GLEN ROSE BEAVERS: Beavers look to bite back in 2012

Cody Graves
August 26, 2012

After wrapping up the 2011 season with an 8-4 record, Glen Rose head coach Mark Kehner is looking to build off last year’s success.

“At the end of the year, we felt like we were a pretty good football team,” he said. “We started a lot of young kids at the beginning and weren’t very good, but they seemed to get better every week.

“At the end [of the season], they were a real solid football team.”

After finishing third in the 5-3A Conference and falling to Rison in the second round of the state playoffs, Kehner said those experiences will be a benefit this season.

The team has 17 returning starters, including third-year quarterback Collin Hunter. Kehner said the senior has “been there and done that” with this team, and he has high expectations of Hunter as both a player and a leader for the team. In 2011, Hunter put up 2,200 passing yards with 18 touchdowns.

“He’s a big, physical quarterback that’s got an extremely strong arm,” Kehner said. “We’ll go as far as Collin takes us.”

Returning in the Glen Rose backfield is senior Dillon Coney. Kehner said that what Coney lacks in size (5-9, 160), he makes up for in toughness.

“He’s a little back, but he’s a tough, physical runner,” Kehner said.

The Beavers’ offensive line will consist of four returning starters, including tackles Skyler Hicks and Max Farr.

“We feel good up front,” Kehner said.

Defensively, the Beavers are working on a new lineup, Kehner said. Junior Kyle Petersen is the only returning linebacker. The team also lost two defensive ends. Senior Sam Brooks will also be returning as defensive end.

“We’re kind of shuffling right now, just trying to figure out who’s going to play where on defense,” he said.

Kehner said he thinks things are looking good this year for a conference championship. The Beavers will play Fountain Lake during Week 7, and he said that game will more than likely be for the conference championship.

One improvement Kehner said the team needs to make this season that cost it last year is second-half performance. The Beavers lost three games last year after leading at halftime.

“We didn’t play in the second half in three big ballgames and got beat,” he said.