High school football report

Offensive standout out at PA

Defending Class 5A state champion Pulaski Academy will be without one of its top offensive players for a good portion of the 2015 season.

Senior wide receiver Zack Kelley tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the 7-on-7 University tournament last Saturday in Virginia. The Bruins won the tournament, but they had to do it without Kelley in the championship game.

Pulaski Academy Coach Kevin Kelley, the receiver’s father, said Zack Kelley is aiming for a Oct. 9 return to the lineup.

Kelley was the Bruins’ second-leading receiver last season behind Will Hastings with 67 catches for 1,013 yards and 20 touchdowns. He averaged 92.1 yards per game.

In last year’s Class 5A state championship game against Wynne, Kelley had 12 catches for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Bruins’ 38-28 victory.

Pulaski Academy opens the season Sept. 4 at Highland Park in Dallas before traveling to Wynne on Sept. 11 in a rematch of the championship game.

SYLVAN HILLS

Youth served

Sylvan Hills Coach Jim Withrow had one of the state’s most experienced teams last season with quarterback Tra Doss and running back Marlon Clemmons.

Doss and Clemmons graduated, so now the Bears are rebuilding behind junior quarterback Jordan Washington.

“We’re young,” Withrow said. “We’ve got some talented guys, but we’re young.”

Washington had to replace Doss in Week 9 against Beebe because of an injured wrist. He started the final two games, losses at Pulaski Academy and a Class 5A first-round playoff exit at Wynne.

The Bears lost to Pulaski Robinson on Friday in the Garrett Uekman 7-on-7 championship game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Washington threw two touchdown passes but was intercepted once, which gave the Senators a 16-14 lead as they went on to win 22-14.

Sylvan Hills will attend team camps at Little Rock Catholic the next two Tuesdays before beginning fall camp Aug. 3.

Withrow said despite his team’s youth, he’s been proud of the Bears’ offseason so far.

“They’ve been pretty good,” Withrow said. “Those guys are having to be put into situations they’re not used to being put in. They have to grow up a little bit. They’ve gotten better and better as we’ve gone along.”

CLINTON

Breaking in new QB

Fielder Dufrene has graduated and his father is searching for his replacement at quarterback.

Clinton Coach Chris Dufrene has inserted senior Kannon Bradley there after Bradley played wide receiver for the Class 4A Yellowjackets last season.

Fielder Dufrene finished with more than 1,000 yards passing and 600 yards rushing last season as Clinton went 9-4 and advanced to the Class 4A quarterfinals.

Bradley played quarterback Friday in the Garrett Uekman 7-on-7 Tournament. He helped Clinton to a 2-1 pool-play record, beating Highland 14-6 in the quarterfinals and losing to Sylvan Hills 7-6 in the semifinals.

“He’s a good play-maker,” Dufrene said. “It’s his senior year. He’s gone out and thrown the ball well this summer.”

Dufrene also complimented the work of junior running backs Mitchell McNeill and Jake Ferrell and junior wide receiver Kort Weaver, but he said the Yellowjackets’ success in 2015 will have to be a team effort.

“We don’t have a standout anywhere,” Dufrene said.

Clinton opens the season Sept. 4 at home against Heber Springs.

FOUNTAIN LAKE

Cobras capture title

A year removed from finishing runner-up in their 7-on-7 football tournament, the Fountain Lake Cobras made sure they weren’t second-best.

Fountain Lake completed a three-game run through the single-elimination bracket Saturday with a 44-36 victory over Heber Springs to win the 20th annual Fountain Lake 7-on-7 tournament at Beckham Memorial Stadium.

Fountain Lake raced out a 30-7 lead in the first half of the championship game. J.T. McCoy caught a 40-yard touchdown pass on the game’s first play and caught another 40-yard strike later that gave Fountain Lake a 23-point lead.

Quarterback Andrias McCoy accounted for four 40-yard plays Saturday, including one in the Cobras’ 23-7 semifinal victory over Mount Ida.

“I think I played fairly well,” said McCoy, who will take over as the Cobras’ starting quarterback this season. “I could’ve done better in certain positions and certain plays. I could’ve been in the right place more than I was and made a better play.”

Pierce Mitchum’s touchdown reception and the ensuing two-point conversion with two seconds left in the first half cut Fountain Lake’s lead to 30-15 going into intermission, and Mitchum caught his third TD pass to start the second half as Heber Springs cut the lead to 30-22.

That was as close as the Panthers could get as Fountain Lake continued to make plays. J.J. Kilpatrick caught a 7-yard TD pass for a 37-22 lead, and Dillon Horton’s 4-yard reception — one of his two scores — made it 44-29 with three minutes left.

— The Sentinel Record

FAYETTEVILLE/HAR-BER

State teams eliminated

Fayetteville and Springdale Har-Ber struggled Saturday during bracket play at the National Select 7-on-7 in Hoover, Ala.

Fayetteville, the No. 9 seed in bracket play, finished the day 1-2 while Springdale Har-Ber, seeded 26th in the 32-team field, went 0-2.

Fayetteville opened play Saturday with a 33-29 loss to Mandeville, La. The Bulldogs avoided an 0-2 day with a 33-21 victory over Foley, Ala., but were eliminated with a 28-17 loss to Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes.

“You have to be able to make some defensive stops,” Fayetteville Coach Daryl Patton said. “Everybody down here has an incredible offense, but we couldn’t get teams off the field.”

Har-Ber lost 29-2 to Oxford, Miss., and was eliminated 27-13 by Hoover (Ala.) Spain Park.

“Oxford was pretty good, and they had the top receiver in Mississippi,” Wildcats Coach Chris Wood said. “Our defense did a good job, but offensively we missed some opportunities and then it got away from us.”

— NWA Democrat-Gazette

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