MP quarterback, Jessieville transfer impress in tune-up

JESSIEVILLE — Three Garland County teams competed in one final tune-up before the start of the regular season in Tuesday’s annual football jamboree at Jessieville’s Phillips Field.

The host Lions, Cutter Morning Star and Mountain Pine each participated in controlled scrimmages alongside Magnet Cove, Marshall, Mount Ida and Perryville.

Coming off a winless season that included eight forfeits because of low numbers, Mountain Pine took a first step towards a bounce-back performance in coach Sam Counce’s second year at the helm.

The Red Devils faced off against Marshall and Perryville, Counce pleased with his team’s performance in its first competition since Week 4 of last season.

“These guys welcomed the opportunity and they took advantage of it; they responded to everything we asked them to do out here,” Counce said. “I just hope we can carry this over into the first week with Jessieville. We got a lot of things out of it, but we’ve got a lot to work on too. These kids are working hard and I’m proud of them.”

Lake Hamilton transfer Fay Haywood provided a spark for the Red Devils on both sides of the ball. The senior ran for two touchdowns, including a 40-yard scamper against Marshall, and forced one fumble on defense.

“He’s ready to go every snap; you don’t have to worry about his intensity level or him doing what’s right,” said Counce. “He breaks on the ball and he gets his cuts right. He’s a very team-oriented guy and he’s been a leader for us on and off the field.”

Jessieville’s matchups with CMS, Magnet Cove and Perryville gave the host fans a glimpse of Oliver Nasilai’s potential as a game-changer. Returning to Jessieville after spending the last two years at Springdale Har-Ber, the Brigham Young University verbal commit provided a boost for the Lions on offense and defense.

Nasilai had rushing touchdowns in each of the team’s three scrimmages and was a constant force in the opposing backfield at linebacker.

“He does everything we want him to do,” Jessieville coach T.J. Burk said “When you get a 250-pound guy running downhill, there’s not very many people that are going to stop him at the line. He did a really good job, especially defensively. As our mike (middle) linebacker, he’s kind of the guy that gets everybody in the right spots and I thought he did a good job of making adjustments.”

With the Lions eyeing their second-straight playoff appearance, Burk said his team relished the opportunity to compete against other teams after squaring off with each other in practice

“It’s just big to stop hitting each other for a little while,” said Burk. “Part of football is being able to hit somebody else, and we try not to kill our own guys in practice. We tell them to ease up on tackles, but it was good just to go full speed for a little while and play the game it’s supposed to be played.”

Facing off against the Class 3A Lions and reigning Class 2A champion Mount Ida, CMS was presented a golden opportunity to prepare for the difficult conference schedule ahead.

The Eagles finished 4-6 last season but had just one win in a grueling 2A-5 slate that included three teams that won at least one playoff game.

“I was very pleased; I thought our seniors stepped up and led tonight,” CMS coach T.C. Shamel said. “Offensively we’re still not where I want us to be, but it’s just preseason and this was our first competition. As far as the effort, I couldn’t be more pleased; I like what I saw tonight.”

Following the departure of all-Garland County performers James Butler and Hayden Gray, Tuesday was the debut for senior Michael Kimpton at quarterback and junior Dakota Lepitre at running back in the team’s new-look offense.

“It was big for everybody,” said Shamel. “We have a few new faces that we’ve mixed in, rotating them into different spots and learning the system but we also have a lot of seniors out there that have done this before.”

Jessieville and Mountain Pine open the season against each other Sept. 1 at Stanley May Field. Following an open date, CMS opens the season Sept. 8 at Mountain Pine.