By Jason Avery
News-Times Staff
If the 2017 season is any indication, the future for Union County's football teams is a bright one.
Four of the five schools made the playoffs with Junction City reaching the 3A state finals, El Dorado earning a bye to the quarterfinals, Smackover recorded its fifth straight opening-round win in the playoffs and Parkers Chapel qualified for the postseason for the fifth straight year.
A huge key to success for all of the teams was the rapid development of their underclassmen.
Smackover had eight underclassmen, including one freshman, who played pivotal roles in the Bucks advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
Parkers Chapel had six sophomores help pave the way for another trip to the postseason, but quarterback Caleb Jacobs showed time and again that with his ability to improvise and make plays on the run, he was difficult for opposing defenses to slow down.
For his efforts, Jacobs is the 2017 News-Times Rookie of the Year.
Overall, Jacobs completed 74 of his 163 passes for 1,416 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was also the Trojans’ leading rusher, finishing with 412 yards and four touchdowns.
Defensively, Jacobs had 38 tackles and one interception.
Needing a win against Strong to clinch a playoff spot, Jacobs was at his best, throwing four first-half touchdown passes and running for another in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory.
Another sophomore that made an impact for the Trojans was Kori Morris, who finished with 254 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 46 carries.
Joining Morris in the backfield was sophomore Garrett Taylor, who saw time at fullback, finishing with 13 yards on four carries.
Sophomores Braden Bohannan and Colton Laster started on the offensive line with the former also making an impact on defense, finishing with 23 tackles, including two sacks.
The final Trojan to make the rookie team is linebacker Klayton Ballance, who finished with 15 tackles, including 11 solo stops.
Although laden with upperclassmen, Junction City got solid production from several sophomores.
One sophomore who made a big impact on Junction City’s defense was Jakiron Cook, who recovered five fumbles while finishing with three interceptions.
Cook recorded 57 tackles, including three for a loss.
Offensively, Cook showed off his explosiveness by averaging nearly nine yards per carry in limited playing time. He scored three touchdowns.
Junction City got a glimpse of what their offense could look like in 2018 with sophomore Brady Hutcheson making a couple of starts at quarterback in place of Shuvasceiaye Frazier, who was injured.
Hutcheson completed 51 percent of his passes for 261 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for two scores.
Defensively, Hutcheson had 30 tackles, including two for a loss with two interceptions.
The sophomore also handled punting duties on occasion, averaging 34.3 yards on three punts.
Sophomore Jamie Carroll also made an impact on the Dragons’ defense. In six games, he had 15 tackles, including two for a loss with one sack and one fumble recovery.
Another key component for Junction City in 2018 will be Harlandus Frazier.
At wide receiver, Frazier showed he could make big plays by averaging 26 yards per catch on his five receptions, two of which went for touchdowns.
Defensively, Frazier registered eight tackles.
Leading the rookie team with eight members is Smackover, who came up just short in upsetting Mayflower in the second round of the playoffs.
The Bucks won't be lacking in explosive playmakers on offense with running back Dexter Crockett and wide receiver Jaqueze Modica back.
Crockett finished second on the team in rushing with 622 yards on 122 carries, including 108 yards at Mayflower.
The sophomore was also effective as a receiver, hauling in five passes for 48 yards.
Defensively, Crockett had 18 tackles, including two for a loss. He also intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown against Junction City.
Modica proved to be the favorite target for Smackover quarterbacks, as he led the team in catches and receiving yards.
Overall, Modica caught 28 passes for 541 yards while adding 209 yards on 19 carries on the ground.
Against Drew Central, Modica caught a pair of touchdown passes while also returning a punt 62 yards for a score.
Modica also made a big impact on the Bucks' defense, finishing with 51 tackles while tying for the team lead in interceptions with three. He also forced two fumbles.
Another sophomore the Bucks will be relying upon heavily in 2018 is Dawson Biggers.
Biggers had a solid debut season on defense, registering 29 tackles, including three for a loss along with two sacks.
On offense, Biggers caught five passes for 49 yards.
The Bucks also have several promising linemen in Brylee Monrreal, Brooks Tolin and Alex Savage to build with up front.
The lone freshman to make the squad, Monrreal started at right tackle for much of the second half of the season.
Tolin finished with 25 tackles, including one for a loss, while Savage recovered two fumbles while picking up seven tackles.
James Gatewood, a sophomore, finished with 15 tackles, and fellow sophomore Harley Williams handled the kicking duties for the Bucks.
On their way to a 9-2 season, El Dorado relied upon a pair of sophomores in Alex Hicks and Greysen Hubbard.
A running back, Hicks finished with 570 yards rushing and six touchdowns, averaging nearly 6 1/2 yards per carry.
In the Wildcats' win over Benton, Hicks rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
Hubbard handled the kicking chores for the Wildcats, connecting on 41 of his 44 extra-point attempts while going 6-of-8 on field goals.
A trio of sophomores stand to figure prominently for Strong this fall as juniors.
Makaelis Jefferson saw some playing time at quarterback this past season, while Jamyron Thompson started at cornerback and Derrion Davis was a two-way standout for the Bulldogs.