LIONS IN TRAINING – The Horatio Lions have pleased new coach Quion Brock with their performance in pre-season drills.
There are lots of details to be filled in, but the picture is beginning to take shape at Horatio.
Coach Quion Brock likes the way practice is going. The Lions' offensive and defensive units are taking shape.
On offense Seth Eastridge is working at center with Dillon Langlois at left guard and David Parsons at right guard. Tell Pickett is at left tackle and Alex Parsons at right.
Isauro Gonzalez is at tight end and Will Ward at split end.
In the backfield Corey Moreland is back at quarterback, Eliut Salazar at fullback, Jalon Frachiseur at tailback and Charlie Thomas at slotback.
On defense Pickett and Parsons are at the tackles with Montana Strang and Langlois at the ends. Hunter Dickson and Denver Strang are the inside linebackers and Ty Young and Kenny Lovewell at outside linebacker.
Morgan Smith is at one cornerback and Thomas at the other. Rounding out the secondary is Ward at the safety spot.
Both units are performing well. "I'm happy with both right now," Brock said.
He said his offensive philosophy is to balance the running game with the passing, which the Lions seem to be able to do, thanks to the people up front. "The line has looked good so far," Brock said.
Horatio will use both the I formation and a spread set. The coach said the personnel is versatile enough to do both. "We have good skill people who can catch the ball as well as block," he said.
To read the complete article, please see the Aug. 12 edition of The De Queen Bee.
Aug 12, 2010, 14:27
Booster club plans scramble
The second annual De Queen Booster Club Golf Scramble benefiting De Queen athletics is set for Aug. 28-29.
The entry fee for the three man scramble is $150. Prizes will be awarded for the first three places in each flight as well as hole prizes on #1, #2, #8 and #9.
For more information contact Jason Barker at 642-3375 or Cecilia MIller at 642-6104. Aug 12, 2010, 14:26
Cross joins HHS staff
CHUCK CROSS
Chuck Cross is the newest coach at Horatio.
Currently he coaches receivers, backs and the secondary for Lion football. He is also the head softball coach.
An Ashdown native, Cross graduated from Henderson State University where he played four years of baseball and one of football.
He began his coaching career at Texarkana, Texas, Middle School. He spent a year at Elysian Fields, Texas, and coached last year at Farmington in northwest Arkansas.
"Growing up in Ashdown, I knew about Horatio sports," he said. "I was attracted to the job because of the small town atmosphere. We also wanted to get closer to our families."
Cross and his wife Molly, a native of Texarkana, are the parents of a two month old daughter, Addison.
Aug 12, 2010, 14:22
Leopards on schedule in pre-season work
SPIRITED DRILL – The De Queen linemen mix it up in a pre-season drill. The Leopards have the potential to field outstanding lines on both offense and defense this season.
The Leopards are on schedule according to head coach Sam Goodwin.
Goodwin likes the Leopard line. Fernando Balderas and John Miller were starters last year. The rest of the lineup began to jell when Eric Luna moved to center.
“We needed to find a place for Luna, so we just threw him in there. He just gets better,” Goodwin explained. “Luna playing center allowed us to use Payton Covington at tight end.”
The way things stand at the moment is Balderas playing left tackle with Cole McRae at left guard. Luna is at center with John Miller at right guard, Marcus Miller at right tackle and Covington at tight end.
“I can’t imagine a better lineman than John Miller. Balderas is solid at tackle,” Goodwin said. “McRae is right there with him.”
Zach Battiest at guard and Kensey Morris at guard and tackle will both see playing time according to the coach.
Also tight end Rich Stone and guard Nick O’Dell could work their way into playing time as could center Miguel Soria. “Soria fights tooth and nail,” Goodwin said.
Marquette Williams and Trey Gentry are the split ends while Shaq Williams and Daniel Aguillar are the flankers.
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To read the complete article, please see the Aug. 12 edition of The De Queen Bee.
Aug 12, 2010, 14:14
Long time HHS coach departs for Jacksonville
In a last minute coaching change, Kevin Sullivan has departed Horatio and accepted a position with the Jacksonville school district.
Sullivan explained his move was triggered when his wife, Whitney, received an offer to become the head athletic trainer at Benton High School. "This is something that we couldn't really pass up," he said.
Whitney has been a certified athletic trainer for two years. "The athletic training degree at UCA is not a walk in the park," Sullivan said. "It's been frustrating to put in all that effort and not get to use the degree. I'm really excited about her getting the opportunity to do what she went to school for."
His new position is at the Jacksonville middle school, coaching football, basketball and track. Also he will be an assistant on the Jacksonville High School football staff on game nights, working in the booth.
Sullivan noted that all the commitments were not in place until last week and both Sullivans had to be at their new jobs last Monday.
"I put Horatio in a bind. I hate that," Sullivan said. "They've been very supportive. They hired me at 23. It's the only place I've coached."
In addition to assisting with football at HHS, Sullivan has been the head coach of the highly successful softball team for nine years. "This is an opportunity that's too good to pass up, but it's tough to leave the people here," he said. "I had to tell my girls; it broke me down."
The Sullivans have been involved in a flurry of activity as they relocate. They plan to stay briefly with a relative in North Little Rock while they find a place of their own. "We're trying to find a place somewhere in the Bryant/Benton area," he said. Jul 28, 2010, 11:01
