CONWAY CHRISTIAN
The Conway Christian Eagles will have a bit of quarterback competition heading into the season.
Senior John Michael Scherrey and junior Tyler Cossey will compete for the starting quarterback job after three-year starter Jacob Wood graduated in the spring, head coach Justin Kramer said.
Kramer, who is in his fourth year at Conway Christian, said Scherrey is more of a natural athlete and is real allusive.
“He runs well and has a strong arm. He is more of an athletic-style quarterback,” Kramer said. “Tyler is more of a pocket passer and understands the offense and is a little more accurate.
“They both have their strengths and weakness, so I can see using them both off and on.”
Kramer said the Eagles primarily run out of the Pistol Pro Twins formation, using some
Spread concepts and utilizing the tight-end position.
“The way our offense is designed, it is based on that person’s strengths who is at quarterback,” Kramer said. “So it is going to be a situational thing for the most part. Hopefully, by conference play, after the first three games, we will have it more dialed in from a team standpoint and what best serves us.”
Neither Scherrey nor Cossey has a lot of playing experience at the varsity level. Conway Christian mercy-ruled eight of its 11 opponents last year, so any experience the two did get was toward the ends of games, where they more or less just handed the ball off to the running back.
“But as far as running the system or controlling the game, neither one of them has done much of that,” Kramer said. “We competed in a 7-on-7 tournament, and we did some league stuff, but we mostly stayed on campus this summer. … We thought they both did a really good job this offseason.”
The running-back position is also up for grabs this year, as three seniors, including Eli
Moore, Miguel Thorpe and Clay Hammett, will compete for the starting role, the coach said.
“Eli ran quite a bit for us last year and is more of a traditional, stereotypical running back,” Kramer said. “He is a strong kid and makes the right reads and cuts.
“Miguel and Clay are both pretty good running backs. They are both much more violent runners. They get downhill and hit whoever they need to hit.”
Kramer said Thorpe has a little bit more speed, and all three of them play linebacker on defense.
“They are all pretty physical,” the coach said. “They are going to get it there and make people tackle them.”
Conway Christian finished 10-3 overall last year, winning the 2A-5 Conference championship with a 7-0 record. The Eagles made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Mount Ida by two points. The Eagles are returning just three offensive starters from last year’s team, including senior offensive linemen Beau Stevenson and Lou Kerst.
“We feel that is going to be our strength — our experience in those positions, as far as our ability to run the ball and pass, protect and do the things we ask them to do,” Kramer said. “They have both worked really hard and have done a lot of what we feel makes them an advantage for us.
“They both have experience and work really hard at improving and are really great natural leaders for us, and that is always nice.”
Senior wide receiver Carson Bradley is the only skilled player returning this year. The coach said that last year, Bradley mostly worked as a third-option receiver, getting catches if the other receivers were double-teamed.
“He played about every down and had a good year but has made an adjustment this year to be our go-to guy,” Kramer said. “It is definitely a role that he is prepared for. He has no trouble taking on that responsibility and role.”
Kramer said Bradley and the rest of the team have spent a lot of this offseason in the weight room. Bradley plays catcher for the baseball team, so the coach said Bradley works out pretty much year-round.
“He is a very quiet guy, but he is consistent,” Kramer said. “He shows up, and he works hard — he is just not really a vocal guy. But he has definitely displayed leadership characteristics, just not in the traditional sense.”
Senior Brooks White will start at tight end for the Eagles. The coach said White has a big frame, a big catch radius and big hands.
“He is not necessarily the fastest, but he is a good route runner and blocks pretty well,” Kramer said.
Junior Robert Taylor, who played running back in junior high, will start at defensive end but will also spell White at tight end, the coach said.
Defensively, the Eagles have seven starters returning, including Hammett, Thorpe, Taylor, Kerst, Scherrey at cornerback, Moore at linebacker and Stevenson at tackle.
“Most of our guys play both ways, so we lost mostly receivers and defensive backs,” Kramer said. “This is the second year that we have this defense, and it is definitely something we have improved at. Having those guys back, they are very physical guys and not afraid of contact.”
The biggest issue, defensively, is filling the gaps in the secondary. The coach said he hopes senior Hudson Baker and junior Josh Tibbs will step up at corner and safety. Baker tore his ACL his sophomore year and didn’t play much at all last year.
“They are both pretty athletic and have pretty good speed,” Kramer said. “They are smart football players and are always in the right position.”
Junior Jace Kramer, the coach’s son, will play as an outside linebacker, but the coach said Jace doesn’t have a lot of experience at that spot.
Conway Christian will open the season against McGehee, Springhill and Clinton.
“Right now, our biggest weakness is our depth, in a lot of those positions,” Kramer said, “making sure we reserve the guys that we can and get as much experience as we can, which is a trick for us at a small school.
“We lack of a lot of experience — guys who are in critical spots who haven’t really been tested in a game situation. We have a lot of guys that we think we can play, but just haven’t been tested, so it is definitely going to be a challenge for us.”