Large senior class welcomes new coach to McCrory

Coach Nick Fisher is gearing up for his first season as head coach of the McCrory Jaguars after starting the position Aug. 1, following the departure of four-year coach Jeremiah Quattlebaum to Riverview. Fisher came to the school with experience, as he was an assistant coach in Blytheville for two years and Morrilton for seven years. He’ll lead the 2A-3 Conference team into the season and said the Jaguars’ primary strength will be their large senior class, but the late coaching change might put them at a disadvantage. The team’s 2016-17 record was 8-18, he said, and Earle will be the game to watch this year. “I think we play in a competitive conference, so every night we have to go out and work extremely hard, extremely smart, and play together in order to compete in conference play,” Fisher said. “I want to come and teach these guys how to be successful in life after competitive sports,” the coach said. “I think by showing them how to serve others, how to work hard, how to work smart and how to work together, they will leave McCrory empowered to succeed in life.” Fisher said he chooses to coach because he wants to impact and enable youth to be part of something bigger than themselves. “John Wooden defined success as ‘the peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming,’ and that is what I want from my guys this year and every year: their absolute best effort in every aspect of life,” the coach said. Fisher said practices have been going well so far, and the team currently consists of eight players: two seniors and six sophomores. “We have four returning starters from last year’s team, which went 8-18, but those four guys are all playing football right now. The eight I have right now are working on getting in great shape through strength and conditioning, and really working on fundamentals,” he said. Fisher said he enjoys high-energy practices where he doesn’t have to say much because the team is talking. “I like an uptempo game but want to get to where we can control the tempo of the game,” he said. Players this year include seniors Jamone Mccoy, Jesse Skudlark, Timothy Roseberry, Nathan Hall, Spencer Carden, Kaileb Thompson and Devonte Murdock; juniors Travis Alford Jr. and Carson Stracner; and sophomores Trent Lee, Chayne Baltezore, Dylan Youngman, Sam Brown, Daquan Hall, Hayden Headley, Jaylon Robinson, Revel Golden and Trevon Dewitt, according to MaxPreps. “The most important thing I have learned from my players in the past is to always be ready to laugh and have fun,” Fisher said. “It is still at its core a game that we teach, and we have to have fun doing it.”