Blue Devils loaded up for upcoming season

Blue Devils loaded up for upcoming season

With a plethro of offensive weapons which led West Memphis to an excellent offseason, the Blue Devils ready for their season opener

WM School District As the West Memphis Blue Devils go through passing drills in the August sun, ball after ball is flung toward senior Steven Stone.

The six-foot receiver glides effortlessly under each pass and secures each throw into his soft hands.

Stone is just one of many weapons the Blue Devils have on offense this season. Although he will probably be a marked man before the coin flip, opposing teams won't be afforded the luxury of game-planning just for Stone.

Blue Devil head coach Billy Elmore doesn't mince words when the subject of his playmakers for 2017.

'We feel like we've got a lot of weapons…we really do,' said Elmore, in his fourth season at the helm. 'We've got some good receivers. We are West Memphis, so we're always going to have some good running backs. We feel like our quarterback situation is pretty solid.'

Stone emerged last season as a legitimate big-play threat with college potential. As 2016's leading Blue Devil receiver, he snagged 34 passes for 632 yards and 9 touchdowns.

But he can't be doubleteamed because of 6-foot-4 junior receiver Marcus Whitaker, who as a sophomore also had a break-out campaign on the varsity by grabbing 8 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown.

Elmore will rely heavily on two running backs who rotated with two seniors. Junior Quincy Marshall dazzled as a sophomore last season by rushing for 434 yards and five touchdowns for a 6.58 yards-per-carry average.

Holmes, a senior, ran for a more modest figure of 160 yards, but he sported a solid 4.85 yards-per-carry average.

The offensive line will be anchored by two returning senior starters in Jackson Nanney and Caleb Clark.

But the biggest factor may be at quarterback, where Elmore has seniors Michael Troxler and Amaurius Stinnett.

'Right now if we had to play a game Michael would be the starter and Stinnett would line up as an inside receiver,' said Elmore. 'Both will probably play some quarterback, but right now we'd like to move Stinnett around to get the ball in his hands and be another playmaker.'

Behind those pieces, the Blue Devils enjoyed a stellar summer in which they went 12-1 in 7-on-7 competition.

'That includes three trips to (Christian Brothers High School in Memphis) and a trip to New Orleans,' said Elmore. 'That's against not only some of the best teams in the area, but in the country. We beat Mandeville, La. They're one of the big 7-on-7 teams in Louisiana.

'We really had a good, productive summer. Seven-onseven is not real, true football, but it gives you a good idea of how good your passing game is. When we combine that with our running game, we feel like we have a chance to give a lot of teams fits this year.'

By Billy Woods