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Raiders stay grounded after deep playoff run
Raiders stay grounded after deep playoff run sides of the line. “We have a tremendous amount of depth at the offensive line,” Jones said. “Right now, we’re working MATT KING out six kids – not counting matt.king@lee.net our tight end – who started at BONNE TERRE – North County head coach Brian Jones entered last season least one game last year… We feel good about the nucleus of that group that has played together.” The Raiders ran from the concerned that any injuries to spread with resounding sucthe starting offensive line may cess behind physical blocking prevent his football team from as explosive tailback Jobe reaching its full potential. Smith and quarterback Nolan That unit avoided any se- Reed rewrote the school rious setbacks, and remained record books. a reliable and steady force as Smith returns for his senior the Raiders rambled toward campaign after notching 1.928 a 12-2 record and their most rushing yards and 27 touchsuccessful season in 24 years. downs. He scored six separate “Probably the biggest times during the state quarterreason it was special is because final win against Vashon. it was unexpected,” Jones said. With the signal caller and “I told people going into 2021 fullback positions facing that we would have a lot of significant changes, the returners, and a lot of those already stout workload placed guys had been on the field for on Smith may increase out of three years. I felt confident that we could win eight or nine games on our schedule, but had no idea that we would end up making the run that we made.” The journey included a thrilling victory over Festus, a district title shutout against Hillsboro and two decisive triumphs over rival Farmington before concluding in the Class 4 state semifinal round. The scenario up front has flipped heading into this fall. North County has seen an uptick in available back-up linemen, while several other areas of the field bring less experience. Right tackle Isaac Gaugel and senior center Mason Lay have started since their sophomore seasons, and Blaine Holmes was a mainstay last year at guard. Bryan Brewster takes on a two-way role while standing out at defensive tackle next to Jobe Smith Lay. Seth Bracken, Tyler Pipkin and Lucas Richardson are likewise competing on both
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Raiders stay grounded after deep playoff run sides of the line. “We have a tremendous amount of depth at the offensive line,” Jones said. “Right now, we’re working out six kids – not counting our tight end – who started at least one game last year… We ONNE TERRE – feel good about the nucleus North County head of that group that has played coach Brian Jones together.” entered last season The Raiders ran from the concerned that any injuries to spread with resounding sucthe starting offensive line may cess behind physical blocking prevent his football team from as explosive tailback Jobe reaching its full potential. Smith and quarterback Nolan That unit avoided any se- Reed rewrote the school rious setbacks, and remained record books. a reliable and steady force as Smith returns for his senior the Raiders rambled toward campaign after notching 1.928 a 12-2 record and their most rushing yards and 27 touchsuccessful season in 24 years. downs. He scored six separate “Probably the biggest times during the state quarterreason it was special is because final win against Vashon. it was unexpected,” Jones said. With the signal caller and “I told people going into 2021 fullback positions facing that we would have a lot of significant changes, the returners, and a lot of those already stout workload placed guys had been on the field for on Smith may increase out of three years. I felt confident that we could win eight or nine games on our schedule, but had no idea that we would end up making the run that The journey included a thrilling victory over Festus, a district title shutout against Hillsboro and two decisive triumphs over rival Farmington before concluding in the Class The scenario up front has flipped heading into this fall. North County has seen an uptick in available back-up linemen, while several other areas of the field bring less Right tackle Isaac Gaugel and senior center Mason Lay have started since their sophomore seasons, and Blaine Holmes was a mainstay last Bryan Brewster takes on a two-way role while standing out at defensive tackle next to Lay. Seth Bracken, Tyler Pipkin and Lucas Richardson are likewise competing on both
Bryan Brewster
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North County RAIDERS
2021 Record: 12-2 (3-1 MAFC Red) Head Coach – Brian Jones (6th season) Key returners – Jobe Smith, sr., RB/S; Andrew Civey, sr., TE/LB; Mason Lay, sr., C/DT; Kooper Kekec, sr., CB/WR; Grant Mullins, sr., WR/K; Bryan Brewster, sr., DT/OL; Isaac Gaugel, jr., OL/DL
2022 Schedule:
8/26 – Farmington 9/2 – at St. Clair 9/9 – De Soto* 9/16 – at Hillsboro* 9/23 – Battle 9/30 – at Festus* 10/7 – Windsor* 10/13 – Potosi 10/20 – at Sullivan
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necessity, especially early in the season.
“He certainly has big expectations for himself,” Jones said about Smith. “I don’t know that he’s our only weapon. With the playing experience that some other guys had last year, I don’t think that he will have to carry the team on his back.”
The starting QB battle between senior Jack Moore and sophomore Henry Allebach remained undecided as of last week. Either choice may offer a deeper passing threat for the Raiders after Reed, a threeyear starter, became their first quarterback to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
The varsity receiving options appear stronger in number. Three top targets – Kooper Kekec and Grant Mullins plus tight end Andrew Civey – are among seven multi-year starters on offense.
“I am hoping to maybe stretch the field more vertically this year, and get the ball into the hands of our playmakers,” Jones said. “We’re really big on yards after the catch. It doesn’t matter if you throw a bubble screen that goes for 50 yards or a deep ball that goes for 50 yards.”
The defense may have shined brightest when North County blanked Hillsboro 24-0, avenging a blowout loss and capturing its first district crown since 2004 by allowing just 121 total yards.
Civey has verbally committed to Southeast Missouri State, where Reed now resides, and can deliver a wallop amid an otherwise rebuilt group of linebackers facing a true learning curve.
Two aggressive defensive ends must also be replaced. Payden Allen has moved on to Division II Missouri Southern after producing seven sacks and 24 tackles for loss.
Kooper Kekec
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Opposing clubs may feel trepidation about throwing over the middle with Smith and Mullins patrolling at safety. Kekec also returns at one corner spot with an emphasis on run stopping along the edge.
Dane McCoy contributes again to the secondary along with newcomers Zane Huff and John Faupel, who could each see carries in the backfield to spell Smith.
Other defensive help comes from incoming senior linebacker Danny Gantz and sophomore defensive lineman Xavier Scherffius, both of whom can also serve as extra blockers at tight end.
Although North County has improved on reducing penalties over the past couple of years, Jones is cautious about setting definite benchmarks with such a tough act to follow.
“We’ll take it one week at a time like we’ve always done in my tenure, just trying to get better each week,” he said. “To say that we’ll be district champions again would be pretty arrogant and ignorant, because we won’t know our district until maybe Aug. 26. And with the success of some private schools last year, there will be some reclassification there. So what is that going to look like?”
Another boost in 2021 came from the special teams, as Mullins expanded his impact as a capable and increasingly dependable kicker with multiple made field goals.
The Raiders will open at home against Farmington with 47 varsity players in uniform, while the freshman program includes 26 players. Jones will serve a onegame suspension due to his disqualification from the state semifinal contest against Hannibal.
The two prominent conference tests against Hillsboro and Festus are away from home, and sandwich an intriguing week 5 upgrade against Battle out of Columbia.
The regular season concludes with back-to-back rare Thursday night affairs against Potosi and Sullivan.
Andrew Civey
