NASHVILLE, Ark. Nashville is rarely short on talent, and this season the Scrappers will be loaded with both talent and experience as 21 lettermen - nine who are 3-year starters - are back from last season's 11-2 team.
Nashville has seven starters back on either side of the ball.
"The expectations for this team aren't different than any other Nashville team: we expect to be one of the teams competing until the end and we feel we can be in the mix for a state championship," said head football coach Mike Volarvich, starting his sixth season at Nashville. "One thing about this team is that we have a lot of senior leadership.
"We've got a bunch of guys who have played a lot of football for us. There are nine 3-year starters in this year's team, which is a good number. It's the most 3-year starters we've had since I've been here."
Every season brings its own set of adversity and hurdles for a team.
The Scrappers, like every other school in the state, dealt with no spring football and limited summer conditioning due to COVID-19 regulations and guidelines set down from state health agencies and the AAA.
"Like every other team, we need to make sure we're in the condition we need to be in since there's so much everyone missed over the summer," Volarvich said. "To play at the level we need to play, every snap, for four quarters of a football game, we have to be conditioned and in shape.
"Coming off a summer where you didn't have camps and 7-on-7, and the inability to have all of those things, going into live action leaves question marks. Obviously, playing at full speed for four quarters is crucial; I think there will be in-season correction that may have been taken care of during the summer, of a normal summer."
OFFENSE
Senior quarterback Ty Gordon and running back Keyshawn Stewart are back for their third season as Scrapper starters.
"All fourteen of our returning starters are seniors," Volarvich said. "It's a group of guys who really understand what we're trying to do, understand the way the game's played, and what we expect when they step on the field. You can't make up for experience and the number of reps these guys have under their belts."
On the offensive line, Nashville returns Dalton Brown and Hayden Clay. Senior Austin Combs will help on the line, along with juniors Noel Dunham and Turner Futrell.
"We return two offensive linemen, and so we have three spots that kids are competing for," Volarvich said. "We have several guys working at those positions. One thing that's hard to overlook is that we have 80 percent of our touchdowns returning.
"That's a huge chunk of our offense back. As a coach that makes you feel good because we've got some guys we feel we can count on."
The senior trio of receivers back includes Devay Ragland, Dontrelle Robinson and Caiden Erwin. Junior Isiah Jones will add depth at receiver, and sophomore Eric Grigsby will help at running back.
DEFENSE
Mike Hendrix and Slade Furr are returning starters on the defensive line, and Mac Green and Devarius Snell are back at linebacker.
"We'll rotate a bunch of guys on our defensive line, and the same at linebacker," Volarvich said. "We are closely watching to get the right combination of guys at those positions."
Junior Dexter Draper will help on the defensive line, as well.
Nashville has three starters back in the secondary.
"We return our entire secondary, and those guys are players who have played a lot of snaps and have been in battles," Volarvich said. "We feel pretty good about that group, as well."
Quincy Garland, L.D. Hendrix and Will Pope return in the defensive backfield for the Scrappers. Sophomore Miller Goff is expected to help in the secondary.
STANDOUT SENIORS
"This is a group of seniors, who like seniors everywhere have put in a lot of work," Volarvich said. "They provide good senior leadership, they play the game the right way, and they're good everywhere, from in the classrooms, in the community and on the field.
"They're a group that, as a coaching staff and as a school, we're really proud of. We would love to see them get to play this year and show some of these younger guys an example of what Scrapper football is."