GAME PREVIEWS: BA Welcomes Olive Branch; FRA Takes on Fayetteville

By Sam McGaw

Olive Branch (MS) at Brentwood Academy, 7 p.m. Friday

The Brentwood Academy Eagles take their first step towards defending their Division II-AA state title Friday when they host Olive Branch (MS).

With just 10 returning starters from last year’s 12-1 team, this first matchup will serve as an opportunity for the Eagles to get their feet under them.

“Kind of like every year, you just don’t know what you have until you get out there and play,” BA head coach Cody White said. “It’ll be fun to see what happens in these first two games and how we can improve before we get into league play.”

BA’s offense isn’t expected to miss a beat after averaging 45.23 points per game a year ago.

Two-time all-state quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall leads the charge for the Eagles.

Oatsvall, an Austin Peay commit, recorded 1,991 passing yards,1,164 rushing yards, 30 touchdowns (14 rush) and eight interceptions last season.

“I think he’ll be better than he was last year,” White said. “He’s throwing the ball more accurately. For him, when you have kids that play that long, it’s been about trying to find little things to try to continue improving upon.”

Oatsvall and his arsenal of weapons will look to start the season strong against an Olive Branch defense that allowed 38.67 points per game in 2015.

BA had no trouble lighting up the scoreboard in last season’s opening matchup against the Conquistadors. With the help of 305 rushing yards and 41 first-half points, BA  cruised to a 48-6 victory.

Moving the chains might not be as easy this time around, however, as the Eagles had to replace four of their starting offensive lineman from last season.

“Our offensive line is kind of revamped,” White said. “This is going to be a good test for them and for us trying to develop them. Of all of our team, that’s where the most of our inexperience is.”

BA wide receiver Camron Johnson
BA wide receiver Camron Johnson (Photo by Andy Collignon)

Wide receivers Camron Johnson and Daniel Taylor lead the Eagles’ receiving corps, and Marcos Harris and Tomario Pleasant are the team’s running backs.

White said his players can expect to face a physical defensive line and an athletic secondary.

“They have some college-recruitable guys on the back end and a defensive end that’s pretty special,” he said. “I think we’ll have our work cut out for us.”

BA’s defense enters Friday uncertain about what exactly it’s going to see from Olive Branch

“We have some stats, but there’s very minimal film of them,” White said. “We’ll kind of have to adjust on the fly and hope our kids are experienced enough to be able to hang in there if we see some stuff we haven’t seen before. We have to do a good job as a coaching staff of making adjustments and making sure we get our guys in the right position.”

Franklin Road Academy at Fayetteville, 7 p.m. Friday

Franklin Road Academy head coach Bill Whittemore isn’t quite sure what he’ll see out of his team against Fayetteville Friday night.

After graduating several starters from last season’s 11-1 squad, FRA has a lot of new faces stepping into large roles.

“The biggest thing for us is finding our identity,” Whittemore said. “I’m not sure we fully know who we are, yet, but I know we have some guys that are willing to work hard. It’s just a matter of time before we gel and get ready to go. I just hope it happens before Friday night.”

Fayetteville finished last season with a 9-3 record. Its first loss of the year came against FRA in the season-opener, as the Panthers battled to a 48-28 victory.

The strongpoint for FHS last fall was its offense, which averaged 35.75 points per game.

Whittemore said he expects to see similar explosiveness from a unit that returns two talented running backs in Cain McWilliams and Brandon Moore.

“They do a little bit of everything on offense,” Whittemore said. “They’re very dynamic in the backfield. They have a couple of young guys that can get loose on the outside and cause some problems for us.

McWilliams rushed for 870 yards and 17 touchdowns a year ago, while Moore had 729 rushing yards and 10 scores.

“If we can line up, make our checks and know our rules and tackle well, I think we should be okay,” Whittemore stated. “But again, they have some guys that can make people miss.”

FRA’s offense features two talented college recruits in wide receiver/slot back Lance Wilhoite and wide receiver Adonis Otey.

Both players are fielding scholarship offers from Tennesee, LSU, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and others.

Together, they’ll look to move the chains against a Fayetteville defense that allowed just under 20 points per game last fall.

“They have a lot of guys returning [on defense],” Whittemore said. “They’re skill is pretty good and they have some guys up front that’ll be hard for us to handle.”