Prairie Grove Lineup Well-Represented In Post-Season Awards

Ten Tigers Dancing

MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Nic Sugg was named to the 4A-1 All-Conference team for 2013. Sugg was also All-State.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Nic Sugg was named to the 4A-1 All-Conference team for 2013. Sugg was also All-State.

PRAIRIE GROVE -- Ten players from Prairie Grove were named to the 4A-1 All-Conference football team for 2013, reports head coach Danny Abshier.

Among the Tigers honored were: J.D. Speed, Brandon Nodier, Bobby Catt, Jacob Storlie, Boyd Sparkman, Connor West, Logan Bartholomew, Nic Sugg, Jackson Diebold and Jack Reynolds. Receiving All-State honors were Sugg, Jacob Storlie, Diebold and Nodier. For the second straight year, a Tiger made All-Star with Nodier honored as Outstanding Lineman from the 4A-1 and named to the West roster.

J.D. Speed

Speed was effective on both sides of the ball at runningback and linebacker.

"J.D. was the most versatile player we had, maybe for a long time [in the history of Prairie Grove football]," Abshier said. "He played several different positions, he punted, kicked and he could throw it. He's really a versatile player. We threw a couple of halfback options with him."

Brandon Nodier

Nodier was displaced from his home in Lousiana by Hurricane Katrina and came to the Tigers as a seventh grader. Nodier establishing himself as a linebacker who could hit with hurricane force and displace the football from ball-carriers. Despite only getting in for three plays due to an injury, Nodier was in on a huge play enabling teammate Conner West to return a fumble for a late go-ahead score at Pea Ridge. Although he missed 2.5 games, Nodier led Prairie Grove in tackles for the second straight year with 91.

Bobby Catt

Catt was among several Tigers playing every down as a runningback and defensive back. Catt gained 655 yards on 59 carries and Abshier described him as a catalyst who will fire up the team by the way he runs.

"He'll make you miss, he'll run around you, he'll run over you," Abshier said. "He's a ton of fun to have around."

Catt was also disruptive on defense either picking off passes, knocking down passes or knocking down receivers.

Jacob Storlie

Storlie ran the Tiger offense at quarterback completing 32 of 66 passes for 609 yards and 8 touchdowns. Storlie was credited with 471 yards rushing on 66 carries for a remarkable 6.85 yards-per-carry.

"When he got sacked it takes off the quarterback's average. A 6.8 average is pretty good," Abshier said. "The funnest thing was when he ran the option and he keeps it. He throws well, runs well, he's hard to rattle. He's one of those guys who just enjoys sports in general."

Storlie also played in the secondary on defense making 1 interception and 33 tackles.

Boyd Sparkman

"He was our starting snapper, He's one of the strongest kids we've got," Abshier said. "Him and Bobby Catt are juniors. One of the things that pops out in my mind besides the statistics on the offensive line, knockdowns."

"The thing that comes to the front is how smart he is. [Talk about good athletes] the sports sense they have, Boyd is like that on the offensive line making changes to blocks, who's going to get who, making changes at the last second."

"The thing that stands out is the way he prepares for a game," Abshier said, "He had a focus to him. He had a set amount of time, a long time he had his game face on."

Conner West

West saw action both at defensive end and defensive tackle.

"The standout play for him was when he scooped and scored to win the game against Pea Ridge," Abshier said.

"That was the hi-light of his career," said defensive coordinator Craig Laird.

"He has good speed and good football sense makes defensive tackle the spot for him. He fit the position very well," Abshier said.

In an unusual rotation, West played half of the offensive downs he was in on at guard and the other half at tackle.

"He was actually our starting right guard but every other series he's playing right tackle," Abshier said. "We bring another right guard in and it shows his versatility.

Logan Bartholomew

Bartholomew was another two-way player switching between runningback and cornerback. Bartholomew averaged a whopping 14.55-yards-per-carry.

"He's the drag racer, the short fielder. If you gave him a crease there's not many people who can take him down even from an angle," Abshier said.

Nic Sugg

Sugg also went both ways as a fullback and linebacker.

"The guy's got a knack for making the block timing right," Abshier said, explaining Sugg would utilize a slight hesitation then go ahead letting the linemen do their job.

Jackson Diebold

Diebold played guard on offense and noseguard on defense. Diebold has good leadership skills Abshier said describing the lineman as "Country tough."

"The rougher the play, the better for him, that's the way he is. He's a good one," Abshier said.

Abshier said one of the things that helps identify gifted and talented people in a public school system is that Diebold prefers to be around adults rather than his peers. He was a regular at Frederick's eating breakfast each morning talking with John Everette.

Jack Reynolds

Reynolds lined up at offensive tackle then moved to linebacker on defense. Abshier said Reynolds is sharp, fearless and tough and the kind of guy you'd let your daughter date.

"He's hard to get on to cause he's such a good guy," Laird said. "You want to yell at him and you just can't."

"There were a couple of plays Jack pulls off for us at linebacker I think you could use in a how-to video taking on a block and making a tackle immediately," Abshier said. "It was a picture-perfect play."

Sports on 07/30/2014