Wildcats look to continue recent winning tradition
The turnaround at Hector is nothing short of remarkable.
In 2009, the school did not have enough players to field a team. After reinstating the program in 2010, the Wildcats won one game that season and one in 2011. The 2012 squad made a big leap with six victories.
Since then, the Wildcats have won 42 games — 11 in 2013, nine in ’14, 12 in ’ 15 (all with conference titles) and 10 last fall, when they finished runner-up to England for the conference championship and reached the second round of the Class 2A state playoffs, where they lost to Camden Harmony Grove, 26-22.
“We had a really good year that didn’t exactly end where we wanted it to,” coach Kyle Russell said of his debut season with the Wildcats. “In our last game of the year, [the Harmony Grove Hornets] played a really good game against us, and it was like a perfect storm. We had some things happen to us, and they took advantage of them and ended our season.”
In 2016, the Wildcats handled their nonconference competition: Marshall, 39-8; Bearden, 30-14; and Paris, 8-7. They then started 2A-5 Conference play 4-0 — Cutter Morning Star, 53-20; Conway Christian, 44-24; Bigelow, 50-6; and Magnet Cove, 58-20. They lost their showdown at England, 35-6, but regrouped to finish the regular season 9-1 with lopsided wins over Poyen, 54-6, and Quitman, 44-6.
Hector beat Rison in the opening round of the playoffs, 52-27, before making the trip to Ouachita County to face the Hornets, who went on to fall to Mount Ida in the state semifinals. Mount Ida went on to win the Class 2A championship at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
Six starters are back for the Wildcats’ Spread offense, with seven returners for the multiple defensive scheme.
But there is a glaring hole heading into 2017. “We lost a four-year starter at quarterback in Tanner Gaines,” Russell said. “He’s playing at Arkansas Tech. He holds every quarterback record at Hector.”
This fall, the coach said, senior Jadon Graham (5-11, 150), the Wildcats’ all-time leader in receptions, will move to quarterback. He has caught 124 passes, holds the school record for yardage (1,881) and stands second in touchdown catches with 22. As a junior, he caught 78 passes for 1,160 yards and 15 TDs.
Other key seniors returning include Camren Haralson (6-2, 185), Jamie Burch (6-1, 230) and Parker Lee (5-9, 190).
“Camren is a three-year, two-way starter,” Russell said. “Jamie Burch and Parker Lee are our threeyear starters at offensive guard and tackle.”
The coach said juniors Cody Day (5-10, 183), Brenden Landrum (5-9, 135), Blake Koehn (5-9, 180) and Chandler Sceifres (6-1, 215) played significant roles as sophomores.
“They should be ready to have an impact year,” the coach said.
Expected starters on offense include sophomore Logan Church (5-8, 160) at center, sophomore Christopher Humphrey (5-7, 185) at left guard, senior Jakeb Bull (6-2, 226) at left tackle, Lee at right guard, Burch at right tackle, Graham at QB, Landrum at running back, senior James Sims (5-9, 186) at H-back, Sceifres at tight end, and Haralson, Day and sophomore Caleb Profitt (5-7, 125) at wide receiver.
Defensively, Sims will go at nose guard, with Sceifres and senior Andrew Sears (6-0, 190) at tackles, Logan Church and junior Ethan Church (5-10, 185) at linebacker, Haralson and Day at outside linebacker, Koehn and junior Ryan Loppe (6-1, 185) at the corners, and Graham and Landrum at the safeties.
Team strengths, Russell said, will be work ethic and both lines. Weaknesses will be an unproven quarterback and secondary.
But expectations at Hector don’t change. “We expect to be playing our best football when the playoffs start,” Russell said.
A statewide publication’s preseason poll of league coaches projects the Wildcats to finish third in the league. The poll ranks England first, followed by Conway Christian, Hector, Magnet Cove, Quitman, Cutter Morning Star, Bigelow and Poyen.
The top five teams will advance to the playoffs.
Russell said he expects playoff teams to include Hector, England, Conway Christian, Quitman and Magnet Cove.
The Wildcats will travel to Bearden on Sept. 8, then play host to Paris on Sept. 15 to finish the nonconference schedule. Their 2A-5 schedule includes Cutter Morning Star at home Sept. 22, at Conway Christian on Sept. 29, Bigelow at home Oct. 6, at Magnet Cove on Oct. 13, England at home Oct. 20, at Poyen on Oct. 27 and at Quitman on Nov. 2.
Games to watch?
“Bearden in Week 2 will tell us where we are,” Russell said. “England and Conway Christian will be the best two teams we will play in our conference.”