By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
After having many marquee names within the Big Eight Conference last year, Hollister’s lone headliner, at least at this juncture, is senior defensive end/tight end Noah Richardson.
Richardson was an All-Big Eight East Second-Team selection on offense and defense last year. The Tigers will lean heavily on the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder, as he’s one of only two full-time starters returning from last season’s 4-7 squad.
“Noah is our rock,” coach Mike Johnson said. “He is a very good DE and a monster of a TE. Noah moves into a leadership role this year and he is thriving. I believe he is going to have a great year and will be one of the best in our conference.”
Hollister was a senior-dominated bunch last season and is looking to fill spots left by stars the likes of quarterback Luke Calovich, running back Blake Russell and offensive lineman Boston Huck. They were among seniors who filled 15 starting jobs the past two seasons.
Johnson is anxious to see newcomers step into starting roles.
“We were hit hard by graduation. We had a great group of seniors last year,” Johnson said. “We will have 8-9 new starters on both sides of the ball. They have been working extremely hard and I am excited to see them perform.”
Johnson anticipates his quarterback and running backs to all be underclassmen.
“Our offensive backfield will be three sophomores and a junior,” he said.
Johnson said some other names to look out for include Jayke Lebsock, Jonah Charlton, KK Conway, Sinry Mendoza, Zech Honey, Bryson Whitman and Tyler Carpenter.
“I am really expecting big things out of (Carpenter) this year,” Johnson said of his sophomore lineman on both sides of the ball.
CLICK HERE FOR LINKS TO ALL OF OUR FALL SPORTS PREVIEWS
In addition to Richardson, Hollister’s only other full-time returning starter is Lebsock at center.
Whitman, Honey, and Charlton all were part-time starters a year ago, when Hollister averaged 16.2 points a game and gave up an average of 27.6.
Johnson warns fans and opponents not to sleep on the Tigers.
He likes the potential of his offense.
“Offensively, we believe we can be pretty explosive. We are inexperienced, but very talented,” he said.
Johnson envisions Hollister’s defenses as quick and hard-hitting.
“Defensively, we will (have) a smaller defensive front eight,” he said. “(We) will be very aggressive to try to make up for the lack of size we have. Our kids have really embraced the new philosophy and we are excited about our defense this year.”
Johnson thinks the Tigers can be competitive in conference play.
“As we know, the Big 8 is one of the premier conferences in Missouri. Last year we had two finals teams and one semifinalist team,” Johnson said, referring to Class 3 finalist Reeds Spring, Class 2 finalist Lamar and Class 2 semifinalist Seneca.
“We know we are young, but really do feel like we can compete and be a problem for some of the teams in our conference,” he added. “I feel that between Reeds Spring and Mt. Vernon, you have the top two Big 8 East schools who should both be right there. I feel we fit right there with the rest of the schools, and if we can mature quickly then we could be in the mix by season’s end.”
