By Chris Parker

2019 Fall Preview: Kickapoo Football

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By Chris Parker

Kickapoo enters the third year of the Nate Thomas era looking to turn a corner in the Ozark Conference after finishing 2-8 last season.

“It is just another off-season under our belt. You hear programs talk about all the time about year three being the year you make a big jump,” Thomas said.

Senior quarterback Cross Elmquist is hoping to lead that jump. Last year, Elmquist threw for 1,722 yards and 12 touchdowns on 166 completions. He also carried the ball 28 times for 236 yards and two touchdowns.

“He has put in a lot of work. There is no doubt. He has done a lot of work off the field to get ready for this year,” Thomas said. “I think this year we are going to have some weapons out there for him. We feel good about the four guys we can put out there at receiver.”

Chandler Taylor, Chase Kruse, Jeb Jarman, Conner Fitzgerald and Micah McIntire will all be in the mix at wide receiver.

In the backfield, Michael Maugans returns as the leading rusher for Kickapoo after tallying 436 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He is a threat in the passing game as well with 37 catches for 250 yards and three more touchdowns.

David Kwon returns to anchor the offensive line at left guard after he played every snap last year as a sophomore. The rest of the offensive line will be new.

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Thomas is looking for the Chiefs to be more physical in the trenches going both ways.

“The biggest box we have to check off is our physicality up front. It’s not just an Ozark Conference deal anymore. Across the state of Missouri, if you aren’t physical up front and have a mean attitude then you are going to struggle winning football games across the board,” Thomas said.

Defensively, Kickapoo returns a strong group of starters from last season’s district-opening loss to Joplin.

At the head of that group is senior linebacker Evan Brage who had 33 solo tackles and 61 total tackles last season. He will be joined at linebacker by Shawn Rich. Chandler Taylor and Sam Cybulski will anchor the secondary. Marcus Jackson will look to create havoc from his spot at defensive end.

Kickapoo will likely enter its sixth season as a Class 6 school. The Chiefs have put in a lot of time in the weight room in an effort to be able to compete with the state’s largest schools.

“We found out that when we stepped on the field that Joplin looked a lot different than we did. Just the time in the weight room and the amount of work they do in their speed and conditioning stuff, our kids found out we had a long way to go,” Thomas said. “I think we have closed that gap a little bit. We still have a long way to go; there is no doubt about it. I think our guys are confident in what they have done this off-season to try and close that gap as much as we can.”

Kickapoo has had a strong off-season both on the practice field and in the weight room, which Thomas hopes will lead to a strong finish in what could be a wide-open Ozark Conference.

“I think the biggest thing is seeing them go out there and playing with great effort and having fun. That is something we have seen in our 7-on-7 competition. The number one thing that stood out is their enthusiasm. They enjoy being out here playing. They are a lot of fun to coach right now because these guys are a great group to be around. They work their tails off and they do everything we ask of them,” Thomas said.

Kickapoo opens the season on Aug. 30 at home against Lebanon.