Elkins impresses coach against powerhouse

Jordon Curtis, Jenks (Okla.) High tailback/defensive back, plays Friday during their game against Elkins High.
Jordon Curtis, Jenks (Okla.) High tailback/defensive back, plays Friday during their game against Elkins High.

ROGERS -- Chad Harbison ran out onto the field and did a little celebration as Elkins receiver Layne Evans jumped over a defender to haul in a touchdown pass.

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Chad Harbison, Elkins High head coach, talks to his players Friday during their game against Jenks (Okla.) High as part of the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 tournament at Rogers High School.

Sure, it was only 7-on-7 when the players are not padded and the games are not as important as the ones that will start in a few weeks. But Evans' circus catch came against Oklahoma Class 6A powerhouse Jenks, a team with several high-profile Division 1 prospects.

For Harbison, who has been on the job just a little over a month, it was a chance for his Class 3A players to face high-level competition and continue to develop under their new coach. Jenks won the game, 30-20, in the Southwest Elite tournament, but Harbison saw plenty of positives.

"We had several players step up and make plays today," Harbison said. "What I see from our kids is that they are very coachable, they want to do well, they do what you ask them to do, and that gives them a chance to get better."

Evans, a rising junior, went high to haul in Jake Strode's pass and came down clutching the ball in the end zone for the Elks' first touchdown against the Trojans.

"We went up and made a play, and that helps the quarterback's confidence," Harbison said. "That really energizes the team when a player can make a play like that."

Elkins, which returns eight starters on offense and defense, won't face a team like Jenks during the regular season, but the Elks have a tough nonconference schedule that includes three Class 4A programs, starting with Shiloh Christian at home on Sept. 2.

The Elks also will take on former 3A-1 Conference rival West Fork in week 2, then host Huntsville in the final nonconference game. The schedule was already in place when Harbison was hired, but he's looking forward to the challenge.

"You want to come out of nonconference with some confidence, but at the same time you want to face tough teams so that when you go into conference play you're ready," Harbison said. "We're playing all 4A teams to start the season, so I think that just gives us a chance to be very competitive when conference play starts.

"I just want our players to focus on the process and not worry about what's coming down the road."

Playing against teams like Jenks and other much bigger teams in this 7-on-7 tournament is a daunting task, Harbison admitted. But he told his players that he's looking for more than final scores for improvement.

"I told the kids I want their body language to be good all day, no matter what the scoreboard said," Harbison said. "Just play hard and get up and play the next play. I want us to keep grinding, keep learning."

Curtis solid on Hogs

Jordon Curtis, a rising senior at Jenks, was a force on both sides of the ball Friday for the Trojans. But the recent Arkansas verbal commit will focus on just the defensive side for the Razorbacks, he said.

"I just want to get on the field as fast as I can," Curtis said. "I'm good either way on offense or defense."

Curtis (5-foot-11, 180 pounds), a three-star prospect by 247sports.com, said he is not planning on any other visits.

"Arkansas was a good fit for me because it's not that far away from home and my parents can be at all the home games," he said.

Jenks will make a return trip to Arkansas on Sept. 16 when it travels to Springdale Har-Ber. Curtis said he is hopeful the Arkansas coaches can be there to see the game.

The Trojans are playing this season for their longtime coach Allan Trimble, who recently announced he was diagnosed with ALS, more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig Disease after the New York Yankees great. The Jenks community held a rally for their coach, who has won more than a dozen state championships, last Sunday.

"We're trying to turn this into a positive," Curtis said. "This has motivated us to play harder for him. It's sad, but whatever God's plan is, that's for the best."

Morning turnaround

Things couldn't have started much worse for first-year coach Tony Travis and Rogers Heritage. The War Eagles gave up a tournament-high 42 points in a 34-point loss to Bixby, Okla., to start pool play Friday.

That performance did not roll over, though, as Heritage bounced back with wins over Bishop Kelley, Okla., and Mill Valley, Kansas.

"We told them after that first game, 'Hey, there's six more games today, guys. Let's get over it and move on,'" Travis said. "That happens a lot in football games, whether it's a bad play or a bad quarter or a bad half."

But that momentum did not continue after the lunch break. The War Eagles lost three straight before salvaging their last game -- a 26-24 win over Liberty Tech -- to finish 3-4 on the day.

Gundy in town

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy was spotted in the stands at Fayetteville watching his son, Gunnar, a freshman quarterback at Stillwater.

Midwest City, where Gundy played quarterback in high school, was in the same pool as the Pioneers, allowing him to scout Bombers sophomore quarterback Preston Colbert.

He may also be in town to see Bixby senior quarterback Tanner Griffin, who is already committed to the Cowboys, and Jenks senior tight end Reese Leitao, who has an offer from the Cowboys.

Arkansas vs. out-of-state

Despite missing the two teams that played for the championship in the state's largest classification last year, Arkansas teams held their own Friday.

Not including the junior varsity teams sent by Fayetteville and Springdale Har-Ber, teams from the Natural State split 51 games against out-of-state opponents, going 25-25-1. The tie was an 18-18 game between Springdale High and Lutheran North out of Missouri.

That tie allowed Bentonville High to win Pool C. The other pools were won by non-Arkansas teams.

Andrew Hutchinson contributed to this report.

Sports on 07/16/2016

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