BENTONVILLE -- Jack Short started his high school football career as a tight end, and it's the position he wants to play.
It's also the position he expects to play next fall at Central Arkansas, which received a verbal commitment from the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Bentonville High senior during the summer. Those aspirations, however, must wait a little while.
Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst at Bentonville High
Tiger Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Rockhurst 2-0; Season opener for Bentonville
ON THE AIR KFMD-FM 101.5.
BETWEEN THE LINES Bentonville has a 3-1 lead in the series, including a 24-13 victory last year in Kansas City. … Tigers RB Jacob Clark had 25 carries for 114 yards and a TD in last year’s contest, while junior WR Kam’ron Mays-Hunt had four receptions for 70 yards and a score. … Bentonville compiled 216 yards total offense (104 rushing, 112 passing) during last week’s scrimmage against Siloam Springs at Springdale Har-Ber. … Rockhurst is ranked No. 10 among Class 6A schools in the Missouri high school football poll … Hawklets QB Chance May broke a scoreless tie with a 15-yard TD run to start the fourth quarter. … the Hawklets had only 172 yards total offense in their 14-7 win over defending state champion Blue Springs South, but they took advantage of six turnovers.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Rockhurst: QB/LB Chance May (Sr., 6-1, 210); WR/SS Cole Beshoner (Sr., 6-0, 181); DE Cameron Reller (Sr., 6-4, 220). Bentonville: RB Jacob Clark (Sr., 5-11, 195); WR Kam’ron Mays-Hunt (Jr., 6-2, 170); WR Clay Barganier (Sr., 5-9, 170); OL Jack Short (Sr., 6-4, 240); LB Destyn Adkins (Sr., 6-1, 190); DB Aaron Estrada (Sr., 5-10, 175); PK Hayden Moehring (Sr., 5-10, 185)
HOOTEN’S RANKINGS Bentonville is No. 6 in Class 7A.
HOOTEN’S LINE Rockhurst by 7.
OUR TAKE Bentonville 27, Rockhurst 23
— HENRY APPLE • @NWAHENRY
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For the time being, Short's spot can be found on the Tigers' offensive line, just like he did last year. He will be the starting left tackle when Bentonville opens its season against Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst, and he's fine with that.
"Being an offensive lineman, it's the trenches," Short said. "It's probably one of the most respected positions on the field, and I love that. I switched over just for the team, and I love it."
Bentonville has had its share of big, quality offensive linemen in recent years. Marcus Danenhauer -- now the Tigers' assistant offensive line coach -- went to Arkansas, while Ean Pfeifer is currently at Vanderbilt and Mitch Williams at Arkansas Tech after signing with Air Force. Others haveincluded Bo Weber (Pittsburg State), Chase Peterson (Louisville) and John Mark Holden (UCA), and Jacob Clark is now a preferred walk-on at Oklahoma State.
Bentonville's linemen, however, began to shrink in size and numbers last year, and the Tigers will sport one of their smallest offensive lines this year. It's one of the reasons the coaching staff decided to switch Short, who played some tight end as a sophomore two years ago, to the offensive line.
"We found out in spring football that we were only using him about 30-40 percent of the time," Bentonville coach Jody Grant said. "We knew this kid was too good not to be on the field every snap, and we had a need at tackle.
"He embraced it and had a really good year last year. Obviously, we have to keep him there. Our left tackle is as important to us as it is any team because he protects the quarterback."
Short admitted that the coaches' request last year caught him a little off-guard at first, but he accepted the role for the good of the team. He played the entire season and was a second-team all-conference selection, despite being undersized as far as most offensive linemen go
That lack of size was something he addressed during the offseason. He added approximately 25 pounds to his frame to help himself handle what he calls "the grind," and he was able to do that without hindering his footwork or his quickness.
"It was tough at the beginning of last year, but I started figuring some things out," Short said. "I was able to produce a really good year, and it was fun. It was some of the most fun I had playing football.
"I knew I didn't have to gain an obnoxious amount of weight, and I knew I had to get stronger. Those guys I am going against on every play, they're some big dudes. I also focused a lot on my pass blocking because I needed to settle into the position more. I'm a downhill player and love to put people on their backs."
Short, however, admits that he misses being a tight end a lot. He went to various camps during the summer as a tight end, and that's the position he concentrates on during his spare time.
The coaches at UCA have requested that he still finds some time to run routes and catch about 100-150 passes every week. That's what Short does during the weekend.
"I'll grab our quarterback, Canaan Ross, and I'll run some routes with him," Short said. "I'm just trying to stay crisp with it and retouch on those things every once in a while. But my main focus right now is playing left tackle for the Tigers.
"UCA's tight ends coach talks to me a lot, and so does the offensive coordinator. They want to make sure I'm keeping the skills needed for a tight end and staying in shape."
That doesn't mean Short won't have the opportunity to catch a pass again. He would be a prime candidate if Bentonville wanted to pull out some tricks and use him on a tackle-eligible play.
"We've discussed that," Grant said. "There's no doubt about that."
Sports on 09/02/2016