Fall 2019 Preview: McDonald County Football

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By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

Entering his third season, it’s hard to ignore the success that Kellen Hoover has had at McDonald County.

While 8-12 may not seem like much, it’s important to keep in mind that the Mustangs were 8-52 in the six seasons prior to Hoover’s arrival.

“We’ve been very blessed to have two groups of seniors in a row that have taken their role in changing this program very seriously,” said Hoover. “They have been hungry for success and have worked very hard to start to change our culture. It still isn’t perfect and we have a lot of room to improve, but those groups of kids have taken it upon themselves to breathe life into our program. Now we look to a new group of senior leaders to take the next step with this year’s team.”

On paper, the 2019 edition appears to be a reload after losing standouts like Oakley Roessler and Elliot Wolfe.

Mac County returns just eight starters total – just three on offense – which will force Hoover to go back to the drawing board again. As a young head coach, it’s something he’s learned to do to find success.

“I feel like I have grown tremendously in the past two years,” said Hoover. “There have been times I have had to step out of my comfort zone, dealing with a lot of things that I never thought about as a position coach. But I think through it all, I’ve learned that I have to be authentic. Kids can tell when you’re not. I’ve learned under some great head coaches, and I would be crazy not to use a lot of things that have made Coach Depee and Coach Uhl successful. But I can’t be them and I shouldn’t try to be. I’m settling into who I am as a head coach and I hope to continue to grow as I begin year three.”

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Senior Michael Williams will return to his free safety spot and be counted on to lead an inexperienced defense. Jack Teague will take on a leadership role in the linebacking corps.

Seniors Kaidan Campbell and Tryston Leach will anchor a new offensive line. Sophomore Garrett Gricks and Junior Eliam received significant reps as freshmen and will look to build on that experience this season.

Everything else is a bit up on in the air as competition will help decide roles; McDonald County has virtually no offense returning from last year.

Cole Martin will take over at quarterback and likely trigger a more balanced offense. Hoover believes the sophomore has the chops to be a solid three-year starter when all is said and done.

“Cole is a three sport guy that has been around sports all his life and has a really high football IQ,” said Hoover. “He’s a great competitor and has worked extremely hard in the weight room through the winter and spring to put himself in this position. He has a good arm and we hope that he is able to balance the offense and make us less one-dimensional than have we have been the last couple years.”

Seniors John Howard and Keegan Driscoll will both fill roles at receiver and in the secondary. Levi Malone will also get a lot of time at receiver and will hopefully be a downfield threat for the Mustangs. Junior Teriek and Bailey Lewis will also spend some time at running back.

Senior Kolton Blue, Bradley Saylor, and Levi Neale have all had a great offseason according to Hoover and will look to compete for time on the offensive and defensive lines. Sophomores Levi Helm and Jared Mora will see time at linebacker. Jackson Clarkson will also join them in that unit.

For McDonald County, the next step in building the program will be winning close games against established programs.

Two years ago the Mustangs lost to Aurora by 10 on the road. Last season, McDonald County lost to Monett, on the road, by six and at home to Seneca by 12. Winning games like that will also earn more confidence and trust as Hoover continues to build something special.

“It is extremely important for the development of our program to experience those close games, even when they don’t end with a W for the Mustangs,” said Hoover. “In my first year at McDonald County, we had to learn how to compete for four quarters every single week, in every rep at practice, and in the classroom every day. We still aren’t perfect in how we compete, but we have shown a lot of improvement.

“The next step was to learn how to win, and that is especially developed in those close games that could go either way. Somebody has to step up and make a play down the stretch for our team to win. We didn’t always make that play, but those times served as a tremendous opportunity for growth. Our kids have had to learn to pick themselves up, grow from those situations, and compete like crazy throughout the following week because all you can do is go back to work. I’m excited to see that growth show itself on the field.”

McDonald County will open the 2019 season at home against Marshfield on Aug. 30.

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