By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The best way to describe Forrest City football summer drills so far is "relaxed."
Starting earlier than any previous season -- more than a month before the season opener, the Mustang coaching staff has been able to take a slow and deliberate teaching course, which also eases the tensions of being on the practice field -- under the August sun.
"We have a lot of very young kids who will have to help us this season," said Mustang Head Coach Donnie Willis. "There is no question that some of the sophomores will see a lot of playing time, so we have to prepare them the best way we can. And we know we have some time and we are bringing them along slowly, making certain they understand the learning process."
Willis said the main things the staff is doing this year -- is staying relaxed and making it fun.
One of those young ones is John Washington, who is making an impact already.
"He isn't very big but he is full of courage and he has a lot of tenacity," Willis said.
Washington is working at outside linebacker. He has the ability to make the off-tackle play and contain the sweep.
Along the lines, the Mustangs are hurting the most -- especially along the offensive line.
"We may have to move some people out of position," Willis said. "Middle linebacker and fullback Ben Wright may have to pull some lineman duty. He did in junior high and he may have to again. Ben is big, about 260, so we are looking at him, as well as Willie Berry and a couple of sophomores."
Willis said Matt Vaccaro, one of the stronger Mustangs, is a good fit at right guard.
"Matt does a good job trapping and that is his strength," Willis said.
Others figuring into the offensive line equation, D.J. Banks at center and Kelvin Williams, who has been working at tight end.
The Mustangs have, what Willis and his staff believe to be a good first group, but beyond that, the talent level begins to decline a bit.
One area where Willis does have some depth is quarterback. The Mustangs have a senior in Ben Horton, who jumped into the starting role a year ago; junior Marcus Fair, who honed his skills with the junior varsity in 2003 and incoming sophomore Wilson Parker.
"All three are pretty good and all three are capable of getting the job done," Willis said. "I wouldn't hesitate to put any one of the three into the Friday night mix."
The rub with Horton is that he is the team's best linebacker and Willis almost positively has to have him on defense.
"Ben keeps the defense in the right alignment on every play," Willis said. "He knows every position and he knows where every one is supposed to be all of the time. He is a team leader and he is a senior leader."
Fair and Parker are coming along very well, according to the coaches and both will see playing time.
All three quarterbacks had good showings during the summer camps they attended.
The Mustangs are scheduled to take part in a four-team, preseason scrimmage on Aug. 24, when the team travels to Little Rock Fair.
"We are just trying to move forward with the program," Willis said. "We have a lot of kids who have already jumped onto that train but there are still others who haven't. Even though we still have a lot of practice time, they need to make those decisions now."
The Mustangs will open the 2004 season on Sept. 3, when they host Poplar Bluff, Mo. for the home opener.
Poplar Bluff replaced Wynne this year on the Forrest City schedule.
The East Arkansas Youth Football Association will play a six-team jamboree at Palestine-Wheatley on Saturday, Aug. 21.
The league, for youths ages eight through 12, has expended to six teams this season.
The Forrest City Ponys, Razorbacks and Titans and the Caldwell-based Gators will be joined by the Earle Bears and the Marianna Raiders this season.
The league will play its schedule of games on Saturdays at Palestine-Wheatley's Patriot Stadium this year rather than at the Forrest City Sports Complex. The regular season will kick off on Saturday, Sept. 4, with three games each Saturday.
League organizers are not sure if an admission will be charged at the gate for Saturday games, but did say that all donations to help support the league will be accepted and appreciated.
The league receives no financial support from the city and relies on donations from individuals and business.
League organizers also trying to set up a series of halftime scrimmages which will be played during the Palestine-Wheatley home football games this season.