By Chris Parker
Cabool football was a young team last year with just eight seniors on the roster. The young Bulldogs started 3-1 before losing the final six games of the season.
Despite the record, Cabool showed marked improvement from the beginning of the season to end. The Bulldogs lost to Ash Grove by 24 points in Week 2, but lost by just four points to those same Ash Grove Pirates in the first round of district play.
“We started seven or eight sophomores each night last year, so the adjustment to varsity football was a little rough on them,” Cabool head coach Tyler Spittler said. “I really thought we got better each week and competed well even though it didn’t show in the win-loss column. The experience they gained last year is going to be key to success this year.”
A strong core of players returns this year including three juniors who earned post-season honors as sophomores.
Trey Atkins was named all-region at defensive back and punter. He had 26 tackles on defense.
“Trey is going to be one of the best athletes on the field every night,” Spittler said. “He plays up to the level of his competition. We also need him to take a leadership role this year on the team.”
Offensively, Atkins will play quarterback. He threw for 902 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 270 yards on 82 carries last year.
“He will be our starting quarterback again,” Spittler said. “Last year was his first year ever playing the position, so I’m excited to see him continue to grow in that position. He will also play in the secondary and probably be matched up with the other team’s best receiver most nights.”
Tyler Fleetwood was an all-region wide receiver who led the team with 24 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 44 times for 209 yards and another touchdown. Defensively, Fleetwood pulled down 34 tackles.
“Tyler has really stepped up as a leader for us. He has also gotten in pretty good shape because he knows we need him to play both sides of the ball and play at a high level,” Spittler said. “Tyler will still play receiver some for us, but he will be in the backfield most of the time. He will get a majority of our carries, but he had success last year at receiver so he will get some time out there as well.”
DOWNLOAD THE O-ZONE APP NOW!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOR APPLE
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID
Jeff Gebeke rounds out the all-region juniors. He earned his honor at defensive end where he pulled down 30 tackles with five tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
“Jeff is a very hard-working kid and plays with a great motor. He has a great attitude and plays his heart out for his teammates. We are really excited to see him succeed this year,” Spittler said.
Gebeke will also play on the offensive line.
In total, nine offensive starters return.
Joining Atkins and Fleetwood in the backfield will be running back Owen Casper.
Kaydn Hall, Gebeke, Logan Walls, Randall Weatherman, Kaelan Clifton, Esaia Pasay, and Braydon Loertcher will be on the offensive line.
The unit will be a strength for Cabool.
“Our offensive line as a unit has the potential to be the best line that I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Spittler said.
Evan Counts, Caleb Graven, Fleetwood, Casper, Austin Daniel, Braxton McCall, Seth Owens, Doug Turpin, and Isaiah White-Wake are all in the mix for time at receiver.
“This is a skilled group that returns a lot of experience, but I really think this group’s greatest strength is how close they are as a group and how passionate they are about the game,” Spittler said. “We still have some fine tuning to do with technique and scheme, but this group needs to play with confidence.”
Casper and Brady Byerley will lead the defense at linebacker and defensive back.
“We will rely on Brady Byerley and Owen Casper to get the defense set and to make adjustments on the field,” Spittler said. “They both started last year and are good vocal leaders for us.”
Casper is the team’s leading returning tackler. He had 64 total tackles with five tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks last year. Byerley had 54 tackles and two tackles for a loss.
Fleetwood, Counts, McCall, White-Wake, Daniel, Clifton and Kiel Ellison will join Casper at linebacker.
Graven, Turpin, Atkins, Blayne Davis and Owens will round out the secondary.
Hall, Jeff Gebeke, Weatherman, Pasay, Loertcher and Walls will comprise the defensive line.
Cabool will travel to Sarcoxie for a jamboree on Aug. 19 before opening the regular season on Aug. 26 at Harrisburg.
“I expect this team to compete every night,” Spittler said. “We need to stay healthy and catch some breaks along the way but this team has a lot of potential.”
