PAGE 16 — THE CONCORDIAN, Concordia, Missouri, Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Wellington’s defense will be key if Tigers are to competer for title by Hobby King SPORTS WRITER
Rarely in his previous eight years as head coach have Quenton Bainbridge's Wellington Tigers' football squad had trouble scoring points. But, at times, the Tigers have not been able to fend off opponents and have lost high-scoring contests. Bainbridge is hopeful this is the year the Tigers, who return nine starters on each side of the ball, put it all together at the same time. Last year, the Tigers outscored their opponents, but not by the margin Bainbridge would like to see. The Tigers averaged over 38 points per game while they surrendered 33.3 points per contest. They gave up 30 points or more in three games. Still, the Tigers had enough talent on both sides of the ball to finish second to Saint Paul in the conference standings, losing their matchup 49-30 in week seven. Bainbridge, who is being assisted by Andy Hampton, Lincoln Bainbridge, Tristan Layman and Daniel Petet, will have to find replacements for two-way starters Levi Banner and Alex Rodenberg. “Levi was our anchor on offense (wide receiver) and most dynamic weapon,” Bainbridge said. “Alex was our leading tackler and the leader of our defense (at linebacker). “These two played tough all year and were the cornerstones of our success. We have a great group of returning players that benefited from their leadership.” Banner also started at defensive back and Rodenberg as another re-
ceiver. Of the 25 players on the roster, six are seniors, six are juniors and eight are sophomores. Having their starting quarterback returning, the Tigers are in good shape. Dallas Reynolds compiled impressive stats last year as a junior. He is 6-foot tall and 175 pounds. Sophomore Jordon Hill and junior Dylan Brockmeyer are the top candidates to be the running backs in the spread attack. Hill is 5-7, 140, and Brockmeyer 5-11, 170. Brockmeyer is a two-way returning starter and Hill started on defense. Blake Gray is a 57, 155p o u n d senior, returning starter at wide receiver and defensive back, and Tristan Green is a 6-0, 190-pound senior returning starter at wide receiver/running back. He has started all three of his previous seasons at different positions. Three of the five starters across the offensive line weigh in at 200 pounds or more. Senior Brock Brockmeyer (6-3, 220) is a two-year returning starter at right tackle and junior Matt Block
(6-3, 200) are leading candidates to be the tackles. Sophomore Stone Willoughby (5-10, 235) and senior Zach Jenkins (6-0, 185) are returning starters slated to be starters again at the guards. Senior Luke Schaberg also is a returning starter at center. “We should be very balanced,” Bainbridge said. “We are adopting a different scheme, which hopefully will promote a more balanced attack. “We need to find a way to be more consistent than we have in previous seasons. We have had some explosions on offense some weeks, with a complete drought the following week. For us to be successful, we need to find a way to produce more efficiently.” Bainbridge says up front will be the main key. “Our line will be the backbone of our offense, followed by our quarterback,” he said. “If our line performs to their ability, and our quarterback makes effective reads, we will have a good season.” The defense will be anchored by the defensive ends, returning starter
“We are experienced, but have not been great on defense in past years,” Bainbridge said. “This side of the ball will determine how good we will be this year.
Dylan Brockmeyer and Green, who will be moving up from a starting position at defensive back. Brock Brockmeyer and Jenkins return for their third year as starters at defensive tackle. Reynolds will be a force on defense, too, playing linebacker. Also nailing down linebacker spots are Schaberg, who like Reynolds, has started each of the last two seasons. Sophomore Dillon Brisbin, who started last year before being injured is the other linebacker. Gray, junior Duncan Hughes and Hill are the top prospects in the secondary. Gray and Hughes have started since their sophomore years, and Hill was a starter in 2014. “We are experienced, but have not been great on defense in past years,” Bainbridge said. “This side of the ball will determine how good we will be this year. “We need to find a way to get stops on third down. We have been able to play most teams tough at times in past seasons, but big plays on third down have been our Achilles' heel.” Bainbridge thinks the Tigers can be pretty good, but they will need to be tested early and often. “I think we could be competitive with anyone we play this season. We know our conference will be tough, as Saint Paul, Crest Ridge, Lone Jack and Santa Fe will return some great talent. These are our first four conference games, so we will have to be ready to play tough when the season begins,” he said. “Sweet Springs, Orrick and Concordia will be young, but talented. We will not take any games lightly.”