Making history
Panthers hoping to make playoffs for third straight season
The Heber Springs Panthers are on a mission.
“This will be the first time in Heber Springs history that a team has a chance to go to the playoffs three years in a row,” head coach Steve Janski said. “This is a chance for these kids to write their names in the history book.”
Putting the pens in their hands will be an emphasis on a balanced attack, something Janski’s teams haven’t had much of in the past three years. The emphases on either the pass or the run have been a result of tailoring the offense to the athletes he’s had, Janski said.
“I try to fit the system around the kids instead of the kids into a system,” he said.
This year he’s got good weapons in both departments.
Braylon Mitchell promises to continue punishing opposing linebackers from the tailback spot. Janski described his 6-2, 220-pound junior as “a load.”
“He’s going to be the guy who pounds it between the tackles,” Janski said.
At quarterback will be junior Wes McMullen, who Janski said has grown by leaps and bounds from last year.
“He’s come a long way,” the coach said. “He’s really gotten to a point now where he can read the defense.
“From day one to where he is now is just night and day.”
McMullen’s top targets will be junior Hunter Derrick and seniors Keegan McPherson and Jake Logan. Janski said of Derrick that “he’s probably got the best hands on the team. The ball can be high or low, and he finds a way to position his body to make the catch.”
Derrick will join McPherson in the Panthers’ secondary as well. McPherson is the team’s fastest player, Janski said, and can cover just about anybody as long as he trusts his technique.
Janski said his defense has looked good in the spring and summer. Assistant coach Jason Bynum was promoted to defensive coordinator in the offseason, and he’s brought a new energy to the team, Janski said.
Playing big roles for Bynum will be Hilton Hoover, a standout senior linebacker, and Ryan Palenske, a junior on the defensive line.
After going 5-6 and losing in the first round of the playoffs last year, there’s hope in Heber Springs for a deeper playoff run this season. Janski said the team’s off to a good start.
“They’ve worked extremely hard this summer,” he said. “We really put them through the paces. They’ve picked up what we’re trying to do really well ... athletically it might be the best team I’ve had.”
This article was published Sunday, August 24, 2008.