For the third time in as many years, Hot Springs coach Chris Vereen has a different game plan for the season opener despite facing the same team each time.
Renewing their rivalry with Lake Hamilton tonight on Bank of the Ozarks Field at Wolf Stadium, the Trojans face a new Wolf coach again.
Taking over for the departed Jeremy Reed, who led the Wolves to a 6-5 record and third-place finish in 6A-West in his lone season, Tommy Gilleran is set to usher in a new era at Lake Hamilton. Gilleran spent the last 13 years at Fountain Lake, highlighted by a 2009 Class 3A championship.
"(Tonight's game) is a big deal for the season and for this program," Gilleran said. "We've got some changes and some new faces, but we're excited. A win would go a long way for us getting started on the right track."
Familiarity with Gilleran and his signature Wing-T offense has aided Vereen and the Hot Springs staff in preparation.
"As far as scouting them, the good thing is I know where coach Gilleran has been for the last several years," said Vereen. "Fountain Lake was in the conference when I was head coach at De Queen, and just looking at team camps and his scrimmage, they're doing the same things."
While knowing what to expect can certainly make things easier, Vereen noted that the most important thing is for his players to focus on personal improvement.
"First and foremost, we have to worry about ourselves," he said. "Coming off the scrimmage, we need to know what mistakes we made and how we can correct them. We're trying to correct and fix us more so than anything else."
Gilleran won't be the only new face on the field as both teams welcome new starters at quarterback. After battling with classmate Jackson Davis since the spring, senior Utah Aitken will take over under center for Lake Hamilton. Aitken led the junior Wolves to a 6-3 record as starting quarterback in 2014.
"We feel good about the quarterback position," Gilleran said. "Utah's played the position before and he can do a lot of things for us back there. We won't ask him to do too much, but we feel comfortable with the ball in his hands."
Set for his first career start, junior Aaron Williams brings less experience to the table for the Trojans but will be aided by the backfield trio of Kenny Byrd, Coby Wallace and Damien Walker.
Byrd paced the team with 894 yards rushing last season while Wallace added more than 600 yards on the ground.
"If there's any position that we have some depth and feel really good about, it is the backfield," said Vereen. "Up front we have a lot of returning starters. The pieces are there and the experience is there; we've just got to put it all together."
Following the departure of leading rusher Johnathan Buss, Seniors Randall and Jacob Nichols will see the bulk of the carries for the Wolves. Randall Nichols set the school record with 1,245 rushing yards for the junior Wolves as a freshman.
"It'll be a committee with those two; we just want to make sure that we keep both of them fresh," Gilleran said. "If we can get those guys going in the backfield, it will make Utah's job at quarterback that much easier."
With senior tackle Will Burgess and senior wingback Jack Johnson joining Aitken and the backfield duo, Lake Hamilton boasts an experienced lineup that won't back down from the challenges that the Trojans present.
"It's a huge deal to have older kids that have been in the program for so long," said Gilleran. "The speed of the game is nothing new for them, and they've played Hot Springs before so they won't be surprised by anything."
For Hot Springs, Vereen has been preaching the importance of a good start. The Trojans fell behind 22-3 in the first half of last year's 28-17 loss.
The coach believes tonight's game can lay the foundation for a return to the postseason after a two-year abscence.
"We've got to have some success early," Vereen said. "Everybody wants to start off on a positive note. Coaches always say that winning cures everything. Everybody's looking for the same thing; they're looking for that self-confidence and it's going to be huge for either team."
Sports on 09/01/2017