WOODLAND JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL : Solid start in opener critical for Cowboys
Posted on Thursday, September 4, 2008
ANTHONY REYES Northwest Arkansas Times Woodland Junior High coach Bobby Crockett calls a play to his offense during practice Aug. 27 in Fayetteville.
A sturdy beginning is the ignition that Woodland coach Bobby Crockett hopes will spark a competitive fire that fuels a turnaround for his Cowboys.
This year’s Cowboys went 4-6 as eighth graders last season, but Crockett said that doesn’t have to be their future. The future begins now. The present, however, begins with a nonconference tilt at Harmon Field against cross-town rival Ramay today. Last year, the freshmen split their season series but the Ramay eighth graders swept.
“ Ramay’s got to be the heavy favorite after how well they played last year, ” Crockett said. “ But that doesn’t mean we can’t win. The most important thing for us is to come out firedup and get off to a good start to gauge where we are in terms of the kids’ progress on the field.
“ There’s a little added magnitude with it being a key game against a crosstown rival. These kids like to compete against each other knowing they they’ll play together one day. It makes for a fun atmosphere. ”
The primary goal, obviously, will be to find a way to win. But Crockett said he hopes that process will also help him resolve his issue at quarterback. Woodland has yet to settle on a starting quarterback between ninth graders Matt McEver and Tyler Tuck, who both currently have the edge over eighth grader Austin Allen.
“[McEver and Tuck ] are both absolutely going to play, maybe all three, ” Crockett said. “ Both of the ninth graders are doing a great job and they’re working hard. I haven’t told either one of them who’s going to start and I don’t think they care. They’re 100-percent team players.
“ Right now in practice, they’re jumping in there, just whoever wants to go first that time around. Sometimes a game-like situation will help define it. ”
Crockett called it a toss-up on which signal-caller will actually take the first snap tonight. Crockett, though, added that the starter tonight has no bearing on which QB would get the nod in Week 2.
“ It’s going to boil down to my gut feeling, ” Crockett said. “ They both do a lot of good things and right now they’re neck and neck. I just don’t know right now and it will depend on how well they perform and I how I feel about it. They’re both getting a fair shake and until someone steps up and proves they’re better than the other, I won’t know. ”
Protecting Crockett’s quarterbacks will be the job of an offensive line that was pieced together with the assistance of a fullback and two receivers, who each volunteered their services to help with the line shortage.
“ The chemistry of that unit will be very important, ” Crockett said. “ These guys could have played other positions but they’re making sacrifices to help make the team better.
“ The line right now is starting to gel. They’re working hard, they don’t complain and they’re getting better. But it’s going to take time, game situations and experience in situations we can’t emulate in practice. ”
On defense, Crockett said the play of his front seven will be key, especially at both defensive end spots, which are manned by Tyler Tipton, McEver and Tim Cavell.
“ Year in and year out Ramay always has a ton of speed and I don’t think this year’s any different, ” Crockett said. “ They’ve always had good tailbacks who can run, make things happen and are hard to tackle. We’ve got to be good tacklers. Our defensive ends and our entire front seven have to put some pressure on them. ”
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