Page 3 - Football.2017

El Dorado
Wildcats hope to have much improved depth at quarterback
By Tony Burns
Sports Editor
During the meaty portion of El Dorado’s football season in 2016, the Wildcats’ starting quarterback was the punter. And, while Brennan Claypoole did a more than admira- ble job, even he would’ve admitted a team starting its emergency signal caller probably wasn’t the ideal sit- uation.
El Dorado’s season was crushed by a slew of injuries a year ago. Quarterback Darius Holly was one of the many injury victims, which triggered a revolving door at the position until he returned to lead a playoff surge.
Holly returns for his senior season, a much more experienced and sea- soned signal caller. Just as important for the Wildcats has been the emer- gence of sophomore Alex Hicks, who has apprenticed as the back- up. Sophomores Jared Rhodes and Clayton Helm have both worked at quarterback during the preseason, giving Coach Scott Reed enough depth at the position to move junior Wanya Frazier to receiver.
“I feel really good,” said Reed. “I love the situation I’m in at that posi- tion. I do.”
Holly (6-0, 175) drew rave reviews during the preseason workouts after leading the Wildcats through a suc- cessful 7-on-7 campaign in the sum- mer.
“I hate to compare year-to-year but I think Darius is a much better player than a year ago,” said Reed. “He’s always been gifted throwing the ball. He throws a nice, catchable ball. Not only that, he’s got a lot of arm. Also, I think he’s accurate. But, mentally, he’s so much better this year.”
In addition to quality depth, Hicks (5-6, 168) brings an extra dimension and a different look at quarterback this season.
“Alex brings other things to our offense that we hadn’t had in awhile. He is a duel-threat to say the least,”
said Reed. “He has a quick, strong arm. He’s learning in the passing game. But, he can make plays, also, when it doesn’t look like there’s a play to be made. Sometimes you kind of hold your breath and won- der what is he doing. And then you look up and you go, ‘oh, that’s really good.’ And he works hard at it, too. He’s competitive and that’s helping Darius. It’s not really a battle. I told both of them, it’s going to take both of them.”
Reed said, because of Hicks’ abili- ty to run, El Dorado’s offense offers a new look just by inserting him into the game.
“It’s very different. We’re still doing the same but the play calling would be a little different,” said Reed. “I think it makes us harder to defend because they are different. They bring different things to our offense. I’d say we’re doing more, maybe. I think it’s a great situation to have.”
Reed has a reputation as sort of an offensive wizard. So, how many plays does he have with both Holly and Hicks on the field at the same time?
“Oh, now you want to get into the real secrets of what’s going on,” he laughed. “Right now, none. But, that’s going to change.
“I wanted Alex to take the reps at quarterback. I think that’s the hardest thing to do. So, I have not let him do anything else in camp. I think the other part will transition fairly easily. That’s my hope. But, we could use him in some other spots.”
Of course, as last year showed, just having two quarterbacks isn’t always enough.
“We have Jared Rhodes and Clayton Helm and we still have Wanya Frazier. we just aren’t using him,” said Reed. “He’s playing wide receiver and rotating in with the first group. So, our emergency situ- ation looks better.”
Terrance Armstard/News-Times
Signal callers: El Dorado’s quarterbacks for the 2017 season, pictured with coach Scott Reed, include, from left, Jared Rhodes, Darius Holly, Alex Hicks and Clayton Helm.
El Dorado NEWS-TIMES – Wednesday, August 30, 2017 – 3
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