By Staff

Fall 2019 Preview: Seneca Football

By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

Not many programs are as excited to get going this fall as Seneca.

On paper, the Indians 5-6 campaign was disappointing. However, it’s important to note that the Big 8/COC merger created unbalanced schedules and the Indians got the short end of the stick. Their six losses came against teams that combined for 64 wins.

“Last season got off to a tough start,” said head coach Ryan McFarland. “We knew our schedule was going to be a challenge going into the season. On top of the schedule we had a handful of injuries early and it seemed like we every time we turned around we were running into more adversity. Starting the season 1-4 was a huge hurdle for our team to overcome. As a coaching staff we were very proud of our players “no quit” mentality. They kept showing up every day and continued to work hard in the weight room and on the field.

“That attitude and work ethic put us in position to win 4 of our last 6 games and we came one play short of playing for a district championship. I was extremely proud of how our team played that night. We played about as physical of a game that we have played in my third season at Seneca.”

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE FALL SPORTS PREVIEWS

With 14 starters back from last year, Ryan McFarland is eager to get his fourth season underway.

All-Everything quarterback Gavin Clouse graduated, but the Indians return a talented group of skill players, led by All-Big 8 seniors Trey Wilson and Monty Mailes.

Wilson rushed for 1,086 yards and 15 touchdowns, Mailes added 561 and 13 touchdowns. They combined for 500 receiving yards.

“Trey has a unique combination of size, speed and power,” said McFarland. “He has the ability to have a real special senior season. Monty injured his leg in Week 1 last year and missed a handful of games. He started getting healthy around Week 5 and we became a different team on offense when he was healthy. We have big expectations for Monty this year.”

Seniors Preston Armstrong and Daythen Long are the team’s returning leaders in receiving yardage. Both were also All-Big 8 selections. More impressively, it was Armstrong’s first season of high school football after becoming a basketball standout. Junior Dillon Myers will provide backfield depth.

Seniors Grant Durman (6-1, 290lbs) and Skyleer Commons (6-2, 235lbs) will anchor the offensive line. Junior Garrett Babbit (5-10, 250lbs) is also a returning starter. All-Big 8 senior Jakob Sampson started on the offensive line a year ago, but will transition to tight end this fall.

Senior Kaden Hancock (6-2, 250lbs) and junior David MeLendon (6-2, 225lbs) will fill out the offensive line.

The quarterback battle will come down to senior Levi Ketchum and junior Lance Stephens. Coach McFarland likes what he sees from both players and believes both players are capable of being extremely successful under center.

Junior Zane Cotton is the team’s returning leader in tackles (60 in 2018). He’ll lead a defense with a ton of experience.

Wilson, Commons and Babbit all had starting reps along the defensive line last year, as well as All-District senior defensive end Zach Cox.

Juniors Grant Hoover and Nick Arrasmith, as well as classmate Myers, will lead the linebacking corps. Senior Taven Yust will also compete for reps.

Seneca has a loaded secondary with Mailes and senior Levi Ketchum joining Cotton. Senior Rhynn Raney and Kyle Simpson will also see reps.

After allowing nearly 30 PPG last fall, this unit has accepted the challenge of being more impactful this fall.

“Defensively, we struggled at times last year,” said McFarland. “We allowed too many points and struggled to get stops when we needed them. We were much better as the season progressed. We have to put our players in better positions to make plays on defense and when out players get opportunities they need to make plays. We have to find 11 guys on defense who want to be difference makers. We need to stay disciplined but we need to play with a more physical intensity.”

With so much experience and a bitter taste from last season, it’s easy to see why the Indians are ready to get rolling this season.

The schedule is still brutal and the district will likely be as rough again.

But, whatever challenges are ahead, McFarland and Seneca are ready to meet them head on and right the ship.

“For us to compete for a conference and district championship in 2019 we will have to learn from both the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In 2017 everything seemed to go our way and in 2018 everything seemed to go against us. From top to bottom of the Big 8 you can lose on any given night. We want to compete for a Big 8 Championship. If we can be competitive in the Big 8 then anything can happen. I feel our players have something to prove, coming off a 9-2 season in 2017 and following it up with a 5-6 record last season. We now know that regardless of how the regular season unfolds that we have to be at our best come district time. A district championship and a playoff appearance is a big goal for our senior class.

“We will be playing several seniors who have played a lot on Friday nights. I hope that our seniors realize the opportunity ahead of them and they are ready to lead our team every Friday night. We were young early in the season last year and that is no longer the case. I was given the opportunity to lead this program when the current seniors were freshmen. This is our fourth year together. Hopefully its one to remember.”

Seneca will open the 2019 season at home against Springfield Catholic on Aug. 30.