By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Through the first two years of the Cody Hilburn era, the Seneca Indians have experienced an unprecedented level of success, going 19-7 with a pair of district championships and a Big 8 West title.
“First and foremost (our success) starts with the type of kids we have in Seneca,” said Hilburn. “They show up every day ready to be coached. We don’t have to coach things like attitude and effort which allows us to focus on just coaching football.
“Next, we have tremendous leadership in our school district that supports our program. Lastly is the community of Seneca. They love football and they show up and provide a great environment for our kids every Friday night.”
With 13 starters back, Seneca will look to defend its Big 8 crown and make it a three-peat at the district level, with the firepower to make both a reality.
Seniors Jackson Marrs and Gavyn Hoover are back in the backfield for an offense that was one of the most explosive units in program history, averaging nearly 40 PPG.
Marrs, an all-state running back and standout linebacker, rushed for 1,688 yards and 24 touchdowns. Hoover, an all-everything quarterback, passed for 1,709 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Marrs and Hoover make up the best returning duo in the Big 8.
“It’s always nice to return your starting backfield from a year ago,” said Hilburn. “The best thing about these two is that they continue to work to be better football players and better leaders for our football program. They continue to work extremely hard and put the team first. They will have plenty of opportunities to make plays for us this year, but I can promise you our team success means much more to these guys than their individual accolades.”
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All-Big 8 selection Brian Bigbee (6-0, 270) will lead a retooled offensive line that will look to open the holes for Marrs. Classmate Treyton Castaneda (5-8, 280), juniors Nolan Napier (6-1, 205), Diego Amaya (5-10, 320), Dominique Brown (6-1, 240), Sawyer Cornell (5-9, 205), Landon Commons (6-0, 190) and Lane Scribner (5-9, 175), as well as sophomore Jace Renfro (5-7, 210) are all in the mix for spots along the offensive line.
Senior Ethan Altic is back after earning all-area honors as a receiver and defensive back. Junior tight end Hagen Ginger (6-1, 200) returns after an All-Big 8 and all-area sophomore campaign. Seniors Blake Hurn, Eli Olson and Blake Skelton bring experience back to the receiving corps.
Senior Morgan Vaughn will lead the defense from his spot at linebacker. Vaughn was an All-Big 8 pick last year. He will be joined by Marrs and sophomore Roman Miller at linebacker, as well as Altic, Hurn, Olson and Skelton in the secondary.
This is one of the most experienced groups in the Big 8.
“Morgan Vaughn has had a tremendous off season and has established himself as the leader of our defense,” said Hilburn. “Blake Hurn returns at safety for us after playing his first year of high school football last year as a junior. He seems much more comfortable in his second year. We return Ethan Altic and Eli Olson at corner. Both of these kids have put in a ton of work in the offseason, and we expect a big season out of them as well.”
Bigbee will also look to anchor an inexperienced defensive front with those same names being in contention for time on that side of the ball as well. Being the most experienced lineman in the program will lead to a lot falling on his broad shoulders.
“We return Brian Bigbee on the offensive line, and he will be our veteran leader up front,” said Hilburn. “We have several underclassmen that have been waiting to get their opportunity to get on the field. It helps to have an experienced group of skill kids behind them.”
Juniors Kaden Clouse, Caanan Miller and Ryan Owens, as well as sophomore Brodie Probert are also expected to see increased action on both sides of the ball at the skill positions.
While there are some pockets of inexperience on the field for Seneca, the Indians top-end talent is undeniable. It may take some time to put it all together, but Hilburn is hoping incremental growth can again keep the program in the hunt to compete for conference and district championships.
“We feel like everybody on our schedule will be improved this year. There are no easy weeks in the conference. If you show up and have a bad night you’re going to get beat.
“We try to find daily improvements for each kid on our football team. We want to really focus on details rather than looking at the big picture. We hope to get better each and every week and will hopefully be playing our best football late in the season.”
Seneca will jamboree at Joplin with Webb City and Lamar before hosting Aurora on Aug. 25 to open the 2023 regular season.
