Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

PHS Curley Wolves Take Field Sept. 1; 7AAA Looking Tough

High school football season starts Friday, Sept. 1, across the state.

The so-called "experts" have been busy making their predictions for the coming campaign, with their data based on last year's information.

Because of this, the Prescott Curley Wolves, after making the semifinals of the AAA state playoffs in 1999, are picked to finish fourth in the 7AAA this year behind Nashville, DeQueen and newcomer Ashdown.

This prediction may or may not have any merit as the Wolves replaced Coach David Bennett with Kirk Armitage.

Bennett left his post at Prescott to go home and be the head coach and athletic director at Dierks. Armitage was hired Sunday, July 30 to replace Bennett.

Armitage plans to run a wing-T offense and variations thereof, while putting a 4-3 defense on the field.

He said the Wolves will have four on the line at all times, with seven in the box, unless the team goes into a spread defense or prevent defense.

Armitage does bring something extra to the table. With Ashdown being new in the 7AAA West, and his coming to Prescott from Ashdown, where he was the defensive coordinator, he will know what to expect from the Panthers.

The team, though, lost 14 seniors to graduation, including all-state linebacker Fred Hopson, and tight end Andrew Fellows, along with all conference back Terry Woodley and linemen Gabe Morman and Calvin Flemons.

In fact, the Wolves will have four returning starters on offense and only two on defense from the 10-4 1999 crew.

In high school football, though, strange things can, and do, happen.

Last year the Wolves were playing .500 ball as they headed into the Nashville game. Prescott had posted wins over Mineral Springs and Bismarck, but had lost to Hope and Gurdon.

No one was sure which team would show up against the Scrappers. When the final gun sounded, though, Prescott had pasted Nashville 32-7 in a game not as close as the score would indicate.

This turned the year around for the Wolves, as the team won seven of their next nine games, the ninth game being in the semifinals of the AAA state playoffs. In fact, the Wolves captured the conference title in a defensive battle with Fordyce, now in the 8AAA.

Prescott will have the services of senior Josh Bullock under center. Bullock threw for 1,113 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1999, while posting a 4.0 GPA.

His brother, Toby, will be his understudy.

In the backfield with Bullock will, again, be Rafeal Marlow, who also has a 4.0 GPA.

Junior Keon Sockwell will more than likely be in the backfield as fullback, also seeing action as halfback and tight end. Sockwell (6-2, 190) runs the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds.

Junior Gary Hopper and sophomore Craig Teague are expected to spend time in the backfield as well.

Brandon Young is expected to have an impact on the team even though he's never played football, preferring basketball instead until now.

Young is said to have the best vertical leap in the Prescott school and will be a valuable asset as a receiver.

Along with Young, Daniel Windham and Casey Ward have potential in catching Bullock's passes.

The line will be anchored by returning junior Matt Yates (6-0, 195) at center, with Kendall Todd (5-9, 260) at guard.

Also expected to be on the offensive line are Marcello McClenton and Brandon Bates. These two will likely play tackle on either side of the line.

Eric Jackson may play guard and noseguard for the team.

On defense, the Wolves return just two from last year's squad that held the other team to 15 points per game and sacked the Scrapper quarterback 12 times in one game.

Joey Wyman and Sockwell have experience as defensive ends, while Yates, Young and McClenton are expected to handle the interior of the line.

Marlow is back as linebacker. Last year he made 143 tackles and returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

Bryan Joseph will see time at a linebacker spot as well as at the safety position.

Teague and Hopper will also be linebackers for the Wolves, along with Martle Woodley.Senior Mark Jones is tabbed to return at corner, with sophs Jarrod Norwood and Josh Brown are secondary prospects as well.

As usual, the Wolves will be a quick team from top to bottom, but the lack of depth on the lines, as well as experience and getting a new coach late will leave many questions to be answered.

Nashville, once again, will be the team to beat in the 7AAA. The Scrappers return six on offense and seven from the 1999 defensive unit that went 12-3 and finished second in the league.

The Scrappers made it all the way to the championship game in the AAA playoffs, but were spanked by McGehee, 28-0, for their efforts.

However, Nashville will have Brian Pope back at quarterback. Pope missed most of the 1998 season with a broken hand, but started the Scrappers' final nine games, passing for 1,754 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Seniors Brad Gordon and Brent Stanley, along with sophomore Drew Curtis, will fight for the backup quarterback role.

Nashville, though, has to replace nine starters from the 1999 crew, including all-state receiver Willie Scott, who went to Arkansas Tech.

The Scrappers also have to fill the shoes of all-conference defensive back Travell Green and running back Michael McFadden, along with receiver Ace Howard and tackle Matt Smith.

JaMone Johnson will be used as McFadden's replacement. Last year Johnson carried the ball 62 times for 468 yards and eight touchdowns.

Nick Anderson and Willie Hopson are also expected to see action in the backfield.

Billy Laird's offense will be potent again this season, even though the Scrappers don't have a proven corps of receivers.

On defense, Nashville brings back seven players and plenty of speed. The only weak spot could be in the secondary with the defensive backs where Green has to be replaced.

Still, the Scrappers have size, speed and numbers. In fact, the numbers rival AAAA level schools as some 84 players are expected to be wearing orange helmets on the sidelines this year.

The "experts" have DeQueen picked to finish second after a 7-4 season last year.

This may not be too farfetched as the Leopards bring back seven starters from both sides of the ball, including senior quarterback Brian McLelland.

McLelland threw for more than 1,400 yards as a junior, including 297 yards against Fouke.

The Leopards also have Richard Bell back in the backfield. Bell was the team's workhorse carrying the ball 227 times for 1,520 yards and 18 touchdowns in '99.

DeQueen also brings back plenty of experience on defense with Ray Staggs coming back, but may be moved from tackle to end, with Junior Dowdy taking over duties at tackle.

The Leopards have a solid offense coming back for the Y2K season and should be salty on defense. But, the team isn't big and this could be a problem in the physical 7AAA.

Ashdown is a newcomer to the conference, dropping from the 7AAAA Southwest level because of the loss of student population.

On the up side, the Panthers replace Fordyce and no one in the league was sorry to see the Redbugs go to the 8AAA.

Ashdown finished with a 7-4 record last season, tied for second, and returns four starters from offense and seven from defense.

The Panthers will be the question mark in the league as few AAA teams have seen them. Ashdown runs a Wing-T offense with an Eagle defense.

Ashdown is replacing its quarterback, with senior Will Hartness and sophomore Wes Aylett fighting for the job.

Whichever one gets the nod will be handing the ball to Kendrick Gulley, with his 4.6 speed. Gulley will be spelled by Steven Britt when he needs a breather.Antario Robinson and Tony Tidwell will see action in the backfield as well.

Brian Cauthron is a sure-handed receiver, according to Ashdown Coach Mark Whatley.

On the line, the Panthers bring back two starters, Mike Whitley and Adrian Ivory.

Defensively Keewayne Delaney, a three-year starter will start at end, while Fred Britt returns at tackle.

Three starters are back from the 1999 secondary, including britt, De Quintus Rhone and Gulley.

The Panthers have plenty of experience at the skill positions and in the defensive secondary and are the wild card in the mix for the 7AAA.

Mena's Bearcats are tabbed to finish fifth, which is no surprise after a 3-7 year last season.

But, the Cats return eight starters on offense and seven on defense which will give the team experience where it's needed.

Mena's biggest headache for the season will be finding speed. Coach Joe Bunch said in their former conference, the 4AAA, if a tackle was missed the ball carrier could still be caught 20 yards down the field. But, in the 7AAA, a missed tackle means six points.

Shane Frost will be the quarterback for the second year, with Neal Foster backing him up.

Ryan Davis, Aaron Minor and Justin Kelley will complete the backfield in the running back positions. Of the three, two have 4.8 speed, which is considered slow in the conference.

The offensive line, though, could make a big difference this year with several seniors on it to provide much needed experience.

Defense was lacking for Mena last year as the Cats gave up more than 30 points a game, and only kept two teams below 10 points.

This year, the team has some depth and experience, but still has no real speed, and this will make the difference in this conference.

Unless the Cats can keep their opponents running between the tackles it will likely be another long year for them.

Fouke is picked to finish sixth in the league, from its 3-7 season last year.

This group of Panthers brings back five from the 1999 offense and four from its defense.

Chris Garrett will be replacing Justin Jones at quarterback, with twins Landon Larey and Brandon Larey competing with him for the job.

Defensively, Fouke gave up 25 points per game last year, and may do the same this season, as there are few seniors returning and experience will be at a premium.

The team has some quickness, but doesn't have much experience on the defensive front line, where AAA teams like to pound the ball.

Fountain Lake's Cobras are tabbed for a seventh-place finish after their 5-5 year in 1999.

The Cobras managed to score 17 ppg last season and have Anthony Mercer back under center.

However, Fountain Lake will be relying on three sophomores to flesh out the backfield.

On defense the Cobras bring back John Hardin who had 84 tackles , nine sacks and recovered three fumbles.

Problems for Fountain Lake will be inexperience in the backfield, unproven linemen and a suspect secondary.

Bismarck brings up the rear after a 3-7 season in 1999, when the Lions also finished eighth.

Since Jim Meyers took over the program three years ago, the numbers have been steadily improving. In his first year only 22 came out for the team.

At least 30 are expected to suit up this fall.

Chase Meyers, the coach's son, will return at quarterback after passing for 1,341 yards last year.

Brothers Steven and Mike Laliberte will bear the load in the backfield, with Randy Davis seeing time as fullback.

The line returns three juniors from the '99 team, with Steven Loy the only senior on the offensive line.

Defensively the Lions have enough experience to make life miserable for other teams, if everything comes together.

The bright spot for Bismarck is a better attitude to go along with experience at quarterback and the offensive line.

The downside, once again, is lack of depth, size and speed. A roster of 30 players will be mauled, beaten and battered during the 10-game season, especially during conference play.