By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
If you had told the Cassville football team before the 2019 season they’d be playing for a state championship, you’d probably have found some doubters.
“I’m not sure everybody would have believed that,” head coach Lance Parnell said. “But we just kept getting better and better as the year went on and it was a testament to the improvement our kids made throughout the year.”
The Wildcats shook off a pair of Big 8 Conference losses to make a run through the Class 3 playoffs before ultimately falling 49-28 to Odessa in the title game. Cassville ended the year with a 12-3 record, the program’s fourth-straight winning season.
The Wildcats placed eight players on the All-State team; four of those were seniors but four others are returning for their senior seasons this fall.
Gone are running back Bowen Preddy, a second team honoree; receiver DJ White, a second team honoree; defensive end Andrew Prier, a second team honoree and quarterback Deven Bates, a third team honoree.
Preddy, White and Prier were also first team Big 8 West selections and Bates was a second team pick.
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“We lose a really, really good senior class,” Parnell said. “Not just those guys that were all-state. We lose Deven Bates who started for us at quarterback all year long and did a great job. We lose Bowen Preddy on both sides of the ball. We lose a center in Troy Hagins, a really good player for us. We had 15 seniors that all played huge roles for us and they’re going to all be missed greatly.”
Fortunately the cupboard is far from bare for the Wildcats this fall. The team returns senior Jaiden Reibert at guard after he earned first team All-State honors. Senior Hunter Chasteen is back at offensive tackle after earning second team Big 8 honors. Senior Zach Carney also returns on the offensive line.
Senior Killian Barbee returns at tight end and senior Zach Coenen, a first-team all-state linebacker and Second-Team All-Big 8 running back returns after rushing for 953 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior.
Senior Bret Cooper is back at receiver, as well, and so is senior Drake Reese, a first-team all-state kicker who also earned first-team all-conference honors as a kicker and a punter. He nailed 49 extra points and eight field goals last year. Reese will be one of the team’s top receivers this fall.
And Senior Jericho Farris, a first-team all-state defensive back, figures to replace Preddy as one of the team’s main running backs. He rushed for 396 yards and six touchdowns last season.
“He had a great junior year on defense and we think he can do that as well on offense,” Parnell said.
Three players are competing for the starting quarterback position and there’s more competition on the offensive line. Senior Wes Stockton has experience as a lineman.
“Number one is our question mark at quarterback,” Parnell said. “We graduated a three-year starter two years ago and Deven stepped in last year and filled that role real well. Now we need to fill that starting quarterback role again. I’ve got three young men competing for that job right now. One of them is going to win it I just don’t know who yet.”
Defensively the Wildcats return eight starters. Coenen, the first team All-State linebacker, made 115 tackles. He’s a 6-1, 215-pound player who added two sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception. Farris, the second-team all-state defensive back, made 73 tackles at safety and added three fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
The 6-3, 260-pound Reibert returns at defensive end after making 55 tackles and four sacks. Junior Garrett Kritz, a 6-1, 290-pound defensive tackle, returns after making 47 tackles and a sack. Senior Patrick Dunker also returns at tackle; he’s 6-1, 275 pounds and made 10 tackles and a sack. Cooper is back at corner after recording 21 tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception. Reese also returns at safety and senior Jerome Ewing is back at corner after recording 23 tackles and an interception.
Junior Ethan Fuchs should slot in at one of the linebacker spots. Senior Spencer Moeller could also play at receiver or linebacker and Brady Sheeler, a senior, could play on the offensive and defensive line.
“Our expectations are to be very competitive again and get better as the year goes on,” Parnell said. “I think we return a really nice senior class. Those kids got a taste of making a deep playoff run and they have the drive to get back there. They understand the work it took a year ago to get there. We’ve had high expectations in Cassville for a lot of years. Every year we go into the season wanting to compete for district championships and making deep playoff runs.”
The Wildcats have around 75 players on the team this fall. Cassville opens the season on Aug. 28 at Mt. Vernon.
