By Jason Avery
News-Times Staff
Coaches always strive for balance on offense.
But more often than not, teams usually become more reliant on one facet or the other.
However, Danville seems to have found a perfect harmony.
The Little Johns enter tonight’s game against Smackover in the second round of the 3A playoffs with an offense that has been rolling over the last month.
During the Little Johns’ five-game winning streak that followed a 3-3 start, Danville has scored 205 points, good for an average of 41 points per game.
Senior quarterback Preston Donnell guides Danville’s offense, and he has played very well down the stretch.
In wins over Jessieville and Perryville, Donnell went a combined 36-of-57 passing for 622 yards with eight touchdowns against just two interceptions.
“Our offense really doesn’t start hitting until about Week 5 or 6 from the stuff that we do,” said Danville coach D.J. Crane. “He started out a little slow, but he has really caught fire the last four weeks. He’s really thrown the ball well. In the last four weeks, his completion percentage is close to 80 percent. It’s just been unreal. He started out slow early in the year, and a lot of that wasn’t his fault. We were banged up and playing kids that weren’t ready to play yet. He’s really clicking now, and he understands what we want him to do. He’s really played some good football.”
Donnell is also a threat to run the ball when the need arises, and Smackover coach Brian Brown said the Bucks’ defense faces a major test.
“Obviously with the throwing and the running, it makes it a double-edged sword,” Brown said. “You’ve got to stop both, so it’s tough. Being a senior, that’s always a big deal to me. When you have a senior quarterback, you’ve got a guy that’s a leader and can get the job done. He’s one of those guys.”
Brown added that Danville’s offense is unique in one aspect.
“They run a lot of jet sweep stuff,” Brown said. “If you’re trying to blitz or do something like that because they throw the ball well, they can get you caught in a spot that you don’t want to be in. They run the jet sweep with a couple of guys, and they run it well. It’s one of their favorite plays, and not many teams do that.”
When Donnell drops back to pass, he certainly isn’t lacking in receiving threats.
Dalton Reagan, T.J. Lewis, Zach Stanley, Evan Lane and Eli Lane, all seniors, each are in double digits in receptions.
“It’s nice to have that kind of receiving core,” Crane said. “You really just can’t hone in on one guy, because we’ve got enough weapons out there that we can hurt you. We’re not going to wow you with speed. That’s not going to happen. You going to look at us and think, ‘How in the world are these guys winning?’ But they’re good football players. They’re not fast. They don’t have a lot of blazing speed, but they know how to play the game and they’re tough.”
Over the last two years, senior running back Quentin Tolbert has been one of the most productive running backs in the state thanks to consecutive seasons with over 1,000 yards.
“He’s under the radar as far as talent,” Crane said of Tolbert, adding that he has an offer from Hendrix College and has received interested from Arkansas Tech and Ouachita Baptist. “He can really go. He will not blaze you with speed. He’s an intelligent kid. He scored a 25 on his ACT. He is as tough as they come when it comes to playing the game. There was a time when he was averaging 110 snaps a game. My philosophy with offense is you don’t wear kids down. You’ve got to keep them healthy for the season, plus you’ve got to keep everybody happy, so a lot of people need to touch the ball. That’s one thing that we do. I want to say six or seven guys have five or more touchdowns, so we kind of spread the wealth a little bit, but when it’s time to get a yard, he’s getting it.”
Brown also had plenty of praise for the senior.
“He’s kind of what makes their offense go,” Brown said. “He’s a really good player. He’s a good runner and he’s a good linebacker also. He’s going to be tough to bring down. They run some counter with him, and he’s got a little speed. He’s a tough competitor. He’s going to be difficult. It’s tough on a defense, because they can run the ball with him and then turn around and throw the ball.”
But while Danville has plenty of weapons on offense, they also have a playmaker on defense that is rather hard to miss.
At 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds, senior defensive lineman Jarrique Hinton is a rather imposing figure who has spent plenty of time in opposing backfields.
“He’s good. He’ll be one of the best football players on the field,” Crane said. “Just looking at him, he’s big. He’s 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds and he’s got a motor on both sides of the ball. He’ll be playing college football.”
Brown concurred.
“He’s a good player,” Brown said. “He plays on both sides of the ball. He’s their big man on the D-line.”
The balance and the unselfishness that the Little Johns have is something that has been a key to their success.
“It’s a really good group of kids,” Crane said. “They’re hard-working kids. They’re very unselfish. They’ve just played really well together. They haven’t lost a lot of games together. They’ll be ready to play this game. They’ve done a lot of winning.”