By Derek Shore (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Second-year Willow Springs head coach Travis Payne did not sugarcoat the potential of his 2023 squad despite the youth on the roster.
“This team is young but they have put in the work,” Payne said. “We have a great core group of kids that have stepped up expectations to be part of Bear football. These kids are working for greatness and dragging everyone else along.”
After combining for three wins from 2020 to 2021, the Bears finished 3-7 last year with a 2-5 mark in the South Central Association. Notably, Willow Springs graduated Ryan Koehler (WR/DB) and Gennadiy Dudko (TE/DE) who are playing college football at NAIA Lyon College and Evangel, respectively.
“We had a great group of seniors last year that started our turnaround,” Payne said. “We had 10 seniors who all held starting spots.”
The Bears return 13 lettermen and four starters from last season’s group. Willow Springs’ offense will be spearheaded by a tough-minded offensive line, featuring senior Zepplyn Gilliam (All-SCA selection) and juniors John Jones and Chandler McColgin.
Junior Issac Murphy and sophomores James Green, Caiden Bailey, Tyler Shanks and Garret Sloan will also compete for snaps on the line.
Sophomore Dylan Ferguson will lead a pass-heavy attack at quarterback for the Bears. Ferguson’s top targets include senior Aiden Stuart, junior Everett Smith and sophomore Gavin Glenn. The Bears’ backfield features junior Leric Chaney, sophomore Kayden Woolsey and freshman Hezekiah Galloway.
Payne said Ferguson has made a tremendous amount of growth as a signal caller.
“Dylan has really improved in the last year,” Payne said. “His arm strength has gone up and is making decisions quicker in the pass game. Our offense is looking to stretch the field with the pass game. The run game will be a great compliment to our downfield passing attack.”
Defense is expected to be Willow Springs’ biggest strength. Big pieces returning include Gilliam and Jones at defensive tackle, while Woolsey and senior Jordan Gibson will man linebacker positions. Gibson is also listed as a tight end.
Ferguson will quarterback the Bears defense in the secondary. Also looking to compete for positions will be Chaney at linebacker/defensive back and Smith at defensive back. Green and Bailey aim to contribute on the edges at defensive end.
“We will have a relentless defense that gets 11 guys to the ball,” Payne said. “We want to play an aggressive, high-energy and downhill 3-3 stack defense based upon attention to fundamentals.”
Other returnees include junior Nate Dodgen (WR/LB) and sophomores Ronnie Collins (RB/DB) and Jethro Gilliam (RB/LB). Top newcomers include senior Montana Coats (TE/LB) and freshman Aiden Messex (OL/DL).
Willow Springs is at the Mountain Grove Jamboree on Aug. 18. The Bears host California in Week 1 to open the regular season.
“We have the potential to be a great swarming defense and explosive offense,” Payne said. “This year, we plan on expanding on the offense that we installed last year. We are counting on getting better at our spread vertical passing game and supporting that with our inside zone play up front.”
