The future of the COC Small is bleak with the defections of Hollister and Buffalo following next season, as well as several teams exploring expansion opportunities in other leagues. Bolivar is still the top dog and everyone else is still playing catchup. But with the Liberators in rebuild mode is this the time for someone to overthrow the empire?
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Preseason Awards
COC Small Champion: Bolivar
Player of the Year: Connor Sechler, Bolivar
Offensive Player of the Year: Brandon Emmert, Bolivar
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Garrett Miller, Reeds Spring and Jaytin Gutierrez, Rogersville
Lineman of the Year: Zach Howard, Bolivar
Breakout Player: Nick Crites, Catholic
Lots of new faces in charge
It’s crazy to think about the conference without Lance Roweton, but it’s even crazier to think about the overall landscape of the conference. Doug Smith is the longest tenured coach in the conference and this will be his 10th season. Everyone else is a relatively sapling. Glen Johnson is in his first year at Bolivar, Mark Jackson and Nate Thomas have been at Buffalo and Marshfield respectively for two years. Jacob Hamon (Hollister), Steve Hancock (Catholic) and Lance Gosch (Reeds Spring) are entering their third season with their current program. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but the only program that has had a full class of students go through their system is Rogersville. While I don’t expect Bolivar to change much schematically, the constant changes around the league can make it a little harder to scout and game plan. There is typically a log-jam in the middle of the conference anyway, with all the instability entering this season, look for that to really be on display in 2016.
The Drive for 14?
Each fall the question is can someone finally knock off Bolivar. For 13 years the entire conference has tried and failed, it never ends well. If ever there was a time for the Libs to be susceptible for a loss, this year would be it. Lance Roweton has stepped out of coaching and into administration, handing over the reins to one of the Ozarks’ premier programs to Glen Johnson. Johnson is now tasked with replacing 17 starters from last year’s 9-2 squad, which will be easier said than done. With Connor Sechler (2,335 passing yards, 18 TDs) and all-conference TE Brandon Emmert back, Bolivar will be able to move the ball. Johnson wants to split Emmert out at receiver, which would make the 6-foot-6 senior even more of a matchup problem. The two biggest questions Liberator fans should have is the run game and on the defensive side of the ball. Lane Loomer is expected to be the feature back and after a summer of living in the weight room a bigger and more physical Sechler will shoulder some of that burden on his own. It’s crazy to think that for a program that has had D-1 athletes playing quarterback for the last decade, Sechler will go down has the best from a statistical standpoint. Bolivar junior Zach Howard is the conference’s best lineman and is in an elite class of player in the area; there isn’t a better interior lineman in the Ozarks. His presence alone will command double and triple teams. Losing Johnny Scott, Aaron Samek, Case Jones and company will hurt most on the defensive side of the ball. Bolivar’s overall lack of team speed will be significant compared to last year. With so many seniors moving on there will be several opportunities to step into marquee roles. Johnson is high on Deacon Banner and Bradley Thomas to do that defensively. Bolivar will again be good, but reaching nine wins will be a struggle. The Libs three non-conference games will all be against COC Large foes with Republic and Willard being added to this year’s schedule, to go along with the rematch against Ozark from last year. None of those games will be easy, especially with Republic and Ozark being road games. Not to mention Webb City, Carl Junction, Camdenton and West Plains all being in their district. This is a bit of a rebuild/reload for Bolivar, but that is also the case for Webb City and many of the area’s top programs. This might be one of their best chances to make a run.
Can Reeds Spring finally get over the hump?
The only team in the conference that has been able to even hang with Bolivar recently is Reeds Spring and that will again be the case this fall for Lance Gosch and company. The Wolves will adjust to life after Nick Haddock and Dalton Pommeroy, which will be difficult to say the least. J.P. Gardner will take over at quarterback and the first thing opponents will notice about him is his length and speed. A 6-foot-3 quarterback in high school is rare and this kid understands how to use that stride in space. He also showed the ability to make some good reads at the Branson Camp. Keenan Haynes should take over as the lead back after getting limited touches last year. Haynes also has great hands out of the backfield and could factor into the passing game. The defense will be in good hands with Garrett Miller coming back. He’s my pick for the league’s defensive player of the year because of his versatility. He can rush the passer, commands double teams and can blow up any kind of option read. He’s one of the best defensive ends in the area and if you question that watch the Reeds Spring/Aurora district championship game from last year; he made Payton Evans life miserable for four quarters. Miller basically eliminates one half of the field. Reeds Spring is thirsty for a banner after runner-up finishes in the conference and district in each of the last two seasons. This class of seniors is the first in two decades to know nothing but winning. Their mindset will be a little different heading into those big games than teams of the past. Winning is a learned behavior, maybe those past failures can help lead to success this year. The non-conference slate has a Big 8 feel with Mount Vernon and Cassville to open the season; those are also two district opponents and must-win games. Those games will also feed into speculation that with the conference crumbling that Reeds Spring could be a good fit for the Big 8.
Best of the rest
Marshfield will be looking to take the next step in Nate Thomas’ second year. Jordan Dean is gone, but it looks like the Jays have their next big thing in sophomore Brock Utecht. He still has some filling out to do, but has good arm strength, can get the ball out quick and is a capable runner, making him a good fit for Thomas’ spread, up-tempo offense. Tyler Park, who has seen significant varsity time since his freshman year, will again be the feature back and there a few guys vying to be the No. 1 receiver. Thomas is one of the bright, young football minds in the area and the conference is more wide open then it has been recently. This could be a team that challenges for that second or third spot in the league… When you’ve been on the sidelines for nearly a half century then there isn’t a ton of secrets around your scheme; Steve Hancock and Catholic are going to run the football. The good thing is Hancock has several pieces that fit his system well. Nick Crites rushed for nearly 500 yards as a freshman, and they were physical yards. He also has good hands out of the backfield. The most impressive part about his freshman year was he never really was physically outmatched. Having time to mature will only make him a better player. So will running behind 6-foot-4, 300-pound senior Tiernan Hamtil. He is obviously a mountain, but that’s not what makes him great. What separates Hamtil from most other big high school linemen are his feet and athleticism. He’s actually extremely effective pulling and trapping which is impressive for a guy that size and he plays with a mean streak. He could be in for a monster year, especially when he figures out there are few players capable of matching up with him consistently. For the first time in his three years at Catholic, Hancock will have some experience all over the field. The Irish will be another team capable of making some noise. Getting Liberty off the schedule helps, and their first four games are absolute tossups that could go either way; Catholic could very well be 3-1 going into Week 5 against Bolivar. Hancock is a proven winner and now he’s had time for every kid on his team to live his system. This could be the year we see Catholic make a huge jump… Rogersville has seen better days on the football field. The Cats haven’t had a winning season since 2011, the year that Dylan Cole led them to a state championship. That’s the bad news. The good news is Rogersville has been young for years and has some experience returning in key places this season. Jaytin Gutierrez is a name you should get used to hearing. He’s not very big, but he closes and finishes with the best of them. He had 132 tackles last year and I wouldn’t be shocked if that number was above 150 this season. Expect to also see much more of him on the offensive side of the ball behind an experienced line. Bronson Tavenner should also have a much improved season after a full year of starting experience. Here’s the deal, Rogersville isn’t huge up front and the program’s numbers have dwindled. This group has a chance to reestablish the luster the program had a half decade ago and I think all, players and staff alike, understand the importance of having a better year… From 2011-14 Hollister won a total of three games. Last year the Tigers won 2 of their first three games. Jacob Hamon has been a welcomed changed with his passion and energy, but this team will have to find a different way to score points after losing Kobe Stewart and Cody Franklin from last year’s team. That’s the bad news. The good news is Hollister returns some serious size and experience upfront, as well as starting quarterback Jackson Bekemeier. The biggest question will be finding a playmaker in addition to Bekemeier to run behind that line. Hollister also has to continue to grow defensively. Last year the Tigers gave up 34 or more six times. A better offense and being able to grind the clock and sustain drives will help that defense out quite a bit… Buffalo has won exactly five games in the last six seasons. A lot of credit goes to Mark Jackson; not everyone has the chops to take on a rebuild like this. In this situation you have to completely change the culture and he is trying to do that through a high-paced and exciting offense. He compared it to Baylor’s no-huddle style and keep in mind the Bears were REALLY bad a decade ago. Buffalo won’t win the COC Small this year, but growing the program’s numbers and generated excitement is what it will take for the Bison to be competitive moving forward. That process starts now.
Top Games
Aug. 19
Bolivar at Republic
Mount Vernon at Reeds Spring
Catholic at Strafford
Aug. 26
Reeds Spring at Cassville
Sep. 2
Bolivar at Reeds Spring
Sep. 16
Rogersville at Marshfield
Catholic at Bolivar
Oct. 14
Bolivar at Ozark
Reeds Spring at Catholic
