High school football FAQ
It’s the start of another high school football season in Arkansas, so we’ll take a look at the top questions involving teams in the state for the 2015 season:
How will North Little Rock fare after its dramatic offseason?
It’s an understatement to say that North Little Rock has had an interesting offseason.
The Charging Wildcats, who had future FBS signees K.J. Hill (Ohio State) and D.J. Brown (Northern Illinois) a year ago, were without a head coach for almost four months in early 2015 when Brad Bolding was terminated.
Bolding received two termination notices from the North Little Rock School District for violating district purchasing procedures and recruiting rules. He was officially fired by the school district on April 10 in a special school board meeting.
North Little Rock hired Jamie Mitchell from Starkville (Miss.) High School on May 7. Mitchell was 163-61 in 18 seasons as a high school coach in Mississippi and led Starkville to the Class 5A state championship in 2012.
Drama aside, the Charging Wildcats will open their new stadium Sept. 4 against Little Rock Catholic and will attempt to win their second consecutive 7A/6A-East Conference championship. North Little Rock turns to senior wide receiver Tobias Enlow to help fill the void left by Hill, a first-team AllArkansas Preps selection last year. Enlow has received scholarship offers from Louisiana-Monroe and Central Arkansas.
If Trey Cox can perform at quarterback and Enlow can step up and be the top receiver for the first time in his career, the Charging Wildcats could make another deep run in the Class 7A playoffs.
What is the state’s best game?
The annual showdown between Bentonville and Fayetteville will be played Nov. 6 in Fayetteville, and it will likely determine the 7A-West championship again.
Bentonville won both meetings last season, routing the Bulldogs 45-2 at home and holding on 24-21 in the Class 7A state championship game. But those victories were with a more experienced Tigers team that featured linebackers Harrison Rooney and Hekili Keliiliki, who helped pull the team out of an 0-4 hole to start the season.
Fayetteville hasn’t beaten Bentonville since the 2012 Class 7A state championship game.
Who are the best teams in the state?
Entering the 2015 season, there may not be a more talented team than Pine Bluff in Class 6A.
The Zebras, led by Coach Bobby Bolding, feature dual threat quarterback Ladarius Skelton, wide receiver/defensive back David Beasley and defensive end John Tate. All three are seniors and have played in the Class 6A state championship the past two seasons.
Beasley has orally committed to Louisiana Tech while Tate has narrowed his top five schools to Boise State, California, Louisiana Tech, Louisville and Mississippi. Arkansas State has shown interest in Skelton.
Pine Bluff didn’t win the 6A-South Conference last year, finishing behind Benton. But the Zebras avenged their regular-season-ending loss to the Panthers with a 50-10 rout in the Class 6A state championship game. It was Pine Bluff’s first state championship since 1995 when Marion Glover was in charge.
Fayetteville in Class 7A is poised to win its first state championship since 2012 behind junior quarterback Taylor Powell. Pulaski Academy, with sophomore quarterback Layne Hatcher, looks to repeat in Class 5A.
Who are some of the top prospects in the state?
Hope senior defensive end McTelvin Agim is on the wishlist of every Arkansas Razorbacks fan.
Agim, 6-3, 269 pounds, had 72 tackles, 22 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries and 13 pass breakups last season for the Bobcats. His top four schools, which he released on Twitter earlier this summer, are Arkansas, Baylor, Texas A&M and Mississippi.
Pulaski Robinson senior running back T.J. Hammonds and Smackover senior wide receiver Jordan Jones have orally committed to the Razorbacks. Hammonds rushed for 835 yards and 6 touchdowns and caught 42 passes for 1,109 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Senators in 2014. Jones finished with 778 yards and 9 touchdowns on 31 receptions as he helped lead Smackover to the Class 3A state championship game.
Little Rock Christian running back Damarea Crockett (1,250 yards, 18 touchdowns) has orally committed to Boise State.