Prep RedZone Arkansas Team Preview Danville

The 2020 season was not an easy one for the Danville Little Johns. Last season, Danville finished with a 1-7 record and a determination to improve in 2021. The Little Johns will be led by new head coach Kody Hamlin and improving will be the main goal for the season. The Little Johns have the talent on both sides of the ball to surprise some folks. On the offensive side of the ball, Danville has two experienced quarterbacks returning for the 2021 season. Lawson Wilkins and Alex Tippen have each done a solid job of being the signal caller for the Little Johns. Both Wilkins and Tippen were effective running the football and finding open receivers when a pass play was called. However, Tippern and Wilkins are not the only players that see a big number of carries for the Little Johns. Running back [player_tooltip player_id="174811" first="Solomon" last="Gilkey"] was impressive last season for Danville. Gilkey found the end zone 11 times and rushed for over 750 yards. Gilkey runs with a good mix of speed and power, and he can turn on a second gear when he gets into the open field. [player_tooltip player_id="174812" first="Seth" last="Hale"] is another back that can churn out the yards on the ground. Hale accounted for more than 700 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. Danville relied heavily on the ground game a season ago. However, when the Little Johns threw the football the receiver that the quarterbacks looked for was Ayden Hilton. Hilton caught six passes for 47 yards last season. Hilton is a tall target at 6-3, so getting him more involved in the offense would not be a bad idea going into the 2021 season. The passing game will be a work in progress this season for Danville. Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, the Little Johns have some talented, experienced players returning for the 2021 season. [player_tooltip player_id="174814" first="Ethan" last="Ellis"] was solid at the linebacker spot last season and will be counted on to solidify the spot again this season. Ellis moves up and can stop the run as well dropping back into coverage. He does not miss tackles and last season he accounted for 67 tackles. Fans should keep an eye on [player_tooltip player_id="174811" first="Solomon" last="Gilkey"] in the secondary. Gilkey does an excellent job moving up to stop the run and he is not afraid to deliver a hit as well. <strong>2021 Prediction:</strong> For the Little Johns this season is going to be a step-by-step process of doing the little things right to pick up wins. The conference is a difficult one to play in, however that does not mean winning four or five games is out of the question. Danville has plenty of talented players, however the injury bug must be avoided to make steps in the right direction.