Editor's note: This is the first story in a series previewing Saturday's Class 6A state championship game between Lake Hamilton and Greenwood at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
PEARCY -- A fairly young Lake Hamilton team is counting on both its youth and experience from older players in its preparation for the Wolves' first trip to the state title game since 2011.
The Wolves (11-1) will have a rematch of the Week 10 6A-West conference championship game against Greenwood (13-0), a game that the Wolves lost 38-28 at Wolf Stadium, but they are hoping to be mentally ready for the biggest game that any of them have played.
Lake Hamilton head coach Tommy Gilleran said that with such a mix of young and more experienced talent this season, he expects the team to come together more than ever and rely on each other in order to be successful. The team, he said, is what it's all about.
Falling in the second round to West Memphis 33-28 a year ago and in the first round to Jonesboro 47-44 in 2018, Gilleran said that experience has helped the older guys on the team learn from past mistakes, a knowledge they are passing down to the younger players.
"No doubt they've matured, some of those kids," Gilleran said. "In fact, (sophomores Justin) Crutchmer and Kendrick (Martin) played with us last year as ninth graders, and Kendrick actually had 140 yards rushing. And so they got to play a little bit in the game, and so a lot of that's the maturity part of it. You know, our junior class is really strong, and then our senior class is good, too, but the majority of our kids are juniors that are starters. But a lot of them are seniors, too, that play a vital role for our program. And so it's a good mixture of both of them. And if they don't start on (offense or defense), our special teams are so important, we feel like those are valuable, too."
Crutchmer is tied with senior Trent Singleton as the second-leading tackler on the team with 116 tackles, trailing senior tight end Izaiah Clenney with 144. Just being around the older players on the team is something that Crutchmer says has benefited him in improving his overall game -- both mentally and physically.
"I just go as fast as I can," said Crutchmer. "I watch a lot of film, and that usually helps. But they've been helping me since I got moved up last year for a couple of games. ... They've just done nothing but help me."
Gilleran said he uses a wide variety of players in placing each one at the spot they can serve best.
"Every year we go into it, and we try to make sure nobody goes both ways," he said. "And so we try to have two platoons. You know, that's 22 positions right there alone. And then on top of that, we try to find people to back them up that we feel like if somebody went down, they'd be ready. So there's quite a few there.
"And all our special teams, we consider those a position they start on, too. So if they don't start on offense and defense, they start on our special teams. To me, that's starting on the field because those positions are as valuable to me as offense and defense. So we try to preach that part of it. If they're not a starter on offense or defense, we definitely try to get those kids that are older on some type of kicking game."
Senior Layne Warrick, who has missed most of the season due to a broken collarbone, said while he will likely not play his final high school game leading the offense, he will be somewhere on the field Saturday evening. Having sat out most of the season, Warrick said he was still able to provide insight to the younger players and help in other ways as far helping teach mental preparedness.
"We have a lot of seniors starting but not a lot of people that started last year," said Warrick. "We have a lot of new starters. So it's been, before every game, just getting them in the right mindset, you know, now they've got their groove obviously. So towards the beginning of the season, it was a lot of, you know, 'Every game's going to hurt a lot more in getting through the season.' So just getting them ready for that.
Warrick has only played in a single postseason game in his high school career.
"My sophomore year we made it to the first game and, I mean, it feels like forever ago," he recalled. "But then last year I didn't get to play in the playoffs; I broke my foot. So I haven't really had this experience yet of being this close to the finals. But you can't make any mistakes. It's the last game of my high school career, and I haven't really played much because of my collarbone, but I'm going to try to do everything I can."
Junior defensive end Zach Roberts said it's all about encouraging each other on the team and making sure that chemistry is on point.
"Like whenever we're out there practicing, I'll encourage the scout team and everyone to go as hard as they can," he said. "Because we're all fighting for a ring no matter what the purpose is. The starters have to have someone to rely on to get them better, and I've just been encouraging everyone out there, even JV -- even the kids who don't go out for JV, I've just been trying to make sure everyone's a part of the team and that it feels like they're all working for the same goal.
"Our team has been -- I've never seen chemistry like this before. We are all friends. There's no drama on the team. It is honestly one of the best environments I've ever had, even better than last year which was a great year."
Clenney said that he realizes that the younger players look up to him.
"I've learned some advantages of our team and our defense," he said. "We learn from our mistakes, and we normally come back better. Over these few games we've had our ups and downs, but I think we're prepared for this game. I think a lot of the younger guys look up to me as a leader. Last year I would come up to school every morning to get an extra lift in. All these younger guys see that, and I think I pushed them to become a better football player as a team."
Gilleran said that one thing he believes set the team apart this year was that they not only wanted to win the state title, but they expect to.
"Our seniors, they've been practicing all these years; they've been a part of it," he said. "I think the experience of what they've done and the knowledge of the game has made a difference in what they want to do and how they want to be. And so every year, they've gotten stronger in their belief in what they're doing. And they don't just want to win, they expect to win. I mean, that's part of it -- the expectation is there, not just to be at the game but to win."
