By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
For the first time in nearly a half century, there won’t be a Shore leading Camdenton Football.
Par Pitts is preparing for Year One as the Lakers’ head coach after being an assistant on staff for the last nine seasons.
Prior to that, Pitts served as the head coach at Palmyra, Odessa and Troy, building a 96-73 record.
“It is an amazing opportunity to be able to lead our program,” said Pitts. “The best part so far has been the chance to build upon the legacy that Jeff and Bob have left within our program.
“The first thing we establish are the standards that we want to meet or exceed within our program. Our standards will help guide our actions.”
Camdenton returns 10 total starters, with the majority coming on the offensive side of the ball.
Senior Kade Durnin (6-2, 185) steps in at quarterback. The Wichita State baseball commit served as the backup last year, passing for 444 yards and nine touchdowns with just one interception.
Durnin will have plenty of weapons at his disposal, with senior receiver Kyle Eidson (6-3, 180) back in the fold, as well as junior Karson Durnin (6-2, 170). Eidson totaled 312 yards and three touchdowns last year, while Durnin added 122 yards and three touchdowns.
Blake Ford is a senior running back who is also a threat in the passing game.
Look for senior Brayden Shepard and juniors Willard Demmott to also see roles at receiver or in the secondary.
Seniors Garrett Hilton (6-2, 265) and Karson George (6-0, 245) will anchor the offensive line. Junior Dominique Poling (6-2, 250) will also step into a role on the offensive line.
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“We will be balanced offensively, attacking in a way that will utilize our players’ strengths,” said Pitts. “We are looking to be fast and efficient with our offense. We hope to be explosive and make big plays from many different spots.”
Fans can expect more new faces defensively, where a quartet of seniors are the only returns; but all were big-time impact players.
Sam Demmott was an All-Ozark Conference selection, finishing the season with 132 tackles, five sacks and five tackles for loss from his middle linebacker spot. Eidson will join him in the linebacking corps after tallying 35 tackles and a pair of interceptions with four blocked punts.
Jeshua Balderas (6-1, 240) was a difference maker on the defensive line last year with 49 tackles and six tackles for loss. Spencer Mellencamp will lead the secondary after a stellar junior year (78 tackles, 3 INT).
Senior Mitchell Saxe and junior Kaiden Bowen will both look at roles at running back in the linebacking corps.
“Our defense will be pressure oriented,” said Pitts. “We want to be an aggressive, multiple defense that attacks at all angles, playing with our purple haze tradition.
There will be several new faces all over the field for Camdenton, as well as a newish system, but the expectations won’t change.
The Lakers still expect to compete at a high level across the board as the Purple Haze looks for their first district championship since 2019.
“It will be challenging every Friday night,” said Pitts. “With the influx of new head coaches in our conference there are a lot of unknowns. The key for teams that are competing to win the conference will be to stay healthy and to develop depth early in the season.
“We will need to stay healthy and continue to improve throughout the season.”
Camdenton will host Rolla on Aug. 25 to open the 2023 regular season and the Par Pitts era.
