Tigers Tune Up For Football Season

PRAIRIE GROVE SQUAD RETOOLS ON DEFENSIVE SIDE OF BALL

PRAIRIE GROVE— Prairie Grove achieved a 10-2 record in 2020 with head coach Danny Abshier (209116-2) going over 200 wins.

The Tigers won by an average of almost three touchdowns while scoring 40.4 points- per- game and allowing 20.1 points on defense pushing eventual state champion Shiloh Christian into the fourth quarter before falling 42-28.

Shiloh Christian held an edge last season with Eli Wisdom, a running quarterback, but the Tigers may be able to replicate that with Paytin Higgins creating a dynamic conference race.

“Looking outside in, you’d have to say they’d be the favorite in the conference again with no more people than they have graduated along with a couple of Razorback signees,” Abshier said. “Also they didn’t lose that much. In fact, one on defense, one on offense.”

Regardless of how much firepower the Saints retain, Prairie Grove will line up and contend for a conference title in its last season as a member of the 4A-1 before jumping to Class 5A next year.

At quarterback Camden Patterson ( 5- 10, 145) is slated as No. 1 with Paytin Higgins poised to battle for the starting job.

Abshier lauds Luke Vance (5-9, 145), who doesn’t look bad as a sophomore.

“He’s been working hard. He’s got leadership skills also,” Abshier said.

Meanwhile defensive coordinator Craig Laird fully intends to refine the Tigers despite key losses to graduation.

“We are excited about our defense. I’ve talked to a lot of people. We’ve got a lot of talent on our defense. We’ve got a lot of question marks, but we’ve got a lot of experience on our line,” Laird said. “Linebackers might be our biggest question mark, linebackers and safeties as far as filling shoes. You try to replace a Cade Grant and a Foster Layman.”

Most of Laird’s defensive projections played special teams last year. John King was on all the special teams and may have been the leading tackler on special teams.

“He can run and tackle and that’s what we want on that side of the ball,” Laird said.

The Tigers are big, strong and aggressive up front in Laird’s scheme. Ryder Orr has the most experience at defensive tackle. He played a lot last year.

“Ryder squats over 400, Ryder’s got the frame. He’s already got some colleges kind of looking at him with his size and his build,” Laird said. “He’s a two-way guy so we expect a lot out of him.”

Coaches hope Cooper Singleton will be playing quite a bit as one of Prairie Grove’s strongest kids.

“He’s really fast, he was a skill guy on offense for a long time and we decided we think he helps a lot just playing him on defense at that tackle because he squats over 400,” Laird said.

Conner Brunson (5-11, 300) moved off for a year, came back, and last year helped with filming.

“Conner really has the desire. He’s a senior, he just wants to go out there. He’s just hungry, hungry, wants to play and he’s all the time asking me where’s he’s at, what he can do. He’s just having to learn what he can do cause the last time he played for us he was in junior high, but he’s got some tools for sure. He’s not the fastest, but his feet are pretty good. You see him agility-wise he can do some things, he’s just got to learn where to line up and what we need him to do assignment-wise and he’ll be a good one,” Laird said.

Matthew Velasco will play both defensive tackle and end depending on the need. Laird is hoping for him to be the guy to kind of replace Gunner Caudle, who was voted the conference’s Outstanding Defensive lineman last year earning All-Star status.

“I feel like Velasco has got some of those same tools. He’s got a really good football IQ ,” Laird said.

Corbin Bowlin didn’t play much defense last year, but has the length, strength and work ethic.

“He can do some things for us. He’s got that long, rangy body, real intense,” Laird said while assistant coach Nik Paroubek points out “In his limited reps on defense he had tackles for loss.”

King’s a little lighter than coaches want for linebacker where he played last year, yet brings good instincts to defensive end.

“John’s just got a big heart. He’s got a really hard motor, he goes all the time, runs really well so we’re trying to find ways to get him in the action,” Laird said.

Paroubek notes the roster includes a few sophomore defensive lineman, who could start working their way up the depth chart.

Senior Jacob London helps.

“The main thing I’m really looking for from him is to really help lead the defense because right now what we don’t have yet, we don’t have the leadership on defense that we had last year and so we’re really trying to develop that. That’s where we’re missing,” Laird said.

Joe Sims, the strongest sophomore, impressed coaches in practice during a 1-on-1 drill by taking on Brunson, the 300-pounder, and holding his own.

“Joe Sims has a motor, oh, he’s fun to coach cause he’s so intense, always happy unless he messes up,” Laird said.

Sims wears his emotions on his sleeve, so he’s a lot like the guy calling the defense.

“You don’t have to wonder what he’s thinking. He’s either happy or he’s mad or he’s disappointed or he’s upset and I love that about him. He came in here as a seventh grader and just has grown, oh, he works hard and he’s going to have to play defense for us,” Laird said.

Sophomore David Stevens might be a guy who gets a look at defensive end.

“He’s strong, he plays baseball and he lifted all [spring]. He lifted with baseball and he lifted with us and he’s just smart, very dry. He’s very neat. All summer just about he was the first one to practice. We practiced at 7 in the morning and I joked with the other guys. I said, ‘Man, none of you are going to be able to beat David to practice’ because David would be the first one in that weight room every day. Just tries real hard, but he’s young,” Laird said.

At outside linebacker Coner Whetsell can run, is extremely strong, talented, and very physical.

“Coach Abshier is trying to get the ball in his hands so he won’t play as much defense maybe as I would like for him to but for the team’s sake I think it’ll be good to let him get some air,” Laird said.

Landyn Washausen could be an impact player after changing his schedule to continue working out with the football team despite playing another sport in the spring.

“When you have kids like that, man, you want to do every thing you can to honor that kid and that’s the kind of worker he is,” Laird said. “Again, it’s [ Cedarville] coach Max Washausen’s nephew, Ethan Miller’s cousin, Landyn played soccer and showed some glimpses of some aggressiveness in soccer that I haven’t seen when he was younger so he’s going to get some time at cornerback. We got to use him there. He’s paid his dues, he’s worked hard and we’re going to try to use him as much as we can.”

At strong safety Ethan Miller combines experience with being maybe the most athletic kid on the team.

“We expect him to be able to play to help us, but he’s also going to be on offense a lot so we’re trying to two-platoon,” Laird said.

The other guy playing that position is Alex Helms, who’s back. He moved away to Colorado, moved back to Prairie Grove, moved to Colorado, then moved back.

“He’s been back and forth. He’s here now, runs pretty well. He’s really intense, he’s really vocal. He’s trying to lead, really intense like, I just love his intensity, looking forward to seeing what he can do when we get pads on,” Laird said.

Kobe Frazier moved back and forth last year after playing linebacker two years ago. In 2020 one of the secondary players quit two games into the season so coaches started trying to fill that hole. Assistant coach Nik Paroubek suggested, “How about Kobe Frazier?”

“Kobe’s a very athletic kid, he played both last year. He played some safety, he played some inside linebacker, but we have completely moved him to safety, but that’s probably what makes me nervous in my linebacking department because he’s got some experience there. He made some good plays in 7-on-7. He was one of our leaders on tackles on kickoff team. He’ll tackle, he’ll hit, he’ll run,” Laird said.

The Tigers don’t have a game in zero week. They open on the road at rival Farmington in the annual ‘Battle of 62’ on Sept. 3.

MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Prairie Grove rising senior Landon Semrad hauls in a pass near the sideline. Semrad was named to the All-Conference team as a wide receiver, who played defensive back in 2020.