Murfreesboro sets sights on postseason
MURFREESBORO, Ark.— Marc McRae looks to lean on his returning seniors to lead Murfreesboro to a playoff berth in 2017.
“I feel like we have a great group of guys,” Murfreesboro head football coach Marc McRae said. “We lost several seniors last year from a skill position standpoint but we have a bunch of our lineman returning.”
“We feel confident that our linemen can lead us. They have tons of reps and plenty of preparation. It’s been a easy process to get our skill position players reps, because our linemen already know what to do. The core of our team comes from those guys up front.
Senior JC Motley (6-2, 170) will make the switch from wide receiver to quarterback in his final season for the Rattlers.
“We have a lot of faith in Motley,” McRae said. “He’s a leader for us on the field and he’s able to put us in positions to be successful with his athletic ability. We know we can expect great things from JC because he’s really what makes us go.”
“Everything is going to go through him and we’re really excited about the switch he’s making for us.”
Seniors Tyler Tomlinson (5-8, 165) and Bryle Fatheree ( 5-10, 185) will be key components in the Rattlers spread ground attack.
“Tomlinson has been in a backup role for us but now is his time. We’re expecting big things from him in our offense,” McRae said.
“Fatheree is the type of kid that will do whatever we ask of him. He’s a great blocker and pass catcher out of the backfield. Both of those guys are downhill runners, so I’m excited to get the season started.”
Murfreesboro returns senior Jarrett Faulkner (6-5, 240) to create mismatches from the tight end position.
“Jarrett is a big-bodied kid that can split out for us if asked and can also come in the box to help with the run game as well,” McRae said.
Junior Payten Diffee (6-2, 185) and sophomore Jakob Allmon (5-9, 160) will handle most of the wide receiving duties for the Rattlers this fall.
“Allmon is a kid that has
moved up the varsity ranks but we expect him to make a bunch of plays for us,” McRae said. “He’s an athletic kid that we will rely on to get the ball in space and make positive gains for us.”
Murfreesboro’s offensive line is senior laden, with a few underclassmen to carry the load in the trenches this season.
All-Conference senior Evan Pickett (6-0, 200) bring his three years of varsity experience to lead the offensive line, which primarily uses the shotgun formation. Seniors Cody Nolen (5-11, 205), Alec Pettigrew, junior Ethan Pickett (6-4, 235) and sophomore Lashad Jones round out the rest of the offensive line.
“It all starts up front with us. It’s a pleasure to have such a consistent line because coming out the shotgun most of our plays, its imperative to have consistency upfront,” McRae said.
Ethan Pickett and Pettigrew will be staples on the defensive line with McRae and his staff making changes game by game, or even during the game if he sees fit.
“Most of our guys on the offensive front will play defense but we’re going to play a lot of 4-3 this season. We’re going to interchange the interior linemen quite a bit depending on the situation,” McRae said.
“We’re really flexible up front but we’re expecting big thing out of our defensive end play. With Evan Pickett and Faulkner coming off both ends, we’re expecting a lot of production from those two guys.”
Nolen, Fatheree and Tomlinson will play on the second level on the defense, while Motley, Diffee will roam the back end from their safety positions.
Junior Dawson Watts (5-11, 200) will join Allmon in the Rattlers’ secondary.
“We start our season against Centerpoint on the road and we’ve always enjoyed the rivalry. It’s a good competitive game year end and year out. They lost a good group of seniors last year just like us, so we’ll both have guys in new sports. All in all, it will be a great first game for everyone involved,” McRae said.