By Derek Shore (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Clay Weldy would be the first to admit his second offseason as head coach of the Cassville football team was smoother.
The difference was night and day compared to the first.
“I had a better schedule of how things should be done this offseason,” Weldy said. “I kept a log of everything I did last year. A year ago, I asked Coach (Lance) Parnell questions about what I should be doing. Now I have a better idea of what I should be doing in May and what I should be doing in June leading up to this season.
“I’ve developed a better itinerary for myself making sure everything is organized and we are ready to go for this season.”
Now the curtain rises on the second year of the Weldy era. The Wildcats will feature a young roster with 10 lettermen and nine starters (five offense and four defense) returning from a 5-6 team in 2022.
“We don’t have a bunch coming back, but we do have some good players returning that worked hard all summer,” Weldy said. “Our senior and junior classes are not big numbers wise, but they have been working hard all summer. We are excited to see what they can do when we start getting out there and playing in August.”
Offensively, Cassville has significant varsity experience back at three skill positions. It starts at quarterback with junior Bodee Rose looking to build off completing 64 of 138 passes for 1,256 yards with 10 touchdown passes as a sophomore. He netted 645 yards on the ground in 118 carries while adding five rushing TDs.
Senior Garrett Ewing returns at wide receiver after an All-Big 8 junior season. He hauled in 33 passes for 654 yards with five TDs. Ewing started at defensive back and racked up 30 tackles with two interceptions.
Senior running back Bryson Jacobson also returns for the Wildcats. He tallied 311 rushing yards in 60 attempts and scored four times. On defense, Jacobson joined Ewing in the secondary to register 33 stops with two fumble recoveries and a pair of sacks.
Senior Joseph Reuter (center) and junior Nic Fierro (guard) will anchor an offensive line that will have a lot of new faces. Fierro will start at defensive end once again, while senior Angel Vail returns at linebacker after making 20 tackles last fall.
Senior Joey Craft looks to provide additional experience after getting reps at wide receiver and defensive back last year.
“Our defensive secondary and our skill guys offensively will be strengths of our team,” Weldy said. “We are going to lean on their experience to help out our young guys, who will be getting a lot of playing time this year.”
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A number of newcomers will push for varsity time. Seniors Richard Fohn and Colten Blankenship along with junior Malcolm Terry and sophomores Isaac Luney and Ethan Sizemore aim to get snaps at either side of the line.
Seniors Josh Olsen and Dakota Bowen, as well as sophomore Logan Wingo look for reps at receiver and defensive back. Juniors Kyle Bailey, Hunter Morse, Isaac Pickett, Chayton Issler and sophomore Colton Roark will compete for time at running back and defensive back/linebacker, respectively.
Sophomores Tristan Thompson and Andon Goutney will back up Rose at QB. Thompson will also play linebacker, while Goutney will be at defensive back.
Last season, Cassville came within striking distance of competing for a district title. The turnover bug plagued the Wildcats in a 14-7 district semifinal setback to eventual Class 3 runner-up Reeds Spring.
Weldy took positives away from that game despite the turnovers, something he hopes this year’s group will use as motivation come playoff time later this fall.
“I loved the way our kids battled. They played our style of football being physical and playing ‘The Wildcat Way,’” Weldy said. “I was proud of how we ended. As this season progresses, our goal as a team is to get better. We want to see improvements each week of the season. We want to be playing our best football when districts begin.”
Cassville is at the Bolivar Jamboree on Aug. 18 at Southwest Baptist’s Plaster Stadium. The Wildcats host Hollister in Week 1 to open the regular season.
