By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Sarcoxie football coach Russell Ellis emphasized getting off to a fast start last season, and the Bears did just that by winning five of their first six games. Then came some injuries, and Sarcoxie finished with a 6-5 record.
“We lost three really significant players,” Ellis said. “Our starting quarterback was our leading rusher and leading scorer through six weeks, then he breaks his arm unfortunately and we lost him for the season. You kind of spiral there for a little bit. Our backup quarterback, Blake Heckmaster, did a great job stepping in and rallying the troops. We circled the wagons to get a playoff win. It’s not where we had hoped to finish, with six wins, but when you deal with injuries you make of it the best you can.”
Looking to continue a stretch of six straight seasons with a .500 record or better, Sarcoxie returns some significant players this fall, including that injured quarterback, Jaron Malotte. Now a senior, he rushed for 547 yards, had 260 passing yards and nine total touchdowns in six games last year and will be a three-year starter. He earned honorable mention All-Southwest Conference honors last year.
There’s also sophomore running back Noah Garrison, who had 507 yards and eight scores as a freshman. Heckmaster, a junior, returns at running back and he scored seven touchdowns last fall. He was a second team All-Conference athlete. And junior Garrett Smith also returns to the backfield for the Bears’ triple option offense after gaining 305 yards and scoring three times.
At wide receiver Sarcoxie returns three starters: senior Carson Torrance (34 yards, 3 TD’s), senior Ethan Lee (2 catches, 26 yards) and senior Tyler Hirtz (7 catches, 90 yards). Lee was an All-District and honorable mention All-Conference returner and Hirtz made the All-Conference second team.
And the offensive line returns junior Eli Ellis (6-foot-0, 205 pounds), junior Kevin Lopez (6-2, 180), senior Kayden Triplett (6-4, 285), senior Kobe Heinz (5-11, 280) and senior Sammy Zamora. Ellis earned honorable mention All-Conference honors and Triplett earned All-District and second team All-Conference honors. Younger players like sophomore Caleb Chrisman will also help fill in up front.
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“With us returning so many skill position players, the newcomers are still just taking those reps and really trying to close that gap between our first and second group,” Ellis said.
Defensively, the Bears return nearly their entire secondary. Senior Nickson Cancinos will anchor the unit at middle linebacker. He recorded 53 tackles and 1.5 sacks as a junior team captain. He’s joined by linebackers Garrison (41 tackles), Smith (93 tackles, two sacks) and Heckmaster (48 tackles). Smith was an honorable mention All-Conference and All-District linebacker last year.
At safety the team returns Hirtz (23 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD) and Malotte (39 tackles), who was a second team All-Conference defensive back. Sarcoxie will utilize several players at corner including Lee (38 tackles), junior Antonio Benito (5 sacks), junior Hunter Price (13 tackles) and senior Jesse Arreaga.
And the defensive front will feature the same faces as the offense: Heinz (13 tackles), Zamora, Triplett (13 tackles) and Lopez (2 interceptions). Torrance (68 tackles) and senior Cleyton Jackson will also play there. Triplett was a second team All-Conference defensive lineman.
“We’ve got about 13 to 15 guys that any one of them could step on the field and contribute as far as athletes go,” Ellis said.
But Ellis also wants to prove his team is more than just athletes with good speed.
“We want to be really physical and not shy away from contact,” he said. “Our thing this year is just attack. We’re really trying to amp up our physicality and obviously let our athletes do what they do. Our primary focus at camp this year was let’s get physical and everything else will take care of itself. Since we have so many returners we’re really trying to take a step back and focus on fundamentals because most of them know our scheme in and out at this point.”
Sarcoxie has changed some non-conference opponents. Last year the Bears opened with Houston and this year they’ll host Commerce, Oklahoma instead. Clever in week two is another addition, replacing Wyandotte, Oklahoma. Sarcoxie will also play a rare contest at St. Joseph Lafayette in September that pits the Class 1 Bears against the Class 4 Fighting Irish.
This fall marks Ellis’ eighth year at the helm and he said there’s a definite buzz around town and the school heading into this season.
“These boys know what we have coming back,” he said. “I actually had a person ask me recently what’s the team look like and I told them for me it’s scary because there is that expectation that you should be good because you return a lot of guys. You don’t want to sit on pins and needles but you’re going to challenge these guys and let them know you are the team everybody’s circling. I think the boys are excited obviously and we’ve got good numbers out.”
