By Tony Burns
Sports Editor
El Dorado coach Scott Reed said he was just looking to find some depth for his varsity football team on Thursday when he entered the Jim Golden Ford 7-on-7 Tournament at Camden Fairview. Despite missing several starters, the Wildcats, not only found depth, they added to their trophy collection.
El Dorado defeated Nashville 23-16 in overtime to claim the title.
"There were times we didn't look very good early. We were 1-3 in pool play. The team we beat was Nashville, which was the team we beat in the finals," Reed said. "The other three games, we had some growing pains but they hung together and showed some real toughness. It was hot. But, they did a great job of competing."
The 12-team tournament included El Dorado's varsity and JV, Fairview's varsity and JV, Magnolia, Malvern, Junction City, Prescott, Smackover, Nashville and Ouachita Christian's varsity and JV.
Starters missing from El Dorado included quarterback Alex Hicks, receiver Shun Levingston and safety Calab Scott. Wanya Frazier quarterbacked the Wildcats, who went 1-3 in pool play.
El Dorado would hand Ouachita Christian it's first loss during tournament play before edging the JV Wildcats in the semifinals. In the championship game, Frazier connected with tight end Alex Boone for a touchdown in traffic. Defensively, El Dorado stopped the Scrappers at the 5-yard line to get the win.
"Honestly, Wanya has pretty much been playing wide receiver exclusively," said Reed. "We were just going to take the young guys. But, we got to thinking. We really needed to look at some kids in other spots and develop some depth. I went to Wanya on Tuesday. 'What do you think about playing quarterback in some 7-on-7?' He said, 'I'm in.' He did a tremendous job. I'm proud of him."
When asked what that might mean for Frazier as far as a position change, the coach said, "You never know what's going to happen. A couple years ago, we ended up playing (punter Brennan) Claypoole at quarterback. We want Wanya to get on the field. Right now, his best chance is at wide receiver. But, he knows our system. And, he's sharp. He picks things up in a hurry. It was a good thing to get him some work there."
Boone also stood out at tight end, especially in Levingston's absence.
"Alex had a really good day. He got better and better. In fact, the other teams were yelling, 'Watch out for the big guy. That's their go-to guy.' He really performed well," said Reed. "We moved him out some, trying to move him around so he's not always at tight end. We've started flexing him out. He had a really good day."
Reed also mentioned Trey Norman and Devunte Kidd along with tailbacks Keontae Larry, Hunter Dear and Kevontae Yarbrough. Defensively, William Artis and L.J. Yarbrough played a lot at cornerback along with Devarious Bell and Skylar Higgins, who "had a good day at safety."
The Wildcats played well on the field but Reed was especially pleased with the mental toughness shown by his group.
"Our kids kept working. Some of them were playing positions they weren't used to playing. But, it really showed a lot about their grit and their resolve. They played better when they were tired. I was really impressed to see them play well in the actual tournament time," said Reed.
"I was really proud of the way our kids competed, especially with some guys out. Our young group, which was almost all sophomores, they went 2-2 in pool play and actually had a higher seed than the older group. They won their first two tournament games."
Reed said Eli Shepherd quarterbacked the JV along with Jarmel Love, who also took snaps at receiver.
"He had a real good afternoon catching it. He caught a number of touchdown passes."
The 7-on-7 was just the most recent activity for the Wildcats, who finished spring practice in late May. Since then, El Dorado has participated in team camps at SAU, Nashville and OBU. At Ouachita, the Wildcats practiced against Sylvan Hills, Pulaski Academy and Greenwood.
The Arkansas Activities Association-mandated two-week dead period begins after next week. After that, El Dorado will host its own 7-on-7 with the varsity on July 13 and the junior high on July 20.
"We had a number of kids leave OBU and go to UCA for an O-line and D-line camp. We had six go to Memphis for the mega-camp last Sunday. They all performed well. Then, we had four or five that went to the University of Arkansas for a camp," said Reed. "Some of our kids are scheduled to go to some other places. We're hoping some will go to Louisiana Tech in a couple of weeks. We're busy. Our kids have been very busy this June.
"I think we made a lot of progress. I'm really pleased. I thought we did a good job in team camp. I think our kids are getting some confidence, which is good. I think our group is getting excited."