Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wolves picked to win conference

Coming off a disappointing

loss to Gurdon in 2007, the

Prescott Curley Wolves are again

slated as forerunners in the

upcoming season. Prescott Head

Coach Greg Smith said he feels

confident that the Wolves will

make a good showing this season,

barring health issues.

The Wolves are ranked first in

the 7-AAA Conference, according

to Hootens. The ranking and

prediction are not new with

Prescott having been put it the

top slot for the 2007 season as

well.

Smith said one of the biggest challenges facing

Prescott will be game number three  against

Gurdon.

We play Gurdon on week four, Smith said.

That game follows the three pre-conference

games against Hermitage, Nashville and Hope.

Smith said how the Wolves perform against

Gurdon will depend on several factors, including

how the team fares against those three pre-conference

foes. Added to that is the mental aspect of

having to face three traditional rivals in a row in

Nashville, Hope and Gurdon. The winners of the

Nashville and Gurdon games will carry home a

traveling trophy.

If we stay healthy until we get to the Gurdon

game, we have to get on the field and play hard,

Smith said.

He said its a Gurdon tradition to play with few

mistakes and that the Wolves have

to match that in order to compete.

Smith said the Wolves have

multiple returning starters.

Hootens touts a number of those,

including quarter back and receiver,

Termain and Jermain Henderson.

Smith said that the Henderson twins

have an advantage in their natural

ability to communicate.

They have a great chemistry,

Smith said. Weve seen that grow.

They communicate better than anybody

else on the field.

Smith said the leadership exhibited

by T. Henderson is also a plus for

the Wolves.

Others mentioned in Hootens include Brandon

Charles, C.J. Smith, Demarcus Collier, Kalin

Hall, Rashad Blakely, Nick Smith, Clayton

Hendrix, DeAngelo Graham, Garret Crellin,

Jacob Clark, Marquis Wilson, Darin Purifoy and

Skyler Tippit.

Smith said the team numbers would likely be

down somewhat from last year, but that there

would continue to be a number of players who are

able to play both offense and defense.

Hootens lists the speed, offensive line and the

fact that the Wolves have playoff experience as

the major strengths. They cite lack of depth as

the major weakness but Smith said he plans to

combat that with the players who can play both

sides of the field. That requires that the Wolves

train diligently and Smith said

he intends to focus heavily on

strength and endurance during

the pre-season practices.

Smith said the media day

for photos is set for Aug. 4.

Senior boot camp is to be held

Aug. 4-8. A scrimmage game

is set for Aug. 26 against Glen

Rose with the tentative

arrangements for the game to

be held at Ouachita Baptist

University.

Smith said that all senior

high players who dont yet

have a physical must do so

before Aug. 4. Players in

grades 8 and 9 have until Aug.

6. Seventh grade football will

begin on the first day of

school, Aug. 18.

The game line-up is

Hermitage, Nashville, Hope,

Gurdon, Fouke, Lafayette

County, Parkers Chapel, Drew

Central, Harmony Grove and

Rison with the final game slated

for Nov. 7. There are some

new opponents this season.

Bismarck moved out of the

conference. The Wolves also

wont face Centerpoint and

Magnet Cove this year.

Some facts included in

Hootens are:

* The school record is 45-

27-1.

* The record for 2007 was

9-3-1.

* The Wolves finished second

in the conference in 2007.

* The team has six of six

returning starters.

* The tie in 2007 was

against Spring Hill.

* The teams only loss in

conference play in 2007 was

against the Gurdon Go-Devils

with the team losing in finals

against Bauxite.

* Sam Stafford, a middle

linebacker in the 2007 season,

broke the standing school

records with 191 tackles.

* Prescott will not face

Shiloh Christian as happened

in 2006. Shiloh has been

moved to 4A.

* Hootens notes that

Lafayette County and Gurdon

each play their best against

Prescott before fading into

the postseason.

* Prescott is listed at the

best of the AAA conference

with regard to receivers.