By Staff

2019 Fall Preview: Thayer Football

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By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

The Thayer Bobcats will enter 2019 with a string of four consecutive district championships. And, while winning has been a constant under longtime head coach Billy Webber, on paper it’ll be harder to do this fall without All-Everything two-way star Ayden Stone.

Stone was a three-time All-SCA selection defensively. He was also a three-year starter at quarterback.

“Ayden helped everyone on our defense recognize offensive sets and formations,” said Webber. “After being a three-year starter at quarterback, he understood our offensive scheme. That allowed our offense to have a very high ceiling.”

Stone will take his talents to College of the Ozarks to play basketball, but Thayer’s roster was hardly left depleted. The Bobcats return more than enough talent to remain atop the Class 1 throne in the Ozarks.

Leading the returners is junior standout Jayce Haven.

He’s already a two-time All-SCA defensive back, but this year he’ll take over Stone’s vacated quarterback duties. He’s a voice that could end up leading both sides of the ball, leading the secondary with 72 tackles last season.

“Jayce has done a terrific job this summer,” said Webber. “He’s a really athletic guy and a really heady guy. Hopefully he can fill those shoes. Defensively he’s started since he was a freshman so now he’ll be even more comfortable with two years under his belt.”

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The rest of the offense will be a mixed bag of returners on the line and newcomers at key skill positions.

Juniors Logan Doss and Jordan Madden will take a majority of the carries, with a sprinkle of sophomore Jackson Willison as well.

Senior Arthur Tate will line up at tight end, while junior Chris Cray and sophomore Lane Grimes will lead the receiving corps.

Junior Bobby Dale (5-11, 265lbs) will return to help anchor the Thayer offensive line, as well as sophomore Zach Jones and senior Cody Brosh. Senior Chase Cates is in position to secure a spot at offensive tackle.

“We have some linemen returning and we’re counting on those guys to catch on and have a big push on Friday nights,” said Webber. “I want to continue to play Thayer’s brand of football with us being physical. If we have to spread it out then we will, but we want to be as physical as possible.”

Defense will again be Thayer’s calling card.

Last year the Bobcats held six opponents to seven points or less. The unit has pitched six shutouts since 2016 in a loaded conference.

Haven is the biggest name returning, but Tate was also an All-SCA selection at linebacker (121 tackles, 14 TFL). Fellow linebacker, sophomore Griffin Willison had 41 tackles and six TFL a year ago.

Senior Chase Cates (61 tackles, 8 TFL) and Bobby Dale (32 tackles, 2 TFL) will anchor the defensive line.

“We have run the same defense for several years,” said Webber. “We made some adjustments to it about four years ago that made our defensive scheme more sound and solid. Great effort from our players help make it work.”

Juniors Jesse White (WR/DB) and Alex Victorino (TE/LB), as well as sophomores Austin Green (OL/LB), Dalton Nicholson (OL/DL), Shafer Mullins (OL/DL), Bobby Sanchez (OL/DL) and Kyrin Magnuson (TE/LB) will all be counted on to play roles immediately and provide depth. Many will see action on both sides of the ball as Thayer rarely is able to platoon units.

A pivotal factor in Thayer’s postseason success has been a brutal regular season schedule that includes playing in one of Missouri’s most physical conferences, the South Central Association.

Made up of some of the best Class 2-3 teams in Missouri, being a Class 1 team in the league allows the Bobcats to adjust to a faster and more physical caliber of play.

That will again be the case this fall with Thayer again opening the season with defending state champion Hayti.

Webber knows he has a group with pockets of inexperience, but he’s excited about what this team can become moving forward.

“Our execution on offense, defense and special teams must improve each week,” said Webber. “Our physical and mental toughness will play a pivotal role in our success. We must stay healthy during the season; at this level you play most guys both ways. We lose a lot of skill guys from last year’s team but we have a lot of talented players replacing those guys.”

Thayer will open the 2019 on the road against Hayti on Aug. 30. The Bobcats will play their home opener the following week against Doniphan.