Latest Sports Tweets
McKinney Leads Group Of Young Receivers
Last updated Wednesday, November 26, 2008 9:57 PM CST in Prep Sports
By Matt Jones
SPECIAL TO THE MORNING NEWS
Related Photos
SPRINGDALE -- Entering the 2008 season, there were a lot of unknowns about the Springdale Har-Ber Wildcats.
A year removed from a state runner-up finish in Class 7A, the Wildcats returned just four starters, and only one on offense.
With more questions than answers, Har-Ber took to the weight room in February and 7-on-7 tournaments in the summer to find out who could step up at the position with the most question marks -- wide receiver.
"Those guys had been waiting for this opportunity," Har-Ber receivers coach Ric Davies said. "With the graduation of five senior receivers last year, the opportunity was there for these guys to step up and play, and they've done a good job."
The Wildcats (10-2) have passed for 2,851 yards this season with an 8-man receiving corps.
The group's statistical leader has been junior Josh McKinney, who has hauled in 42 catches for 883 yards and three touchdowns.
In last week's 21-17 second-round playoff win over Cabot, McKinney had season-highs in receptions (9) and yards (146).
"It was just motivation to get one step closer to the state championship game," said McKinney who caught a 34-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to pull the Wildcats within 17-14 in the third quarter. "Things weren't going too good. I just tried to step up and make plays for the team."
The Wildcats trailed Cabot 17-7 in the second half, but single-coverage allowed quarterback Zach Faust to find McKinney time and again, including crucial third- and fourth-down conversions late in the game.
"In our offense we have a variety of different people that can make plays," Davies said. "It didn't surprise me that Josh had a good night -- he's a good receiver. He was being single-covered quite a bit and had a good match-up.
"He's a good route runner and he knows how to use his body to get into good position. He has good hands and has made some big plays for us this year."
McKinney isn't a star receiver by any stretch. That helps him fit in on an offense that doesn't possess any one standout player.
"We have a blue-collar group of receivers who come to work to get better every day, every week," Davies said. "We don't have one guy that gets most of the looks or most of the touches. I think that's a benefit. It helps us."
Davie said McKinney's best attributes are his hands, but aren't limited to that.
"He's a really good route runner and he does a good job of making sure his spacing is correct," Davies said. "He catches the football first. Josh is real level-headed as well. He doesn't get too high and doesn't get too low. If something happens, he shakes it off and doesn't let it bother him. He moves on to the next play."
The one play at a time mindset will come in handy Friday night as the Wildcats travel to Fort Smith Southside in the Class 7A state semifinals.
Southside is 6-0 at home this season and has a defense that forced five turnovers in the first five possessions of the two teams' first meeting this season.
"They've got linebackers that are good against the run and can drop back into pass coverage," Davies said. "They've got experienced safeties and corners that play very well. It's a tough matchup. Their defense is excellent. They do a good job with their scheme and their kids are disciplined."
The Rebels (9-2) beat Har-Ber 27-22 in the first meeting on Oct. 24 in Fort Smith. McKinney said the Wildcats are hungry to prove their poor performance was a fluke.
"It's not really revenge, but the fact we want to show we're a much better football team than we had shown the last time we were down there," McKinney said.
Reader Comments (No comments posted.)
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.
Not already registered?
