By Chris Parker
Branson football will look to take a big step forward in coach Aaron Hafner’s second season as head coach. The Pirates finished 1-9 in 2022.
“Expectations have been set and our culture is set for the future. It takes a year sometimes to do that,” Hafner said. “You can see a big difference in our kids in how they have bought into the weight room piece of it and practicing hard and just developing as young men. We are light years ahead of where we were a year ago for sure.”
The year of experience has made a huge difference in the players’ understanding of the flex bone offense the Pirates run. Eight starters return to the offensive side of the ball.
Quarterback Luke McCormick has shown marked improvement on the field and in the huddle after starting as a sophomore.
“(McCormick) played at about 185 pounds last year and now he is at about 205. He is going to be a big quarterback. The thing that Luke has changed the most is in his leadership ability and being able to handle our offense,” Hafner said. “He is playing with a great deal of confidence right now. I couldn’t be more excited for him and the growth he has had not just in the weight room but the leadership piece of that is unbelievable how much he has changed. Our kids really look up to him.”
The backfield will feature returning players Javen Finkbone, Kyler Lankton and Danny Giles.
Another big addition to the backfield and the defense will be Gage Depee. Depee was a first-team all-conference linebacker for Ozark last season. His father, former Ozark head coach Chad Depee, is on staff at Branson this season.
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“He (Gage Depee) is young man that is very football smart. I think growing up in his house with his dad being a coach, it comes naturally. He has very good instincts and has a nose for the ball on the defensive side. He is just a very explosive player off his first couple steps and makes a lot of plays,” Hafner said. “On the offensive side of the ball, he really understands our offense. He knows who should be blocking who and who should be doing everything up front. When you know that the ability to make the cuts that you need to have success is there.”
Four of the five offensive linemen return led by Ethan Kennon and Luke Transeau.
While Branson will be dominated by the run on offense, Tegan Asbury will be a threat when the Pirates do throw passes.
“He (Asbury) had an unbelievable summer,” Hafner said. “We have seen his growth and maturity, and we expect big things from at the receiver position.”
Defensively, the linebacking unit will be a strength with Depee joined by Finkbone and Will Funderburk.
Finkbone earned first-team all-conference honors at defensive back last season and will move down to linebacker this season.
“He (Finkbone) is a physical player and a downhill player,” Hafner said. “Javen has put on almost 25 to 30 pounds through the weight room in the off-season. He is probably naturally more of a linebacker mentality. He has really done a good job there this summer. It is more of a natural fit for him.”
Funderburk is a returning starter.
Marshall Storm will be a key player in the secondary at safety.
“The kid we have seen the most improvement out of that makes a lot of plays is Marshall Storm as safety,” Hafner said. “He is a big kid. He has improved drastically in the weight room. He had zero absences this summer. He is just a ball player. He is really starting to understand what we want out of him on defense. He has become that quarterback that can get everybody lined up. He is just a playmaker.”
Ryder Schroeder, Zyere Fair and Hunter Reynolds will also factor into the secondary.
Up front Xavier Albers-Milstead will be on the defensive line. He played offensive line as well last season, but this year Branson will have the depth to have him play just defense.
Jovani Krieser, Skyler Slaton and Alex Lewis will also be on the defensive line with Slaton and Lewis at defensive end.
The kicking game will be strong with Dane Efird handling kickoff and field goal duties.
“He (Efird) is a big-time dude. He is going to be a difference maker. He is going to be able to kick it out of the back of the endzone almost every time this year barring the weather. He is a really good field goal kicker as well,” Hafner said. “Any time in high school football you can get in the red zone and feel like you have a kicker that can put points on the board is a huge asset.”
The Pirates travel to Lebanon on Aug. 18 for a jamboree with Reeds Spring and the host Yellowjackets. Branson opens the regular season on Aug. 25 at home against Joplin.
Hafner hopes to see his team do more than just add a couple wins this season.
“The cliché thing to say would be that we want to improve. We don’t want to win two games. We feel like we have the ability to win more games than that,” Hafner said. “I don’t think we have had a winning season at Branson since 2010 or 2011. (I want to) press towards trying to get over .500 and see where things go after that. We want to get somewhere we can show significant growth.”
