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By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Bolivar entered the Ozark Conference in 2020 and made noise immediately, knocking off perennial powers Lebanon and Camdenton, as well as eventual OC champion West Plains.
The Libs 7-3 campaign didn’t end as planned, with a 27-23 district semifinal upset at the hands of Warrenburg. Warrensburg lost to Helias who beat West Plains by just one score; Bolivar beat West Plains by three touchdowns on the road.
Bolivar now must try to reload after losing a senior class that was the catalyst behind an 18-4 mark over the last two seasons.
“We went into 2020 with state title aspirations. Obviously, we came up short and matched up with a very athletic Warrensburg. We would have loved to play Helias and thought we matched up better with them, but regardless, we are proud of our class of 2021 and you can’t take away that they won 18 games their junior and senior year. We have been in a district with the eventual state champion the last two seasons and those were just tough draws. We had a great debut in the Ozark Conference and I think we proved to ourselves that we belong in the OC. Losing three games by no more than five points is tough, but it gave our returning juniors and seniors an opportunity to see how close we were to winning the conference and that a state title is not out of reach.
“Those seniors were my first group to have eighth grade through senior and we were very close. I admired their work ethic as a whole and they were winners from the start. We will miss those guys dearly and they set a firm foundation for the groups coming behind them. We have another talented senior class back and a very gritty junior class that will help us put another very competitive team on the field this fall.”
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Entering Glen Johnson’s 10th season at Bolivar – six of which have been as head coach – the Liberators return just six starters and 15 total lettermen, but that doesn’t change the expectations around Polk County.
Bolivar will look to reload behind a hefty and veteran offensive line group, led by All-Ozark Conference senior James Miller. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 300 pounds, Miller will make a huge literal and figurative impact this season on both sides of the ball.
“James is a four-year starter and will be heavily relied on this season to lead our offense and defensive line,” said Johnson. “He is a violent blocker with great speed. James will be one of the best lineman back in the area. He has several offers to play at the collegiate level and will look to add to his value as a senior.”
Miller will be joined by classmate Simon Nelson (6-4, 315lbs), who also earned All-OC honors. Senior Chase Kirby (6-5, 250lbs), as well as juniors Cael McCullah (5-10, 230lbs) and Quincey Jensen are projected to round out the offensive line.
The quarterback battle will come down to senior Brant Meredith and sophomore Drake Durham. Johnson has liked what he has seen from both throughout the offseason.
“Brant has worked very hard this offseason to get ready to lead the Liberators at quarterback,” said Johnson. “He throws a great ball and runs well. We are excited to see him come in and make an immediate impact for 2021.
“Drake is a dual-threat quarterback that will provide competition for our senior this year. He could find his way on the field on defense as well.”
Whoever is under center will have several weapons to choose from.
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Seniors Josh Bowes (6-5, 190lbs), Elijah Roberts (6-1, 190lbs), Deacon Sharp (6-0, 170lbs) and Gavin Bellah (6-3, 215lbs) offer a blend of size and athleticism.
Senior EJ Ingram (5-10, 215) and junior Blake Goodman (6-0, 200lbs) are a pair of power backs that should see plenty of carries.
Johnson is also extremely excited about the development of senior tight end Kaden Degraffenreid.
At 6-foot-7, 250 pounds he’s one of the league’s biggest players. His size and athleticism could lead to a breakout 2021 season after earning All-OC honors last fall.
“Kaden may be the most impressive TE in the area,” said Johnson. “He runs a low 4.6 forty-yard dash and will be relied on heavily on both sides of the ball. He is a rare combination of speed and strength for his size. Look for him to have a record-breaking 2021. He has multiple offers at the tight end position and we expect his influence to grow throughout the season.”
Defensively, Johnson will look to rebuild a defense that has held nearly half of its opponents to one score or fewer over the last two seasons.
Miller, Nelson, Degraffenreid and Goodman on the defensive line, as well as Roberts, Ingram and Bellah at linebacker will be a major part of that equation. Sharp will be back in the secondary, joined by fellow senior Luke Goforth and juniors Briadyn Spiegel, Jake Banner and Evan Hendrickson.
Bolivar also has several talented sophomores and juniors that’ll be in the mix for playing time.
Juniors Kahl Berry and Ryder Hall will provide depth at linebacker. Sophomores Tate Mashburn (6-0, 260lbs), Brayden Benjamin (6-2, 285lbs) and Christian Jenkins (6-5) will all look to make an impact on both the offensive and defensive lines.
Trenton Patke is another sophomore that could see reps at a variety of skill positions on both sides of the ball.
Bolivar is one of the area’s proudest programs, but a seven-season district championship drought has kept the Libs out of the championship race for the better part of a decade.
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Many of the names will be different, but this isn’t a rebuild and the expectations within the program reflect that.
“We expect to win each game each week,” said Johnson. “Take one bite at a time and win our first conference title. Finishing runner-up last year was just enough to keep our guys hungry to hang a banner this year. We learned quickly that you have to play your best each week, no matter the opponent in the OC. Anyone can beat you on any given night. We will obviously have a tough task ahead of us because our whole conference returns a lot of great players. We will have a lot of new faces to reload with.
“If we can stay healthy and focus on being selfless, we have a great opportunity to accomplish both of those goals. Our team is hungry and we think we have the pieces to complete the puzzle this season. Our theme this year is FAMILY and it is a great reminder to be happy for one another’s successes. One of the toughest challenges as a high school coach is to get 80+ young men on board with not taking credit and wanting to see their teammate succeed more than themselves. When you accomplish this, you have the opportunity to be special. 2021 will be a great opportunity for Bolivar to be special.”
Bolivar will open the 2021 season on Aug. 27 by hosting Rolla. The Liberators will visit Lebanon on Sep. 10 and host West Plains on the final week of the regular season (Oct. 22).
