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Nettleton
Kevin Turbeville | The Sun
The 2022 Nettleton High School Raiders.
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Raiders aim to defend league title
By Kevin Turbeville Sun staff writer kturbeville@jonesborosun.com
JONESBORO — The defending 5A-East conference champions hope to stay in the race a long time this fall, too.
And if the Nettleton Raiders can avoid injuries, head coach Steven Hampton thinks they have a chance to win it again.
“We’ve got a lot of key pieces coming back, a lot of good players. Our expectation is to compete for a conference championship and make a run in the playoffs again,” Hampton said. “Obviously depth is the biggest thing for us this year. Last year we had more big guys up front and this year, we just don’t have as many of those guys. We’ve got some good ones.
“It’s about staying healthy throughout the course of the year and if we can do that, I feel like we can make a run.”
Nettleton ran through its 2021 schedule without a loss until Little Rock Christian stopped the Raiders, 35-7, in the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs. It was a milestone season for the Raiders, who won their first outright conference title since 1997, went undefeated in the regular season for the first time since 1994 and won their first 11 games for the first time.
While 20-plus seniors graduated from an 11-1 team, the Raiders return two all-state selections on defense and expect new playmakers to step forward on offense.
Sophomore Maddox Hampton (5-10, 165) takes over at quarterback. While former quarterback Cameron Scarlett often kept the ball himself on the run-pass options in the Raider offense, Steven Hampton said his son Maddox, who was a starting pitcher on the Raider baseball team in the spring, is more likely to distribute the ball to receivers such as Quordarius Thompson, Braylon King, Kaleb Tedder and Curtez Smith.
“We like our wide receiver group,” Steven Hampton said. “We’re always going to be a run-first team, we want to be physical up front, but we feel like the yards Cameron Scarlett got running the ball, we feel like those yards and that production will be replaced with our wide receiver group with the hitch screens, the RPOs.
“Those are things Maddox does well, getting the ball out quick, accurate, and letting those guys make plays out in space. Curtez, Q, Braylon, they can all do things really well with the ball in their hands. That’s what we’re thinking to try to keep people out of the box, to spread them out that way.”
King (5-8, 150) is a senior, while Smith (5-10, 165), Thompson (5-10, 160) and Tedder (5-11, 175) are juniors. Smith ran for 174 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns as a reserve last season.
Senior Ke’Andre Pope (5-9, 151) is the No. 1 running back, followed by junior Kylan Shelton (5-6, 167) and senior Kene Davis (5-8, 168). Pope rushed for the Raiders’ lone touchdown against Little Rock Christian, one of four he scored last season while rushing for 280 yards in a reserve role.
Seniors Khilen Gates (6-3, 275) and Colby Miller (6-3, 240) are returning starters on the line, while junior Garrett Campbell (6-3, 260) also has starting experience. Gates will line up at left tackle, Miller returns at right guard and Campbell will play right tackle.
Juniors Zach Davis (5-9, 233) and Ian Landrum (6-2, 194) take over at center and left guard, respectively.
After holding seven opponents to single-digit points last season, the Raiders will field another imposing defensive front this season.
Senior Jordan Pigram (6-3, 260) is back at defensive tackle after an all-state junior season where he made 73 tackles, including 30 tackles for loss and four quarterback sacks. Hampton said Pigram, who forced five fumbles and recovered four in 2021, has a scholarship offer from Ouachita Baptist.
“He’s worked on his speed and agility this summer and offseason. He’s hard to block,” Hampton said. “He’s extremely quick. He uses his hands really well and he’s learning how to play the position. He’s learning how to read blocking schemes. He makes it extremely difficult on our offense on a daily basis. Hopefully he’s going to do the same for other teams.”
Senior nose tackle Kam Phillips (6-0, 250) is another disruptive defensive lineman who had 14 tackles for loss and four sacks last season. Hampton also has high hopes for sophomore defensive tackle Keon Stallings (6-2, 240).
“I can’t say enough about Keon Stallings and the way he’s played. He was pretty good in the spring, but since we started fall camp, he’s playing at a different level,” Hampton said. “He’s lost some weight. He was probably at about 255, 260 in the spring. He’s down to about 235, 240 now and his quickness has been noticeable.”
Like Pigram, senior linebacker Blake Brown (6-0, 187) was an all-state and Best Under The Sun selection last season. Brown led the Raiders with 122 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Hampton said Brown will wear No. 9, a jersey the Raiders hand down each season to a player who is a good student and role model as well as a football standout.
“Blake Brown, he’s a great student, a good football player, a good kid,” Hampton said. “He just falls into that mold.”
Brown will start alongside sophomore linebackers Tyler Craig and Kohen Ligons (5-11, 170). David Nwissi (5-11, 175) is another sophomore who will push for playing time at linebacker, Hampton said.
Senior Jamie Morris (6-0, 165) lines up as the boundary safety after starting last season at linebacker, where he made 45 tackles. “Really the spot he’s playing, it’s a linebacker spot. He’s just playing from depth,” Hampton said. “If he continues to improve, he’ll have a chance to make a lot of tackles this year.”
The Raiders have a returning starter at cornerback in junior Kylan Goodlow (5-9, 136). Hampton said Goodlow, who intercepted two passes last season, is playing with more confidence than he did last year.
Junior Brandon Alexander (5-5, 120) moves into the lineup at cornerback, while Shelton starts at nickel safety and senior Myles Williams (6-2, 170) at free safety. Shelton started against Little Rock Christian in last year’s playoffs. Junior Nate Ellis is making strides at safety, Hampton said, and senior Derrick Island (5-5, 132) will be part of the rotation at cornerback.
Senior Joseph Nuhung (5-2, 103), the Raiders’ extra point and field goal kicker, was 21-of27 last season. Senior Antonio Almaraz (5-8, 145) will handle kickoffs while Maddox Hampton will likely handle punting duties. Pigram is the deep snapper.
Hampton is one of only three head coaches returning from last year’s 5A-East. He expects Wynne and Valley View to contend again after finishing second and third, respectively, last season. Batesville, a longtime 5A-East contender, is entering a new era after longtime coach Dave King decided to step down. Southside is new to the league, replacing Greene County Tech.
“I think there’s a lot of unknowns going into it. I think those teams — us, Valley View, Wynne, Batesville — are going to be up there competing for those top spots, and then after that, who’s going to be that darkhorse out of the other teams? We’ll see how that plays out during the season.”
Last season’s championship was Nettleton’s third 5A-East title in five seasons. Hampton has led the Raiders to six state playoff berths along with a 61-35 overall record in nine seasons.
Last season Nettleton built momentum with comeback victories over Mountain Home and Pocahontas during nonconference play. The Raiders’ 5A-East schedule ended with their toughest conference games against Valley View and Wynne.
Valley View and Wynne are once again the last two games on the schedule.
“What we tell our kids is the more you win, the bigger the ballgames get, especially toward the end. That’s what we want to do,” Hampton said. “We want to play meaningful games at the end of the season. Last year those games didn’t get any bigger, and that’s what we want.”
NettletoN 2022 Schedule
Aug. 26 at Mtn. Home 7 p.m. Sept. 2 at Pocahontas 7 p.m. Sept. 9 BLYTHEVILLE 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at Batesville* 7 p.m. Sept. 30 BROOKLAND* 7 p.m. Oct. 7 PARAGOULD* 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at Southside* 7 p.m. Oct. 21 FORREST CITY* 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at Valley View* 7 p.m. Nov. 4 WYNNE* 7 p.m.
*Conference games.
