By Justin Sampson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Fair Grove has been known as a program that can put it all together. The Eagles have secured at least nine wins in each of the last four years and compiled 48 total victories in the last nine seasons.
It was no exception in 2019 as they finished 10-1 and averaged 44.5 points per game, their highest under head coach Bill Voorhis. Although they bowed out in the district championship game against Lamar, they were led by a stout senior class that saw each member contribute.
“We had 13 seniors last year and they all started,” said Voorhis. “We now have kids that have been playing junior varsity for three years and are finally going to get their shot on Friday nights.”
Seven seniors are back on the 2020 squad, but it’s one junior that represents a deviation from the recent norm. A storyline has emerged in the last half decade of Fair Grove football: the revolving door of successful quarterbacks. In 2019, David Oplotnik became the third straight senior signal caller, behind Jayden Kessinger and Rhett Hill, to throw for over 2,500 yards in his lone year as a starter. He also found the end zone 28 times and rushed for over 500 yards.
As he continues his playing career at Missouri Southern, the Eagles will finally turn to a junior, Kody Stacye, to take the reins.
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“He had one of the most successful junior varsity runs of anyone that has come before him,” said Voorhis. “It will be nice to have him be the guy for two years. Kensinger, Hill, and Oplotnik were all record-breaking quarterbacks for us, and those were good guys for him to learn from. Hopefully, he’ll have a chance to break some more records.”
Stacye will have a sizable offensive line to block for him. As Voorhis put it, the Eagles expect to look good getting off the bus. Junior center Kyle Fritts (6’1”, 250 lbs.) is touted as one of the best linemen Voorhis has coached in recent years. The pedigree is in the family, as Fritts’ cousin is Dalton Risner, a second-year guard with the Denver Broncos.
Fellow junior Lucas Crutcher (6’4”, 240 lbs.) will also reprise his starting role as a tackle after taking over the job midway through last year.
After losing a pair of receivers to the college ranks, seniors Tanner Lumley and Matthew Sutherland will join junior Kade Gallion to make up this year’s corps. Lumley and Sutherland are both fairly new to the offensive scheme, as Lumley only received spot snaps last fall, while Sutherland will transition from a primarily special teams role.
Voorhis also called Gallion arguably the fastest player in the Mid-Lakes Conference,
“We may not be as vertical overall as we were last year, but these kids are definitely capable of making catches and turning them into big plays,” he said.
Defensively, Fair Grove plans to switch from a 4-3 scheme to a 4-2-5 to make up for a thin group of linebackers. Voorhis believes the switch will allow the Eagles to put extra pressure on opponents with pure quickness.
“That may allow us to be one of the fastest defenses in our conference, if not the fastest.”
Sophomores Cooper Roy and Zeke Schaffitzel expect to see their first significant varsity roles in the linebacking corps.
Lumley will be back for his third year starting in the secondary and will be joined by junior Sam Sublett. Fellow Juniors Logan Daniels and Jimmy Vasquz will battle with senior Eli Meyers for the other defensive back spots.
Voorhis has been impressed with the response from his players during the school closure throughout the spring. That only breeds confidence in how the Eagles could thrive in their new roles this fall.
“They’ve done what they’ve needed to in the offseason. I was shocked to see some of them come back from quarantine in better shape. It shows me they were thinking about football when they were away and they’re going to make the most of this year.”
Fair Grove is scheduled to open the season on Aug. 28 at Mountain Grove.
