poplin (Soph., LB, 6-1, 170),
KEEP AN EYE ON: Taylor Poplin. The sophomore linebacker will get the chance to learn literally next to a two-year starter in Burnett, but he will only get better with Friday night experience. A little more could be expected since all-conference linebacker Briant Bowerman was lost to injury.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK: Senior Colton Wise has thrown for more than 3,100 yards and 32 touchdowns, inserted as the starting quarterback in the second half of week three his sophomor season. So the Tiges have experience under center. He has worked over the spring and summer to build chemistry with a new group of receivers though as only one starter returns. Senior Brayden Burnett is also a returning starter at running back, but the Tigers have a solid stable of running backs.
DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK: West Fork must replace an all-state lineman in Levi Edens, but seniors Preston Russell and Anthony Greenlee are solid returners. Burnett and Dalton Dickinson also bring plenty of experience at linebacker. But the entire secondary is new.
SEASON OUTLOOK: The Tigers won a 3A-1 conference title a year ago and are picked in the preseason as the favorite to win again. They look to have a balanced offense with an all-state quarterback and an all-conference returner at running back. The defense is also solid, but lack of depth and any injury could cause issues.
KEY GAME: The two biggest ones are at opposite ends of the schedule. West Fork opens league play on the road against a talented Mountain View team, then finishes the season at rival West Fork. Both those teams should give the Tigers a run for the 3A-1 title.
QUOTING COACH LINDLEY: “I felt like our passing game opened up our running game later last yea. This year it could be we run it early to set up passing game later. We’re very deep at the running back position. We’ve got four capable guys in the backfield. I think we can lean on the running game more because of that and our line.”
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4^at Gentry^7 p.m.
Sept. 11^Berryville^7 p.m.
Sept. 18^Prairie Grove^7 p.m.
Sept. 25^at Mountain View**^7 p.m.
Oct. 2^at Marshal*^7 p.m.
Oct. 9^at Cedarville*^7 p.m.
Oct. 16^Yellville Summit*^7 p.m.
Oct. 23^Elkins*^7 p.m.
Oct. 30^at Green Forest*^7 p.m.
Nov. 6^at Greenland*^7 p.m.
- — Denotes 3A-1 Conference game
—Paul Boyd • @NWAPaulB
On The Web
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He came up with plenty of big hits for the Tigers, who won the 3A-1 Conference title last season. Burnett finished with 97 tackles from his middle linebacker position, and rushed for a team-high 598 yards and scored eight touchdowns to earn all-conference honors.
West Fork football coach Brad Lindley had to mull over whether Burnett was more valuable to the Tigers' offense or defense.
"He's such an impact player on both sides of the ball," Lindley said. "He's our starting tailback on offense Flip it around, he's leading the defense as a the mike linebacker. Those guys look up to him for the calls on defense and have since fourth grade.
"Hard to separate since he's been such a vital part on both sides."
But Lindley finally choose defense as Burnett's most valuable spot. Mainly because the Tigers are blessed with some depth at running back this season.
"We've got good depth at running back, so we might be able to spell him some there and on some special teams, but he's going to be out there all the time on defense," Lindley said.
Burnett enjoyed last season, after struggling through an injury-plagued sophomore year. But he tried to learn even if he was on the sideline.
"I probably played only three or four games my sophomore year and was totally healthy only about two," Burnett said. "But we've had quite a few good players come through here. I tried to pay attention and learned a lot by watching."
One area where Burnett has improved is his maturity. He understands the importance of good technique as many of his peers have caught up with him physically.
"He was so used to being one of the better athletes on the field, he could kind of do his own thing," Lindley said. "He has good instincts. But people have caught up to him. He's being more coachable and not just relying on his athletic ability."
Sports on 08/22/2015