Prairie Grove Tigers Aim High — Reboot And Reload For Season

PRAIRIE GROVE — Some restructuring of the offense occurred at Prairie Grove during the offseason with the graduation of several key starters, including Isaac Disney, Zeke Laird and Reed Orr.

The Tigers are not short on talent. They simply reboot and reload.

Quarterback

Senior John David Elder (6-2, 168), son of assistant coach John Elder, takes over.

“He’s got a nice arm, better speed, he’s a 4.0 (GPA) kid,” Prairie Grove Coach Danny Abshier said. “He can throw it a good, long ways pretty accurate.”

A pair of juniors, Ethan Guenther (5-11, 224), and Ethan Scates (5-7, 155), are the primary backups.

“Ethan Guenther is a quarterback, who also backs up at tight end and is going to play quite a bit at defensive end,” Abshier said.

Newcomer Ethan Scates was a quarterback in ninth grade, who sat out a year due to shoulder problems.

“He’s back, he’s a good, quick quarterback who has a terrific attitude,” Abshier said.

Sophomore Graham Guenther (6-0, 207), younger brother of Ethan Guenther, also plays quarterback. He is a little taller and also plays a combination of tight end and quarterback.

Running Backs

Senior Anthony Johnson (5-8, 189) is a hitter, who has classroom smarts to make good grades. Last year, he led the Tigers in rushing with 1,265 yards on 147 carries.

“Any time he gets the ball he’s a happy man,” Abshier said. “He’s not a bad receiver.”

Junior Lane Dalton (5-9, 188) backs up Johnson.

“He’s a good, tough runner, one of our faster guys,” Abshier said.

Sophomore Jared Harger is high on the coaches’ list.

“He runs hard. It’s fun to watch him run the ball,” Abshier said. “He’s direct, forward, toward the goal line. He’s going to run into you if you’re in the way.”

Abshier is glad to have senior fullback Aaron Preston (5-7, 143), who he says, could prove valuable running the ball. Sophomore Garrett Heltemes (6-0, 178) has grown taller and enjoys running the football. He plays fullback as does classmate Keiandre Hobbs (5-4, 139).

Senior wingback Dustin Burton (5-11, 211) is another cog in the Tiger attack.

Receivers

Senior Collin Bryant (6-0, 172) demonstrated his ability to dodge defenders and gain extra yards after the catch Thursday in the Black and Gold game. His twin, Stone Bryant (5-11, 165), later scored on a touchdown pass with Collin defending. Abshier laughs because Stone called that play in the huddle on his brother.

“He’s the front-runner. He has good speed and is probably our fastest guy. He’s a very good competitor,” Abshier said.

Senior Clay Spinks (5-10, 138), junior Matt Jones (5-5, 128), junior Kaine Caswell (5-9, 148), and sophomore Harrison Lowe (5-6, 127), who sustained recent broken wrist, add depth.

Tight Ends

Prairie Grove is loaded at tight end with senior DeMarkus Cooper (6-0, 249), junior Ethan Guenther (5-11, 224), senior; James Mayers (6-0, 143), and sophomore Graham Guenther (6-0, 207).

Offensive Line

Abshier said senior Will Hawkins (6-4, 335) went to summer camps and saw improvement more than any other kid due to summer camps. He reduced his playing weight. Senior Joe Reynolds (6-1, 220) backs up Hawkins at left tackle, but moved to left guard to fill the need for a heavier guard.

Sophomore Hayden Black (6-0, 259) plays left tackle, left guard or right guard.

“Junior Cameron Cox (5-10, 174) is our center,” Abshier said. “He’s pretty light, pretty mobile.”

“I like having a quick center,” Abshier said after Thursday’s Black and Gold game.

Hawkins will move to center if needed against heavier defensive linemen.

Abshier likes the flexibility along the front.

“We can be light and mobile on our line or we can be heavier,” he said.

Senior Landon Walldrop (5-10, 296), junior; Dakota Dickerson (5-6, 211), junior Chuckie Edwards, (5-9, 205), senior Ben Beason (5-8, 169), senior Stormi Hankins, (6-0, 175), junior; Couper Allen (5-9, 155), sophomore Austin Medina (5-8, 174), and sophomore Cade Horne (5-10, 183) are in the mix.