By Chris Parker
Defense will be a source of strength for the Cassville Wildcats this season. It starts with senior center backs Dylan Renkosi and Eli Leach and junior keeper Peter Littlefield.
Littlefield set Cassville’s all-time saves record as a freshman with 259, and he had a solid season last year as well.
“Peter is 6’5 with good hands and a big boot. He is one of the best keepers in southwest Missouri,” Cassville head coach Jake Forste said.
Leach and Renkoski will be joined by senior Josh Case and sophomores Andrew Gray and Jackson Lindley. Senior Jon Oliphant may also see time at center back.
Matt Frazier returns for Cassville as an assistant coach where he will have a big impact on the back line.
“Matt Frazier returns as my assistant after a four-year stretch teaching at Verona. He was a center back on Cassville’s early 2000’s state Final Four teams. Matt is an excellent defender who has put in a lot of work with our defenders this summer. They are playing great as a back line and will be a big team strength. Peter is the most experienced keeper in the Big 8 this season, and I look for him to have an all-conference type of season,” Forste said.
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Offensively, the Wildcats will have a different look. Junior transfer Ashton Wheeler has been strong at left forward in the summer. Freshman center forward Brody Osborne will make an immediate impact. Reese Heiden returns to the right side in his junior season.
Oliphant will be looked to in the midfield. Sophomore Jackson Ray will be an attacking midfielder. Freshman Xavier Cole, sophomore Fernando Alonso and others will also battle for time in the midfield.
Developing the offense will be an important goal of the early season.
“We will need to create consistent goal-scoring opportunities. We’ve played well defensively these past two seasons but haven’t scored with the amount of regularity we need to get us over the top,” Forste said. “Manufacturing goals through possession and key runs has been a big focus this off-season, and we are starting to see this work pay off. Our final two summer league games featured some of the best ball movement I’ve seen from these boys.”
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Cassville will travel to McDonald County for a jamboree with Aurora and the host Mustangs on Aug. 24. The Wildcats open the season Aug. 31-Sept. 4 with the Cassville Classic.
“I like our team this season. We will be a little light on overall numbers this year, but we’ve got 17 or 18 boys I feel confident putting in a varsity lineup. Our team chemistry is excellent, and this is the most unselfish boys team I’ve had in six years,” Forste said. “We won possession and out-shot opponents in three of our final four summer league matches. I think that is a sign of things to come. If we can continue to get out on the front foot and put shots on frame, I think we have the potential to score regularly and take some pressure off our back line.”
