By Chris Parker
Osceola football is looking for a big season with six starters returning on each side of the ball. The Indians finished 1-8 overall last season. It was their fifth year as an 8-Man program.
Things will start with Sam Jones, Bill Snider, Kolten Garver, Shawn Wilson and Skylar Wohlers at running back in Osceola’s Wildcat system.
Jones led the team in rushing last year with 124 carries for 946 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named second-team all-region at running back and honorable mention all-region at linebacker. Garver is the team’s second-leading returning ball carrier after he had 80 carries for 306 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman
Up front, Jordan Bruce, Jaycob Young and Clayton Swofford will play on the offensive line. Tyler White and Isach Fleischer will play tight end. White was second-team all-region on the offensive line last year while Bruce earned honorable mention all-region honors.
DOWNLOAD THE O-ZONE APP NOW!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOR APPLE
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID
“We will have a good size line and we will have some speed in the backfield,” Osceola head coach Cody Carney said. “We will need to improve on consistency. We made great strides last year and we just need to continue to get better.”
Leadership will come from several places this year.
“Last year Sam Jones did a great job running the ball. I look forward to seeing what he can do this year as an upperclassman,” Carney said. “Jordan Bruce and Tyler White did a great job on our offensive line and look forward to having them back as well.”
Defensively, White, Young, Swofford, Bruce and Wholers will play on the defensive line. Jones, Garver, Snider and Fleischer will play linebacker.
Jones is the team’s leading returning tackler with 72 total tackles including eight tackles for a loss last year. Snider had 62 tackles as a junior for third on the team.. He also led the team in interceptions with three. That production led to second-team all-region honors for Snider at defensive back. Garver was just behind him with two picks of his own on his way to honorable mention all-region honors at defensive back.
“I’m looking forward to this team just continuing to get better this year and improving from where we were at the end of the year last year,” Carney said.
Osceola will travel to Archie for a jamboree on Aug. 19 and face Archie, Rich Hill and Appleton City.
