Page 6 - Football.2017

6 – Wednesday, August 30, 2017 – El Dorado NEWS-TIMES
El Dorado
El Dorado has size up front with offensive line, tight ends
By Tony Burns
Sports Editor
A large sophomore class has already produced div- idends on El Dorado’s var- sity roster. The infusion of youth has certainly been felt on the offensive line, where offensive coordinator and OL coach Nick Vaughn has a lot of large bodies from which to choose.
“I tell you what, I’ve been real pleased with them,” said Vaughn. “This is prob- ably, I don’t know if the word is ‘deepest’ bunch but we’re repping a ton of guys. We’ve got about 15 guys that we’re repping. Now, we’re heavy on the young side as far as depth goes. That’s why I say, we’re not just real deep. But, for a 6A school, I think if you have seven or eight guys who can play on a Friday, I think that’s good.”
“As a group, we’ve been really pleased with their work ethic. We’ve still got a long ways to go but fun- damentally, we’re getting there.”
Vaughn said this year’s group could be more versa- tile than others.
Up front, El Dorado’s core could be tackles Kentravious Moore (6-1, 270) and Jeremy Boone (6-1, 255) and guard
Terrance Armstard/News-Times
Offensive line: El Dorado’s offensive linemen and tight ends are coached by Nick Vaughn and Kris Borosvskis.
now that other guys aren’t seeing. It’s been really nice to see and fun to watch how he’s matured this last spring and summer and how much better he’s become.”
There’s competition at left guard.
“I tell you what, a guy who has improved as much as anybody is Braden Cook (6-1, 250, Jr.) at the left guard position,” said Vaughn. “Braden has probably had one of the best off-seasons and summers of anybody we have in our group. Our guys are noticing the difference in how he approaches every day in practice. He’s more attentive. He’s been really physical, which is good to see. And, he’s very coach- able which is important.”
Vaughn said sophomore Thomas Crawford (6-3, 225) and junior Wanya Archie (5-9, 195) were competing for playing time at center. Going into the scrimmage against Nashville, the battle could go either way.
“Both of those guys are competing for the cen- ter spot, right now,” said Vaughn. “There are things that one guy does better than the other. We’ll see how it shakes out.”
Denzel Walter (6-3, 280). With Moore on the left and Boone on the right, the Wildcats feel good about
the bookends at tackle. “K-Mart and Jeremy Boone are doing a real good job at both of those spots,” said Vaughn. “It’s amazing a difference a year makes. We didn’t expect Jeremy to have to play a lot last year. Because of some unfortu- nate events, he did. But, it was a blessing. He may not have been completely ready for it then. But, it’s made him a better player now. He was thrown into the fire and
was forced to grow up and it didn’t turn bad on him.”
Sophomore Dalton Perdue (6-6, 295) is a standout because of his size. But, the coaches believe he has the skills to rotate in at either tackle position this season.
“He’s big. He’s real big,” said Kris Borosvskis, who coaches tackles and tight ends. “For being as big as he is and as young as he is, he does some things really well. He’s got some good feet for being a big kid. The future is really bright for him as he grows in our sys- tem and gets stronger.”
Walter is a returning start- er at right guard and is El Dorado boulder in the mid- dle.
“Denzel has done a lot of good things this spring,” said Vaughn. “Denzel doesn’t look like he’s 280. He’s probably as trim and is in better shape than he’s been his entire career. More importantly is the fact that he understands the game a whole lot more. His football IQ has gone up a whole lot. He can help change protections if he sees stuff. Actually, he’s seeing stuff
GOOD LUCK TO ALL AREA TEAMS!
Make Us Proud!
Let’s Go Wildcats!
Wildcat Shirts
Razorback Gear
Flags Magnets More!
FIRE
BALL
ONIC
S
4331 JUN
CTION CIT
ELECTR
Y HWY. • EL DORA
O • 862-16
30
7994
3185
D