Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

8/23/2010 at 12:00am

Image by Amy Glover Bryant

Little Rock Mills offensive linemen go through blocking drills in a recent preseason practice, and their quick development will be the key for the Comets’ option game.

In an evolving football world, the spread offense is catching on like wildfire on most levels. But Little Rock Mills Coach Pat Russell isn’t one to jump on the bandwagon. Russell uses the “run first and throw second” flexbone offense that provides numerous threats to defenses.

And it all starts with quarterback Chris Hampton.

After tasting the playoffs in 2009, the senior gunslinger is eager to get back on the field and take on Little Rock Parkview.

“I don’t think it’s gonna be the same way because we’re a better team than we used to be.” Hampton said earlier this summer of kicking off the season by exacting revenge against Parkview.

Hampton has reasons to be confident. After compiling more than 2,000 all-purpose yards last season and being surrounded by more mature backs in fullback Michael Mayon and running back Scott Jones, the Comets’ triple threat in the flexbone will be dangerous.

During the offseason, Hampton said, he worked on his leg strength and overall speed to maximize his potential in the flexbone and attract attention from colleges for scholarship offers. With a developed prowess for reading the defense, Hampton should be tough to stop in the difficult 5A-Southeast Conference (the league that provided the 2009 5A champion in unbeaten Monticello).

“He makes real good cuts and is real shifty,” Russell said of Hampton. “He’s hard to run down in the open field.”

Not only is Hampton skilled at running, he has a keen vision for also finding lanes for his two main running backs. With both Mayon and Jones at his disposal, Hampton’s grasp of the system has made Russell proud.

“In the triple option, opening things up makes it better for all of them,” Russell said. “[It’s] an unselfish system. I’m trying to teach them that for life purposes and football purposes. [Hampton] has to make good decisions of whether to give it to the fullback or keep it.”

Learning unselfishness has paid off for Hampton, he said, as he has already developed the team-first attitude that coaches cherish.

“If I’m not having a good game, I’m pretty sure [Jones or Mayon] are gonna have a good game,” Hampton said. “You gotta read it right. If you don’t, it’s gonna be a busted play … but it keeps the defense guessing.”

Defending the Mills offense is far from a cakewalk, not with having to deal with the potential of three different runners on any given play or defending a throw downfield.

Yes, Mills and Hampton will throw. But option one is for Hampton to hand the ball off to Mayon, the 205-pound power back who, despite his diminutive size for a prep fullback, can bulldoze up the middle through and past defenders with impressive speed.

“He’s strong and it takes more than one person to bring him down,” Hampton said. “He’s kind of crazy.”

When Hampton decides to take the ball wider, he’s got another option in Scott Jones. Jones is a nimble back. He stands only 5-foot-6 but is able to juke players as well as fight for extra yards. Jones’s speed downfield should be a concern for opponents, but that just makes the triple option that much scarier to defend.

The line is the main concern for a blossoming squad. Russell believes there are “a lot of green linemen that need to develop,” but the leadership out of the backfield likely will spread to the offensive front.

Hampton shouldn’t worry too much about the line. If worst comes to worst, he’s got options.

Tagged: 2010 Arkansas High School Kickoff Classic, Little Rock Mills Comets, Scott Jones, Michael Mayon, Chris Hampton, Patrick Russell