We finish up our conference previews with the Mid-Lakes and other area teams to watch.
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Mid-Lakes
How deep of a run can Fair Grove make?
In most years, this would be a top two team in Class 2. The Eagles have everything you want in a football team. Quarterback play? Fair Grove has a dual-threat guy with starting experience in senior Brayden Lumley. Lumley racked up 2,022 all-purpose yards and 24 TD last season and was underrated because of some of the other quarterbacks in the conference, but he was one of the area’s best. A productive offseason should lead to a monster senior year. He is also flanked by “Slash and Dash” one of the best running back duos in the Ozarks. Dalton Cloyd (Slash) does a little bit of everything for Fair Grove in terms of running (757 rush yards) and receiving (471 receiving yards). His versatility makes this offense that much more dynamic. His partner in crime Fodge (Dash) is the more physical back. They are the perfect complement to each other and the Mid-Lakes will be their playground this year. The return of basketball standouts Evan Fullerton and Steven Huskey will give Lumley the ultimate targets because you can always throw them open. This offense will be one of the most balanced and explosive in the area this year. The big question is where is Fair Grove’s ceiling? Lamar owns Class 2 and Fair Grove now shares a district with them. When these two meet in late October they should both be undefeated. Liberty showed the blue print for beating Lamar last year; run the ball effectively, grind out first downs and eat clock and don’t give up big plays. The aforementioned players can make part of that happen and having track star Isaac Mauldin in the secondary should eliminate many big plays. Liberty struggled to convert in the red zone against Lamar, but Fair Grove has multiple red zone threats. Secretly this team is as equipped as any in Class 2 to upset Lamar.
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Is Strafford ready to rebound?
After winning 40 games in four seasons, Strafford took a step back and went just 5-6 in 2015. That lets you know just where Coach Tim Hester’s program is; he went one game below .500 and people were disappointed. Success brings expectations and he is okay with that. So is his program. Strafford will be insanely young this year and they’ll have their growing pains, but you’ll get a glimpse of why this group will be the favorite to win the Mid-Lakes in 2017. Two words… Kensen White. The junior quarterback will start his first game this year, but his talent is immense. I was a huge fan of Chanler “The Chief” Collins, but I felt like White was just as talented last year. White might be the best dual-threat that Hester has had. Senior Danny Novakovich will have a breakout year on both sides of the ball, but especially offensively. He’s another kid that has good hands out of the backfield and Hester will not be shy about getting the ball in his hands. Also, look for sophomore receiver Dillon Hester to have a breakout year after a broken collarbone ended his freshman campaign. He’s not as big or athletic as big brother (Dallas) but he might be ahead of him from a technical standpoint. The schedule isn’t favorable and Strafford will likely start off 0-2, but the Indians should rebound and be able to rip off a nice streak in their final seven games.
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Skyline isn’t about to fall off…
The rest of the conference is tough to make sense of. Skyline will take a step back to rebuild after losing the most athletic class in school history, but Shawn Bryan will keep them relevant. I’m expecting a monster, monster season from Bryan. Like a “you need to retire his No. 5 immediately season.” He isn’t just athletic for Class 1, he’s an athletic kid period. People like to compare him to his brother, who I was a huge fan of, but there isn’t really a comparison. There’s a reason he walks around with a mullet and it’s because he’s a confident kid. You’ll find out this year just why he can pull off that cut and the pressure that comes with wearing No. 5. Honestly, the decline of Skyline is probably a little overstated. I also love what Nate Brethower did last year defensively and look for him to put his fingerprints all over the identity of this year’s defensive unit, which will mean a lot of scrappiness. The best part about bringing Bryan back is the fact that Trevor Russell will be able to ease into the quarterback role slowly. Yes, there will be lots of youth and experience, but it’s not like they are scrubs. Also, Skyline will be bigger up front than they’ve been recently, which will be a plus. All of these guys know nothing but winning and I don’t expect them to take regress in terms of expectations.
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Best of the rest…
Really, the rest of the conference is tough to understand because Marionville, Stockton, Pleasant Hope and Ash Grove are all retooling their teams from last year. All four teams will have major pockets of inexperience and guys adjusting to new roles. I think their games with each other will be competitive, but I worry about their games against the conference’s elite teams.
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Rest of the Area
What will Lockwood be in 2016
Speaking of teams that people expect to fall off… Lockwood. I’ve had several people try to convince me that the Tigers will struggle and I need y’all to stop it. I just don’t see a huge decline coming for Clay Lasater this year. Keep in mind this team ran the table before falling in the district semifinals to Marionville. I really wouldn’t be shocked if that was the case again this year, mainly because of seniors Kyle Bouldin and Ethan Bates. Bouldin is the lightning to Bates’ thunder and they will be storming on people all fall (see what I did there?). Yes, Lockwood lost several key pieces on the line and all-stater Ben Schnelle at quarterback, but Bouldin and Bates are really that good. Bouldin is one of the most skilled backs in the Ozarks and has buckets of raw potential; A 6’1”, 210-pound Class 1 running back with legit speed and elusiveness?! The only thing that stops Kyle Bouldin is Kyle Bouldin. When he’s focused, he’s good enough to get Lockwood to Springfield. His partner in crime is a 6’2”, 260-pound monster masquerading as a running back. He reminds me of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s character in The Longest Yard; he’s just a big, physical back. The best part is Bates can help offset a lack of size and experience on the offensive line because the kid is capable of making his own hole or one for Bouldin. With that being said, let’s not forget that Skyler Neill and Brady Oeltjen are back for Lockwood and it’s not like they’ve never played football before. Both are more than capable of having great seasons. The running game will be so effective that people will have to put nine or maybe even 10 in the box to stop Lockwood, which should help out junior Will Beerly as he takes over for Schnelle at quarterback. Junior receiver Logan Sparkman will also benefit from these loaded boxes.
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Diamond
Last year Diamond started the season 2-2, with the fourth game being a 41-0 loss to Lockwood. The Cats responded 5-2 to end the season. Diamond is a darkhorse this year in the SRVC and in Class 2. Diamond doesn’t have a ton of depth, but they have some of the best players you’ve never heard of in the Ozarks. It all starts with Triston Shepherd at running back. Shepherd (1,329 rush yards, 16 TD) was an absolute horse last year all over the field. His combination of speed and power make him a nightmare in the open field and his versatility also allows you to split him out at receiver and make him effective in the return game. That’s really the story with all of Diamonds weapons; there’s no telling where they will lineup on the field. Carter Prewitt is the quarterback and a dual-threat guy and Blake Drake (808 total yards, 9 TD) is his favorite target. Diamond’s success last year is really a testament to new coach Ben Glidewell. The Wildcats hadn’t had a winning season in more than a decade, now this group could conceivably win a conference championship and make a district run. Circle Sep. 16 on your calendar. If Diamond can go into Lockwood and walk away with a win they should have a perfect 9-0 regular season.
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Lighthouse Christian
These guys continue to have success at a national level and continue to load up their schedule more and more with MSHSAA schools which gives the Ozarks a chance to understand just how good they are. Losing Ben Friend from last year is a big hit. Friend was one of the top backs in the Ozarks last year and his 38 touchdowns and 2,700 yards of total offense was ridiculous and he did it behind a huge offensive line. This year’s Chargers will look a lot different schematically. Bryant Taylor got to air it out as a junior (1,922 pass yards, 17 TD) but expect him to sling it all around the yard this year, especially with Haaken Friend (680 receiving yards, 5 TD) back in the mix. Coach Rian Bess is also high on senior receiver Josh Street and what he could do this year. People always ask how good some of these kids are and the answer is comparable to any good varsity players. Take someone like Taylor and Friend and there aren’t many schools in the Ozarks that they aren’t starting at. They just don’t have the depth that MSHSAA programs have. But, you can bet that Lighthouse will be geared up for those first five games to prove their talent.
Top Games
Aug. 26
Lighthouse Christian at Ava – This game features two very good quarterbacks that play the game in completely different ways. Ava sophomore Caleb Johnson is one of the best running quarterbacks in the area and LC senior Bryant Taylor lives to toss the football around. Ava opens with Class 4 Marshfield and LC opens with East Newton. Both teams should enter 1-0 and Lighthouse will be eager for a statement win over a public school.
Strafford at Mountain Grove – The last time these two met was in the district semifinals back in 2013 when a fumbled snap late in the game helped Grove pull off the upset over a Strafford team that was undefeated and looking ahead to Liberty. Grove will be the favorite in this one, but the perfect chance for Strafford’s youngsters to make a name for themselves.
Skyline at Fair Grove – Well, this could very well be the Mid-Lakes championship game. Last year Skyline handled Fair Grove to the tune of 60-21. Lumley, Cloyd, Fodge and company haven’t forgotten this one. Prepare for a shootout though, I’m not sure how easy it will be for Fair Grove to put the clamps on a Shelby offense.
Sep. 9
Fair Grove at Catholic – This is one of those sneaky games. Fair Grove loves power football and so does Catholic. The Irish are also a little bigger upfront. Grove won 28-13 last year but this game has grown in importance because of the district shift. If Fair Grove runs the table and racks up margin against everyone there is a chance that they could get the No. 1 seed and force Lamar to come to town. There’s zero chance anyone goes into Lamar and wins a district game. The Eagles will need to take advantage of playing a Class 3 team.
Sep. 16
Skyline at Summit Christian – This one should be a barnburner. Last year Skyline won 55-18 and Summit’s two losses came to schools from the Ozarks (Skyline and Lamar). Summit isn’t very good defensively, which is a horrible quality to have when playing Skyline, but the Eagles can light up a scoreboard in a hurry. They also have one of the state’s most productive quarterbacks in Sam Huckabee. Last year he passed for 2,432 yards and 27 touchdowns. He lost some weapons but they will again be very good offensively. This will test a Skyline secondary that lost Madison Davis and Dylan Mountain.
Diamond at Lockwood – Mark it down, this will be the SRVC Championship game. Big names and explosive offenses will be the name of this one. Diamond will have revenge on its mind and both will be thinking district seeding. Class 2 Diamond can’t afford a loss and Lockwood will want to take full advantage of playing up a class. This one might come down to who has the ball last.
Sep. 23
Strafford at Fair Grove – This is just a good ole fashioned rivalry game which will make it entertaining at worst. Coach Hester is pretty innovative in terms of scheme and Xs and Os; he will have something cookin’ for this game. This is also far enough down the line to allow some of Strafford’s youth time to mature and acclimate to varsity football. This will be Strafford’s chance to play spoiler.
