By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Kellen Hoover is entering his fourth season at McDonald County and the Mustangs have a nice mix of experience and talent with 12 returning starters. Last year’s group went 2-8.
This is Hoover’s first full graduating class, something that brings added stability to the program.
“You can see their understanding of the big picture start to develop,” said Hoover. “They are becoming more familiar with their assignments and our terminology, and now they are starting to communicate better because they’re more familiar with what we’re trying to do schematically. This season is the first season we feel like we’ve really seen a vast majority of our kids stepping in with that previous understanding. It’s exciting to see.”
Leading the way is senior two-way standout Kaidan Campbell. At 270 pounds, Campbell is one of the top linemen in the Big 8. He’ll be joined by juniors Garrett Gricks and Junior Eliam who are projected as two-way starters on the offensive line, as well as the defensive line and linebacker respectively.
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“As a returning two-year starter, Kaidan will play a pivotal role in providing leadership for our line and our team overall,” said Hoover. “His experience will be something to lean on for the guys next to him on the offensive line as he may have a couple relatively new faces on either side of him. We are also asking him to start on the defensive line as well and we know he will do a great job there with the strength and leverage he plays with. He brings enthusiasm every day with his work ethic and his competitiveness. He is a catalyst in so many ways for McDonald County, in the weight room, every day at practice, and of course on Friday nights.”
Senior Jackson Clarkson will return at tight end and also make an impact on the defensive line, he’ll be joined by junior Logan Harriman who will see reps at tight end and linebacker. Senior Bailey Lewis is expected to shoulder a steady amount of carries at running back. Hoover is excited about this ability to make plays on the ground, as well as being a pass catcher out of the backfield or in space. Classmate Trent Alik will return to lead the receiving corps and secondary.
Juniors Levi Helm and Levi Malone will return to their spots at linebacker and in the secondary respectively. Malone will also see reps at receiver.
Hoover is also excited about the development of senior Tyler Nelson and juniors Eli McClain and Pierce Harmon, all of whom will compete at receiver and in the defensive backfield.
As for who will be under center this season, that responsibility will again fall on Cole Martin. After starting as a sophomore and having a full offseason of growth, Hoover loves what he sees out of his signal-caller.
“You can tell that the game has slowed down for him a little bit in his second year running an offense that lets the quarterback have a lot of control,” said Hoover. “He has a much more complete understanding of what we are trying to do and the reads he needs to make, which has let us give him a lot of freedom. His arm has improved tremendously and should allow us to have a better completion rate down the field and stretch defenses vertically. I’m excited to see the jump he makes in his junior season.”
Hoover has been able to turnaround the program quickly. After winning just three games from 2013 to 2016, the Mustangs have been able to put together 10 wins over the last three seasons alone. As McDonald County looks to put the finishing touches on a strong Hoover-led foundation, the key will continue to be a focus of being great not just in spurts, but every snap, every quarter and every game.
That’ll be the key to McDonald County competing in a highly competitive Big 8 and a loaded area scene in Class 4.
“For our football program to take the next step, we need to execute more consistently,” said Hoover. “We showed flashes last season, but we were still young in a lot of places. We need to see those players continue to progress as they bring a year of experience as returning starters. If we can focus on the things that we can control and not worry about other things, we think it will allow us to simplify everything and hopefully get to where we want to go in an always competitive Big 8 Conference.”
McDonald County will open the 2020 season on Aug. 28 at Aurora. The Mustangs will play their home opener the following Friday against Springfield Catholic.
