Pulaski County Football Preview: JACKSONVILLE

New mascot, new players, new hope for Jacksonville

Eleventh in a series profiling Pulaski County high school football teams.

Jacksonville's football team has a different name, a different conference and a hope for different results.

After Jacksonville and North Pulaski merged following the 2015-2016 school year, a new mascot was chosen to replace Jacksonville's Red Devils and North Pulaski's Falcons. Titans was the choice, and the subsequent increase in Jacksonville students moved the Titans from Class 5A into the 6A-East.

At a glance

JACKSONVILLE

COACH Barry Hickingbotham

CONFERENCE 6A-East

2015 RECORD 2-7

KEY RETURNERS Sr. quarterback Rowdy Weathers; Sr. linebacker Tevin Tucker; Sr. lineman Madison Shelton; Jr. running back Shawn Ellis; Jr. defensive back; Sr. lineman Kendrick Rhynes

SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT

Sept. 2 Mills

Sept. 9 at Little Rock Catholic

Sept. 16 Sylvan Hills

Sept. 23 at Searcy*

Sept. 30 Jonesboro*

Oct. 7 at Mountain Home*

Oct. 14 Little Rock Hall*

Oct. 21 West Memphis*

Oct. 28 at Marion*

Nov. 4 at Pine Bluff*

*6A-East game

Jacksonville Coach Barry Hickingbotham said it's appropriate that he will bring primarily first-year players for the changes.

"We're not going to have just a new mascot," he said. "We're going to have a new team out there."

Three starters on offense and four on defense return for Jacksonville, which has a roster of about 55 players.

Jacksonville is its third season under Hickingbotham. It finished 2-7 last season and 4-7 in 2014.

"We don't have a lot of numbers moving up to 6A," Hickingbotham said. "We're trying to find ways to give ourselves a chance to hang around until the fourth quarter and maybe get in a position to win a game that way.

"We're trying to get the kids to buy into the concept of winning the down first. We hope that will lead to winning a quarter, and then if it multiplies, you win four quarters and you win the football game. We're trying to take that approach."

Injuries made way for significant playing time last season for senior quarterback Rowdy Weathers, who Hickingbotham said is clearly positioned to start for Jacksonville in its opener against Mills on Sept. 2.

"He got some experience last season," Hickingbotham said. "We're just trying to get him in the swing, working with some different throws we haven't used in the past."

A shoulder injury cut short Weathers' junior season.

"I feel 100 percent healthy, and I'm ready to go," he said. "I'm confident about this season."

Junior running back Shawn Ellis scored six touchdowns in 2015.

"He's worked hard," Hickingbotham said. "He's been to every workout. He has not missed a practice. He's probably going to carry it quite a bit. We're going to ride him."

Senior linemen Madison Shelton and Kendrick Rhynes are among several players who know they will have to play offense and defense this season.

"We don't have a lot of people, but we have enough people," he said. "We're going to play with heart, and if we're in condition and everybody plays for each other rather than for themselves, we're going to be a great team."

Hickingbotham said his most notable two-way player might be senior Har-darrius Martin, who played multiple skill positions last season on offense, including quarterback, and was an all-state defensive back.

"Everybody's kind of an H.D. fan," Hickingbotham said. "On offense, we'll move him around to try to get him the ball. He's a special guy."

Hickingbotham said he rarely hears complaints from his players.

"They're buckling their chinstraps and tightening their pants every day, and I'm proud of that aspect they have going for us," he said. "We're undersized, outmanned, and outnumbered. We'll be fighting for our lives, in a sense, just about every snap. It's all about how hard we can compete."

Sports on 08/24/2016

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