By Derek Shore (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Clever embarks on its fourth season as a varsity football program looking to make strides as 13 returnees lead the way.
The Bluejays lost five key contributors from 2022.
“Last year’s team had many growing pains,” first-year coach William Howard said. “With those growing pains meant that quite a few underclassmen gained valuable on-field experience. We are looking at each week finding a way to get better. Our players have put in great effort so far this summer and have the desire to improve. We have to find a way to close the gap between us and our opponents.”
At quarterback will be junior Gage Evans. Seniors Trace Barnes (fullback) and Austin Scott (running back) return to the backfield, while sophomore Lucas Peebles will also be in the mix.
Junior track star Xavier Robinson will be out wide as a receiver to watch, while classmate Jack Whitlinger returns at tight end. He will be joined by junior Caleb Smith and sophomore Aven Guajardo competing for time.
Clever has five returning on the offensive line in seniors Blake Steele and Carson Rennison, as well as juniors Peyton Guccione, Caleb Butts and Xanden Lant.
“We are expecting to have a nice group of athletes to take the field for us this year,” Howard said. “We have been running a double-wing formation the last couple of seasons and will look to open up the offense a little. This will hopefully better fit our personnel. Many of our offensive linemen will have had multiple games of experience under their belts, so we will lean on them as we move forward. We are going to focus on giving our players a chance to have some success.”
Defensively, Rennison, Lant, Butts and Smith look to set the tone up front. Barnes, Scott, Whitlinger and Guajardo return at linebacker, while Robinson, Peebles and Evans will occupy spots in the secondary.
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“Last season our defense kept us in many games early,” Howard said. “Our lack of depth ended up costing us in the long run of games. Leading the defense last season with four interceptions, we will be leaning on Xavier to lead our defense. As coaches, we have to find ways to spotlight X’s skillset.”
Top newcomers looking to make an impact on varsity include senior Curtis Ruble (WR/DB), junior Brennan West (TE/LB) and sophomores Max Allie (OL/DL) and Logan Clinton (OL/DL).
“Coming into this season, our No. 1 goal as a staff is to continue teaching our players how to become football players,” Howard said. “This program will be playing in our fourth season as a varsity team, so it is important to our coaches to build excitement for our players everyday. We will continue to emphasize the importance of doing the little things correctly to improve. Tackling
and blocking will be crucial areas for us to improve as a team. This group of young men are hungry to find success, their effort in the weight room and in workouts has been great so far.”
Clever hosts Springfield Catholic, Ava and Hollister in a jamboree on Aug. 18. The Bluejays entertain Central in Week 1 to open the regular season.
