By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Monett Football will be under new leadership this year and the pedigree couldn’t be more elite when it comes to high school football.
Ben Mauk is the son of legendary high school coach Mike Mauk, who is one of the most innovative offensive minds we’ve seen in high school football.
Ben played for his dad, winning multiple state championships, becoming Mr. Football in Ohio and ultimately becoming a 3-star recruit that played at Wake Forest and Cincinnati where he threw for 3,121 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior.
He’s spent his entire life in a locker room, learning from the likes of his dad and other football greats like Brian Kelly, helping to prepare him to take over at Monett.
The Cubs are coming off of an 0-10 season, the program’s fourth consecutive season below .500.
“I grew up the son of a Hall of Fame coach in Ohio, Mike Mauk, so I believe my entire life has been a coaching experience,” said Mauk. “I have learned and modeled the most from my father.
“We have to change the culture. Our players need to know our coaches’ number one job is to love them as players. As players, their number one job is to love each other as players. We are working to bring back former alumni and contributors to the Monett Football program to restore the pride and history/tradition of Monett Football. One of the first things we have done as a new staff is to build relationships. We want positive working relationships with our administrators, faculty, staff, and within the community. We have been investing and caring about the kids, in all sports programs, that attend Monett and foster positive rapport with everyone. Together, we will make Monett Football great again.”
Monett returns three starters on both offense and defense, but that’s not something Mauk is overly concerned with.
The Cubs are having open auditions all over the field in hopes that competition will bring out the best in everyone and allow the team to be as prepared as possible moving forward.
Mauk has been impressed by the overall leadership of his seniors, despite the low numbers of them in the program. He believes Landyn Brandt and Aaron Soriano have shown promise at receiver.
Danny Ungeni will look to lead the offensive line of a unit that will likely be one of the top passing attacks in Missouri if history holds true.
“Our fans can expect our offense to play fast and put the ball in the air,” said Mauk. “We want to get our kids in space and let them make plays. They will learn when it is appropriate to head to the concession stand, because they won’t want to miss any offensive plays.”
Porter Reed and Aidan McCall-Thomas will look to anchor the defensive line, while Riley Rhea will provide leadership in the secondary. Walker Bradow will transition to a linebacker spot for the Cubs.
“Our fans can expect our defense to fly around and get back to Monett Football,” said Mauk. “We will be physical up front and play fast. We are looking for the toughest kids in the school so we can line them up when opposing teams have the ball.”
Monett hasn’t won a district championship since 2016, which happened to be the Cubs state championship run that saw them go 14-1. In a three-year span the program went 33-7 with a pair of district titles.
Getting back to that level of success won’t happen overnight, but we’ve seen coaches in the Big 8 make major strides early on in their tenure, looking at Seneca as the most recent example.
Mauk’s unique style of play and high-level expertise could be exactly what Monett needs as it looks to right the ship of the football program.
“For us to compete for conference and district championships, we will need to focus on what we can control,” said Mauk. “What are we doing well that we need to continue, and what do we need to change, or eliminate, that we can improve upon?
“I believe we have the support of the administration and community, as well as the right type of kids, to be successful in the Big 8. It will not be easy, but nothing in life worth anything ever is. For us to compete at a championship level, we need to change the culture of the football program. Our players need to know our coaches love them, and they need to know that they love each other. Together, we can do it.”
Monett will open the 2024 regular season at Nevada on Aug. 30. The Cubs will play their first home game under Mauk on Sep. 13 against Aurora.
