Har-Ber , Greenwood sport new looks this season
Posted on Friday, September 5, 2008
Splitting snaps between two quarterbacks isn’t always an ideal situation, but Greenwood Coach Rick Jones isn’t worried about his team’s situation under center heading into tonight’s season opener.
If Jones needs proof it can work, all he has to do is watch last year’s film of tonight’s opponent, Springdale Har-Ber. The Wildcats split time between two quarterbacks in 2007 and won the 7 A-West championship.
Now it’s Class 5 A Greenwood that will start the season with two quarterbacks, junior Tyler Shook and sophomore Tony Sandifer. They will be leading an offense that averaged 37. 8 points per game last year en route to winning a third consecutive state title.
“Both have looked good, and I think until somebody sets themselves apart, we’re going to play both,” Jones said. “The two guys are even, so it’s not fair to flip a coin [to determine a starter ]. I’ve been in situations before where we alternated quarterbacks for 12 games.
“ It’s not my favorite situation, but as long as we win, I’m happy.” Har-Ber plans to go with one quarterback this season, senior Zach Faust, who threw for 1, 566 yards and 11 touchdowns as part of last year’s platoon.
The strong-armed Faust has impressed Jones, but he isn’t the only concern for the Bulldogs. Har-Ber has another proven commodity in the backfield in senior running back Derek Brinker, a two-year starter who ran for 1, 007 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.
“They’ve got good-sized offensive and defensive lines, and their quarterback can throw a mile,” Jones said. “We had him at a camp here, and he was clearly — it was not even close — the strongest-armed quarterback there.” Yet while the Wildcats have talented players at the skill positions, it’s their defense that has pleased Har-Ber Coach Chris Wood the most. The Wildcats held Owasso, Okla., mostly in check in their scrimmage Aug. 29, even though they lost 14-7.
“I liked what we were doing on defense,” Wood said. “We were really solid against Owasso. Our offense kind of sputtered a bit, but we had a real clean drive at the end so I thought we were headed in the right direction.” This is the first meeting between Greenwood and Har-Ber. Greenwood has gone 37-5 over the past three years, but is just 1-2 against Class 7 A teams during that time and lost its 2007 opener to Fort Smith Southside.
From Jones’ perspective, playing a team two classifications larger has its positives and negatives.
“I think you get in trouble if you schedule too many games over your head,” Jones said. “If you’re overscheduled, you could take a few body blows and not recover. That’s the biggest concern I have.
“ On the other hand, it’s a challenge and it’s something I like, to open the season with a tough game. It gives the kids another motivation when their alarm goes off at 6 a.m. in July.” Wood said he is thrilled that his team can open the season against a team of Greenwood’s caliber. The Bulldogs haven’t lost at home since Oct. 6, 2006, a streak of 10 consecutive games. Most of those games haven’t been close, with nine being decided by at least 16 points.
“The biggest thing you see is that they’re very well-prepared, and that’s something you’re going to find week in and week out in the 7 A-West,” Wood said. “They’re committed to excellence.
“ For our situation and goals, we want to play the best. We don’t want to shy away from anything, anywhere. That’s one of the top programs in state with what Coach Jones has done, and [playing them ] does nothing but prepare you.” Springdale Har-Ber at Greenwood WHEN 7: 30 tonight WHERE Smith-Robinson Stadium, Greenwood RECORDS Season opener for both teams RANKINGS Greenwood is No. 2 in Class 5 A RADIO KZRA-AM, 1590, in Springdale. KZKZFM, 106. 3, in Greenwood INTERNET www. greenwooddogpound. com
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