El Dorado’s dress rehearsal for the 2022 football season kicks off at 7 tonight at Memorial Stadium in a benefit game against North Little Rock.
The Charging Wildcats advanced to the semifinals of the Class 7A state playoffs last year. El Dorado opens the season as the reigning 6A state champion but has some questions that can only be answered under Friday night lights.
“I just want to see us compete at a high level. North Little Rock is a great football program. Coach (Randy) Sandefur is a phenomenal football coach,” said El Dorado coach Steven Jones. “They’re coming off a good year. They have a number of college prospects on their team, especially on their defense. I just want to see our guys compete with those guys and get after a team that’s in a higher classification than us.”
North Little Rock went 10-3 last year with two losses to eventual 7A state champion Bryant. The Charging Wildcats fell to Bryant 28-13 in the state semifinals.
“Right out of the gate to play a team of that caliber, you better be ready. But I feel like we’re ahead of the game in preparation as far as having our team Friday night ready,” said Jones.
“The downside of it, too, it could be a physical game. We want to come out of it injury free. Both teams know what’s at stake there and I feel like we’ll take care of each other. Our quarterbacks aren’t going to be live so that should kind of set the tone there.”
Senior Kolin Parker will get his first start at quarterback for the Wildcats.
“Last year we designated quarterbacks (would be) live if it was a designed run. We haven’t talked specifically about that but we’ll probably do the same thing this year. I don’t think either of us have very mobile quarterbacks so I doubt we’ll have designed runs from the quarterbacks,” Jones said.
“We’ll do all the kicking game stuff like a regular Friday night but none of those units will be live. And then we’ll have starters in the first half and then we’ll play it by ear. We may start the third quarter with starters. We may go straight to the second team. Both teams will decide that at halftime.”
North Little Rock used a spread offense last year with a tight end. Defensively, Jones said the Charging Wildcats used a variety of fronts.
“We’ll have to be ready to see all those things and that’ll be good for us to get a look at a multiple defense early.”
From a personnel standpoint, Jones said the Wildcats will use two running backs in seniors Shadarious Plummer and Elijah Davis.
The offensive line replaced three starters and a pair of thousand-yard receivers graduated.
“We’ll have some young guys start on the offensive line that don’t have the Friday experience. They have the size. They have the strength. It’s just getting those Friday night reps with a live defense across from them. We’ll see what they can do,” Jones said.
“We know TJ Dunn and DeAndra Burns are our best two returning receivers. I want to see who’s going to step up. We have a handful of guys - Jacobi Montgomery, Demarcus Young - J Prince Roberson and Dominique Grimes are both sophomores that could potentially help us. We want to see who that third and fourth guy to step up and potentially that fifth guy. Last year we’d go five wides at times so we need to know what we have there.”
El Dorado could show several formations on offense even in a benefit game.
“Kolin has been in the system now for three years so he understands the base of what we do offensively,” said Jones. “So we have the ability to be more multiple with our personnel, maybe four wides, maybe a tight end/fullback on the field. We can kind of mix and match depending on where we are on the field and what we want to do and how we feel their personnel is going to match us. We’re looking forward to that chess match to start the season to see how defenses play certain formations and personnel.”
Defensively, the Wildcats will look to find depth at linebacker. Jones said the corner opposite Bryson Boulden is still unoccupied.
“I’m also excited to see the corners compete. We still have a decision to make there,” he said. “Bryson Boulden is going to be a three-year starter but then three other guys have been rotating at practice and doing a good job as far as understanding what we’re doing and learning a new defensive system.”
LeVictor Levingston, Ajavion Gilmore and Jakobe Shipp will compete for time at cornerback.
Although kicking game won’t be live, Jones said it’s important to give those units reps on Friday night.
Overall, the coach just stressed competing as the primary focus - competing against a team in a different uniform, from a different classification that could end up being better than any team on the schedule.
“Everybody is ready to kick off the season,” said Jones. “I’m excited to have the stands filled and take the field as the defending state champion and see if we can make another run.”