ALL-AREA DEFENSIVE TEAM

Speed, aggression, football savvy, a yearning for success, are just a few of the intangibles the members of the News-Times All-Area Defense possess.

This season, the 11 players on the All-Area defense are represented by three football programs.

On the 6A level, El Dorado rallied late in the season to garner a postseason berth. Once in the playoffs, as usual, coach Scott Reed’s team made its presence felt as the Wildcats went on the road and upset Searcy. El Dorado’s run came to an end a week later at Benton.

Nonetheless, throughout the season the Wildcats received solid contributions from Zach McGhee, Lake Tucker, Unterrio Jones, Destin Miller, Randall Coleman, and Rhett Conner.

McGhee was a stout presence in the middle of El Dorado’s defensive line. The 5-8, 245 pound senior defensive tackle, had 57 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss in yards, 1.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries.

“We’ve had a good run here for defensive tackles. Zach moved over from the offensive side of the ball where he started two years for us,” said El Dorado Defensive Coordinator Jake Monden. “Going into the summer, we were kind of missing that guy to be that cog in there, to be that plug - a guy who was not going to get moved, who was going to maintain the line of scrimmage and be physical. We looked at Zach and figured out pretty quick that he could do a great job for us. Zach did a good job this year as far as, week-toweek, understanding his role and understanding what we needed out of him.”

Also on the line, but out at defensive end, Tucker (6-4, 260) played well amassing 67 tackles, 10 for a loss in yards, six sacks, three forced fumbles, and a pair of fumble recoveries.

“I thought, progressively, as the year went on, Lake got better and better every game. I remember when we were in the Parkview game this year, we had to do some things different and take some chances and Lake was really good as far as being effective in that game,” Monden said of the junior. “That was a huge game for us with their passing attack and he put pressure on the quarterback and put some hits on him. It was huge for us that game. Every game, Lake got progressively better with his run defense and also in the pass rush stuff. I thought his motor got better and better as the year went on.”

At linebacker, Jones excelled in his senior campaign. He amassed a team high 130 tackles. His 73 solo tackles also led El Dorado. Additionally, Jones (5-10, 210) accounted for three forced fumbles, and one interception.

“Unterrio has come a long way. As a sophomore, Unterrio was just another guy. We moved him around quite a bit as a senior. He started out as the Mike and we ended up putting him at the Sam,” Monden stated. “He was what we needed as far as that edge. He was a presence in every game. The thing about Unterrio, he understood the things he needed to work on and he worked on them.”

Monden had the luxury of having a legitimate shutdown corner in Miller. The 5-9, 165 pound junior had 58 tackles, 13 pass break-ups, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and one forced fumble this season.

“Destin is solid. To me, he’s one of the best corners in the league. He’s a guy we can give a job to or assign him to a receiver and he’s going to do his best. He’s an internal competitor, competes with himself every snap,” the coach said. “If Destin gets beat on a route or gets beat on a concept, he definitely has a good mind for what he’s doing and you’re not going to beat him twice. One thing I love about him, he’s a great practice player. He competes every day and he’s a leader in the secondary. He’s a quiet leader.”

Coleman (5-11, 155) saved his best for last. Monden was impressed with how the cornerback developed and had a solid season as a senior. Coleman contributed 33 tackles, eight pass-breakups, three interceptions, and one tackle for a loss in yards.

“He’s always been real athletic. This last year, I was happy to see Randall step up and just put it all together,” Monden said. “He’s always had speed. He’s had a tough time putting it all together and being a total player. But Randall came on this year for us. He made two or three big picks for us this year. Once he understood what we were trying to do in the secondary, he got better and better every game.”

Perhaps the fastest Wildcat was Conner. A 5-10, 175 pound senior strong safety, Conner was a playmaker. The 6A All-State selection had 104 tackles, 72 of which were solo. Conner also compiled 12 pass-breakups, four forced fumbles, and one interception.

“He’s been a guy we’ve moved around on the field all three years, matching him up with people, putting him in spots in the run game,” Monden acknowledged. “He’s been a guy that’s been great in space and had a massive tenacity about him. We’re going to miss Rhett Conner. He’s going to be a hard one to replace.”

In Class 3A, the Smackover Buckaroos had aspirations of obtaining a state crown. Coach Brian Strickland’s team finished short of their goal losing in the state semifinals to Rivercrest. In the process of winning a league title and surging deep into the state playoffs, the Buckaroos shined defensively. Thus, Trevor Eppinette, Khalil Lowery, Keiandre Purifoy, and Willie Davis represent the Buckaroos on the All-Area Defense.

Eppinette (5-6, 180) could compete at either linebacker or on the line. In his senior season, Eppinette – a 3A All-State selection – spent the majority of the time as a down lineman. He was able to amass 141 tackles, 69 being of the solo variety.

“He played down on the defensive side and he made plays,” said Strickland. “He could also play at fullback but we saved him mostly for the defensive side of the ball. Trevor just made a lot of plays for us.”

Lowery was one of the biggest surprises for Strickland. The 6-3, 195 pound defensive end returned to football after not playing in previous seasons. Once he caught on, Lowery performed well as he finished with 50 tackles, 26 of which were solo.

“He was a big surprise. Khalil hadn’t played the past couple of years. He came back this season and took over a defensive end spot,” Strickland said. “He was an anchor. Khalil made plays. He’s so tall and long teams had a hard time of running at him or getting him out of the way.”

Purifoy was the leader of Smackover’s defense. He consistently made plays at numerous levels of the field. The 5-11, 195 pound senior linebacker finished with 124 tackles – 76 of which were solo – and one interception. Offensively, Purifoy amassed slightly over 900 yards rushing. The 3A All-State selection had 17 touchdowns via the run and completed 3-of-4 passes for two touchdowns. He also made 35 of 39 extra points.

“Keiandre, he was a player that always battled until the very end,” Strickland stated.

The smallest member of the All-Area defense, Davis used speed, quickness, and strength to be a major factor for Smackover. He had a team high 148 tackles, 92 were solo, with one interception. Offensively, Davis (5-3, 180) ran the ball 14 times for 102 yards and four TDs.

“Willie led us in tackles. He did a great job,” Strickland said of the senior. “I had several coaches who we played that complimented Willie afterward. Teams tried to run away from Keiandre and Willie would make them pay.”

The Junction City Dragons were comprised mostly of sophomores this season. Thus, coach David Carpenter needed his experienced personnel to step up and lead the way.

Blake McLelland (5-11, 190) excelled at fulfilling the previously referenced task. McLelland was a dependable, versatile player for the Dragons, who were eliminated in the second round of the Class 2A state playoffs by Conway Christian.

McLelland – who spent most of the season as a defensive lineman – had 84 tackles, 26 were unassisted. He also compiled 3.5 sacks, forced two fumbles, recovered a pair of fumbles, and blocked one punt. On offense, he had 14 carries for 121 yards and one TD. McLelland caught 12 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns.

“Blake is a guy who has played on the offensive line the last two years. We then moved him to receiver this season because he has strength, real good speed, and he can catch. On defense, we started him out at d-end and put him down on the defensive line,” Carpenter stated. “With the improvement of Keelan Ford, we were able to put Blake on the line and that gave us more experience and depth on the defensive line. He was tough to block because he was so quick. He’s going to be missed.”