a Pigskin Preview 2011 section
Friday, August 26, 2011
CITY SCHOOLS Benton • Bishop LeBlond • Central • Lafayette • St. Joseph Christian
Year of the (new) quarterback
more
Rookies must step up for city teams this year
Dudley should run Central’s offense just like Wallace did last year see page A3
Lafayette’s Stone takes up Nelson’s position, can’t try to replicate his stats
McCullough is back as LeBlond’s quarterback after eventful freshman season
see page A5
see page A7
Pigskin Preview 2011
A2
Friday, August 26, 2011
2010 ALL NEWS-PRESS TEAMS
As selected by members of the News-Press sports department
OFFENSE
Pigskin Preview 2011 Table of contents A1
Cover photo featuring quarterbacks, clockwise from top middle, Bishop LeBlond’s Matthew McCullough, Central’s Darrin Dudley, Lafayette’s D’Treal Stone, Benton’s Chris Young and St. Joseph Christian’s Alex Maudlin | photo by Matt Reid
A2
Table of contents; 2010 All News-Press teams; city football records; city playoff appearances
A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 B1
Central preview story
B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
Savannah preview story
B8 B9 B10 C1
Prep football composite schedule Lafayette preview story Benton preview story LeBlond preview story Christian preview story; City Jamboriee champions Cover photo featuring East Buchanan quarterback Cory Bower | photo by Matt Reid
Maryville preview story; Midland Empire Conference capsules Chillicothe preview story; Cameron preview story
DEFENSE
g FIRST TEAM QB Tim Nelson* RB Vance Purdun RB Trevor Dixon RB Malkaam Muhammad WR Lucas Powers WR Seth Rulon TE Billy Wendt OL T.J. Schieber OL Colton Hertzog OL Wes Neel OL Taylor Bryant OL Mike Meinert U Cory Bower K Cameron Vulgamott
Sr. Lafayette Sr. Princeton Sr. Hamilton Sr. Central Jr. Benton Jr. West Platte Sr. South Harrison Jr. Hamilton Sr. Princeton Sr. Savannah Jr. Lafayette Jr. Central Jr. East Buchanan Sr. Savannah
g SECOND TEAM QB Ryan Wallace RB Gavin Talmadge RB Garrett Atzenweiler RB Zane Cozad WR Blake Deal WR Cole Osborne WR Caleb Mitchell OL Caleb Brashears OL Joe Ridley OL Justin VanHoutan OL Gerald Dilley OL Ben Chalfant K Heavin Warner
Sr. Central Sr. Maryville Sr. ACCHS Jr. Rock Port Jr. Savannah Jr. South Harrison Sr. East Buchanan Sr. Mid-Buchanan Sr. Rock Port Sr. Chillicothe Sr. Wathena So. ACCHS Sr. Benton
g THIRD TEAM QB Matt Pritchett RB Dylan King RB Nik Allen RB Clay Holt WR Keaton Ebersold WR Andy Meyers WR Ashton Shelton OL Colby Clemens OL Dylin Anderson OL Mike Reeves OL Tyler Dorrel OL Harley Martin K Andrew Bottorff
Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr.
Benton Hamilton Polo Savannah King City Savannah Polo West Platte Benton Plattsburg Hamilton Polo Hamilton
Feature story on East Buchanan’s Cory Bower Mid-Buchanan preview story; KCI Conference capsules; Independent/other capsules
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
Central offensive lineman Mike Meinert was a first-team All News-Press selection last year.
g COACH OF THE YEAR Dave Fairchild
Hamilton
8-MAN
OFFENSE
QB RB RB RB WR WR OL OL OL U
Lucas Schawang* Alex Kier Eli Mullock Devin Gage Dylan Aebersold Kolby Reagan Brad Stoll Brian Hall Jordan Strandell Blake Shamberger
DL DL DL LB LB LB DB DB DB U
Josh Owens Donny Sipes James Schoonover* Al Harmening Kyler VanSchoiack Dylan Haney Kevin Stoll Prent Eaton Brent Bush Trey Graves
Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr.
DEFENSE Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr.
Mound City North Andrew Worth County Stanberry Christian DeKalb Stanberry Worth County Christian Nodaway-Holt Mound City South Holt Mound City Worth County Mound City SW Livingston Stanberry Mound City DeKalb Tarkio
* Denotes Player of the Year
Riverside preview story Troy preview story; area Kansas capsules Cover photo featuring Mound City quarterback Lucas Schawang | photo by Matt Reid
C2
Worth County preview story; feature story on Mound City’s Lucas Schawang
C3 C4
Tarkio preview story; Highway 275 Conference capsules Stanberry preview story; DeKalb preview story; Platte Valley Conference capsules
Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr.
g SECOND TEAM DL Brett Donaldson DL Seth Faherty DL Dillon Simpson DL Jake Letner LB Jordan Zech LB Matt Schieber LB Shane Cullen LB Treyton Lewis DB Tyler Walter DB Corey Jackson DB Tyler Wilt DB Nick Andriano P Austin Dawkins
Sr. Central Jr. North Platte Jr. Troy Jr. Princeton So. Marvyille Jr. Hamilton Sr. Smithville Jr. Rock Port Jr. Maryville Jr. Central So. Savannah Sr. Mid-Buchanan So. Bishop Leblond
g THIRD TEAM DL Brady Hoffman DL Zach Kasinger DL Michael Strong DL Blake Peters LB James Fairchild LB Zac Hawkins LB Justin Hicks LB Christian Robbins DB Eli Smith DB Jaylund Powell DB D’Paris Smith DB Evan Hill P Derek Nold
Sr. Wathena Jr. Trenton Sr. Maysville Sr. Braymer Jr. Trenton Sr. East Buchanan So. Polo Sr. Mid-Buchanan Sr. Troy Jr. Hamilton Sr. Benton Sr. North Platte Jr. Wathena
Lafayette Cameron Chillicothe Hamilton Troy Savannah Savannah Central Hamilton Hiawatha Maryville West Platte Maryville West Platte
CITY FOOTBALL RECORDS BENTON Cardinals
LAFAYETTE Fighting Irish
CENTRAL Indians
LeBLOND
Golden Eagles
CHRISTIAN Lions
Hamilton preview story; South Harrison preview story; Grand River Conference capsules Atchison preview story; NewsPress Power 10/Power 5 polls
g FIRST TEAM DL Ian Toalson DL Sawyer Marlay DL Nick Plummer DL Josh Pickrell LB Garrett Meng* LB Blake Burson LB Justin Roach LB Alex Ray DB Keagan Prather DB Camron Leupold DB Will Twaddle DB Brett Grindstaff U Tyler Peve P Alex Roe
2010 .......... 6-4 2009...........3-7 2008...........2-8 2007...........2-7 2006...........7-4 2005.......... 8-3 2004.......... 8-4 2003...........2-7 2002...........1-8 2001...........2-7 2000.......... 4-5 1999.......... 4-6 1998.......... 6-3 1997 ...........3-5 1996.......... 4-5 1995.......... 6-3 1994...........3-5 1993.......... 9-3
2010 ...........7-3 2009.......... 5-6 2008...........4-7 2007...........2-7 2006.......... 0-9 2005...........1-8 2004.......... 0-9 2003...........1-8 2002.......... 4-5 2001.......... 3-6 2000.......... 0-9 1999...........1-8 1998.......... 4-6 1997 ...........1-8 1996...........1-8 1995.......... 5-5 1994.......... 5-5 1993.......... 4-6
2010 .......... 5-5 2009...........3-7 2008...........2-8 2007.......... 6-4 2006.......... 4-6 2005.......... 5-5 2004.......... 4-6 2003.......... 5-4 2002.......... 6-3 2001.......... 3-6 2000.......... 3-6 1999.......... 5-4 1998.......... 3-6 1997 ...........1-8 1996.......... 5-4 1995.......... 8-3 1994...........2-7 1993.......... 6-3
2010 ...........1-9 2009.........0-10 2008...........2-8 2007.......... 3-6 2006.......... 3-6 2005.......... 4-5 2004.......... 4-5 2003.......... 4-6 2002.......... 5-5 2001...........7-3 2000...........7-3 1999.......... 6-4 1998...........7-3 1997 ...........7-3 1996.......... 6-4 1995.......... 3-6 1994.........0-10 1993...........3-7
2010 .........10-2 2009.......... 8-4 2008........ 11-2 2007.......... 8-3 2006.........10-2 2005...........7-3 2004.......... 6-4 2003.......... 6-3 2002.......... 5-4 2001...........8-2 2000...........7-2 1999.......... 4-4
CITY FOOTBALL PLAYOFF APPEARANCES CENTRAL (2) – 1985 (district); 1995 (quarterfinals) BENTON (10) – 1987 (district); 1990 (quarterfinals); 1991 (second); 1992 (sectional); 1993 (semifinals); 1996 (sectionals); 1999 (sectionals); 2004 (semifinals); 2005 (quarterfinals); 2006 (quarterfinals) LAFAYETTE (15) – 1977 (semifinals); 1978 (quarterfinals); 1982 (districts); 1984 (quarterfinals); 1985 (quarterfinals); 1988 (sectionals); 1989 (semifinals); 1991 (sectionals); 1992 (quarterfinals); 1993 (sectionals); 1994 (sectionals) 1995 (sectionals); 1998 (sectionals); 2008 (regionals); 2009 (regionals) BISHOP LEBLOND (4) – 1982 (semifinals); 1983 (district); 1984 (quarterfinals); 1993 (sectionals) ST. JOSEPH CHRISTIAN (7) – 2001 (8-man semifinals); 2004 (8-man finals); 2005 (8-man semifinals); 2006 (8-man state champions); 2007 (8-man semifinals); 2008 (8-man finals); 2009 (8-man finals); 2010 (8-man finals)
YOUR EDUCATION. YOUR CAREER.
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Pigskin Preview 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
A3
CENTRAL | Team returns 6 starters on both sides of the ball
Picking up where Wallace left off
JESSICA STEWART/St. Joseph News-Press
Central quarterback Darrin Dudley looks to pass during this year’s City Jamboree last week at Spratt Stadium. Dudley is Central’s new starter, replacing graduated Ryan Wallace.
Dudley steps in as new spread quarterback for Indians By CODY THORN
a little taller, but other then that, they are so similar.� As a sophomore, Dudley played varsity at defensive back, and last year, he again played in the secondary and added wide receiver duties. His junior season included a span of five games where he was on the sidelines due to an injury. Dudley, trying to strip the ball on defense, dislocated his shoulder against Lee’s Summit North. He returned to play in Central’s three district games. “With his speed, I wanted him on the field last year,� Wallace said, “but he hurt himself and missed most of the season.� The first chance Dudley had to lead the team was the Missouri team camp earlier this summer, where he impressed Wallace. Dudley found out he would transition to the starting role following the season and has been working to improve. “I have been really working
St. Joseph News-Press
Central football will have a new quarterback this year, but it might be hard to tell from the stands. Departed starter Ryan Wallace graduated after 2½ seasons as the starter. As a senior, Wallace passed for 1,078 yards and 12 touchdowns, while leading the team in rushing with 793 yards and seven touchdowns. Stepping in at quarterback will be No. 2, Darrin Dudley, a senior who has served as the backup and started at quarterback for the junior varsity as a sophomore. “I believe Darrin is in the same mold (as Ryan),â€? said Central coach Jeff Wallace, Ryan’s father. “He is a true spread quarterback. We will change very little because of that. People will watch us and it will look damn scarily similar. Darrin, is maybe
on getting my arm stronger and making the right reads and knowing what to do with the football,� Dudley said. “I have spent more time in the weight room and throwing more balls. I had to readjust to being the quarterback.� Dudley admitted the year at wide receiver helped because he learned the routes better. The first-year starter at quarterback will have plenty of help around him this year. Senior Corey Jackson returns to the backfield as a speed threat, while sophomore Derek Gray will try to fill the void Malkaam Muhammad left as a power back. Jackson averaged 7.2 yards per carry last year in limited action, but Wallace calls him the fastest kid he’s ever had in 18 years as a head coach. Wallace expects six to seven receivers to be part of the playing rotation with senior Cordell
Bell leading that group. Bell had 16 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown last year. Seniors Tyrese Huskey and Brad Schlange also had catches last season. Juniors Chad Bruder, who moves from quarterback to wide receiver, and Nick Shores will be in the rotation, as will sophomore Tyree Mayfield, a 6-foot-3 sophomore who is a hybrid tight end/wide receiver combination. The line returns seniors Michael Meinert, a four-year starter and a top college recruit, and Jack Viestenz. Meinert will play guard again, while Viestenz moves from center to tackle. “All the success of any offense has to be on the offensive line,� Wallace said. “We will have the biggest, strongest line I’ve had since I have been here. That is exciting.� The Indians, who return six starters on both sides of the ball, will look to build on last year’s 5-5 finish. The team was 3-2 in
OPPOSING TEAM North Kansas City Lee’s Summit West Lee’s Summit North Platte County Truman Ruskin Liberty Oak Park Staley Park Hill
Cody Thorn can be reached at cody.thorn@newspressnow.com
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the Suburban Red Division and finished 1-2 in districts. Staley and Park Hill earned the nod to qualify for the Class 5 playoffs. Central hosts both Oak Park and Staley at home this year, before finishing on the road. The Indians haven’t been a playoff team since 1996. “We feel, regardless of records, we are ready to be a playoff team, whether we are first or second in districts,� Wallace said. “That is the next step up. The district is tough with Staley, Park Hill and Oak Park; it is one of the toughest in the state. “Everything we do, every scheme we run, it is to be the No. 1 or 2 out of districts. We want to win all of our games, but they aren’t as important as the last three. We want to get better every week and play our best football at week 8.�
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Pigskin Preview 2011
A4
Friday, August 26, 2011
2011 PREP FOOTBALL CALENDAR September 23
MIDLAND EMPIRE
Oak Park at Platte County Milan at Braymer Falls City Sacred Heart at Axtell (Kan.) Auburn at Falls City Stewartsville at St. Joseph Christian Derrick Thomas Academy at Rock Port West Platte at Trenton
August 26
Marshall at Chillicothe Smithville at Cameron Savannah at LeBlond Central (Kansas City) at Benton East (Kansas City) at Lafayette Lawson at Maryville September 2
September 30
Kirksville at Chillicothe Cameron at Richmond Excelsior Springs at Savannah Benton at LeBlond Lafayette at Odessa Smithville at Maryville
Lexington at Trenton Liberty North at Platte County Braymer at Maysville Falls City Sacred Heart at Parkview Christian Ashland-Greenwood at Falls City St. Joseph Christian at Bern (Kan.)
September 9
Grain Valley at Cameron LeBlond at Lafayette Chillicothe at Smithville Lincoln Prep at Benton
October 1
Rock Port at North Platte October 7
Higginsville at Trenton Platte County at Grandview Slater at Braymer Sterling at Falls City Sacred Heart Falls City at Conestoga Axtell (Kan.) at St. Joseph Christian
September 10
Poplar Bluff vs. Savannah (at Webb City) Maryville at McCluer September 15
Chillicothe vs. LeBlond (at MWSU)
October 14
September 16
Benton at Cameron Smithville at Savannah Lafayette at Maryville September 23
Benton at Chillicothe Cameron at Savannah LeBlond at Maryville Smithville at Lafayette September 30
Savannah at Chillicothe Lafayette at Cameron Maryville at Benton LeBlond at Smithville October 7
Chillicothe at Lafayette LeBlond at Cameron Savannah at Maryville Smithville at Benton October 14
Maryville at Chillicothe St. Pius X at Cameron Lafayette at Savannah Benton at Platte County LeBlond at Trenton Kearney at Smithville October 21
Cameron at Chillicothe Savannah at Benton LeBlond at Plattsburg Platte County at Lafayette Smithville at Liberty North Maryville at St. Pius X October 27
Chillicothe at St. Pius X Cameron at Maryville Savannah at Platte County Lafayette at Benton Hamilton at LeBlond October 28
Smithville at Excelsior Springs
KCI August 26
Lawson at Maryville Lathrop at Wellington-Napoleon Rock Port at East Buchanan Gallatin at North Platte Orrick at Mid-Buchanan West Platte at Lincoln Prep South Harrison at Plattsburg September 2
West Platte at Lawson Lathrop at Plattsburg King City at East Buchanan North Platte at South Harrison Mid-Buchanan at Gallatin September 9
Plattsburg at Lawson Trenton at Lathrop North Platte at Knob Noster Mid-Buchanan at East (Kansas City) West Platte at Higginsville September 10
East Buchanan at Van Horn September 16
Lawson at St. Pius X Lathrop at East Buchanan Plattsburg at North Platte Sherwood at Mid-Buchanan Cass-Midway at West Platte September 23
Mid-Buchanan at Lawson North Platte at Lathrop East Buchanan at Plattsburg West Platte at Trenton September 30
Lawson at East Buchanan Lathrop at West Platte Plattsburg at Mid-Buchanan October 1
Rock Port at North Platte October 7
North Platte at Lawson Mid-Buchanan at Lathrop East Buchanan at Kansas City East Plattsburg at West Platte October 14
Lawson at Lexington Hogan Prep at Lathrop East Buchanan at North Platte West Platte at Mid-Buchanan Hamilton at Plattsburg October 21
Hogan Prep at Lawson Lathrop at Lexington East Buchanan at Mid-Buchanan North Platte at West Platte LeBlond at Plattsburg
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
Stanberry players cheer before kickoff of the continuation of the third quarter against St. Joseph Christian at Griffon Indoor Sports Complex last season. The game was moved indoors because of inclement weather. October 27
Lawson at Lathrop West Platte at East Buchanan Mid-Buchanan at North Platte Plattsburg at Trenton
September 23
Polo at Albany Princeton at King City Hamilton at Gallatin Maysville at South Harrison September 30
SUBURBAN BIG 6 August 26
Central at North Kansas City Ruskin at Truman Park Hill at Liberty Lee’s Summit West at Raymore-Peculiar September 2
Lee’s Summit West at Central Ruskin at Park Hill Truman at Belton Liberty at North Kansas City September 9
Central at Lee’s Sumit North Park Hill at Park Hill South North Kansas City at Lee’s Summit West Blue Springs at Truman Ruskin at Smith-Cotton September 16
Platte County at Central Truman at Park Hill Blue Springs South at Lee’s Summit West Raymore Peculiar at North Kansas City Oak Park at Ruskin September 23
Central at Truman Jefferson City at Park Hill Lee’s Summit West at Winnetonka North Kansas City at Ruskin September 30
Central at Ruskin Park Hill at North Kansas City Truman at Lee’s Summit West October 7
Liberty at Central Lee’s Summit West at Park Hill North Kansas City at Truman Ruskin at Raymore-Peculiar October 14
Oak Park at Central Park Hill at Staley Lee’s Summit West at Lee’s Summit William Chrisman at Truman North Kansas City at Park Hill South Belton at Ruskin October 21
Staley at Central Park Hill at Oak Park Ruskin at Lee’s Summit West Truman at Raytown North Kansas City at Fort Osage October 27
Truman at Raytown South October 28
Central at Park Hill Belton at Lee’s Summit West North Kansas City at Winnetonka Lee’s Summit at Ruskin
GRAND RIVER August 26
Albany at Princeton Hamilton at King City Gallatin at North Platte South Harrison at Plattsburg Maysville at Cass-Midway St. Mary’s (Independence) at Polo September 2
Crest Ridge at Albany King City at East Buchanan Mid-Buchanan at Gallatin Maysville at Princeton North Platte at South Harrison Polo at Hamilton September 9
Albany at Braymer King City at South Harrison Gallatin at Princeton Hamilton at Maysville Polo at Rock Port September 16
South Harrison at Albany King City at Polo Maysville at Gallatin Hamilton at Princeton
Gallatin at Albany Princeton at Polo South Harrison at Hamilton Braymer at Maysville October 7
Albany at Hamilton King City at Gallatin South Harrison at Princeton Polo at Maysville October 14
Albany at Maysville Rock Port at King City Braymer at Gallatin Milan at Princeton Polo at South Harrison Hamilton at Plattsburg October 21
King City at Albany Gallatin at Polo Putnam County at Princeton Braymer at South Harrison Trenton at Hamilton Maysville at Rock Port October 27
King City at Maysville Gallatin at South Harrison Hamilton at Bishop LeBlond Braymer at Polo October 28
Albany at Rock Port Princeton at Marceline
HIGHWAY 275 August 26
Christian at West Nodaway Tarkio at Worth County North Nodaway at Craig South Holt at Stanberry Hardin-Central at Nodaway-Holt North Andrew at Mound City September 2
Worth County at Nodaway-Holt West Nodaway at Mound City Craig at Norborne North Nodaway at DeKalb Stanberry at Tarkio South Holt at North Andrew September 9
Tarkio at North Nodaway Worth County at Craig West Nodaway at South Holt St. Joseph Christian at Stanberry Falls City Sacred Heart at Mound City September 16
DeKalb at Tarkio North Andrew at Worth County West Nodaway at Craig North Nodaway at Nodaway-Holt Mound City at Stanberry Hardin-Central at South Holt September 23
West Nodaway at Tarkio Worth County at Mound City Craig at Chilhowee South Holt at North Nodaway Nodaway-Holt at Stanberry September 30
Nodaway-Holt at Tarkio Worth County at South Holt Stanberry at West Nodaway Mound City at Craig North Nodaway at South Nodaway October 7
Tarkio at Craig West Nodaway at Worth County North Nodaway at Mound City Stanberry at South Nodaway South Holt at Nodaway-Holt October 14
Mound City at Tarkio South Nodaway at Worth County Nodaway-Holt at West Nodaway Craig at South Holt Stanberry at North Nodaway October 21
Tarkio at South Holt Worth County at North Nodaway South Nodaway at West Nodaway
Craig at Stanberry Mound City at Nodaway-Holt October 28
South Nodaway at Tarkio Stanberry at Worth County West Nodaway at North Nodaway Nodaway-Holt at Craig South Holt at Mound City
PLATTE VALLEY August 26
South Nodaway at Southwest Livingston North Andrew at Mound City Norborne at Stewartsville Chilhowee at DeKalb September 2
South Nodaway at St. Joseph Christian South Holt at North Andrew Stewartsville at Hardin-Central North Nodaway at DeKalb September 9
South Nodaway at North Andrew Southwest Livingston at Hardin-Central Chilhowee at Stewartsville Norborne at DeKalb September 16
Stewartsville at North Andrew Norborne at Southwest Livingston North Andrew at Worth County DeKalb at Tarkio September 23
DeKalb at South Nodaway North Andrew at Hardin-Central Southwest Livingston at Northwest (Hughesville) Stewartsville at St. Joseph Christian September 30
DeKalb at Southwest Livingston North Nodaway at South Nodaway Hardin-Central at Stewartsville North Andrew at Chilhowee October 7
Southwest Livingston at North Andrew Stewartsville at DeKalb Stanberry at South Nodaway October 14
Southwest Livingston at Stewartsville South Nodaway at Worth County North Andrew at St. Joseph Christian October 21
North Andrew at Stewartsville St. Joseph Christian at DeKalb South Nodaway at West Nodaway October 28
DeKalb at North Andrew Southwest Livingston at St. Joseph Christian South Nodaway at Tarkio
INDEPENDENTS/OTHERS August 26
South Shelby at Trenton Platte County at Grain Valley Braymer at Santa Fe Rock Port at East Buchanan St. Joseph Christian at West Nodaway September 2
Trenton at Carrolton Platte County at Kearney Salisbury at Braymer Diller-O’Dell at Falls City Sacred Heart Falls City at Fairbury St. Joseph Christian at South Nodaway Concordia at Rock Port September 9
Staley at Platte County Albany at Braymer Falls City Sacred Heart at Mound City Lincoln Lutheran at Falls City St. Joseph Christian at Stanberry Polo at Rock Port September 16
Trenton at Putnam County Platte County at Central Braymer at Rock Port Freeman at Falls City Sacred Heart Falls City at Centennial St. Joseph Christian at Chilhowee
Bishop LeBlond at Trenton Benton at Platte County Braymer at Gallatin Falls City Sacred Heart at Lewiston Syracuse at Falls City North Andrew at St. Joseph Christian Rock Port at King City October 20
Pawnee City at Falls City Sacred Heart October 21
Trenton at Hamilton Platte County at Lafayette Braymer at South Harrison Falls City at Platteview St. Joseph Christian at DeKalb Maysville at Rock Port October 27
Plattsburg at Trenton Savannah at Platte County Braymer at Polo October 28
SW Livingston at St. Joseph Christian Rock Port at Albany
KANSAS September 2
Immaculata at Horton Troy at ACCHS Abilene at Atchison Hiawatha at Sabetha Jackson Heights at Riverside MH-MA at Doniphan West September 9
Horton at Troy Jackson Heights at MH-MA ACCHS at Jefferson County North KC Wyandotte at Atchison Jefferson West at Hiawatha Riverside at Doniphan West Sabetha at Lecompton September 16
Riverside at Horton Jefferson County North at MH-MA Doniphan West at ACCHS Atchison at Silver Lake Hiawatha at Holton Royal Valley at Sabetha Troy at Jackson Heights September 23
Oskaloosa at Horton Valley Falls at ACCHS Atchison at Washington County Hiawatha at Royal Valley MH-MA at Riverside Sabetha at Holton Doniphan West at Jackson Heights Troy at Jefferson County North September 30
Horton at Sunrise Christian Jackson Heights at ACCHS Harmon at Atchison Sante Fe Trail at Hiawatha Riverside at Immaculata Nemaha Valley at Sabetha Pleasant Ridge at MH-MA Doniphan West at Centralia Troy at Valley Heights Pleasant Ridge at MH-MA October 7
McLouth at Horton ACCHS at Pleasant Ridge Atchison at Schlagle Hiawatha at Nemaha Valley Jefferson County North at Riverside Sabetha at Sante Fe Trail MH-MA at Oskaloosa Valley Heights at Doniphan West Washington County at Troy October 14
Horton at ACCHS Piper at Atchison Sumner Academy at Hiawatha Riverside at Troy Sabetha at MH-MA Doniphan West at Washington Co. October 21
Horton at Sabetha ACCHS at MH-MA Atchison at Sumner Academy Hiawatha at Piper Riverside at Valley Falls Troy at Doniphan West October 21
Maur Hill-Mt Academy at Horton ACCHS at Sabetha Atchison at Hiawatha Oskaloosa at Riverside Valley Falls at Doniphan West Centralia at Troy
Pigskin Preview 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
A5
LAFAYETTE | Team comes off the first winning season since 1992
Breaking into the Irish backfield
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
D’Treal Stone breaks the banner before a game against Savannah last year at Alumni Stadium. Stone will start at quarterback this year for Lafayette.
Stone grabs QB position, won’t try to be Nelson By ROSS MARTIN St. Joseph News-Press
D’Treal Stone learned many lessons from watching Tim Nelson. Most important among them was not lightning quick moves to help run for more than 2,000 yards, nor how to celebrate any of 30-plus touchdowns. Stone gleaned the leadership qualities Nelson showed from his quarterback position during last year’s 7-3 season. Stone still has to act on his lessons, and there was much
to learn before Lafayette’s season-opener against Kansas City East. “We’re ready, but it’s still nervous for me. I have a lot on my plate,� said Stone, tasked with replacing one of the area’s most electrifying players as this year’s Fighting Irish quarterback. Stone knows trying to recreate Nelson’s silky smooth game won’t do him much good. Coming off the first winning season at Lafayette since 1992, fifth-year coach Paul Woolard has plenty of returning weapons and renewed
sense of winning tradition. Keeping up Lafayette’s recent run of success, which includes two playoff trips in three years, now falls to Stone, although he has plenty of returning talent to aid in the process. “I think that’s the pressure people want to put on (Stone),� Woolard said. Stone will play behind an offensive line returning all five starters from a year ago — seniors Taylor Bryant and Parker Joslin and juniors Mick Edmondson, Austin Drennen and
Bryce Denton. A unit that played three sophomores last year, Woolard saw the line gel late in the season and sees the continuity playing out as a strength. While Nelson showed off improvisational running and throwing abilities, Woolard wants Stone comfortable in the pocket and to play in a more organized manner. A stable of capable running backs that includes D’Andre Talton, Kenny Grant, Curtis Hughes, Travis Webster, Cody Pettijohn and
Jurell Green should make Lafayette a multi-dimensional threat. Likely, Stone won’t be asked to carry the same offensive load as Lafayette’s recent standout quarterbacks. “I know I can trust everyone else on the line to get their job done,� said Bryant, an all-MEC selection as a left guard last year. “And I know (Stone) can trust us, too. I trust everybody in the backfield to get their job done, too.� Ross Martin can be reached at ross.martin@newspressnow.com
VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE 2011
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DATE 8/26 9/2 9/9 9/16 9/23 9/30 10/7 10/14 10/21 10/27
OPPONENT East Kansas City Odessa Bishop LeBlond Maryville Smithville Cameron Chillicothe Savannah Platte County Benton
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Pigskin Preview 2011
A6
Friday, August 26, 2011
BENTON | Senior Trevor Peters will move from wide receiver spot to start at QB for first 2 games
Benton coach Matt Tabor talks with his players last season.
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
Young transforms back to quarterback
By CODY THORN St. Joseph News-Press
Chris Young served as one of the favorite targets for quarter back Matt Pritchett last year. He now makes the transition from wideout to fill the spot Pritchett vacated after graduation. “Coach Tabor talked to me in the offseason, and it was my job to lose,� Young said. “I have to work hard and try to get the job done. We have high expectations down here this year. It should be fun.� Young played quarter back for the first time as an eighth-grader. The 6-foot-2, 180 pound lefthander has a strong arm, but speed is his calling card. He spent extra time in the weight room — coming to the gym at 7 a.m. four days a week — this summer and added 15 pounds of muscle to his frame. “I like to run and use my feet, but I can throw the ball,� Young said. “We got a heck of an offensive line out there, and we got a lot of weapons.� The two-deep position chart will be utilized in tonight’s opener, as Young will be suspended due to disciplinary reasons. Young will also miss the first half next week against Bishop LeBlond. Fellow senior Trevor Peters will move over from wide receiver to start the first two games. “Trevor is more of a drop back
last season, will have experi enced players surrounding the signal-caller. The offensive line features five seniors who all started at least one game last year and three all-conference lineman in Matt Cowles (tackle), Trevor Grinstead (guard) and Austyn Cordonnier (guard). Lucas Powers, who Tabor calls the heart and soul of the pro gram, and Cameron Barron will be the two top receivers until Pe ters shifts back to the outside. Powers will be a three-way starter for the Cardinals, also getting the nod at free safety and punter. This year will be a measur ing stick for how much progress Benton has made under Tabor. When he took over the program four years ago, Tabor had 27 players, when this year’s se niors were freshmen. Now, 18 seniors dot the Cardinals roster, and many will be play key roles this year on both sides of the ball. “We have retained most of those guys that have been here all four years,� Tabor said. “Ben FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press ton had a rich tradition from an Benton junior Chris Young looks for an open receiver on a trick-play against Lafayette last season. After playing at wide receiver last athletic standpoint, but I inher year, Young will play quarterback for the Cardinals this season. ited a team that was 2-7. We feel this would be a good indication guy,� Tabor said. “He has good He has good leadership at quar - kids on the team respect him, if we made strides.� speed and the good thing is he terback. He runs well and makes and he is the right guy for our will make good decisions. Chris good decisions with the football. system.� Cody Thorn can be reached is a very versatile quarterback. He is a very good player. The Benton, which finished 6-4 at cody.thorn@newspressnow.com
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A7
BISHOP LEBLOND | Eagles hope to improve on last year’s 1-win season
McCullough growing up quickly
By ANDREW DEWITT St. Joseph News-Press
Bishop LeBlond sophomore quarterback Matthew McCullough is one tough kid, and that’s what coach Tony Dudik loves about him. When McCullough came home from bantam football, he’d tell his parents how much he loved to hit people. McCullough is the youngest of six children and his siblings left him no option but to be tough growing up. “It wasn’t hard growing up, but they made sure I stayed tough and they picked on me every now and then,� McCullough said. Dudik knew what he had when he started McCullough at middle linebacker as a freshman. The middle linebacker position is one of the toughest on defense and often serves as the quarterback on that side of the ball, calling out audibles and other information to teammates. McCullough took over the starting quarterback position in game six last season after senior Craig Browning broke his collarbone against Maryville. “His situation was unique a year ago,� said Dudik, who was in his first year at LeBlond after coaching Class 5 Central for two decades. “Not only was my starting QB a freshman but he was also my (middle) linebacker.
“I’ve never had that before.� That’s a challenge Dudik’s youngest signal-caller since the 1990s at Central embraces. Former Missouri Western quarterback Drew Newhart worked with McCullough last spring and during the summer on his footwork. McCullough, like a sponge, asked Newhart what the most important thing to work on was. “(Newhart) said, ‘Once the feet come, the ball will be there,’� McCullough said. It’s obvious how much working with Newhart meant to McCullough and how he plans to attack the tough MEC schedule this season. Junior running back Austin Dawkins will help McCullough on the offensive end after he rushed for more than 600 yards as a sophomore averaging more than 4 yards a carry. “It’s going to take two or three players to shut (Dawkins) down,� McCullough said. LeBlond hopes to improve on its one-win season in 2010. To McCullough, the important thing to him and his teammates were seeing the improvement each week on film. “We got better every game,� McCullough said. Andrew DeWitt can be reached at andrew.dewitt@newspressnow.com
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
Bishop LeBlond running back Austin Dawkins carries the ball last season. Dawkins, now a junior, hopes to help the Golden Eagles win more than one game in 2011 with new quarterback Matthew McCullough.
His situation was unique a year ago. Not only was my starting QB a freshman but he was also my (middle) linebacker. I’ve never had that before. — TONY DUDIK, Bishop LeBlond coach commenting on sophomore Matthew McCullough
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Friday, August 26, 2011
Past City Jamboree Champions
ST. JOSEPH CHRISTIAN | Juhl ready to use options
Finding the right combination
2011 Benton 2010 cancelled +2009 Lafayette 2008 Central 2007 Benton 2006 Benton
Maudlin, Beard will split duties at quarterback for Lions By ANDREW DEWITT St. Joseph News-Press
St. Joseph Christian coach Mark Juhl established a winning motto at the small, private school when he first came there after a long, successful career as a Kansas 8-man coach. Now, it’s do whatever it takes to get over the state title game hump that has presented itself in the previous three years. The Lions have made three consecutive 8-man Show-Me Bowls but have lost all three to Mound City. Christian’s do-whatever-it-takes attitude to winning an 8-man title this season involves using two quarterbacks. Juhl sees the advantages in using both senior Alex Maudlin and junior David Beard. Maudlin said that Juhl holds the team to a high standard in all aspects, including quarterback play, and Maudlin thinks that’s the main reason that the Lions are a state-title contender every season. “He has high expectations,� Maudlin said. “We set our goals high and expect to accomplish them.� Both players accept the shared role and put the team’s goal before their individual goals, which is something Juhl talks about every day in the locker room. But to say the situation is perfect might be a little off. Both want to win the starting job while maintaining respect for the other quarterback. “We have two really good quarterbacks,� Juhl said. “They both bring different things to the table but they’re both very, very confident.� Last season, Christian used three quarterbacks, including now-graduated Josh Welchert. Beard and Maudlin each finished with a completion percentage better than 60 percent. Each averaged between 40 and 50 yards passing per game. Beard tossed 14 touchdowns while Maudlin added 16. Maudlin rushed for 100 more yards than Beard did, but bruising running back Matt Dahlgren led the way with 869 yards.
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Examining each quarterback’s performance last season shows two effective players over the course of the season. Beard said that having the quarterback competition is a good thing because it pushes him every day to not slack off and take anything lightly. Beard says that while getting playing time is important, winning a state championship is a lot more important right now. “If one has to come out, there’s another one that is very experienced and confident,� Juhl said. “They make each other better.� Christian’s two losses last season came at the hands of Stanberry in a strange game that finished at the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex due to a storm, and the Show-Me Bowl loss to Mound City. The Lions most memorable game came in a semifinal overtime victory against Miami where the field, which was situated in the outfield of the high school’s baseball field, turned into a lake when heavy rain persistFILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press ed throughout the game. St. Joseph Christian quarterback David Beard throws a pass during a game last year at Christian Field. That turned out to be the last football game in Miami football history, at least for now, as the team opted to co-op with another school. Christian was originally scheduled to host Miami in Week 1 but now travels to West Nodaway for a game against the Rockets. Juhl will continue to shuffle his players around offensive line positions and on defense to find the best fit. The rushing game should continue to be a strong suit with the return of Dahlgren, who scored 13 touchdowns. Fullback and linebacker Jordan Morrison also returns to add more offensive punch. He is also the team’s top tackler. Juhl and the Lions will miss top receiver Dylan Aebersold and offensive and defensive lineman Jordan Strandell. “We have a lot back, and we will miss the players who graduated,� Juhl said. FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
Andrew DeWitt can be reached at andrew.dewitt@newspressnow.com
Stanberry defender Kevin Luke causes St. Joseph Christian quarterback Alex Maudlin to fumble the ball during a game last year. Maudlin and David Beard will split time at quarterback again this year.
2002 Lafayette 2001 Central 2000 Central 1999 Central 1998 Central 1997 Central 1996 Central 1995 Central 1994 Lafayette 1993 Benton 1992 Central 1991 Central 1990 Central 1989 Benton 1988 Lafayette *1987 Central 1986 Central 1985 Bishop LeBlond 1984 Central 1983 Bishop LeBlond 1982 Bishop LeBlond 1981 Central 1980 Benton 1979 Lafayette 1970 Bishop LeBlond 1969 Christian Brothers 1968 Central 1967 Central 1966 Benton 1965 Central 1964 Central 1963 Central 1962 Central 1961 Benton 1960 Lafayette 1959 Central 1958 Central 1957 Central 1956 Central 1955 Central 1954 Lafayette 1953 Central 1952 Benton 1951 Central 1950 Central 1949 Christian Brothers 1948 Christian Brothers * Denotes the first year Bishop LeBlond was not included in City Jamboree. Ă— Denotes the first year Central was not included in the City Jamboree, while LeBlond rejoined the same year. + Denotes first year the Jamboree was moved to preseason and no official winner was announced Total championships: Central 30, Benton 11, Bishop LeBlond/ Christian Brothers 7, Lafayette 7
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11-MAN FOOTBALL • • • •
ACCHS • Albany • Atchison • Braymer • Cameron • Chillicothe • Doniphan West • East Buchanan • Falls City • Gallatin Hamilton • Hiawatha • Horton • King City • Lathrop • Lawson • Maryville • Maur Hill-Mount Academy • Maysville Mid-Buchanan • North Platte • Platte County • Plattsburg • Polo • Princeton • Riverside • Rock Port • Sabetha Savannah • Smithville • South Harrison • Trenton • Troy • West Platte
Skilled position East Buchanan’s Bower plays QB because of his athletic abilities
more
see page C5
Savannah looks to repeat as MEC champions with Zane Wilt at QB see page C2
Hamilton set to defend 2nd straight state title with cast of new faces see page C9
Nold entrenched under center as Riverside embarks on 1st season see page C11
Pigskin Preview 2011
B2
Friday, August 26, 2011
SAVANNAH | Zane Wilt steps into quarterback role, should provide flashy play
Savages return skill players around quarterback By SAM ROBINSON St. Joseph News-Press
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
Savannah’s Zane Wilt (13) moves from cornerback to quarterback this year, replacing two-year starter Justin Roach for the Savages.
SAVANNAH, Mo. — Physicality and precision powered Savannah to its first Midland Empire Conference championship in 30 years last season. Now, the seasoned Savages (9-2, 7-0 MEC in 2010) are adding flash, and it starts with junior quarterback Zane Wilt. Wilt shifts from cornerback and steps into Savannah’s veteran-laden offense — eight starters return. He doesn’t have predecessor Justin Roach’s size or experience, but his speed helped create new offensive wrinkles. “They’re completely different ballplayers,� Savannah coach Mark Cole said. “Justin Roach was not gonna make the flashy play. He was gonna be a consistent game manager, get your offense down and put it in the end zone. Zane is a kid who may not be quite as good doing the little things, management-wise, but he is a big-time playmaker.� Cole said the team will utilize more shotgun option plays to put Wilt in open space to deploy his athleticism. The offense’s abundance of returning players — the most in Cole’s four-year tenure — also allows the coaching staff to insert more packages in fall camp, much earlier than they would in a normal season. “I think we’re gonna see our quarterback make bigger plays than we have the past two years,� Cole said. “Justin was a great quarterback, and he did a lot for us. But having another dynamic speed threat back there is very exciting.� Savannah also brings back nearly its entire skill-position core, which should ease Wilt’s transition into the spotlight. Senior tight end/inside linebacker Blake Burson has played with Wilt since elementary school and knows he possesses the talent to thrive in this system. Top rushers Clay Holt (595 yards, seven touchdowns) and Andy Meyers join Wilt in the backfield,
and wide receivers Blake Deal (686 receiving yards, five scores) and Riley Williams provide the threats on the outside. Deal caught eight passes for 134 yards in Savannah’s near-upset of Kearney in regionals last season while Meyers’ 48-yard dash against Lafayette sealed the Savages’ first conference championship in 30 years. The speed makeover doesn’t stop on offense. Savannah’s defense switches from a 3-5 alignment to an attacking 3-4 that Cole compared to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ set which features blitzes from many angles and constant stunts up front. “It’s what we should’ve been running three years ago,� Burson said. “This 3-4 opens up a lot more blitzes. It gives us advantages against a spread team like Platte County, who we struggled with last year.� The Pirates’ spread offense glided to a 45-28 district-title-clinching victory that sent the Savages to Kearney. Cole said the loss to Platte County, along with several teams on the schedule’s passheavy offenses, moved the coaching staff to install this defense. “I wouldn’t call us a flashy look,� he said. “Not just Platte County’s (offense), a lot of teams that do what they do put us in binds with our old defense. We feel like our defense is going to be more user-friendly.� The Pirates loom once again in Class 4 District 16. The Savages’ 15 returning starters make them MEC favorites again as well, but they hope their potential third straight foray into the playoffs extends beyond the first round. Savannah lost in the first round the previous two seasons. “We’ve got the title, and to get it, the road goes through us,� Cole said. “We’re gonna defend that with some pride and honor. Last year, we got beat out in the first round; we’d like to get a little bit deeper this year.� Sam Robinson can be reached at sam.robinson@newspressnow.com
2011 Football Season 2
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B3
MARYVILLE | Jonathan Baker takes helm as team’s unquestioned quarterback
Spoofhounds eye state championship again this year By ANDREW DEWITT St. Joseph News-Press
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Maryville High School’s Class of 2013 started hearing the hype of state championships and football glory before they were even young men. The talk started in the seventh grade when the now juniors were boys, and the hype progressed during the past four years. Now, all of the members of the class of 2013 will take the field this year if they haven’t already been starting for the Spoofhounds. Quarterback Jonathan Baker serves as the ring leader of the elite class. Facing the daunting challenge of unseating one of the two starting senior quarterbacks to earn playing time last year as a sophomore, Baker replaced Sam Snyder about midway through the 2010 season and split time with Marcus Grudzinski. For most quarterbacks, unseating not one but maybe two senior quarterbacks seems like an unrealistic goal. But Baker did so last year. Now, he’s alone at the top of the depth chart.
Baker had a 64 percent completion percentage last season, throwing five touchdowns and only one interception in 39 passing attempts. Maryville lost to eventual Class 3 state champions Richmond in sectionals when the Spartans scored the game-winning touchdown with less than 20 seconds left after the Spoofhounds tied the game late in the fourth quarter. “We went from the happiest moment in our lives to the crappiest because we all thought we had a chance when we scored it,� Walter said. “Then we lost in the last seconds, and they went on to win state. We’re all mad about FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press that.� Defensively, the Spoofhounds Cole Forney (6) leads Maryville onto the field for a game last season at Maryville High School. are more physical this season “I stepped into here as a freshIf an injury forced Holt’s hand, Holt is confident in his back- and added some much needed man, it was my goal to take that he’d probably put senior wide field options of running backs size on its lines. spot as a junior,� Baker said. receiver/safety Tyler Walter be- Trent Nally and Derrick Stiens It’s safe to say Maryville’s Maryville coach Chris Holt hind center. combining with returning full- Class of 2013 feels the pressure rode the two-man quarterBaker embraces the pressure- back Nick Groumoutis to replace to help this year’s smaller senior back system to the 2009 Class 2 cooker position. It’s no added Gavin Talmadge’s production. class, and according to Baker, championship using a system pressure that the Spoofhounds “Our kids know how to win,� they’re OK with that. that both Snyder and Grudzin- expect to compete for a state title Holt said. “(We) hope to be more ski flourished in, but now the of- again this season after moving efficient with our passing game Andrew DeWitt can be reached at andrew.dewitt@newspressnow.com fense rests in Baker’s hands. back up to Class 3 last season. this season.�
MIDLAND EMPIRE CONFERENCE CAPSULES BENTON gg COACH — Matt Tabor, 4th year, 13-17 (8th year, 29-38 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 6-4 (4-3 in MEC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 0-3 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Matt Pritchett (966 yards rushing, 10 TDs); Matt Pritchett (1,489 yards passing, 15 TDs); Lucas Powers (683 yards receiving, 6 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — WR/DB Lucas Powers; OL/DL Matt Cowles; OL/DL Austyn Cordonnier; OL/DL Trevor Grinstead; WR/DB Cameron Barron gg KEY LOSSES — QB Matt Pritchett; OL/DL Dylin Anderson; RB/DB D’Paris Smith; OL/DL Danny Evans; DL Garrett Branstetter gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Central (Kansas City); S2 at LeBlond; S10 vs. Lincoln Prep; S16 at Cameron; S23 at Chillicothe; S30 vs. Maryville; O7 vs. Smithville; O14 at Platte County; O21 vs. Savannah; O27 vs. Lafayette
LAFAYETTE gg COACH — Paul Woolard, 5th year, 18-23 gg 2010 RECORD — 7-3 (5-2 in MEC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 1-2 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Tim Nelson (2,068 yards rushing, 28 TDs); Tim Nelson (714 passing yards, 6 TDs); Ian Toalson (304 yards receiving, 4 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — OL/DL Mick Edmondson; OL/DL Taylor Bryant; OL Parker Joslin; RB/LB D’Andre Talton; QB/DB D’Treal Stone; RB/ DB Kenny Grant; LB Austin Day gg KEY LOSSES — QB Tim Nelson; TE/DE Ian Toalson; WR Max Sollars; LB Jacob Allen; DB Tyrai Skeen; DB DJ Adams; DL Wes Rogers gg STARTERS RETURNING — 8 on offense, 6
receiving, 5 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — TE/LB Blake Burson; OL Wes Salmon; FB Clay Holt; WR/DB Blake Deal; DL Kip Smith; DL Johnny Wiese; RB Andy Meyers gg KEY LOSSES — QB Justin Roach; OL/DL Wes Neel gg STARTERS RETURNING — 8 on offense, 7 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at LeBlond; S2 vs. Exelsior Springs; S10 vs. Poplar Bluff at Webb City, Mo.; S16 vs. Smithville; S23 vs. Cameron; S30 at Chillicothe; O7 vs. Maryville; O14 vs. Lafayette; O21 at Benton; O27 at Platte County
on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. KC East; S2 at Odessa; S9 vs. LeBlond; S16 at Maryville; S23 vs. Smithville; S30 at Cameron; O7 vs. Chillicothe; O14 at Savannah; O21 vs. Platte County; O27 at Benton
CHILLICOTHE gg COACH — Phil Willard, 14th year, 101-43 (138-101 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 4-6 (2-5 in MEC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 1-2 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Nick Plummer (1,178 yards rushing, 16 TDs); Jacob Lewis (651 passing yards, 4 TDs); Alex Thompson (430 yard receiving, 2 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — QB/DB Jacob Lewis; OL/ DL Alec Whiteside; RB/CB Guy Vinson; OT/ DT Kyle Wilkerson; DE/TE Spencer Hart gg KEY LOSSES — RB/LB Nick Plummer; FB/ LB/P Blake Stephens; WR/DB Alex Thompson gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 4 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Marshall; S2 vs. Kirksville; S10 at Smithville; S15 at LeBlond; S23 vs. Benton; S30 vs. Savannah; O7 at Lafayette; O14 Maryville; O21 vs. Cameron; O27 at St. Pius X
CAMERON gg COACH — David Rash, 4th year, 10-19 gg 2010 RECORD — 1-8 (1-6 in MEC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 0-3 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Jordan Clough (501 yards rushing, 2 TDs); Zach Way (253 passing yards, 1 TD); Brendan Gabbart (182 yards receiving) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB/DB Brendan Gabbart; OL/DL Austin Anderson; OL/DL Jared Thompson; QB/DB Zach Way gg KEY LOSSES — DE Sawyer Marlay; DL Lucas Tunks; RB Jordan Clough
MARYVILLE
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
Savannah wide receiver Tyler Wilt (12) returns to a versatile Savannah offense looking for another playoff trip. gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 5 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Smithville; S2 at Richmond; S9 vs. Grain Valley; S16 vs. Benton; S23 at Savannah; S30 vs. Lafayette; O7 at LeBlond; O14 vs. St Pius; O21 at Chillicothe; O27 at Maryville
SAVANNAH gg COACH — Mark Cole, 4th year, 24-9 (64-35 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 9-2 (7-0 in MEC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 2-1 in district play, lost regionals at Kearney gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Clay Holt (595 yards rushing, 7 TDs); Justin Roach (1,415 passing yards, 12 TDs); Blake Deal (686 yards
gg COACH — Chris Holt, 6th year, 49-13 (83-31 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 9-3 (6-1 in MEC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — won district with 3-0 record; lost sectional vs. Richmond gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Gavin Talmadge (1,467 yards rushing, 14 TDs); Marcus Grudzinkski (581 passing yards, 5 TDs); Will Twaddle (385 yards receiving, 5 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — WR/DB Tyler Walter; QB Jonathan Baker; RB Cole Forney; RB Nick Groumoutis; DL Caleb Mather gg KEY LOSSES — DE Tyler Peve; DB Will Twaddle; OL Clay Boyles; KR Michael Butler; DE Coby Keyes; DB Cole Lawyer gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 4 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Lawson; S2 at Smithville; S10 at McCluer; S16 vs. Lafayette; S23 vs. LeBlond; S30 at Benton; O7 vs. Savannah; O14 at Chillicothe; O21 at St. Pius X; O27 at Cameron
BISHOP LEBLOND gg COACH — Tony Dudik, 2nd year, 1-9 (102123 in 35 years coaching overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 1-9 (0-7 in MEC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 1-2 in
district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Austin Dawkins (647 yards rushing, 4 TDs); Matthew McCullough (623 passing yards, 7 TDs); Mitchell Culver (442 yards receiving, 1 TD) gg KEY RETURNEES — TE/DE Joe Voltmer; WR/FS Chuckie Kempf; RB/LB Austin Dawkins; OT/DT Blake Davies; QB/LB Matthew McCullough gg KEY LOSSES — DL Taylor Lorenz; WR/DB Mitchell Culver; DB Michael Haynes gg STARTERS RETURNING — 5 on offense, 4 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Savannah; S2 vs. Benton; S9 at Lafayette; S15 vs. Chillicothe; S23 at Maryville; S30 at Smithville; O7 vs. Cameron; O14 at Trenton; O21 at Plattsburg; O27 vs. Hamilton
SMITHVILLE gg COACH — Greg Smith, 14th year, 81-66 gg 2010 RECORD — 5-6 (3-4 in MEC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 2-1 in district play; lost sectional at Platte County gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Zach Parmenter (526 yards rushing, 7 TDs); Eric Gromacki (1,881 passing yards, 17 TDs); Tyler Lamb (591 yards receiving, 10 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — WR/DB Tyler Lamb; QB Eric Gromacki; RB Nick Nance; WR/DB Andrew Duncan; RB Zach Parmenter; LB Joe Dominiak; DL Austin Adamson; DL/OL Joe Mattli; OL/DL Sam Fullmer gg KEY LOSSES — OL/DL Scott Reilly; LB Shane Cullen; WR/DB Blake Webb; OL/DL Garrett Jackman; DL Neco Coulstring; LB Mitchell Gonsalves; LB Josh Petersen gg STARTERS RETURNING — 7 on offense, 7 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Cameron; S2 vs. Maryville; S9 vs. Chillicothe; S16 at Savannah; S23 at Lafayette; S30 vs. LeBlond; O7 at Benton; O14 vs. Kearney; O21 at Liberty North; O28 at Excelsior Springs
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Time 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Opponent Lawson Smithville (Conf) McCluer Lafayette (Conf) LeBlond (Conf) Benton (Conf) Savannah (Conf)
Site Home Away Away Home Home Away Away
Date 10/14 10/21 10/27 11/2 11/7 11/12 11/19 11/25
Time 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Opponent Chillicothe (Conf) St. Pius X Cameron (Conf) Regionals Sectionals Quarterfinals SemiFinals State Chamionship
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Pigskin Preview 2011
B4
Friday, August 26, 2011
CHILLICOTHE | Hornets seek bounceback season in MEC
Lewis, backfield have Willard confident
By ANDREW DEWITT St. Joseph News-Press
CHILLICOTHE, Mo. — What frustrated Chillicothe quarterback Jacob Lewis most about the last season was the fact the Hornets couldn’t finish off a game. Everything would go fine until conditioning and lack of confidence would slide Chillicothe into a tailspin that would eventually result in a loss. The Hornets started the season with back-to-back road wins against Marshall and Kirksville, but a fourth quarter meltdown against Smithville started the negative late-game trend. “It was so embarrassing losing in the last quarter; we just gave it away every time,� said Spencer Hart, a three-year starter at tight end and on the defensive line. The team lost five of its final seven games in 2010, including finishing 1-2 in what many considered to be a weak district featuring Cameron, Maryville and St. Pius X. In his senior season, Lewis vowed that the fourth quarter letdowns would be stopped in training camp instead of becoming a problem that lasts throughout the season and ruins a team’s mindset.
both sides of the football.� Under center, Lewis looks to last year’s starting experience to be able to slow the game down a little bit. Lewis said he’ll understand what the little movements by the defense mean this second time around, and understanding the small things will help his game improve. Playing quarterback under Willard often means minimizing momentum-killing mistakes more than making game-winning plays. “Jacob can make some plays, too,� Willard said. “He’ll be more than a game manager for us.� That’s a role Lewis embraces including the responsibilities of a football-mad town that knows that it’s team has struggled recently compared to state championship expectations. One player to watch for the Hornets is junior offensive lineFILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press man Alec Whiteside. He earned Chillicothe running back Guy Vinson runs the ball though a hole between two Benton defenders last year at Sparks Field. all-state honors in the discus at the 2011 Missouri State Track “I’m making sure that we’re in Nick Plummer, but the senior spread offense after last year’s and Field Championship and shape because that’s what killed core of Lewis, Hart, running struggles, but people who know that strength that earned him us last year,� Lewis said. “Coach backs Austin Hatfield and Guy the traditional Willard know the a medal in Jefferson City, Mo. mentioned it, but I hope most of Vinson provide plenty of punch Hornets offense isn’t changing translates well to the football field. us recognized it because I did.� for Willard’s traditional run- anytime soon. The Hornets return eight play- heavy offense. “We finally have some experiAndrew DeWitt can be reached ers on offense including the enThe long-time Chillicothe coach ence back,� Willard said. “That’s at andrew.dewitt@newspressnow.com tire backfield minus fullback joked that he was switching to the going to definitely help us on
CAMERON | Dragons hope worst is behind them
Way enters 3rd season as starter for coach Rash
By TRAVIS HARTMAN St. Joseph News-Press
CAMERON, Mo. — Cameron finished last season 1-8. A dismal season compared to their 8-2 season in 2009 under coach Dave Rash. Now in his fourth season, Rash is a no-nonsense coach who strives to return to winning. On numerous occasions at a recent practice, Rash stopped drills only to force his guys to do updowns for what he thought was an unsatisfactory effort. “You are going to learn this ain’t no country club,� Rash shouted at his players. “We are out here to win games.� This was the attitude Rash echoed throughout the entire practice. While his tough-love type of coaching style can help win games, he will need players to step up and fill the void of recently graduated Sawyer Marlay, Lucas Tunks, Jordan Clough and Jared Schlorff among others. The Dragons didn’t really boast a big senior class last year and because of that last year’s juniors received ample playing time. “We do have a bigger senior
a receiver last year, catching 20 passes, and Richardson rushed for two touchdowns to go along with Ocker’s 186 rushing yards. “I think this season is going to be a lot better,� Way said. “I mean you can’t get any worse after going 1-8 last season.� Way also acknowledged that while he doesn’t ever feel the pressure of being compared to past quarterback and state champion Drew Newhart that he knows the comparison is always going to be out there. The Dragons won state in 2005 and were runners-up in 2004 with Newhart as the quarterback. “Everybody still wants it to be like it was when Drew was here, but you just have to do what you can,� Way said. FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press Cameron still aspires to return Cameron quarterback Zach Way looks to pass downfield during the second half of play Friday, at Smithville High School. The Dragons to the form of its recent state fell to the Warriors 28-7. championship past. “A player like Newhart doesn’t class and some pretty good ju- Oct. 8 in a 28-21 Midland Empire “He knows what we want ofniors this year,� Rash said. “We Confernce win. fensively, and he can run the of- come about too often,� Rash said. “Those teams that went to state are just hoping with the experiSenior Zach Way will be car- fense,� Rash said. ence they had last year coupled rying the load at quarterback Seniors Brendan Gabbart and were talented. You just kind of with some of the new guys com- for another year after starting Landon Ocker also return to pro- strive to be that every year and ing up that we can get a few more the last two seasons. Way missed vide experience at the skill posi- that is what we are doing.� wins this season.� time due to injury last year, and tions, while junior Mikey RichardTravis Hartman can be reached Cameron’s only win came Rash needs him healthy this year son will provide help at running at travis.hartman@newspressnow.com against Bishop LeBlond on to find success. back. Gabbart also doubled as
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OPPONENT
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Pigskin Preview 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
B5
EAST BUCHANAN | Bulldogs sport 1 of area’s top athletes at quarterback
Bower brings power to Gower
Playoffs still a goal for East Buchanan despite losing heavy load of seniors By ANDREW DEWITT St. Joseph News-Press
GOWER, Mo. — There are a lot of things to keep a high school football coach tossing and turning at night. From the upcoming matchup against a state-ranked team for a conference title to the question of whether his quarterback is going to be able to stand the pressure that comes with the position, the worries seemingly never cease. No matter the level, playing quarterback brings an added level of stress and pressure to that position that no other spot in any other sport provides. Even the most clueless football fans always know who the quarterback is. That responsibility is magnetized even more in small-town football where teams like East Buchanan are the boys of fall. Almost every store front in Gower, Mo., celebrates that the Bulldogs play there. That’s why East Buchanan coach Kevin Bryan decided a few years ago that no matter what, the team’s best athlete will be the quarterback. Senior Cory Bower became the quarterback through that method despite the fact that six months before his first start last year, he couldn’t throw an accurate spiral. Bower is a quick learner and turned his first season leading the Bulldogs into a season for the history books. “I knew the playbook pretty good, but it’s a lot different looking at it from the sideline instead of actually doing it,� Bower said.
“It probably took me the first couple of games to get used to.� East Buchanan lost to West Platte in a defacto district championship game to fall to 8-2 after Bower suffered a concussion early in the loss. But the Bulldogs won the rematch in sectionals less than two weeks later when Bower led them back from a three-touchdown deficit in the second half. He even ran in the last-second score to bring East Buchanan within one. The extra point would have tied the game and likely sent it to overtime, but Bower ran to the sideline and immediately started begging Bryan to go for the twopoint conversion. “That’s all I was thinking about the whole drive, actually,� Bower said. “I didn’t want to go into overtime. I didn’t like that matchup against them. We’re either winning it now or losing it now.� East Buchanan converted the two-point try, held off West Platte’s last-ditch drive and went on to lose to Wellington-Napoleon in the Class 1 quarterfinals, finishing 10-3. It was a remarkable transformation from all-conference wide receiver to quarterback for Bower. Looking back on the seasonending loss, Bower learned a lesson, and he plans to use it this season. At the meal before the quarterfinal game, Bower said the team was still talking about the heart-attack inducing victory against West Platte instead of talking about how they were going to continue advancing in
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
Wellington-Napoleon defender Drew Schaberg tries to bring down East Buchanan quarterback Cory Bower during last year’s Class 1 quarterfinal at East Buchanan High School. Wellington-Napoleon defeated the Bulldogs 54-26. the playoffs. “What sucks is when you go back and think about is it’s almost like we were glad just to be there,� Bower said. “We tried to win, obviously, but it wasn’t the same.� The Bulldogs return only three starters on offense and defense this season, but Bower is confident in the pieces that he has surrounding him. He’ll miss top wide receiver Caleb Mitchell. Often, last season, Bower
would throw a 5- or 6-yard slant to Mitchell, who would then add 20 or 30 yards after the catch with his athletic ability. Offensive coordinator Lucas Buhman and Bower formed a close relationship quickly while the wide receiver transformed to quarterback. One thing Bower and Buhman had going for them was that Bower didn’t develop any bad habits as a youth quarterback. Every lesson Bower learned
from Buhman was what Buhman wanted him to be doing. Buhman and Bower spend a lot of time together. Last season, Bower spent four or five hours a day with Buhman because he was in one of his classes. Bower realizes that’s what it takes to become an elite quarterback, and he’s taken those steps. Andrew DeWitt can be reached at andrew.dewitt@newspressnow.com
EAST BUCHANAN BULLDOGS
2011 Football Schedule East Buchanan C-I School District DATE 8/26 9/2 9/9 9/16 9/23 9/30 10/7 10/14 10/21 10/27
OPPONENT ROCK PORT KING CITY VAN HORN LATHROP PLATTSBURG LAWSON EAST (KANSAS CITY) NORTH PLATTE MID-BUCHANAN WEST PLATTE
HOME/AWAY HOME AWAY HOME HOME AWAY HOME HOME AWAY AWAY HOME
TIME 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
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Pigskin Preview 2011
B6
Friday, August 26, 2011
MID-BUCHANAN | Bullimore hopes to gain needed experience quickly as senior quarterback
Williams optimistic as Dragons 1st-year coach By ROSS MARTIN St. Joseph News-Press
FAUCETT, Mo. — Dylan Bullimore learned how to run as a running back in Mid-Buchanan’s system. But in his final high school season, Bullimore will need to learn more about pass routes and reading defenses. The process might take a while, but first-year coach Randy Williams hopes the lessons don’t take too long to sink in. Mid-Buchanan wants to win now, following up on two of the most successful seasons in school history. “I’ve taken a couple (snaps), but it’s new for me,� Bullimore said. Bullimore follows departed quarterbacks Drew Gray (2010 graduate) and Nick Andriano (2011). Gray was a three-year starter and took the Dragons to the Class 1 quarterfinals in his senior year, while Andriano guided a 6-4 team last year. Both made all-state as defensive backs in their final season. Andriano and Gray were dual-threat options, and while Bullimore possesses some of their athleticism, he’s less experienced as a quarterback. “It’s pretty tough following the talent we had, but I think we’ll be OK this year,� Bullimore said. Williams didn’t change a bunch from the playbook left behind by Dave Rapp, who is now
the principal at Mid-Buchanan. But while Rapp went exclusively spread on offense in past years, Williams will tailor his offense toward his personnel but also lean on experienced assistants Aaron Fritz, Kyle Thompson and Bryce Kemper. Bullimore might do more running this year with fewer receiving options available. “We’re going to run what we’re best at,� Williams said. “We’re going let our talent dictate what we do; we’re not going to dictate to our talent. If I don’t have a bunch of receivers and a great quarterback, we’re probably not going to be a spread team.� Bullimore will be surrounded by other new faces as well. Very few pieces remain from the 8-5 team that lost to eventual 2009 state champion Hamilton two years ago. The Dragons just missed the playoffs a year ago but again graduated a large core of the team. Plugging in Bullimore at the most important position on the field wasn’t a hard decision. Williams has little choice but to play inexperienced kids this season. “Yeah, we’re inexperienced across the board,� he said. “So not only does it scare me with Dylan, it scares me everywhere.�
KCI CONFERENCE CAPSULES EAST BUCHANAN gg COACH — Kevin Bryan, 7th year, 2619 (53-36 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 10-3 (4-2 in KCI) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 2-1 in district play; lost quarterfinal to Wellington-Napoleon gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Cory Brower (1,003 yards rushing, 12 TDs); Cory Bower (2,000 passing yards, 11 TDs); Caleb Mitchell (1,400 yards, 14 receiving TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — QB/CB Cory Bower; C/LB Jace Zeit; WR Ryan Stallard gg KEY LOSSES — WR Caleb Mitchell; LB/RB Zac Hawkins; RB James O’Brien; OL Garrett Everett; TE Michael Burton; OL Drew Parks gg STARTERS RETURNING — 3 on offense, 3 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Rock Port; S2 at King City, S9 vs. Van Horn, S16 vs. Lathrop, S23 at Plattsburg, S30 vs. Lawson, O7 vs. KC East, O14 at North Platte, O21 at Mid-Buchanan, O27 vs. West Platte
MID-BUCHANAN gg COACH — Randy Williams, 1st year gg 2010 RECORD — 6-4 (3-3 in KCI) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 12 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Christian Robbins and Alex Whitmore (rushing); Nick Andriano (passing); Christian Robbins (receiving) gg KEY RETURNEES — DL Tyler Clark; gg KEY LOSSES — RB/LB Alex Whitmore; WR/CB Christian Robbins; OL/DL Caleb Brashears; QB/DB Nick Andriano gg STARTERS RETURNING — 5 on offense, 5 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Orrick; S2 at Gallatin; S9 at Kansas City East; S16 vs. Sherwood; S23 at Lawson; S30 vs. Plattsburg; O7 at Lathrop; O14 vs. West Platte; O21 vs. East Buchanan; O27 at North Platte
LATHROP gg COACH — Mike Thompson, 1st year gg 2010 RECORD — 0-10 (0-6 in KCI) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 03 in district play gg KEY RETURNEES — OL/LB Tyler Berg, QB/DB Collin Haahr, RB/LB Carl Brunner, OL/DL Jake Shrewsbury gg KEY LOSSES — none gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 7 on defense
Ross Martin can be reached at ross.martin@newspressnow.com
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
East Buchanan runs onto the field before a homecoming game last year against Plattsburg. East Buchanan defeated Plattsburg, 41-31, on the way to a 10-3 record. gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Wellington-Napolean; S2 at Plattsurg; S9 vs. Trenton; S16 at East Buchanan; S23 vs. North Platte; S30 at West Platte; O7 vs. Mid Buchanan; O14 vs. Hogan Prep; O21 at Lexington; O27 vs. Lawson
PLATTSBURG gg COACH — Andy McNeely, 3rd year, 13-19 (13-19 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 2-8 (2-4 in KCI) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 03 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — JD Soil (530 yards rushing, 6 TDs); Damond Lanham (577 passing yards, 3 TDs); Tyler Hogle (282 yards receiving, 2 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — OL Jordon Filbeck, OL Jesse Gibson, OL/DE Josh Fernandez, RB/DB Trevor Jones gg KEY LOSSES — QB/S Damond Lanham, WR/LB Tyler Hogle, RB JD Soil, OL Mike Reeves gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 offense, 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. South Harrison; S2 vs. Lathrop; S9 at Lawson; S16 at North Platte; S23 vs East Buchanan; S30 at Mid-Buchanan; O7 at West Platte; O14 vs Hamilton; O21 vs. LeBlond; O27 at Trenton
WEST PLATTE gg COACH — Chuck Siler, 3rd year, 17-4
gg 2010 RECORD — 10-2 (5-1 in KCI) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — won district with 3-0; lost sectional to East Buchanan gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Brett Grindstaff (878 yards rushing, 14 TDs); Brett Grindstaff (2,456 passing yards); Dylan Guthrie (798 yards receiving) gg KEY RETURNEES — WR/LB Dylan Guthrie, WR/DB Seth Rulon, QB Luke Wetzel, OL Todd Brown, OL/LB Colby Clemen, WR/LB Hunter Faris gg KEY LOSSES — QB Brett Grindstaff, LB Harrison Shipman gg STARTERS RETURNING — 7 on offense and 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Lincoln Prep; S2 at Lawson; S9 at Higginsville; S16 vs. Cass-Midway; S23 vs. Trenton; S30 vs. Lathrop; O7 vs. Plattsburg; O14 at Mid-Buchanan; O21 vs. North Platte; O27 at East Buchanan
NORTH PLATTE gg COACH — Jim Brockhoff, 7th year, 30-32 gg 2010 RECORD — 4-6 (1-6 in KCI) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 03 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Evan Hill (701 yards rushing); Evan Hill (613 passing yards); Joe Ferizzi (183 yards receiving) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB/LB Zach Emmendofer, QB/FS Levi Hill, FB/DE Seth Faherty, OL/DL Nathan Hale
gg KEY LOSSES — QB/DB Evan Hill, RB/DB Trent Arnold, OL/DL Sam Enyert gg STARTERS RETURNING — 5 on offense, 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Gallatin; S2 at South Harrison, S9 at Knob Noster, S16 vs. Plattsburg, S23 at Lathrop, O1 vs Rock Port, O7 at Lawson, O14 vs. East Buchanan, O21 at West Platte, O27 vs. Mid-Buchanan
LAWSON gg COACH — Todd Dunn, 15th year, 121-37 (121-37 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 9-2 (6-0 in KCI) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 2-1 in district play; lost regional at Hamilton gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Johnny Sutthin (rushing); Garrison Green (1,300 passing yards, 16 TDs); Austin Simmons (receiving) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB Johnny Sutphin, Sr.; QB/DB/K Garrison Green Sr.; TE Taylor Darneron Sr.; DL Justin Blevins Jr.; WR Austin Simmon Sr. gg KEY LOSSES — OL Trevor Malott; OL/DL Tyler Kirkendoll; LB Alec Hill; DL Ian Nelson; RB/DB Jordan Akers; LB Dakota Newsome gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 5 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Maryville; S2 vs. West Platte; S9 vs. Plattsburg; S16 at St. Pius X; S23 vs. Mid-Buchanan; S30 at East Buchanan; O7 vs. North Platte; O14 at Lexington; O21 vs. Hogan Prep; O28 at Lathrop
INDEPENDENT/OTHERS CAPSULES ST. JOSEPH CHRISTIAN gg COACH — Mark Juhl, 12th year, 9626 (151-53 overall in 17 seasons) gg 2010 RECORD — 10-2 gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 50 in district play; lost Show-Me Bowl to Mound City gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Matt Dahlgren (839 yards rushing, 13 TDs); David Beard (679 passing yards, 15 passing TDs); Alex Maudlin (407 passing yards, 16 TDs) Dylan Aebersold (513 yards receiving, 12 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB/DB Matt Dahlgren; FB/LB Jordan Morrison; C/DL Gavin Hall; QB/DB Alex Maudlin; QB/ DE David Beard; OL/DL Alex Carrillo gg KEY LOSSES — WR/DB Dylan Aebersold; FB Stephen Gregory; OL/DL Jordan Strandell gg STARTERS RETURNING — 3 on offense, 4 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at West Nodaway; S2 at South Nodaway; S9 at Stanberry; S16 at Chilhowee; S23 vs. Stewartsville; S30 at Bern, Kan.; O7 vs. Axtell, Kan.; O14 vs. North Andrew; O21 at DeKalb; O28 vs. SW Livingston
CENTRAL
gg COACH — Jeff Wallace, 2nd year, 5-5 gg 2010 RECORD — 5-5 (3-2 in Suburban Big 6) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 12 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Ryan Wallace (793 yards rushing, 7 TDs); Ryan Wallace (1,078 passing yards, 12 TDs); Corey Jackson (214 yards receiving, 3 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB Corey Jackson; DE Tyrese Huskey; WR Cordell Bell; WR Brad Schlange; OL Michael Meinert; OL Jack Viestenz; S Dre Irvin; OL Trevor Holcomb gg KEY LOSSES — QB/CB Ryan Wallace; RB Malkaam Muhammad gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at North Kansas City; S2 vs. Lee’s Summit West; S9 at Lee’s Summit North; S16 vs. Platte County; S23 at Truman; S30 at Ruskin; O7 vs. Liberty; O14 vs. Oak Park; O21 vs. Staley; O28 at Park Hill
BRAYMER gg COACH — Troy Stemberger, 12th year, 72-48 gg 2010 RECORD — 5-5 gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 12 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Trevor Corbin (1,200 yards rushing, 12 TDs); Cody Goodrich (415 passing yards, 3 TDs); Nate Owen (150 yards receiving, 2 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — QB/CB Nate Owen; WR/S Jesse Utt; OT/DT Brandon Taylor; TE/DE Dalton Owen gg KEY LOSSES — RB Trevor Corbin; OL/DL Blake Peters gg STARTERS RETURNING — 4 on offense, 4 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Santa Fe; S2 vs. Salisbury; S9 vs. Albany; S16 at Rock Port; S23 vs. Milan; S30 at Maysville; O7 vs. Slater; O14 at Gallatin; O21 vs. South Harrison; O27 at Polo
FALLS CITY SACRED HEART gg COACH — Doug Goltz, 24th year,
226-40 gg 2010 RECORD — 7-3 gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 4-1 in district play; lost 2nd round to Pawnee City gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Andrew Meyer (805 yards rushing, 10 TDs); Lane Scheitel (627 passing yards, 9 passing TDs); Lane Barnhill (254 yards receiving, 3 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — QB/LB Lane Scheitel; TE/DB Lane Barnhill; TE/LB Jarod Fiegener; OL/DL Brady Cromer gg KEY LOSSES — DB Reed Barnhill; RB Andrew Meyer; OL Sam Hamilton gg STARTERS RETURNING — 2 on offense, 3 on defense gg SCHEDULE — S2 vs. Diller-O’Dell; S9 at Mound City; S16 vs. Freeman; S23 at Axtell, Kan.; S30 at Parkview Christian; O7 vs. Sterling; O14 at Lewiston; O20 vs. Pawnee City
TRENTON gg COACH — Wes Croy, 8th year, 41-24 (103-81 in 21st season overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 5-6 gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 2-1 in district play; lost regional vs. Lexington gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Dalton Preston (874 yards rushing, 10 TDs); Scotty Dolan (505 passing yards, 5 passing TDs); Joe Mullany (254 yards receiving, 4 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB Keegan McGinness; RB Clay O’Neal; OL Jacob Meservey; LB James Fairchild; DL Morgan Schelker gg KEY LOSSES — WR Joe Mullany; OL/ DL Zach Kasinger gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. South Shelby; S2 at Carrollton; S9 at Lathrop; S16 at Putnam County; S23 at West Platte; S30 vs. Lexington; O7 vs. Higginsville; O14 vs. Bishop LeBlond; O21 at Hamilton; O27 vs. Plattsburg
FALLS CITY gg COACH — Don Hogue, 5th year, 1321 gg 2010 RECORD — 1-7 gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 13 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Cord Huettner (475 yards rushing, 5 TDs); Kenny Frederick (255 yards receiving) gg KEY RETURNEES — FB/DE Cord Huettner; TE/LB Kenny Frederick; OL/DL Cole Ackerman; OL/LB Raven Weinmann gg STARTERS RETURNING — 8 on offense, 8 on defense gg SCHEDULE — S2 at Fairbury; S9 vs. Lincoln Lutheran; S16 at Centenial; S23 vs. Auburn; S30 vs. Ashland-Greenwood; O7 at Conestoga; O14 vs. Syracuse; O21 at Platteview;
PLATTE COUNTY gg COACH — Bill Utz, 4th year, 17-16 (43-69 in 11th year overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 8-4 (3-2 in Suburban Small 6) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 3-0 in district play; lost to Kearney in sectionals gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Krae Kelso (1,121 yards rushing, 17 TDs); Krae Kelso (2,004 passing yards, 13 TDs); Sheldon Sparks (568 yards receiving, 5 TDs)
gg KEY RETURNEES — QB Krae Kelso; WR/LB Sheldon Sparks; RB Jordan Mitchell; WR Ben Matthews gg KEY LOSSES — LB Taylor Smith; DB Cody Deterding; OL Bryan Swindler gg STARTERS RETURNING — 9 on offense, 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Grain Valley; S2 at Kearney; S9 vs. Staley; S16 at St. Joe
Central; S23 vs. Oak Park; S30 vs. Liberty North; O7 at Grandview; O14 vs. Benton; O21 at Lafayette; O27 vs. Savannah
ROCK PORT gg COACH — Ross Hastert, 1st year gg 2010 RECORD — 5-5 gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 21 in district play; lost regional vs. East
Buchanan gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Treyton Lewis (712 yards rushing, 8 TDs); Austin Rice (194 yards receiving, 2 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB/LB Treyton Lewis; QB/S Chandler Farmer; WR/DB Eric Duncan; OL/DL Drake Daugherty; DE/LB Jayden McMahon gg KEY LOSSES — OL/DL Joe Ridley;
QB/LB/RB Zane Cozad gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 7 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at East Buchanan; S2 vs. Concordia; S9 vs. Polo; S16 at Braymer; S23 vs. Derrick Thomas Academy; O1 at North Platte; O14 at King City; O21 vs. Maysville; O28 at Albany
Rock Port Blue Jays Rock Port High School Football Schedule 2011 Date Fri. Aug. 29 Fri. Sept. 2 Fri. Sept. 9 Fri. Sept. 16 Fri. Sept. 23 Sat. Oct. 1 Fri. Oct. 14 Fri. Oct. 21 Fri. Oct. 28 Wed. Nov. 2 Mon. Nov 7 Sat. Nov. 12 Sat. Nov. 19 Nov. 25-26
Opponent East Buchanan Concordia Polo Braymer Derrick Thomas Academy North Platte King City Maysville Albany Regionals Sectionals Quarterfinals Semifinals
Show-Me Bowl
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Pigskin Preview 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
B7
HAMILTON | Hornets coming off back-to-back titles
Hamilton thrives on outside doubt
By ANDREW DEWITT
the KCI Conference in 2012. It’s something that saddens Fairchild as someone who’s been involved in the GRC in one way or another since the 1970s. The Hornets haven’t lost a GRC game since Maysville beat Hamilton 36-13 on September 28, 2007. “The GRC is fine; I want that to be clear,� Fairchild said. “We won two state championships playing in the Grand River Conference. We are not ashamed to be in the conference. We think its a fine conference. We have just happened to have some exceptional teams the last three years. “I’m a GRC guy, and we’re proud to represent our conference.� But Fairchild understands the ups and downs schools go through in talent and realizes he’s on an upswing right now. Senior T.J. Schieber, who has earned all-state honors on the offensive line, will start the season at tight end. Putting a linebacker on Schieber to prevent him from blocking holes the size of the Grand Canyon won’t be a solution for most coaches so they must find another way to stop the top player in the GRC without sacrificing other parts of their defense.
St. Joseph News-Press
HAMILTON, Mo. — Everyone said the Hamilton Hornets couldn’t do it. No team in Missouri history jumped up a classification and repeated as state champions the next season. Most football coaches view the jump from Class 1 to Class 2 to be one of the most difficult. The Hornets tackled the challenge with no problem, cruising through the Class 2 playoffs and beating Maplewood-Richmond Heights 34-13 at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis to capture their second consecutive state title. Hamilton outscored mostly larger Class 2 teams 184-71 in five playoff games. The total carnage for the season was outscoring opponents 712-156 in 15 games. Now, the critics say Hamilton can’t repeat because of the loss of a myriad of all-state per formers including quarterback Keagan Prather and all-state running back Trevor Dixon, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards last season and scored more than 40 touchdowns. “I like when no one else thinks we can do it, and we do it anyways,� said senior Matt Schieber, an all-state linebacker. The Hornets also lost all-state
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
Hamilton running back Jaylund Powell is one of the Hornets’ key returners. defensive end Josh Pickrell and offensive lineman Tyler Dorrel. New Hamilton quarterback Andrew Bottorff must fill incred ibly large shoes left behind by Prather. But that doesn’t bother Bottorff too much. “We did lose some role players, but we have more to fill in their shoes,� Bottorff said. “We should be pretty good; there’s no letdowns here. We’re going to keep doing what we do and keep pounding the ball.� Hamilton coach Dave Fairchild understands that Bottorff doesn’t need to be Prather but rather play within his capabilities. This is the final season for the Hornets in the Grand River Conference before moving to
Andrew DeWitt can be reached at andrew.dewitt@newspressnow.com
SOUTH HARRISON | Bulldogs expect Class 1 success
Heitz key to Obert’s offense By TRAVIS HARTMAN St. Joseph News-Press
BETHANY, Mo. — South Harrison started freshman Dylan Heitz at quarterback last year, a gamble that seemed to pay off for fourth-year coach Caleb Obert after his team posted an 8-4 record to go along with a district title. Wellington-Napoleon eventually eliminated the Bulldogs in sectionals with a 42-35 win. South Harrison also came in third in the Grand River Conference with a 5-2 record. Heitz is no longer a rookie quarterback and plans to take that confidence into his sophomore season. “Our offense should be pretty potent,� Heitz said. “We should score every time we get the ball, and if we don’t, it will be a major disappointment.� The 6-foot-3 sophomore is following in his older brothers footsteps. TJ Heitz was also the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs until he graduated two years ago. Not only is being a quarterback in his blood but practicing long hours and working hard has become part of Heitz’s arsenal. At a recent practice, Heitz stayed late to throw extra passes to a teammate. Obert admits that Heitz is that type of player and never misses a chance to learn and get better. “Going out for every play 110 percent and leading by example is what I learned from my parents,�
Heitz said. “They told me that dedication is the key to success.� Dylan not only has an older brother to look up to but now has a whole year of experience under his belt. Not to mention, he will be returning an all-state wide receiver Cole Osborne to help make his job that much easier. The Bulldogs will also be returning Colton Clark and junior Austin Vandivert. Obert will have to figure out how to replace his two all-state defensive players in linebacker Billy Wendt and defensive end Kameron McFall. “It is going to be tough, and somebody has to step up and fill that void,� Obert said. “Obviously, you are not going to have another all-state linebacker, but I think that if anybody can be effective at that position it is Vandivert. He has that type of potential, but I am not quite sure if his is there just yet.� This will be the second consecutive year the Bulldogs will compete back in Class 1. They competed in Class 2 in 2009 and were eliminated in sectionals against Lawson. “We are either an extremely small Class 2 team or a really big Class 1 team,� Obert said. “It is just tough when they moved us up to Class 2 because we have maybe 35 players going out for football when other schools have like 50 or so.� Travis Hartman can be reached at travis.hartman@newspressnow.com
GRAND RIVER CONFERENCE CAPSULES GALLATIN
McFall, Tyler Pickren, Mike Landes gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Plattsburg; S2 vs. North Platte; S9 at King City; S16 at Albany; S23 vs. Maysville; S30 at Hamilton; O7 vs. Princeton; O14 vs. Polo; O21 at Braymer; O27 at Gallatin
Port; O21 at Albany; O28 at Maysville
gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 03 in district play gg COACH — Kyle Ross, 2nd year, 15- gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Jacob Dollars (420 yards rushing, 1 TD); Bryant 14 gg 2010 RECORD — 6-5 (4-3 in GRC) Cottrill (488 yards passing, 2 TDs); gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished Aaron Bundy (241 yards receiving) 2-1 in district play; lost regional to Wel- gg KEY RETURNEES — RB/LB Ben Humphrey; RB/LB Mark Ramsey; OL/ lington-Napoleon gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Nik Allen DL Brad Williams; OL/DL Trevor Rice; KING CITY gg COACH — Micah Breckenridge, 1st (1,212 yards rushing, 15 TDs); Austin WR/DB Aaron Bundy Bowley (508 passing yards, 3 TDs); gg KEY LOSSES — DB Bryant Cottrill year gg 2010 RECORD — 3-7 (3-4 in GRC) Ashton Shelton (200 yards receiving, gg STARTERS RETURNING —7 on offense, 7 on defense gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 2- 2 TDs) 1 in district play; lost to West Platte in gg KEY RETURNEES — OL/LB Harley gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Princeton; S2 Martin; TE/LB Ashton Shelton; OL/LB vs. Crest Ridge; S9 at Braymer; S16 regional gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Dalton Justin Hicks; FB/DL Daniel Boruch; RB/ vs. South Harrison; S23 vs. Polo; S30 SOUTH HARRISON vs. Gallatin; O7 at Hamilton; O14 at gg COACH — Caleb Obert, 4th year, Workman (331 yards rushing,12 TDs); DB Zach Freeman Dalton Workman (1,633 passing yards, gg KEY LOSSES — RB Nik Allen; RB Lo- Maysville; O21 vs. King City; O28 at 21-11 gg 2010 RECORD — 8-4 (5-2 in GRC) 12 TDs); Keaton Ebersold (1,031 yards gan Dixon; DE David Casey; OL Jeff King Rock Port gg STARTERS RETURNING — 5 on ofPRINCETON gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 3- receiving, 9 TDs) gg COACH — Dave Cavanah, 8th year, 600 in district, won district with 3-0; lost gg KEY RETURNEES — WR Trey Forward; fense, 7 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A27 vs. St. Mary’s 26 (29th season overall, 183-122-1) RB Trey Thompson sectional to Wellington gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Tyler Pickren gg KEY LOSSES — WR/DB Keaton Eb- (Independence); S2 at Hamilton; S9 gg 2010 RECORD — 10-2 (6-1 in (823 yards rushing, 6 TDs); Dylan Heitz ersold; QB/DB/P Dalton Workman; DL at Rock Port; S17 vs. King City; S23 GRC) at Albany; S30 vs. Princeton; O7 at gg POSTSEASON RECAP — won district (1,546 passing yards, 14 TDs); Cole Os- Matt Dejoode gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on of- Maysville; O14 at South Harrison; O21 with 3-0; lost sectional vs. Westran borne (898 yards receiving, 8 TDs) vs Gallatin; O27 vs. Braymer gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Vance gg KEY RETURNEES — WR/DB Cole fense, 7 on defense Purdun (2,324 yards rushing); Brycen Osborne; QB/DB Dylan Heitz; OL/DL gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Hamilton; S2 ALBANY Coltyn Clark; WR/LB Alex Foster; OL/LB at East Buchanan; S9 at South Har- gg COACH — Doug Fountain, 5th year, Stark (305 yards passing, 5 TDs); Nate rison; S16 at Polo; S23 vs. Princeton; 4-36 Austin Vandivert Roberts (122 yards, 3 TDs) gg KEY LOSSES — Billy Wendt, Kameron S30 OPEN; O7 at Gallatin; O14 vs. Rock gg 2010 RECORD — 0-10 (0-7 in GRC) gg KEY RETURNEES — QB Colton gg COACH — Kevin Meyer, 1st year, (61101 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 1-8 (1-6 in GRC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 03 in district play gg KEY RETURNEES — DL Hayden Bott gg KEY LOSSES — RB Brandon Ness gg STARTERS RETURNING — 4 on offense, 4 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at North Platte; S2 vs. Mid-Buchanan; S9 at Princeton; S16 vs. Maysville; S23 vs. Penney; S30 at Albany; O7 vs. King City; O14 vs. Braymer; O21 at Polo,;O27 at South Harrison
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HAMILTON gg COACH — Dave Fairchild, 25th year, 182-77 (192-96 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 15-0 (7-0 in GRC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 3-0 in district play; won Class 2 State Championship vs. Maplewood-Richmond Heights gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Trevor Dixon (2,159, yards rushing, 45 TDs); Keagan Prather (1,124 passing yards, 22 TDs); Dylan King (447 yards receiving) gg KEY RETURNEES — TE/LB T.J. Schieber; LB Matt Schieber; RB/DB Jaylund Powell; QB Andrew Bottorff; T Dakota Grey gg KEY LOSSES — QB/DB Keagan Prather; RB/DB Trevor Dixon; RB/LB Dylan King
gg STARTERS RETURNING — 5 on offense, 5 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at King City; S2 vs. Polo; S9 at Maysville; S16 vs. Princeton; S23 at Gallatin; S30 vs. South Harrison; O7 vs. Albany; O14 at Plattsburg; O21 vs. Trenton; O28 at LeBlond
MAYSVILLE gg COACH — Ed Fry, 1st year gg 2010 RECORD — 4-6 (2-5 in GRC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 21 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Levi Rhodes (502 yards rushing, 5 TDs); Caine Birkenholz (419, passing yards, 4 TDs); Drew Lippold (276 yards receiving, 2 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — LB Jake Riggs; RB Dakota Peterson gg KEY LOSSES — DT Michael Strong; DE Josh Silver; WR Drew Lippold; C Lucas Davidson; OL Kent Steiner gg STARTERS RETURNING — 2 on offense; 3 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Cass-Midway; S2 at Princeton; S9 vs. Hamilton; S16 at Gallatin; S23 at South Harrison; S30 vs. Braymer; O7 vs. Polo; O14 vs. Albany; O21 at RockPort; O27 at King City
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Pigskin Preview 2011
B8
ATCHISON Converted wide receiver Huntington to be tested as quarterback against Abilene
Redmen ready for new leader By PHIL ERVIN St. Joseph News-Press
ATCHISON, Kan. — Tanner Huntington has a big job to fill into with his wiry frame. The Redmen’s season opener next Friday at Abilene will be the scrawny, 6-foot-2 sophomore’s first high school start at quarterback. Huntington began as a wide receiver before Atchison’s junior varsity quarterback sustained an injury halfway through last season. Huntington was bumped up from the freshmen team then and earned mopup duty behind Jered Ross on varsity in addition to covering kickoffs. “I think I averaged 1 yard per carry last year,� Huntington said, cracking a sideways grin. “One carry, 1 yard on a quarterback sneak.� Aside from team camp — JIM SMITH, earlier in the commenting on summer and a Tanner Huntington’s few voluntary athletic abilities. workouts with receivers, summer basketball commitments have kept Huntington from touching a football much. Indeed, the eye test would suggest his lanky frame is better suited for the hardwood than the gridiron. Coach Jim Smith disagrees. “He’s a smart kid,� Smith said. “I think he’ll play within himself and not try to do too much. When I talk about good athletes, he’s what I’m talking about.� And just because Huntington’s untested doesn’t mean an overhaul in offensive philosophy. “I’m not gonna change anything,� Smith said. “I like to throw the ball, quick passes out of the spread that
I think he’ll play within himself and not try to do too much. When I talk about good athletes, he’s what I’m talking about.
LOGAN JACKSON/Atchison Globe
Atchison’s Tanner Huntington looks to throw a pass during a recent Redmen practice. With no experienced quarterback returning, Atchison likely will turn to the lanky sophomore to lead coach Jim Smith’s balanced offensive attack. gets the ball to our playmakers.� There will be changes on defense in attempt to take advantage of team speed, which Smith called Atchison’s best overall asset. The Redmen will switch from a five-man to three-man front. “We’ll try to keep everything inside, focus more on the linebackers,� said inside linebacker Patrick Boos, one of the team’s leading tacklers at strong safety last season. “I like that. I like more contact.� The Redmen certainly won’t be lacking in motivation after dedicating the season to Michael Harris, a lineman who was killed in a motorcycle accident in April. Two of his brothers remain with the squad. “He was the team leader, and I know the kids are gonna miss him,� Smith said. “It’s a really tight-knit group, and when we lost Michael,
the kids all want to do something special for him this year.� Having a full season in the Class 4A Kansas City-Atchison League under their belt doesn’t hurt, either. The Redmen went 5-4 last year and came in second after joining the KCAL after a long run as an independent. Now, for Huntington, it’s just a matter of running — sometimes literally — with the opportunity he’s been presented. “I’d like to finish better than we did last year,� he said, “so we don’t compare people and say, ‘That’s the reason why.’ I don’t want to be told we’re worse than last year because we don’t have a good quarterback. I don’t want it to come to that.� Phil Ervin can be reached at npsports@newspressnow.com
Friday, August 26, 2011
POWER 10 | Playoff Contenders
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TEAM
RECORD
LAST WEEK
UP NEXT
MARYVILLE 9-3 N/A vs. Lawson Spoofhounds lost to Class 3 champion Richmond last year on a last-second touchdown that players haven’t forgot. HAMILTON 15-0 N/A at King City Hornets became first team to repeat as state champions after jumping in class and look to continue winning ways. SOUTH HARRISON 8-4 N/A at Plattsburg Freshman quarterback Dylan Heitz led Bulldogs deep into playoffs and looks for an even better sophomore campaign. SAVANNAH 9-2 N/A at LeBlond Savages gave Kearney a tough battle in regional loss and look to be even stronger returning top players on offense and defense WEST PLATTE 10-2 N/A at Lincoln Prep Blue Jays suffered a crushing playoff loss to rival East Buchanan but look to bounce back in 2011. ACCHS 9-2 N/A OFF All-state quarterback Austin Eckert returns to a squad that rebounded from a 4-6 2009 season. PLATTE COUNTY 8-4 N/A at Grain Valley Tough Suburban Conference schedule prepares Pirates for postseason schedule against former MEC rivals. SMITHVILLE 5-6 N/A at Cameron The Warriors are always the favorites to become the breakout team in the MEC but seem to always fall short. Is this the year? RIVERSIDE Both 5-4 N/A OFF Combining Elwood and Wathena High Schools provides a good mix of talent for coach Scot Koranda. LAFAYETTE 7-3 N/A vs. KC East There’s no doubt the Fighting Irish will miss Tim Nelson but coach Paul Woolard looks to improve on best season in 20 years.
8-MAN POWER 5 | Playoff Contenders
1 2 3 4 5
TEAM
RECORD
LAST WEEK
UP NEXT
MOUND CITY 12-1 N/A vs. North Andrew What’s not to like about the three-time defending champions? Quarterback Lucas Schawang returns for the state-title sweep. WORTH COUNTY 11-1 N/A vs. Tarkio The Tigers split season series with Mound City but lost playoff game they hosted. CHRISTIAN 12-2 N/A at West Nodaway Lions on the verge of sharing honor with Buffalo Bills and Northwest if they lose fourth straight championship game. STANBERRY 8-3 N/A vs. South Holt Bulldogs must replace a lot of talent lost to graduation but coach Dan Collins always has Stanberry in contention. DEKALB 7-3 N/A vs. Chilhowee Brent Bush and Kolby Reagan provide 8-man football’s most powerful passing duo.
The teams in the St. Joseph News-Press Power 10 and 8-man Power 5 are not selected on who could beat whom, but who we believe has the best chance to play for a state championship.
ATCHISONFootball 2011MAUR HILL DATE
9/2/2011 9/9/2011 9/16/2011 9/23/2011 9/30/2011 10/7/2011 10/14/2011 10/21/2011 10/27/2011
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Pigskin Preview 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
B9
RIVERSIDE | Wathena and Elwood prepare for 1st season as 1
Koranda mixing together his talent
By ROSS MARTIN St. Joseph News-Press
WATHENA, Kan. — The talk about athlete mixture started long before Elwood and Wathena consolidated. “They’ve talked about it before we consolidate about how they have the size and Elwood has the speed. It really is like that,� said senior Blane Wilson, an Elwood, Kan., native now playing for newly formed Riverside. “We’re really coming together good as a team, believe it or not.� Entering the first season of Riverside football, formed from the consolidated Elwood and Wathena districts, coach Scot Koranda appears to have all the right weapons at his disposal. Senior Derek Nold quarterbacked Wathena last year, and his 6-foot-7 frame will anchor the spot under center again. Riverside also boasts Timmy Miller (Wathena) and Wilson as a potent running back combo. Both Wilson and Miller put up huge numbers last year with their respective schools. “It’s always good to have a returning quarterback,� Koranda said. “It’s just good to have guys with experience. I think any of the kids could have and would have and are making a great transition.� In addition to Wilson, Dylan Poirier brings a speedy threat to the receiving game, and Koranda said Wilson and Miller will line up out wide at times as well. Nold sees the vision forming around him. “(Elwood players) definitely help the team out,� Nold said. “They’re filling in holes we would have had if we didn’t combine.� Koranda’s biggest challenge seems to be how to divvy out the skill players best around Nold and find enough blocking up front. After three years at Wathena and entering his first at Riverside, Koranda remains confident. “We’re going to put the best 11 athletes on the field regardless of where they’re from, regardless of what their name is, regardless of what their status is,� he said. Elwood’s players converted from the 8-man game, and although there haven’t
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
Wathena junior quarterback Derek Nold looks to pass during a game last year against Troy. been any hiccups, Wilson said Nold’s field smarts and experience as an 11-man quarterback made him the natural choice to helm Riverside’s inaugural year. Riverside slots into Wathena’s old Class 2-1A spot for districts and will take up Wathena’s spot in the Delaware Valley League. The competition and opposing players will change for Elwood, but the team is firmly entrenched in defining its new
identity. “It’s all kind of new for us,� Nold said. “We feel like we have a lot of pressure because it’s our first year, and everybody is targeting us already.� Wathena went 5-4 last year, losing its final four games of the season. Elwood also went 5-4 in a bounceback year. Those were the final legacies left as individual schools. Now, they find out how the new mixture looks on the first
go-round. “The young men are doing a great job of just accepting the fact that the consoli dation took place, and we are Riverside,� Koranda said. “I think the bigger thing that they have taken onto their shoulders is the fact that what they do this year sets the tradition for all Riverside classes to come.� Ross Martin can be reached at ross.martin@newspressnow.com
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TROY | Ron Shelton takes helm as first-year coach of alma mater
Trojans reload running backs again
By CODY THORN
St. Joseph News-Press
TROY, Kan. — Ron Shelton saw success on the gridiron in his hometown as a player for the Trojans in the 1980s on three playoff teams, including a team that was ranked No. 2 his senior year. More recently, he watched both of his sons play for the Trojans in the Class 1-2A playoffs. Now, Shelton takes over as the head coach of his alma mater, the fourth coach in four years at Troy. He will look to guide Troy back into the playoffs and will do so being one of the smallest schools in Kansas still playing 11-man football. The Trojans didn’t qualify for the playoffs last fall, but Shelton pointed out the team had a streak of eight straight years prior. Shelton has been the junior high coach at Troy the past two seasons and inherits the high school job, one he was offered and had to turn down to years ago due to personal reasons. The Trojans were 6-3 last year — a one-win improvement over the 2009 squad — but didn’t make the playoffs after going 2-2 in district play. The 2009 team won three of its last four and made the playoffs. “Making the playoffs will be my goal every year,� Shelton said. “They didn’t make the playoffs last year, and they had a great team with some great seniors. The 2009 team was 5-4 and they made the playoffs, so I want
more attention this fall. He recorded 10 of his sacks in the first three games last season. On offense, Simpson expects to use his speed, which Shelton said is between 4.5-4.6 in a 40yard dash, to provide the counter to Huss’ power-running game. “Most of all good college, pro and high school teams that are good, run the ball well and play good defense,� Shelton said. “We want to run the ball first, but I don’t know a coach who doesn’t. We want to throw the ball when we want to, not when we have to.� Paving the way for the running backs are senior offensive linemen Cody Bennett, Jordan Thornberry and Gabe Martinez, who are all returning two-way starters. “We take a lot of pride in our running backs doing well,� Bennett said. “If there are no linemen, there are no running backs, We have Gunnar, and he is good, and we have Dillon; he is good, and he is fast. I think we will do pretty good.� The quarterback spot is up for MATT REID/St. Joseph News-Press grabs following Smith’s two-year Troy coach Ron Shelton demonstrates to his team the proper tackling technique during practice in Troy, Kan. Shelton takes over as run as starter. head coach, the Trojans’ fourth leader in the past four years. Junior Preston Foley and to make the playoffs this year.� the pivotal runners in the run“I think we have a good com- freshman Carlin Jasper are batTroy had just more than 30 first offense following the gradu- bination at running back so far,� tling for the job, but there was no players when practice com- ation of all-conference perform- Huss said. “I’m looking forward to clear-cut favorite the first week menced, and 10 of those were ers quarterback Eli Smith and being one of the running backs. I of practice. Jasper has ran Shelseniors, all who will be key for fullback Garrett Meng. just need to make sure I hold onto ton’s offense the past two years Shelton. Huss was a backup at running the ball and not fumble it.� in junior high, but Foley has the Dillon Simpson, a 5-foot-11, 180 back but looks to follow in the Simpson recorded 17 sacks last edge based on experience. pound senior, was an offensive footsteps of his dad, Don, and year and will be a hybrid outside lineman last year but will join uncle, Daryl, who were both all- linebacker/defensive end again Cody Thorn can be reached at cody.thorn@newspressnow.com fellow senior Gunnar Huss as state running backs from Troy. this year, but he will garner a lot
KANSAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL CAPSULES TROY gg COACH — Ron Shelton, 1st year gg 2010 RECORD — 6-3 (5-1 in DVL) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 22 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Eli Smith (680 yards rushing, 11 TDs); Eli Smith (583 yards, 7 TDs); Garrett Meng (267 yards receiving, 2 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — OL Daniel Coordinier, RB/LB Gunnar Huss, RB/DE Dillon Simpson, WR/DB Dylan Norris, OL/DE Jordan Thornberry gg KEY LOSSES — QB/DB Eli Smith, RB/LB Garrett Meng, TE/LB Kaleb Zeltwanger, LB Steve Clary gg STARTERS RETURNING — 5 on offense, 5 on defense gg SCHEDULE — S2 at ACCHS; S9 vs. Horton; S16 at Jackson Heights; S23 at Jefferson County North; S30 at Valley Heights; O7 vs. Washington County; O14 vs. Riverside; O21 at Doniphan West; O28 vs. Centralia
DONIPHAN WEST gg COACH — Nick Fuemmeler, 1st year gg 2010 RECORD — 2-7 (2-4 in DVL) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 04 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Jordan Sellars (552 yards rushing); Keaton Blevins (n/a); Marc Ellis (304 yards receiving) gg KEY RETURNEES — OL/DL Austin
Veach, TE/DL Aaron Halling, WR/DB Marc Ellis, RB/DB Jordan Sellars, OL/ DL Derek Gibson gg KEY LOSSES — LB Michael Hurd gg STARTERS RETURNING — 7 on offense and 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE — S2 vs. MH-MA; S9 vs. Riverside; S16 at ACCHS; S23 at Jackson Heights; S30 at Centralia; O7 at Washington County; O14 vs. Valley Heights; O21 vs. Troy; O28 vs. Valley Falls
HORTON gg COACH — Nick Dowell, 4th year, 8-20 gg 2010 RECORD — 0-9 (0-7 in DVL) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 03 in district play gg KEY RETURNEES — QB/S Jordan Mathias; RB/LB Josh Allen; OL/DL Riley Pahmahmie; gg KEY LOSSES — RB/LB Mitchell Welch gg STARTERS RETURNING — 8 on offense, 8 on defense. gg SCHEDULE — S2 vs. Immaculata; S9 at Troy; S16 vs. Riverside; S23 vs. Oskaloosa; S30 at Sunrise Christian; O7 vs. McClouth; O14 at ACCHS; O21 at Sabetha; O28 vs. MH-MA
RIVERSIDE gg COACH — Scot Koranda, 4th year, 14-13 (30-69 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — Wathena: 5-4 (5-
4 in DVL); Elwood: 5-4 gg POSTSEASON RECAP — Wathena finished 1-3 in district play; Elwood finished 3-3 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Timmy Miller (894 yards rushing, 12 TDs); Derek Nold (1,312 passing yards, 10 passing TDs); Brandon Bell (429 yards receiving, 3 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB/LB Blane Wilson; WR/OLB Dylan Poirier; WR/DB Zac Vincent; QB/DB Derek Nold; OL/ DT Ryan Johnson; RB/LB Timmy Miller; OL/DE Paden Halter; WR/DB Brandon Bell; OL Dalton Simpson; DB Sawyer Adkins gg KEY LOSSES — OL Gerald Dilley; WR/LB Brett Hontz gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE —S2 vs. Jackson Heights; S9 at Doniphan West; S16 at Horton; S23 vs. MH-MA; S30 at Immaculata; O7 vs. Jefferson County North; O14 at Troy; O21 at Valley Falls; O27 vs. Oskaloosa
HIAWATHA gg COACH — Chris Diller, 4th year, 1116 (11-16 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 3-6 (3-4 in Big 7) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 03 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Camron Leupold (1,600 yards rushing, 18 TDs); Brad Chilcoat (575 passing yards, 1 TD); Madison Campbell (189 yards
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receiving, 1 TD) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB/LB Madison Campbell, RB/LB Nate Boyer, QB/ LB Brad Chilcoat gg KEY LOSSES — RB/DB Camron Leupold, OL/DL Jake Johansen gg STARTERS RETURNING — 8 on offense, 7 on defense gg SCHEDULE — S2 at Sabetha; S9 vs. Jefferson West; S16 at Holton; S23 at Royal Valley; S30 vs Sante Fe Trail; O7 at Nemaha Valley; O14 vs. Sumner; O21 at Piper; O27 vs. Atchison
ATCHISON gg COACH — Jim Smith, 14th year, 7164 (71-64 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 5-4 (4-1 KCAL) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 12 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Chris Edwards (466 yards rushing, 2 TDs); Jered Ross (489 passing yards, 4 TDs); Jonathon Ogletree (329 yards receiving, 6 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB Chris Edwards; RB/QB Keante Greene; RB/LB Patrick Boos gg KEY LOSSES — WR Jonathon Ogletree; QB Jered Ross gg STARTERS RETURNING — 5 on offense,7 on defense gg SCHEDULE — S2 vs. Abilene; S9 vs. KC Wyandotte; S16 at Silver Lake; S23 at Washington County; S30 vs, Harmon; O7 at Schlagle; O14 vs. Pip-
er; O21 at Sumner Academy; O28 at Hiawatha
SABETHA gg COACH — Garrett Michael, 3rd year, 5-14 gg 2010 RECORD — 3-7 (1-5 in Big 7) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 2-1 in district play; lost bi-district to Riley County gg KEY RETURNEES — RB/DB Chad Aberle; QB/DB Kyle Stallbaumer; OL/DL Luke Sunderland; WR/LB Troy Matson gg KEY LOSSES — OL Trey McCluskey; OL Will Hickman gg STARTERS RETURNING — 7 on offense, 8 on defense gg SCHEDULE — S2 vs. Hiawatha; S9 at Perry-Lecompton; S16 vs. Royal Valley; S23 at Holton; S30 vs. Nemaha Valley; O7 at Santa Fe Trail; O14 at Maur Hill-Mount Academy; O21 vs. Horton; O27 vs. ACCHS
ACCHS gg COACH — Blake Alexander, 1st year gg 2010 RECORD — 9-2 (8-1 in DVL) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — won district with 3-0; lost sectional to Rossville gg KEY RETURNEES — OL/DL Ben Chalfant; OL/DL Eric Banks; OL Nick Spillman; OL Matt Miller; OL/DL Trenton Joice; QB Austin Eckert; RB Alex Thompson; DB Ramsey Hundley; DB/
WR Mitch Kurtz; DB Alex Thompson gg KEY LOSSES — RB Garrett Atzenweiler; WR/S Riley Hundley gg STARTERS RETURNING — 8 on offense, 7 on defense gg SCHEDULE — S2 vs. Troy; S9 at Jefferson County North; S16 vs. Doniphan West; S23 vs. Valley Falls; S30 vs. Jackson Heights; O7 at Pleasant Ridge; O14 vs. Horton; O21 at MH-MA; O28 at Sabetha
MAUR HILL-MOUNT ACADEMY gg COACH — Brandon Wilkes, 2nd year, 2-7 gg 2010 RECORD — 2-7 ( 2-6 in DVL) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 12 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Joe Asher (600 yards rushing, 5 TDs); TJ Kocour (1,200 passing yards, 7 TDs); Patrick Klebba (450 yards receiving, 3 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — C Jared Rice; CB Brock Hanf; S Austin Lewman gg KEY LOSSES — OL Rasmu Karllson; RB Joe Asher; WR Patrick Klebba; LB Nick Surritt;K Alberto Teran gg STARTERS RETURNING — 7 on offense, 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE — S2 vs. at Doniphan West; S9 vs. Holton; S16 vs. Jefferson County North; S23 at Riveride; S30 at Pleasant Ridge; O7 at Oskaloosa; O14 vs. Sabetha; O21 at ACCHS; O28 at Horton
Troy High School Football 2011 Date Sept. 2 Sept. 6 Sept. 9 Sept. 12 Sept. 16 Sept. 19 Sept. 23 Sept. 26 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28
Opponent ACCHS ACCHS (JV) Horton Horton (JV) Jackson Heights Jackson Hts. (JV) Jefferson County North JCN (JV) Valley Heights Washington Riverside Doniphan West Centralia
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Friday, August 26, 2011
8-MAN FOOTBALL • Craig • DeKalb • Mound City • Nodaway-Holt • North Andrew • North Nodaway • South Holt • South Nodaway • Southwest Livingston • Stanberry • Stewartsville • Tarkio • West Nodaway • Worth County
Leading a legacy Mound City’s Schawang looks to cap off Panthers’ unprecedented run with another title
more
see page C2
Worth County could use 3 different QBs in potent offense see page C2
Tarkio must replace majority of starters, including new quarterback see page C3
Bush-Reagan combo figures prominently in DeKalb’s plans see page C4
Pigskin Preview 2011
C2
WORTH COUNTY
Borey has 3 ready to play QB By BRYCE MERENESS St. Joseph News-Press
GRANT CITY, Mo. — Worth County coach Chuck Borey didn’t quite know who his starting signal-caller will be to start the season. It might not matter. In a three-way battle for the starting quarterback spot, each candidate seems to bring his own strength. Borey could still decide to use a quarterback by comittee, inserting the right quarterback into the right situation. Looking at what he has at his disposal who can blame the veteran coach. Junior Bryce Ross topped the team in touchdown passes a year ago despite sitting out half of the year with a hip injury. Senior Eli Mullock is a blazing track speedster who is the most dynamic runner in Missouri 8-man. Jordan Harding has grown into a senior leadership role. “I think all three guys, they just want to help the team out,” Borey said. “They don’t care if they’re quarterback, wide receiver, tailback. “All three of them will be on the field just obviously they’ll be at different positions at different times. They are alright with it; they just want to do what we feel’s best as a coaching staff.” Adjusting to different positions in every game creates unique challenges for the players. One is potentially playing four different positions in a single game. “Just knowing every position,” Harding said. “Know all the plays on every position so you know you can do anything. (Versatility) is very important. We don’t have a lot of guys so you have to know a lot of different positions in case somebody gets hurt, and you might have to move to another position.” But keeping teams off balance is still a priority for Borey, who helmed the fourth best scoring offense in 8-man football last year, averaging 51 points per game. Rotating through quarterbacks could telegraph offensive plans to the opposition. “Obviously that’s something that other teams are going to try to figure out if we’ve got a certain quarterback in there we’re more likely to run or more likely to pass the ball,” Borey said. “Hopefully, we won’t have to be that dedicated to one or the other when that certain person is in there. Hopefully it’s more to give that person a break and mix it up a little bit.” Ross has emerged this year after injuries hampered his progress in the past two campaigns. “I had to come back strong, work hard,” Ross said. “We just had a lot of other people on the team that stepped up and did their job, like Alex Harmening last year; he stepped up and did quarterback great.” Bryce Mereness can be reached at bryce.mereness@newspressnow.com
MOUND CITY | Panthers looking to extend unprecedented run of state championships
Schawang in charge of dynasty
By ROSS MARTIN
St. Joseph News-Press
MOUND CITY, Mo. — Brian Messer remembers trying him out at guard first. Lucas Schawang knows he was started at least at fullback, but maybe on the offensive line before that. No point in looking back now. After a mostly anonymous freshman campaign at Mound City in 2008 that included kicking duties, Schawang took the reins as a sophomore quarterback. Two seasons and 23 wins later, he enters his senior season with a chance to put an exclamation point on the most successful run in Missouri 8-man football history. Mound City won a third straight state title last year. The three consecutive titles are a first in this division, and Schawang could be the first to quarterback three straight 8-man Show-Me Bowl winners, but he won’t think that far ahead. “I don’t really think about (the accomplishments) until on the way back home after state football,” Schawang said. “Nothing feels better than holding up the trophy at the end of the game.” A power runner at times on the scout team as a freshman, it would’ve been hard to predict Schawang’s success. Messer was in his first season at Mound City that year and didn’t know Schawang had a previous pedigree under center. When Prent Eaton suffered from a kidney ailment late in the year, Schawang ran scout team quarterback and caught Messer’s attention. “(Messer) asked me if I ever played quarterback before,” Schawang said. “I said, ‘Yeah, I played quarterback my eighth grade year.’ He said, ‘You want to try it again?’ I said, ‘Sure, I’ll give it a try.’ “He took a chance on me being a sophomore quarterback that year because I was young; I was inexperienced, but he also made me grow as an individual, as a player and person.” Schawang was far from the No. 1 offensive option as a sophomore but provided a steady hand in the
passing game and occasional big run. He solidified his role as a leader in the state championship game against St. Joseph Christian when a defender opened up a gash over Schawang’s eye. Despite swelling and some medical work, Schawang returned to the field to finish out the victory. “Honestly, the first year I didn’t know what I was doing. I was scared to death, to be honest,” Messer said. “The players coached me, and these guys helped me with understanding 8-man football. So honestly, I didn’t know what we had with him until about the end of his freshman year.” Schawang never wowed with stats in his first two years as a varsity regular. The Panthers often beat opponents into submission, leaving few chances for the quarterback to rack up big numbers. However, Schawang’s dual-threat abilities make him tough to defend, even against elite opponents. “I think he’s underrated as a passer,” Messer said. “I guess I’d
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FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
St. Joseph Christian’s Tyler Davison bring down Mound City’s quarterback Lucas Schawang during the second half of last season’s Show-Me Bowl. Schawang and the Panthers have won three straight state titles.
Go Panthers!
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Worth County quarterback Bryce Ross scrambles last season.
Friday, August 26, 2011
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call him a thrower because we don’t drop-back pass. We’ve not taught him to do that; I don’t know that much about it, and in the 8-man game, it’s not that relevant. “What he does do a good job of on the run, he can really throw the ball accurately, and he can throw the deep ball really accurately as he’s running. That’s something that I think really makes him a weapon.” Schawang completed 27 passes last year — 16 for touchdowns — and also led the Panthers in rushing with more than 1,000 yards. Despite battling a sore ankle down the stretch, Schawang broke out for 187 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns in last year’s Show-Me Bowl — the Panthers’ third straight win against Christian in the title game. Schawang was so important last year, Messer experimented with playing him at running back only to find his value at quarterback could not be equaled. “We put him at quarterback just to get the ball in his hands
more,” Messer said. Schawang will have to lead this year’s team. Mound City again has talent, and as long as Schawang is on the field, the team will be confident in its chances. And why not? Schawang’s importance to this year’s team can not be overstated. “As long as he’s out there, and he’s leading, they’re pretty confident,” Messer said. “As long as he’s out there, they’re going to get in behind him.” Schawang hopes to lead his teammates back to St. Louis to add a fourth straight state title to Mound City’s unprecedented run. No amount of rebuilding will keep this accomplished team from aiming for the top. “That’s going to be what we want to shoot for,” Schawang said. “If we win it or lose it, that’s a different story, but just getting there would be a great job for this team.” Ross Martin can be reached at ross.martin@newspressnow.com
MOUND CITY PANTHERS FOOTBALL 2011 DATE 8/26 9/2 9/9 9/16 9/23 9/30 10/7 10/14 10/21 10/28
OPPONENT North Andrew West Nodaway Falls City Sacred Heart Stanberry Worth County Craig North Nodaway Tarkio Nodaway-Holt South Holt
H/A Home Away Home Away Home Away Home Away Away Home
TIME 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
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C3
TARKIO | New coach deals with huge turnover
Indians seek playoff return in 2nd 8-man year
By BRYCE MERENESS St. Joseph News-Press
TARKIO, Mo. — First-year coach Ty Ratliff took over a Tarkio team that made a run in to the 8-man playoffs a season ago, the Indians’ first in that classification. Ratliff’s task is complicated with just one returning offensive starter from the district runnerup team, and his team is still made up of two classes of players that converted from 11-man
football last year. “It’s been a big challenge,� Ratliff said. “Any time you lose that many seniors the challenge is there. But I look for the future, and I don’t live in the past. You put your best guys out there, and go out there and win football games.� One new starter is projected starting quarterback Jeremy Booher. The senior has been through four coaches and offenses during his high school career after moving to Tarkio from Iowa
after his sophomore season. “At first it’s kind of tough because the names change and the plays change,� Booher said. “But you just keep working at it, perfecting everything. ... It’s pretty tough but it’s worth it after.� The Indians are still adapting to the 8-man game from a 3-7 final 11-man season two years ago. The 8-man field is 40 yards shorter and 15 yards narrower to compensate for fewer players on the field. The Indians went 7-4 last year,
including a quarterfinal loss at Worth County that ended the season. “It’s still football,� Ratliff said. “You still hit. You still block. You still tackle. It’s the same thing; you get out there and get after it every single play. You get some funky formations out of some teams. But that’s why you go to practice; you go to learn to adjust.� The 2011 season marks the 40th anniversary of the school’s only football state championship, a Class 1 title.
Ratliff said it’s every coaches dream to get to that point with their team. Tarkio is just now in the process of trying to be a championship 8-man squad “It would be amazing (to win another one); the whole town of Tarkio would probably be there,� junior lineman Keaton Shaw said. “It’d be just outrageous to go down there and take it.� Bryce Mereness can be reached at bryce.mereness@newspressnow.com
HIGHWAY 275 CONFERENCE CAPSULES Join these Craig/ Fairfax Boosters in Saluting the Hornets!
2011 Craig/Fairfax Hornets Football Schedule DATE 8/26 9/2 9/9 9/16 FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press
Stanberry’s Kyle Conover tries to bring down Mound City running back Zach Kahle during a game last year at Ceglinski Field. Conover could start at quarterback this year for the Bulldogs. STANBERRY gg COACH — Dan Collins, 18th year, 122-63 gg 2010 RECORD — 8-3 (6-2 in 275 Conference) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 3-1 in district play; lost quarterfinal vs. Worth County gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Conner Rosier (1,029 yards rushing, 20 TDs); Tyler McQuinn (418 passing yards, 5 passing TDs); Gabe Sego (169 yards receiving) gg KEY RETURNEES — E Gabe Sego; OL/DL Nick Smith; OL/DL Kevin Luke gg KEY LOSSES — RB Conner Rosier; OL Brad Stoll; K Jim Johnson; OL Travis Murphy; DE Devin Gage gg STARTERS RETURNING — 1 on offense, 2 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. South Holt; S2 at Tarkio; S9 vs. St. Joseph Christian; S16 vs. Mound City; S23 vs. NodawayHolt; S30 at West Nodaway; O7 at South Nodaway; O14 at North Nodaway; O21 vs. Craig; O28 at Worth County
MOUND CITY gg COACH — Brian Messer, 4th year, 36-2 (36-2 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 12-1 (6-1 in 275 Conference) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — won district with 4-0; won state championship vs. St. Joseph Christian gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Lucas Schawang (1,438 yards rushing, 21 TDs); Lucas Schawang (696 passing yards, 16 passing TDs); Prent Eaton (274 yards receiving, 4 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — QB/DB Lucas Schawang gg KEY LOSSES — OL/DL Kyler VanSchoiack; WR/DB Prent Eaton; DE/RB James Schoonover; DL Kase Newcomb gg STARTERS RETURNING — 4 on offense, 3 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. North Andrew; S2 vs. West Nodaway; S9 vs. Falls City Sacred Heart; S16 at Stanberry; S23 vs. Worth County; S30 at Craig; O7 vs. North Nodaway; O14 at Tarkio; O21 at Nodaway-Holt; O28 vs. South Holt
CRAIG gg COACH — Mark Bolger, 1st year gg 2010 RECORD — 4-6 (2-5 in 275 Conference) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 13 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Thauan Andrade (1,224 yards rushing, 16 TDs); Nate Hinrichs (355 passing yards, 5 passing TDs); Jordan Stoner (237 yards receiving, 6 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB Thauan Andrade; RB/S Jordan Stoner; OL/LB Kade Perry gg KEY LOSSES — DL Kalab Long gg STARTERS RETURNING — 2 on offense, 2 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. North Nodaway; S2 at Norborne; S9 vs. Worth County; S16 vs. West Nodaway;l S23 at Chilhowee; S30 vs. Mound City; O7 vs. Tarkio; O14 at South Holt; O21 at Stanberry; O28 vs. Nodaway-Holt.
SOUTH HOLT gg COACH — Dana Dill, 2nd year, 1-9 gg 2010 RECORD — 1-9 (1-7 in 275 Conference) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 04 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Kylynn Sisk (1,057 yards rushing, 11 TDs); Kylynn Sisk (450 passing yards, 8 passing TDs); Mitch Mueller (receiving) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB Kylynn Sisk; C Jared Brendle; TE Mitch Mueller, FB Billy Brock gg KEY LOSSES — none gg STARTERS RETURNING — 6 on offense, 6 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Stanberry; S2 at North Andrew; S9 vs. West Nodaway; S16 vs. Hardin-Central; S23 at North Nodaway; S30 vs. Worth County; O7 at Nodaway-Holt; O14 vs. Craig; O21 at Tarkio; O28 at Mound City
NORTH NODAWAY gg COACH — Andrew Webster, 1st year, 0-0 (10-20 overall)
gg 2010 RECORD — 0-10 (0-8 in 275 Conference) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 04 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Zack Gladman (568 yards rushing, 3 TDs rushing); Devin Devine (273 passing yards, 5 passing TDs); Colby Cross (464 yards receiving, 5 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB/LB Zack Gladman; OL/DL Corey Drummand; TE/ LE Skylar Gray; RB/DL Fred Rios gg KEY LOSSES — TE Colby Cross gg STARTERS RETURNING — 4 on offense, 4 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Craig; S2 at DeKalb; S9 vs Tarkio; S16 at Nodaway Holt; S23 vs South Holt; S30 at South Nodaway; O7 at Mound City; O14; vs Stanberry; O21 vs Worth County; O28 vs West Nodaway
WEST NODAWAY gg COACH — Matt Shipley, 4th year, 713 (8-22 overall) gg 2010 RECORD — 5-5 (3-5 in 275 Conference) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 22 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Aaron Moser (855 yards rushing, 19 TDs); Brent Barnett (791 passing yards, 8 passing TDs); Landon Wood (417 yards receiving, 4 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — OL/DL Wyatt Long; RB/LB Aaron Moser; WR/DE Brandon Whittington; FB/DE Zeke Smith,; WR/CB Sage Jones gg KEY LOSSES — OL Landon Wood; DE Matt Saville gg STARTERS RETURNING — 5 on offense, 5 on defense gg SCHEDULE — S2 vs. Mound City; S9 at South Holt; S16 at Craig; S23 at Tarkio; S30 vs. Stanberry; SO7 at Worth County; O14 vs. Nodaway-Holt; O21 vs. South Nodaway; O28 at North Nodaway
WORTH COUNTY gg COACH — Chuck Borey, 14th year, 133-23 gg 2010 RECORD — 11-1 (7-0 in 275 Conference) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — won district with 4-0 record; lost state semifinal to Mound City gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Eli Mullock (1,890 yards rushing, 33 TDs); Bryce Ross (372 passing yards, 7 passing TDs); Alex Harmening (222 yards receiving, 5 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — RB/DB Eli Mullock; QB Bryce Ross; WR/LB Jordan Harding; FB/LB Dallas Greenland; OL Kevin Stoll gg KEY LOSSES — QB/P Alex Harmening; DL Cody Green; OL Wyatt McClain; OL/DL Brian Hall gg STARTERS RETURNING — 3 on offense; 3 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Tarkio; S2 at Nodaway-Holt; S9 at Craig; S16 vs. North Andrew; S23 at Mound City; S30 at South Holt; O7 vs. West Nodaway; O14 vs. South Nodaway; O21 at North Nodaway; O28 vs. Stanberry
NODAWAY-HOLT gg COACH — Roy Noellsch, 5th year, 16-25 gg 2010 RECORD — 6-4 (4-4 in 275 Conference) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 22 in district play. gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Blake Shamberger (1,393 yards rushing; 28 TDs); Blake Shamberger (699 passing yards, 11 passing TDs); Cody Ridler (313 yards receiving) gg KEY RETURNEES — E/LB Zach Lemar; E/DE Brandon Saxton; C/DL Justin Dearmont gg KEY LOSSES — QB Blake Shamberger; DE Luke Coffelt; WR/LB Cory Ridler; OL Andrew Strauch gg STARTERS RETURNING — 3 on offense, 2 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Hardin-Central; S2 vs. Worth County; S9 Bye; S16 vs. North Nodaway; S23 at Stanberry; S30 at Tarkio; O7 vs. South Holt; O14 at West Nodaway; O21 vs. Mound CIty; O28 at Craig
TARKIO gg COACH — Ty Ratliff, 1st year gg 2010 RECORD — 7-4 (5-3 in 275 Conference) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 3-1 in district play, lost quarterfinals to Worth County gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Alex Toben (1,310 yards rushing, 16 TDs); Kyle Livengood (466 passing yards, 5 passing TDs); Cody Mandeville (182 yards receiving, 1 TD) gg KEY RETURNEES — OL Keaton Shaw; QB Jeremy Booher; RB JD Walter gg KEY LOSSES — RB Alex Toben; LB Dillon Noland; DE/LB Kyle Livengood gg STARTERS RETURNING — 1 on offense, 2 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Worth County S2 vs. Stanberry; S9 at North Nodaway; S16 vs. DeKalb; S23 vs. West Nodaway; S30 vs. Nodaway-Holt; O7 at Craig; O14 vs. Mound City; O21 at South Holt; O28 vs. South Nodaway
9/23 9/30 10/7 10/14 10/21 10/28
OPPONENT North Nodaway Norborne Worth County West Nodaway (Homecoming) Chilhowee Mound City Tarkio South Holt Stanberry Nodaway-Holt (Sr. Night)
Brett Hurst J.D., L.L.C.
'BNJMZ -BX r %JWPSDF $JWJM r &TUBUF 1MBOOJOH
319 Main Street, Tarkio, MO
660-736-4450
LOCATION Fairfax Away Craig Fairfax
TIME 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Away Craig Fairfax Away Away Craig
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Powell Chiropractic Dr. Gary R. Powell
Open Saturday Mornings 604 South Main Street Rock Port, MO 660-744-2032
TARKIO INDIANS
Varsity Football 2011 DATE
OPPONENT
HOME/AWAY
TIME
8/26/11
Worth County
Away
7 p.m.
9/2/2011
Stanberry
Home
7 p.m.
9/9/2011
North Nodaway
Away
7 p.m.
9/16/2011 DeKalb
Home
7 p.m.
9/23/2011 West Nodaway
Home
7 p.m.
9/30/2011 Nodaway-Holt
Home
7 p.m.
10/7/2011 Craig
Away
7 p.m.
10/14/2011 Mound City
Home
7 p.m.
10/21/2011 South Holt
Away
7 p.m.
10/28/2011 South Nodaway
Home
7 p.m.
These Indian Boosters want to wish the Tarkio Indians a great season! Law Office of Brett Hurst, J.D.,L.L.C. 319 Main St., Tarkio, MO • 660-736-4450
Murf’s Auto Supply
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Powell Chiropractic (Dr. Gary R. Powell) 604 S. Main St., Rock Port, MO • 660-744-2032
Torrey Pines Sinclair
506 South 10th Street Tarkio, MO 64491
Phone: 660-736-5561
Email: qualityauto@tarkio.net
20286 US Hwy. 59, Tarkio, MO • 660-736-4522
506 S. 10th St., Tarkio MO 64491 800-950-4912 • 660-736-4911
Powell Chiropractic Dr. Gary R. Powell
Open Saturday Mornings 604 South Main Street Rock Port, MO 660-744-2032
Pigskin Preview 2011
C4
DeKalb relying on Bush-Reagan combo By PHIL ERVIN St. Joseph News-Press
DEKALB, Mo. — Batman had Robin; Frodo had Sam; Jordan had Pippen. And Brent Bush has Kolby Reagan. The senior duo’s chemistry forged during the last decade-and-a-half will play a central role in DeKalb’s quest for a Class 1 playoff appearance this fall. “These guys have been doing everything together all their lives, so they know each other,� Tigers coach Vernon Pike said. “If something’s not going right, there’s some way that they get back together on it and make it work.� Both born and raised in the area, Bush and Reagan started playing sports together in kindergarten. They’ve boosted each other to success on the football field, basketball court, baseball diamond and track throughout high school. Away from those places, they’re virtually inseparable. “You know what the other person is gonna do before they do it,� Reagan said. “It helps with on the field and off the field.� The Tigers’ chances start with
take advantage of that.� Enter Reagan, who caught a Class 1-best 45 passes for 923 yards and 16 scores a season ago. Those numbers come from the wiry wideout/tight end’s ability to find open spots on intermediate pass plays and beat defenders deep. Bush’s knowledge of those locations and throwing mechanics make for a FILE PHOTO/St. Joseph News-Press lethal passing package. Increased attention in opposing DeKalb quarterback Brent Bush runs the ball scouting reports and the DeKalb during a game last year against North Andrew. community have become part of the Bush’s dual-threat abilities under territory for Bush and Reagan. center. As a junior quarterback, he “There’s a lot of teams that know passed for 1,223 yards and ran for we’re gonna be a good team, and there’s 874, accounting for 40 touchdowns. a lot of high expectations around this His efforts earned him Platte Valley town, so it really puts a big target on Conference first-team honors. your back,� Reagan said. “You’ve got to While the high scoring nature of fulfill a lot of expectations.� 8-man football tends to skew offenFor all their offensive prowess, sive statistical standards, DeKalb they may be even better on the other will rely on similar production as it side of the ball. As defensive backs switches from a power-oriented at- last season, they combined for 15 intack to a spread. terceptions and never finished run“We’re not set up the way we’ve ning plays far from the ball. been in the past,� Pike said. “We Bush will move up to an end posiused to have huge linemen and pret- tion this fall as Pike tries to shake ty good sized backs, and we ran a lot things up on D. of power game. ... We have smaller guys with good feet and some dePhil Ervin can be reached at npsports@newspressnow.com cent hands, so we’re gonna try and
Stanberry keying offense on speed instead of size By BRYCE MERENESS St. Joseph News-Press
STANBERRY, Mo. — Stanberry coach Dan Collins has the daunting task of replacing 20 seniors from the past two seasons, two seasons that saw the Bulldogs make the 8-man playoffs. Many of those lost have been on the offensive side of the ball. Collins has changed things up a bit from past years’ pound-it-down-their throat game plan. With only one offensive starter returning this year, now seems a good time to change the pattern. “Obviously, we’ve had to fill in pretty much the whole new crew,� Collins said. “One thing we don’t have is a lot of size, but one thing we do have is some decent speed. I look for us to do a little more with our backs as far as trying to get them in the open as opposed to what we’ve been able to do in the past couple of years and run the
backfield right now, I’ve always played with in JV and everything,� junior lineman Trevor Johnson said. “We’ve all played together in JV so we know each other. We’ve ran that same stuff in JV because we had speed back then so I think we’ll do just fine together now.� Stanberry hosts South Holt to kick off the season tonight, a game the Bulldogs won 55-0 last year. “We’re running through a lot more plays getting more practice time in so we can learn our stuff,� Connover said. “We have a lot of new people coming in to new positions. Older guys we just help the younger guys out, try to teach them how we do things so they can learn and step into those positions when they grow up and motivate them to work harder so they can get better.�
ball right at people.� Also a new quarterback will helm the squad this season. The Bulldogs attempted just 49 passes a season ago. Kyle Connover and Gabe Sego are fighting to take over the starter’s role from the departed Tyler McQuinn. “I’m pretty confident in the in the guys we have in there right now quarterback-wise,� Collins said. “Both of them understand the system; both of them are competitors. They do a good job; they listen; they work hard, and that’s all you can ask of them.� After replacing so many members of its past two teams, Stanberry seems to have a system to ensure that new players can step into the starting roles. Between running a full junior varsity schedule and gaining varsity experience when the game situation allows it, most new offensive starters have played together for three years. “The kids that are playing in the
Bryce Mereness can be reached at bryce.mereness@newspressnow.com
Friday, August 26, 2011
PLATTE VALLEY CONFERENCE CAPSULES DEKALB gg COACH — Vernon Pike, 18th year, 115-66 gg 2010 RECORD — 7-3 (3-1 in PVC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 3-2 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Brent Bush (874 yards rushing, 19 TDs); Brent Bush (1,223 passing yards, 21 passing TDs); Kolby Reagan (926 yards receiving, 16 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — QB/DB Brent Bush, WR/DB Kolby Reagan, OL/DL Derek Brock, OL/DL Andy Kaleskint gg KEY LOSSES — LB Scott Harvey gg STARTERS RETURNING — 5 on offense, 5 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Chilhowee; S2 vs. North Nodaway; S9 vs. Norborne; S16 at Tarkio; S23 at South Nodaway; S30 at Southwest Livingston; O7 vs. Stewartsville; O21 vs. St. Joseph Christian; O28 at North Andrew
STEWARTSVILLE gg COACH — Nathan Whitmer, 2nd year, 2-8 gg 2010 RECORD — 2-8 (1-4 in PVC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 1-4 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Dominick Fleeks (1,000 yards rushing); Ryan Graeff (800 passing yards, 14 passing TDs); Lafayette Fleeks (350 yards receiving, 9 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — QB/DB Dominick Fleeks; DB Ryan Graeff gg KEY LOSSES — E/DE Lafayette Fleeks; DL Rion Mason gg STARTERS RETURNING — 5 on offense, 5 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. Norborne; S2 at Hardin-Central; S9 vs. Chilhowee; S16 at North Andrew; S23 at. St. Joseph Christian; S30 vs. Hardin Central; O7 at DeKalb; O14 vs. Southwest Livingston; O21 vs. North Andrew; O28 open
SOUTH NODAWAY gg COACH — Dustin Skoglund, 3rd year, 3-17 gg 2010 RECORD — 3-7 (2-3 in PVC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 1-3 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Tom Fletchall (881 yards rushing, 16 TDs); Tom Fletchall (722 passing yards, 11 passing TDs); Dakota Murphy (462 yards receiving, 6 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — QB/LB Tom Fletchall, WR/DB Cody Burden, RB/LB Dakota Murphy, OL/DL Zach Hilsabeck gg KEY LOSSES — OL Daniel Nielson gg STARTERS RETURNING — 7 on offense, 7 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Southwest Livingston; S2 vs St. Joseph Christian; S9 at North Andrew; S16 vs. Stewartsville; S23 vs DeKalb; S30 vs. North Nodaway; O7 vs. Stanberry; O14 at Worth County; O21 at West Nodwaway; O28 at Tarkio
NORTH ANDREW gg COACH — Mike Seufert, 7th year, 40-21 gg 2010 RECORD — 6-5 (4-1 in PVC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 3-2 in district play; lost sectional vs. Miami gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Alex Kier (1,456 yards rushing, 20 TDs); Chase White (451 passing yards, 5 passing TDs); Kolby Davison (201 yards receiving, 5 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — QB/LB Chase White; DL Quayde Bauman; P/K Matthew Taylor gg KEY LOSSES — RB/LB Alex Kier; OL/DL Jackson Girdner; OL Chris Roush; gg SCHEDULE — A26 at Mound City; S2 vs. South Holt; S9 vs. South Nodaway; S16 vs. Stewartsville; S23 at Hardin Central; S30 open; O7 vs. Southwest Livingston; O14 at St. Joseph Christian; O21 at Stewartsville; O28 vs. DeKalb
SOUTHWEST LIVINGSTON gg COACH — Tyler Anderson, 1st year, 8-2 gg 2010 RECORD — 8-2 (4-1 in PVC) gg POSTSEASON RECAP — finished 3-2 in district play gg 2010 STAT LEADERS — Dylan Haney (2,127 yards rushing, 38 TDs); Ethan Crowe(1,056 passing yards, 17 passing TDs); Anthony Allred (510 yards receiving, 8 TDs) gg KEY RETURNEES — QB/LB Ethan Crowe, RB/LB Justi Lewis, RB/DB Anthony Allred, OL/DL Michael Rounkles, OL/DL Chance Gardner gg KEY LOSSES — RB/LB Dylan Haney, OL/DL Cody Moore gg STARTERS RETURNING — 5 on offense, 5 on defense gg SCHEDULE — A26 vs. South Nodaway; S2 open; S9 at Hardin-Central; S16 vs. Norborne; S23 at Hughesville; S30 vs. DeKalb; O7 at North Andrew; O14 at Stewartsville
Stewartsville Cardinals
Join these Stewartsville Boosters in Saluting the Cardinals! Date 8/26 9/02 9/09 9/16 9/23
Opponent Norborne Hardin-Central Chilhowee South Nodaway St. Joseph Christian
H/A Home Away Home Away Away
Time 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
9/30 10/07 10/14 10/21 10/28
Hardin-Central DeKalb S.W. Livingston Homecoming North Andrew Open
Home Away Home
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Home Away
7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Lawson’s Quick Stop 36 & K Hwy • 816-669-3396
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