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By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Luke Rader’s first season at Stockton came with some ups and downs, but finished on a high note with the program’s first district win since 2016.
Stockton returns several starters from last year and with a full offseason of acclimating to Rader’s system, the Tigers are raising expectations in 2021 after a learning experience last fall.
“One of the biggest takeaways from last year may have been how hard consistency was to attain in the world of COVID with players being quarantined from week to week,” said Rader. “I do think we have made some big strides physically, and in getting to know each other, over the off season. Our summer so far has been night and day from a year ago. Most of that is due to us knowing the kids, and them knowing what to expect every day when they come to practice.
“We joked the other day that a year ago at this time we hadn’t been able to be together a lot and barely knew everyone’s name. Maybe the biggest takeaway I have right now – how impressed I am with the grit and resilience of our kids. They had a lot of rough breaks last fall, and have used that adversity as fuel to work harder instead of quitting.”
The Tigers will be led by several seniors that played great football a year ago.
All-Mid-Lakes senior linemen Mason Kiley and Aiden Samples are back to guide things in the trenches. They’ll be joined by standout junior Cade Johnson who also earned all-league honors last year.
Sophomore Canaan Rutledge is also a returning starter on the offensive line. Seniors Hyrum Lee and David Page, as well as juniors Nick Burns, Jimmy Rodarmel and Chris Dearman will figure into the equation up front on both sides of the ball.
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Senior Layne Colvin returns at quarterback after being named All-District as a junior. At 6-foot-3, he is one of the bigger quarterbacks in the league and had progressed throughout the offseason.
“I think the area I have seen the most growth from Layne in the last year has been his maturity,” said Rader. “He is asking a lot of good questions, working physically, and doing a good job including our younger kids in things.”
Stockton will have a variety of weapons at the skill positions to get involved that have big-play potential.
Junior Jay Baxter (6-3, 200lbs) and sophomore AJ Scott will see several touches out of the backfield, but both are versatile enough to be used in the passing game. Senior tight end AJ Connell returns after being named Class 3 All-State last fall.
Rader has also been impressed by the development of several newcomers.
Juniors Skyler Hunt and Hunter Connell, as well as sophomore Trevor Johnson, have shown promise on both the offensive and defensive lines. A trio of freshmen – Jack Rickman, Easton Hubbard and Preston Rains – have proven the ability to contribute early on either side of the ball.
One of the biggest adjustments for Stockton this season will be a move into the Southwest Conference. However, there is a silver lining in that Rader – who was previously the head coach at Lockwood – knows several of the programs and coaches in the SWC very well.
A new league won’t change the goals Stockton has set and the Tigers understand just what they need to do to compete for conference and district championships.
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“Our expectations haven’t changed; we still want to play up to our full potential,” said Rader. “We will need to tackle better, and eliminate mental mistakes on defense. Offensively we need to eliminate turnovers. On the non-tangible side, we need to handle adversity well. At some point in the season, bad things are going to happen, and how we react is going to determine where our season ends up.
“If we do that, the scoreboard results will fall where they need to. We open with Marionville, and we still have Fair Grove, Strafford, and Forsyth on the schedule for non-conference games from the Mid-Lakes. Add those to the rest of a Southwest Conference that was pretty young last year, and we will need to be ready to play well every week.”
Stockton will play its preseason jamboree on Aug. 20 at Sarcoxie before opening the 2021 regular season on Aug. 27 at Marionville. The Tigers play their home opener on Sep. 3 against Miller.
