LEOPARDS

our bell cow on defense, too. We obviously have other guys we’re going to use, but he’s going to carry it quite a bit.”

The Leopards return their leading receiver, senior Teven Smith with nearly 700 yards while returning a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns. Smith will be aided by track-and-field teammate Jaquez Lock, called over from the defensive backfield, and inexperienced junior wideouts Whit Jones and Devin Langston.

“Teven is definitely the best receiver we’ve got,” Scarbrough said.

Malvern’s most experienced offensive group is the line, returning the left side in senior tackle Lacedric Ruth, senior guard Noah Woods and senior center Micah James. The Leopards plan to platoon the right side, senior Kordell Cooper and juniors Khalil Brownlee and Tre Smith at guard and seniors Bradley Dickson and Riley Shuffield at tackle.

The Leopards got a lift when defensive coordinator Ryan Wallace, who has blitzed them the past five seasons at Lakeside, made the short journey down Highway 270 for the same position in Hot Spring County. Blitz-happy Wallace switches Malvern from a tradition 4-3 base to the more exotic 3-3-5 that has helped Lakeside win the turnover battle most seasons.

“Obviously, he’s a very successful defensive coordinator, and I really like the aggressive style of defense he’s brought with him,” Scarbrough said. “I think it fits our talent, and we’re going to cause you some problems. We understand that a big play could happen, but we’re dependent on big plays on defense, too, with fumbles and interceptions and things like that with this package.”

Malvern’s defensive line took a hit over the summer when senior Austin Wright, slotted for nose guard after playing a large, run-stopping end the first four games last year before tearing his ACL, was forced to leave the team to settle off-the-field issues. That left Shuffield at pass-rushing end as the lone returning starter up front.

Dickson is the other starting end, indicating why Scarbrough wants them to rotate on offense. The nose will be a three-man rotation of junior Wesley Murdock, Cooper and Ruth.

Though Wright doesn’t come back from his ACL tear, the Leopards see the return of senior Damian Blaschke at middle linebacker. Blaschke was supposed to start there last year but tore his ACL during preseason camp.

“Blaschke is huge to have back,” Scarbrough said. “He’s a leader. He’s an emotional player, so we’re really excited to have Damian back. We return seven starters on defense, and when you add Blaschke in there, that’s just another one. So we feel like we can be a really good team defensively.”

Flanking Blaschke are three-year starter Bryce Freer and junior Jordan Hart, last year’s middle when Blaschke went down. Between Blaschke’s inspirational leadership, Freer’s experience as the son of assistant Mark Freer and Hart’s role model of hard-hitting older brother Tashaun Hart as a Malvern linebacker, the Leopards are leaning heavily on their linebackers.

They’re also relying on Shaw to play the “tiger” safety, the focal point of Wallace’s defense that typically racks up the most tackles. Lock is also starting his third year in the secondary, playing cornerback as a sophomore before earning all-conference with six interceptions as a junior safety.

Jones plays strong safety for his first season. Smith is a returning starter at cornerback, picking off a pair of passes in 2015, and Langston mans the other corner.

Jimerson also drills at corner for the second-straight season, but Scarbrough hopes his quarterback doesn’t have to play both ways. That would increase Jimerson’s exposure to injury, something Scarbrough is working hard to avoid, despite increased two-way play, after so many devastating wounds derailed what was a promising campaign.

“We have to stay healthy. That’s critical,” Scarbrough said. “If we stay healthy, we feel really good about our ones. And in the first three games, we have to build some depth with these younger guys. If we can do that and stay healthy, we have a chance. We can be a pretty talented team.”