Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
HARRISON GOBLINS
2018 RECORD 12-1, 7-0 5A-West Conference COACH Joel Wells
RETURNING PLAYERS 9 offense, 7 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Ben Johnson (Sr., 6-0, 175), RB Gabe Huskey (Sr, 5-11, 175), FB/LB Brooks Both (Sr., 6-1, 225), WR/DB Rilee Jones (Sr., 5-11, 160), WR/DB Colton Shaver (Sr., 5-10, 185), C Zach Schaffer (Sr., 6-1, 285) OL/NG Trey Stith (Sr., 6-0, 230), DE Landen Stephens (Sr., 6-0, 210), LB Bryant Ulrich (Sr., 5-11, 210).
THE SKINNY The core of last year’s conference championship team and state semifinalist remains intact as the Goblins will once again contend for the 5A-West and Class 5A state titles. … Gabe Huskey should continue to draw colleges’ attention after he ran for 2,150 yards and 33 touchdowns and caught 26 passes for 692 yards and 7 TDs. … Ben Johnson passed for 1,677 yards and 23 TDs with only 3 interceptions last year, and he ran for 545 yards and 8 TDs, five of them coming in playoff games. … The duo of Colton Shaver and Rilee Jones combined to catch 44 passes for 896 yards and 16 TDs, and they also team up in the secondary, where Shaver had 43 tackles and five interceptions and Jones added 18 tackles, one interception and six pass breakups. … Trey Stith will be a three-year starter at guard and will serve extra duty as noseguard. … Landen Stephens earned all-state honors after he recorded 54 tackles and 6.5 quarterback sacks. … Both serves his roles well as he is a blocker at fullback (ran for 142 yards and 4 TDs) and at linebacker, where he recorded a team-high 114 tackles. He is joined at linebacker by Bryant Ulrich, who had 68 tackles and three interceptions. … The 5A-West schedule will favor Harrison this year as the Goblins host Morrilton in the league opener, then Greenbrier and Alma in consecutive weeks.
COACH SPEAK “We have a lot of guys that have played varsity football back, and obviously that’s every exciting for us,” Wells said. “Defensively, we still have to settle on the back end to get ready to play. The expectations are very high, especially with everybody coming back on offense. There’s no excuse for us not to be good, but we still have to get ready. We still have a long way to go, and I told our guys we haven’t beaten anybody yet. We have to practice with a purpose and get ready for Week 1.”