By Justin Sampson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Tyler Spittler could feel momentum shifting in his first year with Cabool. The Bulldogs won five games, the most since 2014, to equal their total from the previous four seasons combined.
“I was fortunate to inherit a talented team,” he said. “The previous coach, (Vincent McCroskey), brought energy and got everyone fired up about football.”
Now, Cabool has 11 seniors and 12 starters back in the fold to try and build on that momentum. Consistency at the top of the coaching staff is not a storyline for every program, but the older players within the program are putting a lot of stock in Spittler leading them again this year.
“I’ve heard a lot from the upperclassmen this summer about how they’re excited to have the same coach two years in a row. They haven’t had that in their careers. They’re running the same system and not having to learn everything from scratch again.”
After the Bulldogs spent several years focused on slowing down games and trying to win low-scoring affairs with defense, Spittler implemented a spread attack on offense. The result was the program’s highest points per game average (22.7) and lowest points allowed per game (20.7) in over a decade.
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Spittler also shifted players around in an effort to find the best fit on offense last year. Will Johnson, now a senior, started a large chunk of 2019 at quarterback, but made the shift to tight end in the middle of the year and earned himself an All-SCA Honorable Mention.
Fellow senior Quincy Flanagan then grabbed the reins at quarterback and threw for 711 yards and nine touchdowns. He showed his coaches enough late in the season to earn the job heading into this fall.
“He took over the starting job late in the season last year and things went well for him,” said Spittler. “He just seems like a different kid this year. He has a lot more confidence and comfortability. I think he’s poised for a good year.”
Junior Braxton Davis was the top rusher in 2019, rumbling for 840 yards on 115 carries with 12 scores. He is back, as is Daniel Hutcheson, who saw limited time last fall after transferring from Houston. Injuries kept him from accomplishing everything he wanted to, but now, at full health as a senior, he is expected to be one of the better running backs in the conference.
Senior Logan Primanzon, an All-SCA Second Team selection as a defensive back, also returns as the team’s top receiver. He caught 23 passes for 371 and a touchdown last fall and expects to see those numbers increase.
Seniors Trevor Atkins and Dylan Somoza also expect to factor into the passing game along with juniors Maverick Smith and Jesse Hale.
“I believe we’ll be explosive on offense with four or five guys that opponents will really have to pay attention to,” said Spittler. “There is a lot of depth, with seniors up front, and younger teammates behind them that still return plenty of experience. We could put up a lot of points.”
The offensive and defensive lines also boast experience, with seniors Cole Reese, Jacob Shockley, Kyle Johnson, and Wynston Skaggs leading the charge alongside junior Eddie Swisoski. Seniors Dylan Somoza and Michael Elliott and junior David Penn also expect to see snaps in the trenches.
While the Bulldogs graduated their top three tacklers from last season, Hutcheson will be key as another All-SCA talent behind the defensive line. He will return to his role in the linebacking corps, joined by Maverick Smith, the top returning tackler from 2019 (67 total).
Primanzon will be flanked in the secondary by Atkins, Hale, and Somoza.
“We have a lot of potential and a lot of skilled upperclassmen. They are hungry to be good and finally starting to believe in themselves. The talent has been there with previous teams, but they may just not have put everything together. This group wants to change that.”
Cabool is scheduled to open the season on Aug. 28 against Miller.
