Badgers return 18 starters, but many still young cubs
The Badgers skewed younger last year than they had in coach J.R. Eldridge’s first four years. This year, the team is still young, but 18 starters are set to return to the squad.
Arkadelphia gained 406 yards more than their opponents last year but committed five more turnovers than their opponents. If the team’s experience can help eliminate turnovers, the Badgers should improve on their 5-6 record from a year ago.
A major strength of the team is the allsenior offensive line. Arkadelphia is set to put 2016 in the rearview mirror.
“I’m really excited about the experience coming back,” Eldridge said.
One thing that stands out about the Badgers is their potent offense. Zion Hatley, a junior, averaged 103 yards a game on the ground with an impressive 6.8 yards per attempt. Sophomore Cannon Turner was the team’s second-leading rusher from the quarterback position.
Turner’s growth in his second year is another factor that could propel the team to more wins. As a freshman, he threw for 1,174 yards but only completed 45 percent of his passes. If his efficiency climbs, the offense will be tough to stop.
“I think he’ll be able to do a great job leading them,” Eldridge said. “He’s a great character kid. He’s really good in the classroom, a really smart young man. He’s got a great work ethic. Toward the end of the season, we really started getting better and really competed well against the state runner-up (Pea Ridge).”
Arkadelphia gave up a game-winning touchdown in the final minute of its playoff matchup with Pea Ridge.
On defense, Josh Burnham leads the team from the linebacker position. His brother Jack starts on offense this year, but will rotate at linebacker. Henderson State commit Dillion Scott comes back for his third year at the cornerback position and returns kicks.
Burnham led the team in tackles a year ago with 68, including nine tackles for loss in nine games of action. Scott picked off two passes and
recovered a fumble last year, which translates to him being involved in a quarter of the turnovers committed by Arkadelphia opponents.
The defense held opponents to a third-down conversion rate of 27 percent. The team’s stiff third-down play could turn into more possessions for the offense this year.
Another area the team may improve in is its sack totals. Last year, the Badgers racked up 17 sacks on 182 opponent passing attempts. The defense may face more obvious passing situations if the team is ahead late in games.
“Last year, we only had 11 seniors, and only three of them started,” Eldridge said. “So we’re returning a lot of guys, still a lot of young guys. We’re returning a lot of guys who got good experience in football games last year.”
As long as the defense can continue to stifle opponents and the offense can continue to outproduce them, the Badgers are on track to compete for their first conference title since 2013. But they will have to go through powerhouse Nashville, who beat the Badgers 71-40 last year to claim the title.