Injuries add to challenge for Berryville

In his second year as head football coach at Berryville High School, Macklin Chermak is still working to rebuild a program that doesn’t always have the depth it needs to be competitive in Class 4A.

Injuries don’t make the challenge any easier. Chermak said Friday, Aug. 16, that the Bobcats will be without sophomore Josh Arichega and senior Cooper Summers when they open the season.

Berryville will play a benefit game at Lamar on Thursday, Aug. 22, starting at 7 p.m. The Bobcats will host Mountain View on Sept. 6 to open the regular season.

Arichega broke his collarbone in a non-football accident, Chermak said.

“So that’ll be about eight weeks,” the coach said. Summers, who started on both sides of the ball last season, dislocated his knee during a team camp.

“He was looking to be a really good running back, really good linebacker for us,” Chermak said. “It’s looking like it’s going to be longer than we thought getting him back. So that’s two big blows right there.”

Injuries notwithstanding, Chermak said he wants to see Berryville perform well offensively against Lamar. The Bobcats will be running a new offense this fall.

“We’re looking to move the ball,” he said. “That’s the number one thing, can we move the ball? Lamar’s a really good, established program. So it’ll be really good for us to go there, kind of get used to some physicality. Lamar’s a pretty physical team and they’re also a pretty athletic team.”

Berryville’s coaching staff also should benefit, Chermak said.

“For coaches, it kind of lets us get our feet wet a little bit, calling plays in a new offense,” he said. “What works? What’s our bread and butter and what do we need to start building off of? So it’s for the coaches as much as the kids.”