– Preview Game – Seminoles open 2023 season on the road at Newport

By STEVE KNOX

Osceola Times

Osceola and longtime Jackson County rival New-port will square off in the 2023 season opener for both squads Friday at 7 p.m. at Greyhound Stadium in Newport. This will be the second meeting between the two schools in as many seasons. Newport head coach Brian Reardon’s squad claimed a 34-28 victory in Week Zero last season at Seminole Stadium.

Tyler Bell

Reardon’s team went on to post a 9-4 record last season and made it to the quarterfinal round of the Class 3A playoffs where eventual state champion Charleston eliminated them from the tournament 48-6. The Seminoles would post the same record, winning the 3A-3 for the first time in three seasons and also were eliminated in the quarterfinal round by the state runner up Booneville Bearcats.

This season will be one of change for both schools. The Greyhounds will line up in the Shotgun Wing T offense this season and will have a new quarterback with sophomore Luke Reynolds (5-9, 140) and junior Demetric Denton (6-2, 180) taking snaps. Newport will have a bevy of players competing at running back with seniors Malik Robinson and B.J. Elston, along with junior Tonio Phillips and sophomore Jamill Thomas in the mix.

Junior Jack Sampson will line up at tight end in the run heavy offense. The linemen will be tackles Tyler Ridley (6-2, 250) and Lucas Salinas. The guards will be Khalil Johnson (5-8, 205) and Zylan Ross.

MJ Washington

The Greyhound defense will line up in a 3-4 with Ridley anchoring the line as a returning starter. Sophomore Aamonii Wren (5-10, 165) will be a key at an outside linebacker spot, while Robinson will patrol inside.

Reynolds, Elston and Phillips will also be counted on to make plays at linebacker and in the secondary.

The Greyhounds are picked as the top team in the 3A-2 heading into the season. Reardon would certainly like to begin year two at his alma mater with a victory over the Seminoles.

Chris James

Jamie Carter starts his fourth season at Osceola with a great deal of promise on offense and an improved offensive line. However, the Seminoles will need to replace eight starters on defense.

The Seminoles looked confused at times on both sides of the ball in the season opening scrimmage at Nettleton. The Osceola offense and special teams did make plays, but were inconsistent at times. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Bell had issues at times, but showed promise with his legs and accurate arm. Bell and senior wideout Keenan Jackson (6-3, 180) hooked up on several nice throws and catches. Jackson snared a 77-yard scoring pass in the first quarter and added a diving, one-handed catch for a second quarter score. He also returned a Raider kickoff for a score.

Running backs Jeremiah Jacobs and Chris James both had some nice plays. Jacobs had several nice runs on offense and set up an Osceola touchdown with a 36-yard fumble return. James scored the Seminoles final score of the night on a 9-yard run.

The Osceola line opened some holes for backs and protected Seminole passers pretty well.

The Osceola defense was not as crisp as Osceola coaches had hoped, surrendering seven first half touchdowns. Osceola missed defensive line standout Harris Manning, Jr. who was out and has not been cleared to return as of press time.

Jacobs and sophomore M.J. Washington both had solid games at linebacker.

Both chased down Nettle runners on occasion for losses. The Osceola secondary was beaten for several scores by the Raiders and appeared at times to be out of position on a couple of the Raider scores.

Defensive coordinator Kenny Jackson will seek to shore up several areas this week heading into the opener.

Can Osceola get a win for the first time in five years in a season opener? That remains to be seen, but coaches know they are trying to get their team ready for the conference schedule. Picking up a win against a Northeast Arkansas rival on the road would be a huge confidence builder for this Seminole squad.