By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
In the team’s first season under head coach Briar Hancock, the Thayer football squad overcame some early inexperience to finish with a 4-6 record last fall with wins against Cabool, Willow Springs and Pierce City providing some highlights.
This summer, the Bobcats have continued developing those younger players and they’ll also benefit from a large freshman class this fall with a dozen ninth graders set to join the roster.
“We have a good group out this season,” Hancock said. “We’re fortunate with all the incoming freshmen on the team and some of those guys will have to step up and fill some roles.”
Thayer, which averaged 17.3 points per game last season, won’t have a senior on the offensive line this season and it’s that group where Hancock expects a lot of competition.
Junior Cooper Clark returns after playing at guard and center and sophomore Zeb Dubois returns at guard. After that, sophomore Ryan McIntire will be in the mix after earning some varsity time last season. Freshman Mason Thornton figures to play at center, and freshmen Kaleb Tipton (6-4, 240) and Christian Pitts are in the mix at tackle.
“Tipton doesn’t really look like a freshman,” Hancock said. “He’s a big, physical kid.”
In the offensive backfield, the team has added 6-foot-6 junior Devin Harrington at quarterback, which frees up last year’s quarterback Dawson Harris, a sophomore, to play another skill position. Harris completed 17 passes for 155 yards and rushed 21 times last season.
The Bobcats return running back Mark Spencer, a 5-10, 170-pound senior who rushed 85 times for 358 yards and three touchdowns. And senior Rowan Spencer returns at wide receiver after catching 19 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown while adding four rushing touchdowns and 275 yards on the ground.
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Mark Spencer was an honorable mention pick in the South Central Association and Rowan Spencer earned second team honors.
“We do have that mix of younger guys, but they’ve seen varsity play last year,” Hancock said. “Nothing right now is really set in stone so that competition level is still high. I’ve been running Dawson Harris at quarterback with the two’s and he’s been rotating with the one’s and Devin’s been with the one’s. Our competition will be at that quarterback position and that offensive line, especially.”
Mark Spencer returns at linebacker on the defensive side but will probably shift from an outside spot to the middle. He’s the team’s leading returning tackler after making 47 stops with four tackles for a loss and breaking up six passes.
“We need him to be the quarterback of our defense,” Hancock said. “He’s looked really, really good there this summer and he’s one of those Swiss army knives where we can bump him out if we see something on film week to week. He’s just a playmaker.”
Senior Colt Gonzalez returns at another linebacker spot after making 31 tackles and deflecting four passes. He’ll also play fullback on offense.
“He played corner for us last year and he’s not afraid to stick his nose in there and make plays for us going downhill,” Hancock said.
His brother, Xavier, a sophomore, played safety last year and will move up into the box this fall. He had 36 tackles as a freshman.
“He’s not going to scare you coming off the bus, he’s about 5-7 and 140 but he’s another one of those fearless guys who gets downhill and makes great reads,” Hancock said.
Clark returns on the defensive line after recording 46 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks to earn honorable mention all-conference honors. McIntire will play nose guard and Dubois (24 tackles, two pressures) will play the other tackle spot. Harrington and junior Brandon Prince (32 tackles) will play as defensive ends/hybrid linebackers.
In the defensive backfield, Rowan Spencer returns after covering opponents’ top receiving threats. He had two interceptions and two deflections. Harris and Xavier Gonzales (36 tackles) could see time at safety. Sophomore Tucker Wade will play at corner and freshman Thomas Poole could also see time there.
The Bobcats open the season at home against St. Vincent, a new opponent this fall. They’ll travel to Mountain Grove on Aug. 18 for a jamboree.
