RISON - Woodlawn Coach Doug Means said the return of Parker Arnold to football program over the offseason has been major plus, especially considering that the return of last year’s starting quarterback, Ethan Saeler, remains in question.
Means said Saeler had to undergo Tommy Johns surgery to repair a baseball injury this summer, and his return - if at all could come by mid-season or later.
Saeler led Woodlawn to its first-ever appearance in the eight-man state championship game last year before falling to Cedar Ridge in the finals. The B ears finished 10-1.
Arnold, who will be a senior this year, was a starting quarterback in junior high days before becoming the back-up to senior Aden Moore in his sophomore season with the varsity team in 2024. He did not play football last year.
“Parker Arnold being back is a a huge deal,” Means said, especially considering the loss of Saeler. He said Arnold is a good passer and a better than average runner.
“He’s clearly close to Saeler,” Means said. “I not to worried about it at quarteback.”
Means said he was excited about the prospects about doing some things with Saeler and Arnold on the field at the same time, but those will have to wait.
Woodlawn has gone through a couple of team camps over the past month, with the latest taking place last week at Rose Bud. The Bears hosted a camp the week before.
Unlike last year where he had plenty of depth along the offensive and defensive line, Means said it is the exact opposite this season where he has plenty of depth at the skill positions and has very limited depth along the interior.
Means said juniors Griffin Manes, last year’s second-leading rusher behind Saeler, and Tayte Jacks have been getting most of the carries at running back in the team camps.
Means is having to rely mostly on youth along the line. He said he has only four players that are dedicated to those roles, and he is still trying to develop a center. Those four include junior Levi Green, and sophomores Joseph Clark, Ashton Ed…