By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Aurora Houn’ Dawgs knew they were an improved bunch last fall, but after starting off with three straight losses they decided to go back to the drawing board.
“I said to our seniors, ‘We’re better than last year, but we’re not playing like it,’” head coach Brandon Pitts recalled. “We changed our offense a little bit and played to our strengths. All of a sudden we’re sitting at 3-3 and we lost a close one to Reeds but picked up wins against East Newton and Rogersville. That’s a lot to say about our seniors and their leadership last year. They’ll definitely be missed.”
Aurora finished with a 5-5 record that included losses by 3, 10 and 14 points. As the Houn Dawgs turn the page to 2024, they must replace nine players from that team who picked up postseason honors in the Big 8 East, including first-team selections Mike Barrientos (offensive guard), Jax Prater (running back) and Jose Ibarra (linebacker). Ibarra was a Class 3 All-State selection.
Offensively, the Houn Dawgs graduated six contributors from that side of the ball: two starters on the line and another lineman who rotated in, along with two running backs and a fullback. There’s also a change at quarterback, with Thomas Lara, who started last season as a sophomore, moving into the backfield and another sophomore, Sean Creasey, replacing him.
“We’re a little younger in some key spots, with sophomores at quarterback and some running back positions, but I think we’ve got some talent and we’re going to be better than maybe some people think we’ll be,” Pitts said. “Offensively we’re still very smash mouth but I think we may try to open it up a little bit, sling the rock when we can and try to keep defenses honest.”
Offensive returners include senior Clayton Cline (2nd team All-Big 8) at center and seniors Levi Garrett, Colton Wrinkle and Lucas Hadlow also on the line. Senior Jayden Carpenter started at tight end last year and made three catches for 27 yards. Senior Clayton Jaramillo returns at receiver after leading the team with 182 yards last year. Junior Brayden Allen returns at receiver after posting 67 yards. Lara, as a quarterback last year, rushed for 90 yards and eight touchdowns and threw for 511 yards.
Creasey, as a freshman, saw limited action with 16 rushing yards and a 14-yard completion at quarterback.
“He’s a big kid and he can throw the rock,” Pitts said. “He’s athletic and he’s as coachable as they come. I’m really excited about him. He’s a tremendous baseball and football player, one of the best athletes of our school.”
Matthew Cutbirth, who returns at running back, was second on the team with 508 rushing yards last year and four touchdowns and earned honorable mention honors in the Big 8 as an all-purpose athlete. Senior Jansen Hunt has started the previous two years on defense and will also play at fullback this fall after rushing for 56 yards on 11 carries last year. Sophomore Cooper Weter will play a hybrid fullback/tight end position after getting a couple carries as a freshman.
“We’ve got some guys fighting for the fifth offensive line spot,” Pitts said. “Sophomores Spencer Lauffer and Gabe Vannote and senior Cohen Stockton, those three guys are pushing for that fifth offensive line spot.”
Senior Jacek Rackley and younger brother Terik Rackley are competing for reps at receiver, along with senior Brody Seitz. And sophomore Brennan Diaz could earn some carries in the backfield, as well.
Defensively, the Houn Dawgs graduated five of their top seven tacklers, but Cutbirth, an honorable mention All-Big 8 linebacker, is back after finishing second on the team with 80 stops and a team-high 7.5 sacks.
“We graduated some studs and we were very big; I bet we averaged 210 pounds at linebacker last year,” Pitts said. “We’re a little bit smaller and only return Cutbirth at linebacker. He’s a great athlete and probably our best player overall.”
Weter (9 tackles), junior LJ Beck (10 tackles) and junior Shane Smith (6 tackles) will look to fill out the linebacking corps. Aurora is more experienced in the defensive backfield, with Jaramillo (27 tackles, 2 interceptions) returning at corner after garnering second team All-Big 8 honors, senior Brody Seitz (28 tackles) returning at corner and Jacek Rackley also in the mix at corner. Allen (23 tackles, 3 interceptions) is at safety, along with Lara, Terik Rackley and junior Treston Lopez (9 tackles).
Those returning up front with significant experience are defensive end Carpenter, a senior who made 17 stops; Jansen Hunt, a second team All-Big 8 defensive end who had 58 tackles, and Cline, an interior player who had six tackles. Hadlow and Wrinkle will also see time up front, as will senior Levi Garrett (7 tackles).
Aurora’s special teams unit figures to be a strength, with Carpenter earning second team Big 8 honors as a punter and sophomore Eduardo Castillo returning as the team’s kicker. Carpenter averaged better than 38 yards on punts, with a long of 68, and Castillo averaged 35 yards on kickoffs and went 17-for-25 on extra points.
“We’ve got probably the best kicker who’s ever come through Aurora in Eddy Castillo,” Pitts said. “He was 7-of-8 against Hollister last year. When he’s healthy he’s got some next level talent. He’s a big kid who can kick it. Jayden Carpenter went to a punting camp in Kansas City over the summer and got second place but his average was still probably 10 yards further, his hang time just wasn’t quite as good. I think special teams should be something we have a lot of success at this year.”
Aurora will travel to Hollister along with Ava and Clever for its jamboree. The Houn Dawgs kick off a difficult schedule in the new-look Big 8 Conference with a trip to Mt. Vernon on August 30. Six of the team’s regular season opponents won at least eight games last season, and four of them won double digits.
“Six of our opponents either played for or won a district championship last year and two of them played in state championship games,” Pitts said. “We’ve got our hands full. The schedule is significantly harder than it’s been in years past but Aurora has won and been a state title contender before and when they were winning state titles and competing for titles they were in the old Big 8. I’m excited for the challenge and the kids are, too.”
“This team is younger but I think they’re hungry,” he said. “We’ve had two back-to-back really good JV years, two full seasons of JV and they haven’t had back-to-back full seasons of JV since probably 2015 or 2016. All of a sudden these kids have played a lot of football. The big thing that separates this year and last year is we’re trying to find our confidence. We’re hungry but they go in and finally get some varsity reps against varsity speed and we’re a little unsure of ourselves. Once we get there I think we’re going to be alright.”
