Bears not ready to adjust their expectations

A year after finishing 9-2 and landing a berth in the Class 5A state playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, Sylvan Hills has glaring holes at key positions.

But the expectations remain the same.

“We want to be the last ones standing in Little Rock,” Sylvan Hills Coach Jim Withrow said in reference to the site of the state championship game. “That’s the ultimate goal. We had a good team last year, but we didn’t accomplish what we set out to do.

“Everyone wants to succeed, and if you don’t want to succeed, then you’re in trouble.”

Sylvan Hills has been devoid of many problems since losing to Watson Chapel in November in the opening round of the postseason. The team is banking on progression in 2017.

The Bears lost six starters on both sides of the ball from last year’s team, including all-state quarterback Jordan Washington, but Withrow isn’t lacking talent and welcomes several veterans back.

Sylvan Hills averaged 41.2 points per game and scored at least 40 points eight times last year with Washington under center. Senior Ryan Lumpkin, 6-0, 185 pounds, is set to take over at quarterback in the Bears’ Spread Option attack after starting the past two years at wide receiver. Senior Deon Youngblood, 5-9, 180, an all-state selection in 2016, is back at slotback where he ran for nearly 1,000 yards as a junior. Three-year starter Garrett Gilbert, 5-11, 250, returns up front to lead the offensive line as a senior.

Sylvan Hills also figures to be stout on defense behind senior linebacker Ty Compton, 5-11, 180, who had 109 tackles and seven sacks as an all-state performer last year. The Bears got a boost in the spring with the addition of senior lineman Anthony Chairez, 6-5, 230, who transferred in from Nebraska.

“The guys have been here all summer, participating in team camps and things like that,” Withrow said. “They’ve stayed in shape and have worked really hard during fall workouts. But we do have some guys that’ll be in different roles this year, and we’ve got some that are new altogether.”

Withrow got a glimpse of his new-look team during last week’s scrimmage against Arkadelphia and Greenbrier.

“Guys played really hard,” Withrow said. “We wanted to get the guys used to playing game speed on both sides of the ball, and to be honest, they looked like they were playing in their third or fourth game of the season instead of a preseason scrimmage. We’ve progressed faster than normal, and that was good to see.”

Sylvan Hills’ advancement will be put to the test Friday when it opens the season against Class 7A Little Rock Catholic, a team it beat 4834 last year. The Bears have nonconference dates with Hot Springs Lakeside and Jacksonville as well, and Withrow hopes the team can get through that stretch unscathed before it begins conference play.

“When you’ve been doing this long enough, you pretty much know what you’ve got,” he said.

“So I try to be as realistic as I can. Of course, the measuring stick is Pulaski Academy in our conference, but I truly think we’ve got five teams that will really compete for the conference title and seven teams that’ll battle for a playoff spot.”