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Kickapoo won 21 games over the last two seasons, but graduation hit the Chiefs hard this past May which will provide a challenge for new head coach Nate Thomas in his first season at the helm of the Kickapoo football program.
The Chiefs lost all but 179 of their 2,386 rushing yards and 136 of their 2,061 yards receiving.
Mason Auer will replace the graduated Chris Lawson who threw for 1,956 yards and rushed for another 770 yards. Auer will provide a similar dual-threat look to the position.
“We are really looking forward to seeing what he can do out on the field,” Thomas said. “He is a dual threat kid that they are going to have to account for in the run game and passing game.”
Adrian Davis and Dalton Coates will be the primary ball carriers. Davis will pull double-duty and play cornerback as well.
Ian Martus and Travis King will be Auer’s top targets in the passing game. Martus is the team’s leading returning receiver after he caught 10 balls for 91 yards and two touchdowns as a junior.
Tyler Waggoner and Beck Wiltermuth will be the anchors on the offensive line at left tackle and center, respectively.
On defense, the line will be the key led by William Anoa’I who is the lone returning all-conference player for the Chiefs on defense.
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“He looks great. Every day at practice, coach Jarman and I and the rest of the offensive coaches frown during practice because we have to block him every day, but we are sure going to be glad he is with us on Friday nights,” Thomas said.
Ja’von Sims will be Anoa’I’s partner on the interior of the defensive line to make a formidable unit.
Noah Jennerjohn will step up at defensive end while Brandan Remy the center piece at linebacker.
Joshua Scheiderer will return to the kicking game after earning first-team all-conference honors at kicker and second-team honors at punter as a junior. He was six-for-six on field goal attempts last season with a long of 47 yards. He also averaged 39.3 yards per punt with 14 of his 24 punts landing inside the 20.
Thomas, who came from Marshfield in the COC Small, is well aware of the challenges that the Ozark Conference will present this season.
“You don’t have a week off. I think you are going to have a pretty good run of games every week where you are going to have to be ready to play and go into a battle and win one. You have to be ready to play every Friday night,” Thomas said.
Kickapoo opens the season on Aug. 18 at home against Parkview.
