AWC has speed, size, numbers on D-Line

AWC has speed, size, numbers on D-Line   By Brian Fogg @foggyskies  YUMA SUN 

Arizona Western defensive end Tevita Okuvaka (27) dives to tackle running back John Oliver during the Matadors’ intra-squad scrimmage Saturday at AWC.

    Arizona Western is going to be able to throw speed, size and numbers at teams with its defensive front.   There is a caveat. The Matadors are also young up front with a handful of freshmen looking to find some playing time.

“Due to injuries it’s good to have that depth,” AWC defensive line coach Tony Mitchell said. “There’s not a lot of drop off between any of these guys.”

  Fortunately for AWC, what appears to be the starting lineup for the season opener on August 24 vs. New Mexico Military offers some experience.

The team will be led by Matthew James (6-5, 320) at nose guard as an old-school run stopper.

“I told the guys that the defense starts on the inside out,” Mitchell said. “If our nose guard controls the A gap, then we have the ability to do a whole lot more.”

     The 3 technique (outside the guard’s shoulder) will be Kinsman Trammell (6-4, 250), Dakari Bickham (6-3, 280) is the strong side defensive end, and Tevita Otuvaka (6-3, 225) is the weak side defensive end. 

   “It’s tough when you don’t have a whole lot of guys coming back, however Tevita, Kinsman and Dakari are all returning,” Mitchell said. “They know the sets and they know the schemes. They can be a little bit faster, as opposed to the other guys that may be thinking a little bit and trying to understand the scheme.”

    Bickham and Otuvaka were on the roster a season ago, but they didn’t get a lot of playing time behind Azur Kamara and Tyrik Jones. After a year of learning the schemes and practicing against those two, the pair is ready to try and do the same thing.

    “It has gotten a lot better since last year,” Bickham said. “The transition after being behind Azur (Kamara) and Tyrik (Jones) got better, because we learned a lot from both of them. It’s just getting us better.”

    The second wave starts with Mississippi Delta transfer Marcus Bragg (6-6, 255) as a weak side end, Matt Hatchie (6-3, 265) in the 3 technique, Corey Brown at nose guard (6-3, 315), and Lazarus Williams as a strong side end.

    Charles Johnson (6-3, 330) is also in that group, but he has been battling a knee injury.

     “What we’ve done is give an ample amount of reps and opportunities and these are the four guys right now,” Mitchell said. “August 24 those four may not necessarily be the next four.”

    Pittsburgh transfer Sean Gilbert Jr. (6-1, 255) and 2017 Yuma Catholic graduate and South Dakota State transfer Daniel Callender will also be in the mix to get some playing time.

    “Callender got here late, so we’re trying to get him ready,” Mitchell said. “In terms of his physical gifts and ability, if he’s not the top guy, there’s no one that would be over him. He’s really a thin and wiry guy. He doesn’t mind to mix it up. He loves to hit somebody.”

Solidity on the depth chart could be offered on Thursday as the team will see its first contact drills against someone that isn’t on the same team as the Matadors will scrimmage Mesa. 

“It’s going to be fun,” Bickham said. “We can’t wait for it. We’ve been eager to hit. We haven’t really hit all season.”    

NEW PRE-SEASON NJCAA FOOTBALL POLL -

ARIZONA WESTERN MATADORS FOOTBALL  RANKED #3 IN NEW PRE-SEASON FOOTBALL POLL!

AWC ballhawk says two trips in the works

AWC ballhawk says two trips in the works

Brad Hoiseth • JCGridiron.com

@BradHoiseth

Bryce Beekman led AWC with 7 interceptions in 2017.

One of the top safeties from the Western States Football League is preparing for the
season and starting to look at life after Yuma. He says new schools have been calling
and has a couple of trips in the works.

JCGridiron.com caught up with Arizona Western safety  Bryce Beekman  on Friday
to discuss the latest with his recruitment. He told us a few new schools are looking
and a couple of trips could be in the works. Beekman had a solid freshman campaign
in Yuma in 2017, finishing with 26 tackles and leading the team with seven
interceptions. He was rewarded with First Team All-WSFL status, which had the
recruiters coming in droves.  

Beekman led the Matadors with seven interceptions in 2017. Beekman quickly picked
up offers from Kansas State, Kansas, Washington State, Western Illinois, Syracuse,
Southern Mississippi and Louisiana-Lafayette following the season and has been
working hard ever since to get himself out of Yumaby December.

He says a handful of others have started to surface. “Nebraska, Mississippi State and
ASU have been text messaging,” Beekman said. “They are telling me they are
getting ready for the season and making contact with me.”

Beekman (6’4, 190) graduated from Scotlandville Magnet High School in Louisiana
in 2016 and had interest from Southern Miss, Southern and Alcorn State before
failing to qualify academically. Now ready to leave in December, he says he’s
been working hard to improve his game on the field.

“I’ve been working on my technique so I can take my game to the next level,” Beekman
said. “My dream school growing up was Miami but it doesn’t really matter to me.”
Beekman says he has a couple of trips that could happen during the season
.
“I’m supposed to go to Washington State for the weekend of October 21,”
Beekman said. “Then I am supposed to go to Kansas State when they play Texas
Tech (Nov 17).”

Beekman and the Matadors started practice this week with temperatures soaring over
110 degrees during the day. The team practices later in the day to avoid the hottest
part of the day and he says they look solid so far.

“It’s looking good,” Beekman said. “We’ve got a lot of new faces, but they’ve
got talent.”

Beekman and the Matadors open the season ranked No. 3 in the JCGridiron.com
Dirty 30 Preseason Rankings. They open up at home against New Mexico Military
Institute on August 24.

Matadors experienced on O-Line

• By Grady Garrett @gradygarrett  August 14, 2018   YUMA SUN

Desmond Bland and Julien Clark block Teveita Otuvika and Lazirus Williams during a recent inter-squad scrimmage

Whenever Tom Minnick has discussed the Arizona Western offense throughout camp, he’s emphasized the unit’s youth and inexperience.

The Matadors are likely to start a true freshman under center and possibly at all four receiver/tight end spots, as well as a first-year running back in the backfield.

There is an area on offense where the team does have some veterans, though — the line.

Sophomore guards Dontae Powell (6-6, 320) and Ted Hessing (6-6, 315) are returning starters, and were part of an offensive line last year that paved the way to 272 rushing yards per game for AWC — which ranked sixth-best in the NJCAA.

Even more noteworthy is the return of offensive tackle Desmond Bland (6-3, 290), who was a 2016 NJCAA First Team All-American but took last year off due in part to a shoulder injury.

Bland, a four-star prospect according to 247Sports, is verbally committed to the University of Nebraska; Powell, an All-WSFL Second Team selection last year, reportedly boasts offers from Washington State and Louisville.

Minnick believes Bland is “probably the best (junior-college) lineman” in the country.

“Just because he’s so athletic,” Minnick said. “The kid is amazing athletically.”

And he’s versatile, enough so that the Matadors considered using him not at tackle — his 2016 position — but at center this year.

“He can really play anything he wants,” Minnick said. “Desmond has long arms; he’d be a small tackle (at the next level), but he rolls his hips up real nice and has great feet.”

Despite Minnick believing Bland’s future is likely at guard or center, the Matadors’ plan is to leave him at left tackle entering the season.

That’s a vote of confidence to whom AWC plans to use at center, true freshman Tristian Rael (6-3, 280) out of Chandler High School. The Matadors’ offense was plagued by several poor shotgun snaps during Saturday night’s intra-squad scrimmage, but Minnick noted that it was the backup centers, not Rael, who were having issues.

At right tackle, Minnick said there’s a currently a battle for the starting spot between freshman Julian Clark (6-5, 285) and redshirt sophomore Viliamu McMoore (6-5, 290), a transfer from Utah State who saw action in three games along the offensive line for the Aggies last year.

Minnick entered camp relatively optimistic about the offensive line, and that optimism appears to be growing.

“Tonight we looked a little bit better than we have,” Minnick said following Monday’s practice. “We’ve had some injuries up front, but a couple of them came back. We’ve got key backups back who are guys who could (contend for starting spots) if healthy, so that helps us out.”

Included in that group is redshirt sophomore guard Richard Merritt (6-5, 365), a transfer from Maryland.

One expected contributor on the line that the team still is without is redshirt sophomore tackle Desi Savea (6-7, 315), who Minnick said “probably won’t be ready for a while” due to an injury.

AWC has big shoes to fill at RB

AWC has big shoes to fill at RB

Arizona Western sophomore running back Kendon Walker evades a defender during Tuesday night’s practice at AWC. Walker, who played receiver for the Matadors last year, is competing for the starting running back spot this year.

AWC has traditionally had what coach Tom Minnick likes to refer to as a “dude” at running back over the years. From Reggie Bullock (2009-10) to Damien Williams (2010-11) to Darrell Monroe (2014-15) to Greg Bell (2016-17), there has usually always been a next-level talent in the Matadors’ backfield to give the ball to.
This year, Minnick is unsure if he has such a “dude.”
“We just don’t know, it’s unproven right now,” Minnick said Saturday night after an intra-squad scrimmage. “We’ll just try to weave through it and see how everything plays out. It remains to be seen right now.”
Two players have emerged as the primary ball carriers so far in camp: sophomore Kendon Walker (5-10, 170) and freshman John Oliver (5-8, 175).
Walker, who’s in line to be the starter as of right now, is an interesting story given his lack of experience at the position. At Chandler High School — where he won a 6A state championship as a senior in 2016 — Walker played only on defense, at safety. Then as a freshman at AWC last year, he moved to offense, but as a receiver.
“I always had this love for any offensive position, whether it was receiver or running back,” Walker said. “We had Greg Bell playing running back last year, so I said I’ll play slot.”
Bell, who’s now at the University of Nebraska, was a two-time NJCAA First Team All-American with the Matadors, rushing for 1,217 yards last year and 1,187 yards the year before that.
Walker, meanwhile, failed to earn much time at receiver last year, catching just one pass for four yards on the season.
Walker’s move to running back this year was a matter of team needs.
AWC’s top two running backs last year — Bell and Dejhion Parrish (618 yards, 8 TDs) — were both sophomores. Third-stringer Ali Kelley (250 yards, 2 TDs) was a freshman, and showed enough promise that he figured to entire 2018 entrenched as the Matadors’ featured back. But he was dismissed from the team in the spring.
On the recruiting trail, meanwhile, Minnick missed out on several sought-after running backs — East Mississippi and Fort Scott both got ones that he “wanted bad,” and he was also on a Florida transfer that ultimately didn’t get into AWC.
All of that coupled with AWC’s depth at receiver — a position Minnick’s staff recruited very well — led to Walker’s move to the backfield.
“I did (embrace it),” Walker said. “It was a new thing. I’m just trying to show Division I coaches I can play whatever.”
“He’s been doing well,” Minnick said. “At the beginning he was struggling a bit with pass protection, but he’s a thick kid, and he’s a track kid.”   
So too is Oliver, who’s out of Upper Marlboro, Maryland.“(Walker and Oliver) are both like kids we’ve had in the past, they can get out in the open and can score,” Minnick said. “The key is getting them in space and you’re not going to touch them.”
On Saturday, Walker provided one of the few offensive highlights for the Matadors in their intra-squad scrimmage when he busted an inside run 50-plus yards for a touchdown.     Walker said the biggest adjustment has been getting used to the physicality of playing running back.
“You can’t go in there with a receiver mentality that nobody’s going to hit you,” he said. “You’ve got to get in there, you’ve got to block defensive ends, defensive tackles, and run the ball and get hit by anybody..”
Also competing for time at running back — among others — is sophomore Caleeb Roberson (6-1, 180), a transfer from Georgia who opened camp at quarterback, but was used only at running back during Saturday night’s scrimmage.

AWC football notebook: intra-squad scrimmage

• By Grady Garrett @gradygarrett
 
• Aug 11, 2018

The Matadors scrimmaged for about 90 minutes Saturday night, and the result was the same as past preseason intra-squad scrimmages over the years — the defense dominated.

“I just posted something on Twitter (saying that) in my 11 years at AWC, the defense is 11-0 (in first scrimmages),” coach Tom Minnick said. “It’s always that way. Even (though) we’ve got some returners on the offensive line, when you blitz all the time and you’re putting pressure on the quarterback early in the season,” the offense will struggle.

• AWC’s offense scored two touchdowns, both on long runs — one by sophomore running back Kendon Walker midway through, and one by freshman running back Alphonzo Graham on the scrimmage’s final play.

• AWC’s defense also scored twice, though one was simply a recovered fumble in the end zone by defensive end Lazarus Williams. The other was a pick-six by cornerback Jaylen Moore, who stepped in front of a Jacquez Carter pass.

• Carter and fellow freshman El Julian Jordan split the first-team reps at quarterback, with Carter going first in the rotation. Minnick said that as of right now, “it’s going to be (the) two of them” at quarterback, as they’re the leaders for the starting job but neither has earned it outright.

• One problem for the offense was the inability to complete a shotgun snap. Two of the offense’s five turnovers on the night were the result of a snap that went over the quarterback’s head, and there was a third such snap that the offense was able to recover.

JCGridiron.com Ranks AWC #3 in JUCO Pre-season Poll

Another team that has sky-high potential is Arizona Western (3), who starts the season at No. 3 but received a ton of consideration for the top spot. The Matadors are stacked with D1 bounce backs, with over a dozen guys transferring into the program from such places as West Virginia, Pitt, Kentucky, Michigan, Washington State and Penn State. They even landed one of the top linebackers from the California ranks in the past few weeks, reaching across state lines for added talent on the defensive side of the ball. The only problem to start the season is a lack of experience under center. Their only freshman from a year ago signed at Oregon State during the offseason, leaving a bit of a hole at an important position. Arizona Western opens the season on August 24 at home against New Mexico