By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
For the third time in five years, the Bolivar football team advanced to the district championship game last season, but the Liberators are still hunting for their first district title since 2013.
Bolivar won its first three games en route to a 7-4 record, which marked another year of improvement after going 5-7 the year before, and ended with a 40-21 loss to McDonald County.
“Kind of up and down is what I would say,” said head coach Jamie LaSalle. “We ran into some probably bigger opponents, tougher opponents in the middle of the season but overall we finished pretty good. We obviously didn’t win the district which was our goal but otherwise it was a decent season. We lost some big contributors but we have a decent amount of guys coming back.”
Overall, the Liberators return approximately 13 of their 22 starters from last season, but the team’s offensive unit must replace the bulk of its production after graduating first team All-Ozark Conference running back Trenton Patke, who rushed for 1,604 yards and 22 touchdowns, and quarterback Drake Durham, a second team all-conference athlete (honorable mention quarterback and punter) who passed for 1,446 yards and 15 scores and rushed for 885 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Leading receiver Gardner Casey returns as a senior, though, after hauling in 45 catches for 664 yards and nine touchdowns. He also rushed 16 times for 111 yards and was a second team all-conference receiver. Receiver/running back Evan Nickels, a junior, also returns as a skill player and one of the team’s fastest athletes. He figures to be more involved this year, and could return kicks, too.
Other offensive returners include senior Brant Sawyers, who started every game at center; junior Owen McCullah, who excelled at left guard and was a first teamer in the Ozark Conference; senior Garrett Cook at left tackle, who started every game; and senior Matthew Santos at right tackle, who played almost every snap last year.
“We’ve got four out of five back there so that’s probably what I would call our strength on offense, as well as Gardner,” LaSalle said. “We’re going to be moving him around. Not really sure what we’re going to do with him right now because he’s probably our best runner and receiver and he’s not bad at throwing the ball, either.”
In addition to Casey, other players in the mix to play quarterback are sophomore Chapel Banner, who got varsity experience as a freshman, and junior Lucas Pock.
Offensive newcomers could include Elijah Parton, a senior who could start at right guard and gives the line some needed size. Junior Cyrus Jackson could earn a starting spot at running back. And players like seniors Maddux Nesmith, Conner Neal and Mason McCurry, who played primarily on defense a year ago, will see time as receiver/running back types.
McCurry, a first team Ozark Conference linebacker and third team Class 4 All-State selection, and Nesmith, an honorable mention all-conference pick, will anchor the team’s linebacking group and are the team’s two leading tacklers. Juniors Logan Bunn and Cale McCurry will also play linebacker after impressing this summer. In the secondary, senior Daniel Kozlowski and Neal are in the mix, and Casey (second team Ozark Conference defensive back) looks to move from corner to safety with LaSalle aiming to get the team’s safeties more involved in the defense.
Up front, McCullah returns as a defensive end after nabbing honorable mention Ozark Conference honors. Juniors Taryn Vogan and Sam Harless both return with experience, too.
Nickels and Casey both have solid experience returning kicks on special teams, and senior Jordan Burke, who also plays soccer, will return as the team’s kicker.
Bolivar’s schedule will look significantly different with the Liberators leaving the Ozark Conference in favor of the Ozark Mountain Conference. They’ll open with non-conference road games at Osage and Harrisonville before hosting Branson on Sept. 13. They’ll jamboree with Parkview, Willard and Cassville.
“They’ve got some big expectations,” LaSalle said. “They’re working hard for it and it’s a fun group to be around and a good group to coach. It’s going to be exciting.”
