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Steele Signs On At Norphlet High
Thursday November 17, 2005
Morris Daily Herald
Steele Signs On At Norphlet High
By Mike Cunniff
Herald Sports Writer
Denny Steele got his directions mixed up.He is heading south, instead of north.To Arkansas.But Steele, on second thought, is heading close to north.To Norphlet,Ark.Although Plainfield North was on the horizon.But the lure of the head baseball position was too much of a temptation for the long-time Morris football and baseball coach to turn down.“I had retired from Morris and some of the townspeople (in Norphlet) found that out,” Denny pointed out Monday night. “They contacted me and asked if I would be interested in becoming the head baseball coach. I said I would and then they asked if I would come down for an interview.“The situation sounded pretty nice, so I went down there after school was out in May and we came to an agreement,” added Steele. “I was originally thinking about going to Plainfield North with the other guys but then this opportunity came up.”The pipeline as to how Steele was a known entity to the Arkansans?“Norphlet is my wife’s (Nancy) hometown,” said Denny. “She was born and raised there and graduated from Norphlet High School.”Norphlet is a town of 822 residents located about two hours south of Little Rock, nearing the border with Louisiana. The school system consists of 200 students, which includes kindergarten through high school.The Norphlet Leopards are a 2A school, the smallest high school classification in the state.
“Norphlet won the state baseball title two years ago and finished third this season,” said Steele. “They had a extremely talented crop of kids who won as sophomores and thought they should have won (the crown) this year. The football team hasn’t been doing as well. They have had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 30 years although last year’s team was just 5-5.”Winning a state title is not a novelty for Steele.In addition to being an assistant baseball coach at Morris High, Steele took over the top spot in 1984 which he held until 1998. Steele’s 1995 squad claimed the IHSA Class 2A crown (beating Chatham-Glenwood 12-4) with a 38-4 record. His 1993 team finished second in 1993 (ending up 39-3 with a 5-4 loss to Elmhurst York).After 25 years in baseball, Steele took over the head softball spot in 1999, spending six years at the helm. Denny’s first team went 37-2 in 1998, dropping a 3-2 decision to Herrin in eight innings in the state quarterfinals. Herrin went on to finish second to Thornwood.Steele also spent time in the track and boys basketball programs at MCHS along with being a weight training instructor. Denny will double as a physical education and driver’s education instructor at Norphlet.“And I think the administration is also interested in me becoming the head football coach sometime in the future,” said Steele. “You know me. I don’t sit around. Working hard in nothing new to me. I have already been down there and cut the grass. And they have a beautiful baseball field. Believe it or not, it is even nicer than ours.”The head football coaching spot would be intriguing to Steele, who has spent 32 seasons on the sidelines as an assistant to Dan Darlington.Steele was recently inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, becoming only the 53rd assistant coach to be so honored.Norphlet’s gain comes a loss for the Redskins.“I have mixed emotions about leaving Morris,” Steele admitted. “Morris was my first job out of college (from Culver-Stockton in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Education) and this is a very special place for me. I have spent 32 years here and I am used to doing things a certain way. Going down there (to Norphlet) is going to be a big challenge.“And I told the administration during my interview that I do things a certain way and I am not going to change,” added Steele. “I am hard but I am fair. And believe it or not, I can be very loud. But that’s just the way I am.“When I had my interview with the School Board, the superintendent and principal of the school were also there along with the head football and head baseball coach,” Steele said. “I told the superintendent that even if he had a son on the baseball team, that was no guarantee that he would be a starter for me. The best kids will play for me, regardless of who their parents are. That’s the way I have always done things. And that’s the way I will continue to be.”
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Rison Responds To Norphlet's Early Outburst
RISON RESPONDS TO NORPHLET’S EARLY OUTBURST
The Pine Bluff Commercial
By Nate Olson/COMMERCIAL SPORTS EDITOR
Saturday, November 12, 2005
RISON — Norphlet got Rison’s attention with a 20-point first quarter, but the Class AA defending champion Wildcats responded with 29 unanswered points on their way to a 49-20 blowout win in the first round of the Class AA playoffs Friday night at Wildcat Stadium.
“(Norphlet) did a great job,” Rison head coach Clay Totty said. “They came ready to play. They had a good game plan. They exploited some of our weaknesses, and their kids really played like they wanted it more than ours in the first quarter. I thought our kids woke up. Our seniors did a good job with leadership. We came back and did what we had to do.”
With the win, Rison will play host to Cross County, a 14-12 winner over Hughes, next Friday night in a second-round game. “There’s only 16 (teams) left, and we will be one of them,” Totty said. “You just go from there.”
After falling behind three different times in the first quarter, Rison took the lead for good in the second quarter when quarterback Blake Jackson bobbed and weaved his way 27 yards for a touchdown with 7:49 to play in the half. Reggie Jones added the two-point conversion to give Rison a 21-20 lead, an advantage they carried into halftime.
In the second half, Rison leaned on Jones and his senior running back mate Arthur Ballard. Rison took advantage of their size advantage up front and ran the ball right at the smaller Leopards.
Ballard ran for 164 yards and Jones racked up 102 yards. “I’m very proud of our senior running backs,” Totty said. “They did a good job holding on to the football. The line did a good job, and we were able to control the game and keep our defense off the field.” Jackson, who ran for 52 yards, added a two-yard run TD run on Rison’s first possession of the second half to push the advantage to 28-0 with 6:25 to play in the quarter. Ballard added a two-yard plunge four minutes later to up the lead to 35-20 with just 2:18 left in the period. For good measure, Jones added a two-yard score and Ballard bulled his way in from four yards out to cap off the scoring in the fourth quarter.
The Norphlet offense was shell-shocked in the second half. Penalties plagued the Leopards, and forced them into several third-and-long situations. “We adjusted at halftime,” Totty said. “It was more want to and intensity than it was adjustments. We just needed to come out like we practiced all week. In saying that, I don’t want to take anything away form Norphlet because they played very hard. They have a good football team. Hats off to them because they did a good job.”
In the first half freshman quarterback Jarvis Purifoy and Norphlet’s “swinging gate” formation baffled the Wildcats. Purifoy, who threw for 212 yards, set up the Leopard’s first score with a 29-yard pass that set up a 1-yard TD run with 10:15 to play. Rison struck back moments later when Jones scored his first TD of the night, a 28-yard zig-zag job, that tied the game 7-7. With 5:36 to play Purifoy danced in from the two-yard line, but the point after was blocked so Norphlet went up 13-6 at the 5:36 mark of the first quarter. With :35 left Ballard capped off a Rison drive, but he had trouble handling the snap on the extra point, so the score was tied at 13. Thanks to Purifoy, Norphlet struck again quickly. The nimble freshman hit Nick Leichmon on a 13-yard scoring pass to put the Leopards on top 20-13 with 12 seconds to play in the stanza.
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Leopards Destroy Magazine 54-0
By KEV MOYE'
El Dorado News-Times
11-10-06
MAGAZINE - Norphlet posted its first playoff victory since 1976 Friday, shutting out Magazine 54-0. The Leopards improved to 7-3-1 and travel to Danville next week. "It was a good win for this program
and this town," said Norphlet coach Dennis Steele. "I'm happy with how we played, especially defensively. Now, we'll get ready for our next game." The Leopards opened the scoring on Herman Curley's 9-yard touchdown run with 7:36 left in the first quarter. Rod Carter added the extra point. Norphlet's next score came on an 11-
yard run by Nick Leichmon in the first quarter. In the second, Jarvis Purifoy scored on a 2-yard run. Curley ran for the two-point conversion for a 21-0 lead with 10:21 left in the half. The margin
swelled to 28-0 after Nick Cunningham's 2-yard run and the PAT by
Carter. Quincy Lawrence followed with an 8-yard touchdown run. Purifoy connected with Leichmon for a 10-yard touchdown pass before Leichmon's 9-yard run and Carter's kick stretched the lead to 47-0 at the half. Norphlet's final score came on Brandon Hunter's 11-yard run with 6:57 left in the third. Dustin Goodwin added the PAT.
(Norphlet's First Playoff Win in 30 Years)
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Danville Downs Stubborn Norphlet Squad 38-20
Danville downs stubborn Norphlet squad 38-20
By Danny Scott
Sports Editor
The Russellville Courier
11-18-06
DANVILLE — L.J. Gilbert scored a pair of second-half touchdowns, and Danville held off a stubborn Norphlet squad for a 38-20 victory Friday in a second-round Class AA state playoff game at Little John Field.
Gilbert rushed for 132 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown run that sealed the win with just over 3 minutes remaining in the contest.
He got plenty of help from Josh Morton, who finished with 93 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, most of it coming in the second half. Trent Davis added 87 yards and a touchdown on four carries, all in the first half.
The Little Johns (9-3) led 21-7 at halftime thanks in no small part to three Norphlet turnovers. The lead swelled to 28-7 early in the third on a 30-yard touchdown pass to Gilbert from Chase Peek, who completed 10 of 19 passes for 161 yards.
Still, the outcome was not settled until the fourth quarter. The Leopards (7-4-1) got back in the game behind quarterback Jarvis Purifoy, an elusive sophomore who left Danville defenders grasping at air more often than not.
Frequently operating out of an unorthodox “swinging gate” formation, Purifoy passed for 282 yards and ran for 92. He accounted for nearly all of Norphlet’s points, passing for one touchdown and rushing for two more.
Purifoy’s first touchdown run — a twisting, spinning 10-yard scamper — trimmed Danville’s lead to 28-14 with 6:25 remaining in the third quarter.
His second, a 1-yard sneak, slashed the deficit to 28-20 just over 5 minutes later.
But the hole was too deep, Danville’s offense too powerful. Following Purifoy’s second touchdown run, the Little Johns bulled their way down the field behind Morton, although the drive stalled at the Norphlet 11.
The ensuing 28-yard field goal by Obed Pantoja slipped just over the crossbar to give the Little Johns an 11-point cushion, 31-20, with 8:28 remaining.
The Leopards refused to go quietly into the offseason, however. They drove all the way to the Danville 20 before Purifoy was sacked on fourth down.
The hit caused a fumble that was recovered by Keyvan Sierra at the 24. It also knocked Purifoy out of the game with an apparent shoulder injury.
Danville then put the game to bed. The Little Johns went 74 yards in six plays, capped by Gilbert’s touchdown run.
With the win, Danville will travel to Cross County next Friday for their first road trip of the postseason. The Thunderbirds advanced with a 20-16 win over Mount Ida.
Early against Norphlet, it didn’t appear the Little Johns would be going anywhere. For the second time in as many weeks, Danville’s opening drive ended with a turnover.
Starting from their own 40, the Little Johns drove to the Norphlet 16 in six plays before a fumbled option pitch was recovered by Herman Curley at the 24.
The Leopards took advantage four plays later when Purifoy hooked up with Nick Leichmon on a 61-yard flea flicker for a 7-0 lead just over 4 minutes in.
It was eerily reminiscent of Danville’s 32-7 win over Clarendon last week, during which the Little Johns turned the ball over on their opening drive and quickly fell behind 7-0.
But, much like last week, Danville had the answer. The teams traded punts before a 64-yard dash by Davis knotted the score 7-7 with 2:23 to play in the first quarter.
Later in the first, Norphlet had a first and goal at the Danville 9 and was poised to take the lead back with Nathane Hodges picked off a pass and returned it to the 25.
The Little Johns then drove 75 yards in nine plays, taking their first lead of the game on an 8-yard run by Peek.
The score was set up by a 12-yard pass from Peek to Leroy Ruiz on third and 10. Ruiz danced down the right sideline and into the end zone, but officials ruled he stepped out at the 8.
It didn’t matter. Peek scored on the next play to put Danville up 14-7 with 9:32 remaining in the first half.
Norphlet’s next two drives ended with fumbles recovered by Ruendi Sierra and Morton. The Little Johns couldn’t capitalize on the first, but the second gave Danville a first and goal at the 9.
Two plays later, Morton scored from 3 yards out to push the lead to 21-7 with 6:26 to play in the half.
The situation went from bad to worse for Norphlet early in the second half. The Leopards were forced to punt on their opening drive, and a bobbled snap gave Danville the ball at the Norphlet 26.
Again the Little Johns needed just two plays to make the Leopards pay. On second and 14 at the 30, L.J. Gilbert took a short swing pass from Peek and streaked down the left sideline for a 28-7 Danville lead.
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Finalist Shine Very Bright for Their Teams
Finalist Shine Very Bright for Their Teams
El Dorado News Times Football Player of the Year Finalists Article
El Dorado News Times 1-5-07
Kev Moye
Making amazing plays became a game-by-game expectancy for Norphlet’s Jarvis Purifoy. The slippery quarterback continuously made something out of what looked to be nothing situations. Running 20 yards one direction and 15 the other, before a pass was thrown, it was of no concern to Leopard coach Dennis Steele, he knew Purifoy would see something few others did. Because of his elusiveness and gift of great vision Purifoy compiled some impressive stats. He completed 148-of-213 passes for 1,403 yards and 21 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. On the ground Purifoy had 129 rushes for a total of 689 yards and 14 touchdowns. For his accomplishments , and leading the Leopards to a 7-4-1 record, Purifoy has been recognized as one of the area's elite players. What was the key to his success? “Focus,” said Purifoy. “I put everything else out of the way when I get on the field. That’s just the love I have for the game.” His focus created the biggest results in a nonconference game. When asked what was his best performance of the season, Purifoy said, “Woodlawn, because we came out slow and wasn’t playing good in the first half,” said the Democrat Gazette All-Sophomore team selection. “But I was able to make a few plays to help us out when we were down by 18 points.” Anyone close to the Leopard football program knew Purifoy was capable of doing well. Besides – after being promoted from the jr. high team – he played the final seven games of the regular season last year as a freshman. Therefore he had an idea of what varsity football was all about. Purifoy also had an idea that he would excel like he did. “I expected to have the season I did. But I thought I could have made a few more plays,” he said. “But stats don’t matter – I wanted to win more games than we did. I felt I could have did more.”
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El Dorado News Times All Rookie Team
El Dorado News Times All Rookie Team
By KEV MOYE´
News-Times Staff
1-5-07
Union County’s only other playoff team was Norphlet. The Leopards had their highest win total since the late 70’s and three sophomore’s made a huge difference. Dustin Goodwin is small in stature but came up big for Norphlet as the teams’ second-leading receiver. Meanwhile Nick Cunningham and Josh Blackledge were steady linebackers for the Leopard defense.
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