Football: Miller key to veteran Pirates

NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER Mason Miller, Greenland wide receiver, plays on offense, defense and special teams.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T. WAMPLER Mason Miller, Greenland wide receiver, plays on offense, defense and special teams.

GREENLAND -- Mason Miller was moved up to the varsity as a freshman in 2012 and was on the sidelines as Greenland won a conference title and advanced three rounds deep into the playoffs.

He's rarely stood on the sidelines since, playing offense, defense and most special teams his sophomore and junior seasons.

GREENLAND PIRATES

COACH: Lee Larkan

LAST SEASON: 7-4

OFFENSE: Spread

DEFENSE: 50

RETURNING STARTERS: Offense 7, Defense 8

POINTS SCORED PER GAME: 26.2

POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME: 18.2

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Cole Self (Sr., 6-3, 185), RB Alex Sizemore (Sr., 5-8, 170), WR/S Mason Miller (Sr., 5-8, 165), C/ILB Caleb Webber (Sr., 5-10, 170).

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH: DE/OLB Noah Pulse (Sr., 5-7, 155), OLB Paycen Dennis (Jr., 5-9, 155), OLB/RB Michael McAdoo (Sr., 5-10, 170), S/WR Hayes Rhodes (Sr., 5-8, 160).

KEEP AN EYE ON: Sizemore. He ran for more than 1,300 yards last year and gives the Pirates a steady, gritty feature back who can shoulder the load.

OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK: Self and Sizemore combined for more than 3,000 yards of total offense last year and there is experience returning at receiver. An influx of players at the beginning of the school year should strengthen the Pirates’ line and allow the offense to flourish as the season progresses.

DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK: Like the offense, there is experience on the second and third levels of the defense, namely Webber and Rhodes, who combined for nearly 200 tackles a year ago.

SEASON OUTLOOK: Greenland started fall camp with less than 30 players, but those numbers spiked to more than 40 at the start of school. The Pirates have depth and experience at the skill positions, a combination that could make the a 3A-1 contender.

KEY GAME: Nov. 6 vs. West Fork. The Pirates will try to break stretch of five losses in their last six games against the Tigers in a regular-season finale that could have big playoff implications for both teams.

QUOTING COACH LARKAN: “We’ve got a lot of returning starters offensively and defensively, but we just need some experience in the line.”

SCHEDULE

Date^Opponent^Time

Sept. 4^at JC Westside^7 p.m.

Sept. 11^at Mansfield^7 p.m.

Sept. 18^Gentry^7 p.m.

Sept. 25^at Cedarville*^7 p.m.

Oct. 2^Yellville-Summit*^7 p.m.

Oct. 9^at Mountain View*^7 p.m.

Oct. 16^Marshall*^7 p.m.

Oct. 23^Green Forest*^7 p.m.

Oct. 30^at Elkins*^7 p.m.

Nov. 6^West Fork*^7 p.m.

  • — 3A-1 Conference game

On The Web

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"On a game, I sat out maybe one or two plays," Miller said. "Extra point was the only thing I wasn't on."

Miller enters his senior year as one of the Pirates' top two-way players on a team returning 15 starters from a 7-4 season. The returning talent, especially at the skill positions, could be a recipe for another conference contender and playoff push this fall.

"I think we have the best shot since three years ago of going far," Miller said. "Experience, skillwise, I think we're better than the last two years."

Miller is a big part of that.

Miller led the team with more than 500 receiving yards as a junior, a number that could balloon in his second year playing with quarterback Cole Self. Miller and Self help make up an offense that could feature an all-senior starting lineup, which figures to be a plus as the Pirates battle West Fork, Mountain View and the rest of the 3A-1 Conference this fall.

"It'll help a lot," Miller said. "Most of us have been playing since our sophomore year, having to step up. We're all pretty close."

On defense, Miller is one of the Pirates' most physical players and is entering his third year as a starter at strong safety. He gives Greenland valuable versatility, consistency and knowledge of the scheme.

"He's a good, quality kid," coach Lee Larkan said. "Defensively, he's just got to be a leader and play safety. He's going to have to make a lot of tackles and just be the quarterback on defense."

He's a 4.0 student and is thinking about majoring in engineering at the University of Arkansas next year. First, he hopes to play a key role in bookending his Greenland career with another special season.

"It's my senior year," Miller said. "I want to go out the right way. So I'm just trying to get everyone in the right mindset."

Sports on 08/24/2015

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