Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Resurrected Football Career On Defense
WALKER IS FORCE AT DEFENSIVE END
PRAIRIE GROVE — Coming into the season, Prairie Grove had to make adjustments along the defensive line. Defensive coordinator Craig Laird noted the Tigers lost two pretty good defensive tackles with graduation and Dallas Lott moving out of the district. Prairie Grove needed someone they could count on in the interior so senior Jack Stone (6-4, 230) moved from defensive end to tackle.
Taking Stone’s place at defensive end is senior Solomon Walker (6-2, 210). Walker was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in June and doctors initially told him he wouldn’t be able to play football again. Still, the Prairie Grove coaches were hopeful Walker would receive medical clearance to play — which came just in time for the season.
According to Prairie Grove head coach Danny Abshier, Walker’s discipline in off-season weight training allowed him to make the move.
“We moved him to defensive end and ‘Wow,’ what a great move,” Abshier said. “He’s always been a little light, but he’s gained weight and filled out. He loves the end stuff. He loves the game.”
Not one to shy away from contact, Walker has embraced moving from the last line of defense after playing defensive back in 2015 to the first line of defense as an end this season.
“Defensive end, to put it simply, it’s so much fun,” Walker said.
“It’s just a different look on the field. As a defensive back you have to cover first. I like being in on the play. I like hitting the quarterback.
Walker started in the season opener against rival Farmington Sept. 2 and was part of a goal-line stand after the Cardinals blocked a punt on the opening series. The stop, which led to a turnover on downs, made him realize the Tigers weren’t going to be denied.
“They (Farmington) ran their best player, Xavier Staten, on a slant; Anthony (Johnson) just smoked him,” Walker said. “I knew we had the game right there.”
In the Tigers’ convincing 35-14 win, Walker made several tackles as the Tigers held Farmington to 41 yards of total offense in pitching a first-half shutout. He stuffed a draw on third-and-10, forcing Farmington to punt from the shadow of their own goal line midway through the second period. The stop was key in the battle for field position and combined with Walker’s quarterback sack causing Farmington to burn a time-out with 43 seconds left helped set up a Tiger touchdown on the final play of the half.
A week later, Walker showed no signs of relenting in his pursuit of the football as Prairie Grove defeated Vian, Okla., 35-14, to spoil the Wolverines’ Homecoming. With the exception of one touchdown run of 85 yards, Prairie Grove bottled up Vian’s outstanding runningback Terron Moses, who gained a paltry 25 yards on his other 10 rushes for an average of 2.5-yards-per-attempt.
To put the accomplishment in perspective, Moses rushed for 255 yards on 16 carries against Muldrow Aug. 26.
Vian coach Gary Willis tested the Tiger defense by incorporating a passing attack into his game plan trying to loosen up the Prairie Grove defense. They didn’t budge, holding Vian quarterback Rayne Cloud to 15 completions among 34 passes for 148 yards.
Walker was one of the reasons why Vian was unsuccessful. Walker forced a fumble with teammate DeMarkus Cooper recovering on the Wolverines’ first drive. Prairie Grove turned the turnover into a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. On the next series, Walker was in on a gang-tackle along with Dustin Burton, Anthony Johnson and Reed Orr to drop Moses for no-gain.
The defensive effort proved crucial in swinging momentum back to the Tigers after Vian recovered a pair of Prairie Grove fumbles and tied the game at 7-7. Pressure on the quarterback contributed to Clay Fidler’s interception on Vian’s first play from scrimmage after the Tigers took a 14-7 lead. Prairie Grove scored twice in the final 1:49 to stake a 21-7 halftime lead and Vian never recovered.
In a flashback to training camp, Laird and volunteer assistant coach Nike Paroubek smiled when discussing plans to play Walker at defensive end as Laird outlined a strategy to move Walker from the secondary where he played last season.
“He runs really well,” Laird said. “He’s a hard worker, who comes in extra. He’s a leader, he’s vocal.”
“He’s spirit,” Paroubek said, describing Walker as a key component of the heart and soul of the team.
Laird agreed, saying a good team without will be better with him. So far, Walker has been proving his coaches have been right on the money in switching him from defensive back to the front line.
“He’s just a motor, he just goes and goes,” Abshier said. “The harder we work him, the more he goes.”
Tiger fans love it when a plan comes together.