Rogers confident in Couture
Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2008
Daily Record photograph by David Frank Dempsey Rogers junior quarterback Andy Couture returns for the Mounties after throwing for 959 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
Editor’s Note: This is the final installment in a series of position previews for 7 A-West schools Bentonville, Rogers and Rogers Heritage.
BENTON COUNTY — He’s not the biggest guy on the field. Or the fastest. Or the most experienced.
But the Rogers Mounties trust junior quarterback Andy Couture will make plays when needed.
“ He makes some things happen, ” Mounties coach Ronnie Peacock said. “ He feels pretty much in control when he’s at quarterback. ”
Couture didn’t get his first start until Week 9 but made a big impact during last season, leading the Mounties to come-from-behind victories against Fort Smith Southside and Northside.
He split time with graduated Kolby Keller and senior running back Michael Tibbs last year and finished the season completing 65 of 123 passes for 959 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Having a returning quarterback is invaluable for the Mounties.
“ I think it’s obviously to our advantage to have a quarterback coming back that has established himself like Andy has from the standpoint of work ethic and respect from teammates and everything, ” Peacock said.
Peacock said his signal caller has confidence and does a good job of reading defenses.
Couture (5-foot-9, 150 pounds ) has also shown off his ability on the ground this fall. He rushed 24 times for 53 yards and two touchdowns last year.
“ The thing that has impressed me the most is his running ability, ” Peacock said. “ He has good decision making in regards to the running and passing attack. He’s a very coachable kid. He’s a good, hard working — a good leader for our team. I think the team looks to him to make a play. He’s pretty good football player. ”
Couture looked sharp during the summer, leading the Mounties to several 7-on-7 wins. Peacock admits most quarterbacks look good during the summer but thought Couture handled pressure situations well.
“ From a critical standpoint of winning and losing, I think he stepped up and did some good things, ” Peacock said. “(When we were in a situation of ) we have to score on this drive, he put some things together and came through. He’s that kind of a player. He’s a playmaker. ” Tibbs will join Couture in the backfield and will take some snaps in the Mounties’ Moonshine formation. Tibbs, who rushed for 646 yards and eight touchdowns last year, is working on his passing skills this fall after complete 1 of 3 attempts last year.
— Tom Glave Bentonville Tigers
A little competition is a good thing, which is why Bentonville head coach Barry Lunney hasn’t been in a rush to name a starting quarterback for the 2008 season.
“ The competition is still there, ” Lunney said, “ which I think is very healthy. ”
Senior J. C. King, junior Tyler Sanderlin and sophomore Pearson Gean are each fighting for the position.
King (5-9, 158 ) would likely be the favorite to start when Bentonville opens its season at Conway on Sept. 5. King served as the backup to Micah Gregory last season and completed 8 of 12 passes for 45 yards.
But Sanderlin (6-0 ) and Gean (6-1 ) have pushed heavily since spring practice.
“ It’s not anything necessarily that (King has ) doing wrong, ” Lunney said. “ It’s just the others have made a move. There’s not as big a gulf as there was at one time. ”
King has the arm strength to make all the throws necessary for the Tigers, said offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., who’s a former Arkansas Razorback quarterback.
King also had a good year quarterbacking the Tigers’ junior varsity team last season.
“ It’s really important for him to do well, ” Lunney Jr. said King taking the position personally. “ He’s a gym rat. He’s always throwing and catching trying to get better. ”
Sanderlin has impressed Lunney Jr. with his decision making on the field though he’s lacking physically.
Gean, who’s also a swimmer, might be the best physically out of the bunch but he lacks varsity experience. Gean quarterbacked Bentonville Gold as a ninth grader last year.
“ Pearson is very gifted, ” Lunney Jr. said. “ He’s tall, strong, gifted and smart. He just doesn’t have much experience. They all have their strengths and they all have their weaknesses. We’ll just see which one improves their weaknesses the best and that’s who will probably be the quarterback. ” Bentonville has shown a new look too with quarterbacks operating at times out of the pistol formation with the quarterback in the shotgun and a running back directly behind him. The Tigers also will use the traditional under-center and shotgun, too. “ We ask a lot of our guys, ” Lunney Jr. said., “ and not just us but everybody in our league now asks a lot of their quarterback. They have to make good decisions, both running and throwing it. ”
— Graham Thomas Heritage War Eagles The face of the starting quarterback is still up in the air. The bottom line is fans should expect to see both sophomore Reed Brown and junior Casey Wilber at quarterback this season. “ We got to have them both ready to play, ” said head coach Perry Escalante. In practice, Brown has been sporting the red jersey and has been worked exclusively at quarterback. During the summer in 7-on-7 competition, he looked good and completed many accurate passes. However, Friday nights are a different ball game and the 5-foot-8 Brown will have to pass over or around big lineman. Escalante knows this will be a growing season for Brown but said he is capable of holding his own in the pocket. “ Brown does a good job at throwing the ball, ” Escalante said. Wilber (6-2, 200 ) has the size to throw over the line with ease. Wilber can play a variety of positions, including linebacker and tight end. Wilber has strong arm and has the ability to throw a tight spiral. He is also quick on his toes and has the ability to pick up a first down on the run if things fall apart. “ Wilber is big and physical, ” Escalante said. “ He is a real efficient runner. ” Third-string quarterback sophomore Jimmy Britton, who will be the starter for the junior varsity team, might also be thrown under center for varsity in an emergency. Escalante is more concerned on developing an inexperienced offensive line than the starting quarterback. “ Our biggest key is protecting the quarterback, ” Escalante said. “ It does not matter who is back there if we can’t protect him. ”
— Sam Steinberg
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