Teams aim to disrupt predictions

Doug Powell is the epitome of a smallschool football coach.

He wakes up at 5 a.m. each day and drives a school bus on about a 30-mile route, picking up kids along the way that may one day suit up for his Rattlers. Some days, between teaching health, math and physical education classes, he’ll head out to the football field for some upkeep, like spreading fertilizer in hopes grass will fill in the bare areas.

Other days, he’s handing out equipment for the town’s new youth football program that was started by former players Jesse Canada, Cody Shelton and Charlie Moua. Youth football should help Magazine lay a solid foundation for the future of a high school program that Powell, a Booneville native, took over 13 years ago.

Despite leaving home before the sun comes up and often not returning until well after dark, Powell’s not complaining. “This is what it’s all about,” Powell said. Powell and Magazine have come a long way. Just two years ago, the team fielded just 13 healthy players for a game against Mountainburg.

“We played, but it didn’t end well,” Powell said. “Mountainburg has had our number for quite a few years, and they’re going to be really good again.”

These days, numbers are steadily improving for the Rattlers with 23 players on the roster — finally enough to run 11-on-11 drills in practices. That makes a difference, especially with a crop of underclassmen that has enjoyed success. The junior class went 9-0 in junior high while the sophomores posted a 5-3 mark the following year.

Many are calling Magazine a team to watch in the 2A-4 Conference this season.

“Magazine is going to be tough,” said Hackett coach Lonnie Hester. “They paid their dues a few years ago when they were so short on kids, and you’ve got to give coach Powell, his staff and those kids a lot of credit for their perseverance.

“They will reap the benefits of those struggles over the next few years.”

As far as the rest of the conference, Danville has moved on to 3A and Hector takes its place. The Wildcats lost 10 key players off last season’s 2A-5 Conference championship team, but the Wildcats have always found ways to rebound with eight or more wins in each of the past five seasons.

“I don’t know that much about Hector other than what I’ve read,” Hester said. “And I think it’s the same for the rest of the conference. We all know they will put out a quality team, but there are a lot of unknowns.”

Because of the unknown, Hester said he picked Mountainburg to win the conference title on his ballot for the preseason coaches’ poll because the Dragons “are always tough. They are really good on both sides of the ball and have really good size and speed.”

The Dragons are led by longtime coach Tom Harrell and finished runner-up in the conference behind Danville. They went 9-2 in a season that ended with a 38-26 loss at Conway Christian in the second round of the state playoffs.

Back is Mountainburg’s two-headed Dragon attack of senior speedsters Austin Taylor and Jesse Quick, who combined for more than 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.

Hackett is picked to finish third in the league and is similar to Magazine with a senior class and a sophomore class that each went 9-0 to win the junior high district title as ninth-graders.

Hester’s son, Brady, highlights the Hornets’ offense. The senior earned allstate honors after passing for 1,252 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 562 yards and 13 touchdowns a year ago. Senior Cooper Shipman is a playmaker at both running back and linebacker. Tight end Anthony Collins caught 11 passes for 295 yards and six touchdowns. Matthew Carter is a three-year starter at middle linebacker.

“Our skill positions are really solid with most starting since they were sophomores, and we go two-deep at those positions,” Hester said. “The line, on both sides of the ball, that’s kind of where we struggle. If we lose someone, we’re going to have to have some guys step up.”

Magazine is picked to finish fifth but could surpass that projection with a little luck, something that hasn’t typically been in the Rattlers’ favor over the past few seasons. The Rattlers, who won the

conference title in 2011, finished 5-6 last season after a 41-0 loss at Rison in the opening round of the playoffs.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who have played a lot of football together, and that always helps,” Powell said. “These guys have been through a lot and have matured a lot since junior high. But, like every season, things have got to fall your way. We survived a few injuries this offseason, and we’ve had our failures in the past.

“But you learn from failure. If you survive it, you come out on the other side stronger, and I think that’s what’s happened with us as a team.”