Miners start season on the road
BAUXITE – After a 4-8 season which included a firstround win over Huntsville in the 4A state playoffs before falling in the second round to Dumas, the Bauxite Miners are set to open the season Friday on the road. The Miners will take on the Riverview Raiders, a team Bauxite shut out 42-0 in last year’s season-opener, Friday in Searcy.
Though the Raiders, finishing 0-9 last year, weren’t much of a match for the Miners last season, now second-year Coach Caleb Perry said his team is not taking Riverview for granted.
“They certainly look like they move around faster and look coached up, not that they didn’t last year,” Perry said of the Raiders. “They looked pretty good on their film, so we’re definitely not going to take them lightly.
“I think the thing I like most about them is they play hard and they ran to the ball on defense. It seemed they moved around really well.”
While Riverview may be improved, Perry said he is focusing more on the Miners than the Raiders.
“The main thing is us worrying about ourselves,” the
coach said. “We just have to focus on us, worry about executing our offense and defense. Of course the first couple games of the year special teams always can be interesting, so we have to make sure we're doing things right on that end. We have to focus on us, come out and play hard, and play for each other.”
While the Miners have lost some talented, experienced players from a season ago, they still have some talent and experience returning, especially on the offensive end. The Miners return junior quarterback Hunter Ferrell, a run-pass quarterback who threw for 1,460 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, while also running for 497 and five TDS.
Senior Devin Jones returns at running back after rushing for 403 yards and four TDS a year ago, while senior receiver Braden Arnold will be key after leading Bauxite with 34 catches for 730 yards and seven TDS, leading Saline County with a 21.4 yards-per-catch average.
Junior Russ Mccone will provide some depth as a change-of-pace back after rushing for 170 yards a year ago.
“We have another running back who is a good complement to Devin,” Perry said of Mccone. “He's a small, fast guy. It's kind of a thunder/ lightning situation with those two.”
Sophomore Noah Britton and junior Aden Palmer will see time at fullback and tight end, respectively.
“We've had a great week of practice,” Perry said. “The guys are the second year into the offense, so we're confident with the offense.”
While the Bauxite offense will be more seasoned this season, the Bauxite defense will have a different look, especially with just two senior starters.
“The defense is a whole new system,” Perry explained. “It's all you've ever seen and nothing you've ever seen. We're moving people around. We're not going to stand still and let people block us. There's a lot of crazy-looking stuff with our defense, but our kids love it and they play fast. It just frees them up to have fun. That's what we're trying to do is cause chaos.”
That chaos will be led by senior defensive back Zack Taylor, Bauxite's leading returning tackler with
83, adding five for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, two recoveries and four quarterback hurries. While Perry acknowledges the secondary will be a strength on the defensive side, he believes it's even with the defensive line and linebackers.
“I think we're pretty balanced across the board,” he said. “I would say our secondary is one of our strengths. They've done a great job in 7-on-7.”
While the defense has just two senior starters, there aren't many more on the offensive side.
“We're young,” Perry said. “We could possibly be the youngest team in 4A. We only have seven seniors together, but all those guys do a good job. They're team players and rooting for the younger guys because they know they have to have them.”
Perry said his Miners are ready to open the first Saline County game of the season Friday at Riverview, with kickoff coming at 7 p.m.
“It's an added challenge playing on the road because it's out of your comfort zone,” the coach said. “It's going to be hot. It always sounds different, feels different when you're away. Being away can either bring you together and unite you, or it can cause division because guys are out of sync. I think this is a great game to play away with a chance to win on the road.”
Full game story will be in Sunday's edition of The Saline Courier.