Page 10 - 2016 Football

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El Dorado R 863-3122
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Terrance Armstard/News-Times
O-Line: El Dorado’s offensive linemen include, front from left, Tomas Howell, Dylan Drummond, Robert Cross, Kentravious Moore. Second row, Wanya Archie, Ja’Rodney Moody, Garrett Trostle and Marcus Cole. Back row, Braden Cook, Denzel Walter, Gaiton Sevell, Kylel Vickery, Kedric Peralta, Coach Nick Vaughn.
Line expects to be dominant
By Tony Burns
Sports Editor
EL DORADO – El Dorado offensive line coach Nick Vaughn believes, when it comes to football, size matters. The Wildcats’ offensive line, in particular, might have gotten too big at times in the past. He’s hoping, this season, to find the right blend of muscle and movement to push the offense in the right direction.
“In my opinion, we’ve got a lot of high expectations with this bunch. We’re as athletic as we’ve been in awhile and strong along with it,” said Vaughn. “We’re not counting on any sophomores for any significant playing time as of right now, which is a good thing. The last two years, we’ve had to rely on sophomores quite a bit. With this group, as of right now, we’re looking at all juniors and two seniors competing.”
El Dorado was one-dimensional last season, pounding opponents with its ground attack. The Wildcats look to open it up more, which means the line- men will have to be lighter on their feet.
“Nowadays, everybody is trying to beat people with speed,” said Vaughn. “You can brag all you want to about having five 300 pounders up front that can be road graders. But, when it comes to pass protection, if they can’t move, it’s a moot point.
Junior Kentravious Moore has emerged as a leader at left tackle. He started two games late in his sophomore year and will also see time on the defensive side of the ball.
“K-Mart can be a very big asset for us. He can play both sides,” said Vaughn. “How much he plays on defense, I don’t
know, yet. But, he’s going to take every snap on offense.”
Senior Ja’Rodney Moody seems solid at left guard.
“A year ago, he was a defensive line- man,” Vaughn said. “We started work- ing him in the spring. He’s been a real blessing to have. He surprises you with how much better he gets every day.”
Competing at center is junior Garrett Trostle.
“He’s undersized but he is the most knowledgable guy that we have in our room, right now,” said Vaughn. “The great thing about Garrett, he makes up so much with his mind compared to all the physical attributes he may be lacking. He can line us up. He makes our calls. He knows what everybody is doing on both sides so he can get things fixed.”
The right side of the line is still a work in progress. Tomas Howell, Denzel Walter and Robert Cross could factor in at both guard and tackle. Dylan Drummond can play center or guard.
The expectations are high and they come from within. The linemen are taking responsibility for how well the offense plays.
“We have to be dominant. For us to win titles and play for championships, we have to do that,” said Vaughn. “We don’t get all the glory. We don’t get all the big write-ups in the paper. We don’t get the notoriety when we score 45 points. But, we know for us to func- tion offensively at a high pace, at a high note, we have to be dominant.”
10 – Thursday, September 1, 2016 – El Dorado NEWS-TIMES
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