New-look Chicks wrap up spring practice

After falling, 38-13, in the first round of the 5A State Football Playoffs to the Alma Airedales, the Blytheville Chickasaws finished their 2016 season with a 6-5 record.

Chickasaws head coach Ben Fisher also lost 5A All-State running back DeMekko Clark and starting quarterback DJ Moore to graduation. Along with losing Clark and Moore, the Chicks offseason has seen the departure of two assistant coaches in Kirk Glintborg, who took the Gosnell Pirates boys basketball head coaching job, and Deerick Smith, who left for the head coaching job in Augusta.

However, with the coaching changes, Glintborg was around to help with spring practices, along with a familiar face on the field, former head coach Vince McCrosky, who is best known for starting the Peanut Butter Locker during his time at BHS.

McCrosky was the head coach of the Chicks in 2012 and most of 2013 even though he was unable to coach due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease. Although not official until Monday night’s Blytheville School Board meeting, Fisher mentioned that during the search for coaches he needed someone to help with the receiver and quarterbacks and that was right up McCrosky’s alley.

“It’s helped me out tremendously, instead of hiring an offensive coordinator I just decided to do it myself, but I was looking for someone to help with wide receivers and help with quarterbacks,” Fisher said. “ That’s right up Coach Mac’s alley and to have him back is awesome. Of course, it’s not official yet but I hope it’s official next meeting.”

McCrosky told the CN that he was glad to be back and it had been a rough three years.

Fisher also mentioned that he is still looking for a defensive coordinator.

With the departure of Moore, Fisher says the two quarterbacks, Jaheim Carter and Jackson Howard, have surprised him during the spring.

“Jaheim Carter and Jackson Howard both have surprised me. I didn’t know what to expect with those guys coming in. Jaheim was our backup last year and Jackson actually played linebacker, but they both have come in and they both competed,” said Fisher. “Right now we don’t have one above the other. So we’re still going into the summer, still trying to figure out which one will be the starter.”

Fisher said a few of the freshmen made him extremely happy during spring practices.

“We had a few freshmen show me some things that I was extremely happy with, because we are looking at having to replace a couple of guys. I’ve had a few of the freshmen step up, the sophomores I knew what they could do and they did about what I expected,” Fisher said.

Fisher said the search for a free safety position might have been concluded in spring with a freshmen and then, after a guard on the offensive line will be unable to come back after offseason knee surgery, another freshman may fill that spot.

“ We are going to have to replace free safety and it looks like we found our guy in spring practices with one of the freshmen moving up,” Fisher said. “ One of our O-line positions, we’re having to replace. One of our guards had knee surgery and it doesn’t look like he will be able to come back, and so we had a freshmen stand up and he’s done a heck of a job.”

Even though Clark will not be in the backfield, Fisher says he’s not really concerned.

“Running back wise we’re not too worried, we’ve got four or five guys. Now, obviously, we don’t have DeMekko, but I feel comfortable with Rodarius Weaver, Lloyd Anderson and Kadren Hunt who have all done extremely well this spring,” Fisher said. “With those guys that we’ve got, we can kind of piece together one DeMekko. It’ll be running back by committee, which will be good. It’ll keep everybody fresh and everybody will get some snaps and that’s good. The more kids we can play the better.”

Chickasaw linemen Larry Clark has also seen a lot of attention from Division 1 schools, including the University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University, Kansas, Iowa State University and Arkansas State University.