Paragould

The 2021 Paragould High School Rams.

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Rams sees tough conference in ‘21 season

By Gary Exelby Paragould Daily Press gexelby@paragoulddailypress.com

PARAGOULD — The Paragould Rams are expecting their conference to be a tough one. But they are prepared to dish it out, with a more balanced offense than in years past. “Offensively we have been run heavy (in the past),” Paragould coach Michael Sloas said. “This fall we plan to be able to throw and catch more than we have in the past.” Sloas said the offense has installed a Gun-Wing philosophy that gives power on one side of the ball and a spread look on the other. “Mix in some RPOs (run-pass options) with some deep routes and maybe we can keep the defense guessing,” said Sloas, whose team routed Forrest City 35-0 last year for the lone victory in a 1-9 season. Powering the offense are several returning starters. “We have Britt Rogers at left guard,” Sloas said. “He played center for us in the fall (of 2020).” Also returning are Carson Hancock and Christian Cox on the offensive line. “Braxton Tilley is returning at tight end,” he said, “and Jamison Davault returning as our leading wide receiver.” In addition, quarterback Ben Sloas got a few starts early in last fall. “So he has seen some quality playing time in our league,” Coach Sloas said. Given the more balanced offense compared to years past,

2021 Schedule

Sept. 3 at Rivercrest 7 p.m. Sept. 10 POCAHONTAS 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at Trumann 7 p.m. Sept. 24 VALLEY VIEW 7 p.m. Oct. 1 at Batesville 7 p.m. Oct. 8 NETTLETON 7 p.m. Oct. 15 FORREST CITY 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Wynne 7 p.m. Oct. 29 BROOKLAND 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at GCT 7 p.m. * Conference games.

Sloas said he expects great things from the team’s passing game. “Quarterback Ben Sloas has some speed,” he said, “and good hands to throw to in wide receivers Jamison Davault and Dayton Sanders on the outside. And sophomore (halfback) Carter Beliew has become a big target and threat for Ben.” Sloas expressed pleasure at the composition of the Ram offense. He cited returning players in key positions up front, speed and good hands on the outside, and a quarterback with some Friday night experience. On the other hand, Sloas acknowledged offensive weakness would be a lack of size and depth up front. Defensively, the Rams will stay with a 4-2-5 look, same as last year, Sloas said. “Our defense got better with every game last year,” he said. “We’re looking to build on that going into the fall.” In that regard, he said, the team is looking to Davault to be defensive leader. “He gets everyone lined up in the correct spot,” Sloas said. “Also Braxton Tilley and Garron McDaniel were in the top five in team tackles from last fall.” Sloas added he expected the Ram secondary to be the defense’s playmakers early in the year. “But with this being our second year in this scheme,” he said, “the rest will catch up soon.” The Rams defense features Davault at strong safety, Dayton Sanders at cornerback, Tilley at defensive end, Xavier Winn at defensive lineman, and Garron McDaniel at interior linebacker. McDaniel played defensive lineman last fall. Sloas acknowledged the 5A-East conference to be the toughest around. “We open 5A-East play against Valley View,” he said, “and that will be a great test to see where we are.” Batesville and Wynne, Sloas said, are always competing for the top spot. “Nettleton is always a talented team with lots of speed,” he continued. “Brookland and (Greene County) Tech are getting more competitive every year, and Forrest City has a new coach this year.” Sloas concluded he always has high expectations for the team heading into fall camp. “We have great leadership from our senior class,” he said, “a good core of juniors in key positions and a solid sophomore class ... ready to compete for a starting position on Friday nights.”

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Best of luck teams!