MonticelloLive

With the 2008 football season just around the corner, the University of Arkansas at Monticello Boll Weevils are putting the finishing touches on what has been a great off-season with their annual spring game on Saturday at Hyatt Field.

Hyatt Field is the home of the Monticello High School Billies, but will host this year’s spring game due to the ongoing renovation to Convoy-Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium.
 
“I am so glad to be inconvenienced in this way,” said head football coach Gwaine Mathews. “Every morning I go out to our field with a cup of coffee and smile knowing what UAM will have within the next couple of years….Monticello High School has been very helpful in allowing us to use their facility for our spring game, and I couldn’t be more thankful to them.”
 
Mathews has expressed his interest in UAM student involvement at the spring game by announcing that 25 lucky UAM students will receive a free t-shirt for their attendance. Tickets for the drawing will be given away at the entrance gate for every UAM student that shows their UAM identification card. The winners will be announced at halftime of the game.
 
The spring game will allow several student-athletes to showcase their progress during the off-season.
 
Going position-by-position, Mathews believes the wide receivers have not played up to their potential, but added they are the most talented position on the field. One of those wide receivers is Clarence Denmark (Jacksonville, Fla.), who won the team’s winter off-season workout contest.
 
Mathews could not talk about the UAM offense without mentioning the play of the 2007 Gulf South Conference West Division Freshman of the Year Scott Buisson (Metairie, La.), who has been phenomenal in the off-season, reaching the 100-yard rushing mark almost every scrimmage, including one day with 155 yards on the ground.
 
Buisson sustained an injury in the last scrimmage, but transfer back-up Casey Cathcart (Santa Maria, Calif.) stepped in and led the offense to three scores.
 
“That’s always uplifting when the No. 1 guy at one of the most important spots on the field goes down and the back-up steps in and looks ready to go,” said Mathews. “You know, that’s gonna happen…that’s just the nature of the game…that’s why we keep preaching to our guys that they have to be ready to go every second of the game.”
 
Also performing well in the off-season were running backs Johnny Polite (McGehee, Ark.), Quincy Lucas (San Francisco, Calif.) and Corey Ross. Mathews commented that Ross will play both offense and defense for the Weevils.
 
“As a group, the offense is really hitting on all cylinders,” said Mathews. “The only weakness right now is our depth at offensive line, but we have a couple guys working real hard in the classroom to get eligible for the fall.”
 
Defensively, Mathews commented that his linebackers Curtis Garth (Florence, Ala.), Jeremy Brown, Kendrick Wilson, Larry Livers (Hammond, La.) and Joseph Accelus (Marrero, La.) have all had a productive off-season and are still fighting for the starting spots.
 
“Our linebackers are really fighting hard for those starting spots and guys like Vincent Jackson and Daniel Isaac have really done well in the off-season,” said Mathews. “But, our defense as a whole has quite a ways to go to get to where we need to be to compete in this league.”
 
In conjunction with the spring game, the Weevil football team is partnering with the city of Monticello to aid in the beautification of the streets by picking up trash around the city on Saturday morning.
 
“The community is so good to us in the fall, so this is a way to give back and really show our gratitude,” said Mathews. “This is a big deal to our team…Players, coaches, trainers, and everyone associated with the team is out there with smiles on their faces…We really have a fun time helping out the community.”
 
The spring game starts at 5 p.m. from Hyatt Field. Admission is free of charge.