By Staff

Fall 2019 Preview: Mountain Grove Football

By Justin Sampson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

The term “transition year” is not a common one around Mountain Grove. It doesn’t get brought up much when you capture, or at least play for, seven straight district championships.

That run ended in the first round of district play last season as the Panthers fell to MV-BT/Liberty. At 5-5, they still managed to tie for second place in the South Central Association, aided by a victory at Thayer to close the regular season.

Second-year head coach Brandon Rodgers plans to use the experience as a catalyst.

“We started 0-3 against good teams, but we bounced back to get to .500,” he said. “We start with that same schedule of Strafford, Fair Grove, and Ava. We will have to overcome some things and I hope it proves as a learning experience. The kids never gave up last year and I was proud of them.”

With roughly a dozen upperclassmen, there will be plenty of youth to fill out the roster. Youngsters will be needed to perform the most quintessential Panther football task: run the ball. Trevor Thompson was the leading rusher and scorer on a team that notched 1,669 total yards on the ground. His graduation has left carries to be had and those will likely go to newcomers. Sophomores Brendan Rogers and Colt Allen expect to factor into the mix.

The experience of returning quarterback Rhett Wakefield will be vital. The senior picked up 733 total yards and eight touchdowns a season ago, but did so in an offense that averaged less than 13 points per game. The Mountain Grove offense, by nature, always calls for a dual threat quarterback. It became apparent through last fall that Wakefield could do it by land and by air.

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“He finished the year much better than he started. He’ll carry the ball a lot in this offense. We run a split back veer, so my quarterback could always have as many carries as my running backs.”

Senior Caleb Fry and junior Anthony Peterson, both All-SCA honorees, are back to lead the effort on the offensive line. Sophomore Jase Dowden will also see an increased role in the trenches.

Fellow senior Tony Villanueva will likely move from the offensive line to tight end.

Fry also returns as the leading tackler after notching 84 total tackles and three sacks at defensive end. Juniors Anthony Peterson and Tyrone Volner also expect to help on the line.

Alex Casas will reprise his role in the secondary after his 60-tackle, four-interception campaign earned him an All-SCA Second Team selection. Senior Davin Basham, another All-SCA honoree, will join him at defensive back.

Wakefield and Villanueva will be key pieces of the linebacking corps as well.

The remainder of the roster will be filled out with underclassmen. Rodgers has been pleased with how they have pushed their older teammates.

“Our sophomore class has several good athletes,” he said. “They all work hard and the competition for starting positions is going to help us.”

The other primary point of pride for Rodgers is the change of pace in offseason workouts. The players are more comfortable with the system and he hopes that equals more comfort and confidence once the season begins.

“Our routine, what we do for practice and in the weight room, it’s different. We’re getting after it more as opposed to last year, which was more of a learning experience.”