By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
When the Ash Grove football team won last fall, it did it convincingly.
The Pirates finished with a 3-6 record but outscored opponents 131-8 in those three victories. And three of those losses came by 10 points or less.
“We felt like we were in almost every game,” head coach Ryan Long said. “We were competitive except for maybe one game, the Lockwood game (47-6) got out of control for us but all the other games we kept pace with. We had a hard time trying to find our identity last year. We wanted to run the ball but struggled running it. We threw the ball a lot more than we probably wanted to. Defensively we played well at times and then other times we just lacked some toughness and things like that. Those are things we’re hoping to improve on this year.”
As the Pirates seek their first winning season since 2017, Long has plenty of weapons back offensively in 2021. While Ash Grove graduated five players who earned All-District or All-Conference honors, only Jake Thompson was recognized for his work offensively as a second team Southwest Conference tight end. He rushed for 181 yards and five touchdowns and caught 29 passes for 407 yards and another five scores.
Ash Grove averaged 82 rushing yards and 171 passing yards per game last year.
Junior Brock Mooneyham returns at quarterback after receiving honorable mention All-Conference honors. He completed 84 passes for 1,466 yards and 20 scores as a sophomore and added three touchdowns on the ground. Running backs Tristan Bowers (honorable mention All-Conference) and Parker Crow return, as well. Bowers, a senior, gained 277 yards and scored once while Crow, a junior, rushed for 227 yards and a score and added 181 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Junior Nate Trammel (90 receiving yards, 1 TD) also returns at slot receiver and running back after earning reps late last season.
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Senior Sammy Moreland, an All-District pick and second team All-Conference receiver, is back after leading the team with 493 receiving yards and five scores. And the Pirates return experience on the offensive line with senior Jared Lobdell, senior Cannon Palmer and junior Austin Lowak.
“We’ve got a bunch of pieces coming back and a bunch of pieces ready to put in play with them,” Long said.
“Brock at quarterback is a very smart football player and we’re hoping he takes another step this year,” he said. “He did a great job last year throwing the football. I think we can expect him to run the ball a little bit more. Parker Crow has to run the ball hard. Nate’s going to run the ball hard. Tristan Bowers is the heart and soul of our team, a fullback for us. He does everything we ask of him, the kids really believe in him and he’s going to be a three-year captain for us. Sammy Moreland on the outside has had a great summer in seven-on-seven. He’s running great, crisp routes, has great hands, he’s a big kid with good speed and if we can get our line lined out we’re really excited about it.”
While those three returning linemen provide a good core up front, there are still holes on the line to figure out before the season starts. Players like junior Payton Griffin and sophomore Jasper Seidel are in the mix there. Additionally, junior Elijah Morrison is fighting for an outside receiver spot and senior Zane Delk and senior Collin Doles are fighting for playing time at tight end – they can also play receiver.
Defensively the Pirates took more of a hit, losing their two leading tacklers in Thompson, an All-District defensive back who made 59.5 tackles and added three turnovers, and Dylan McCroskey, an honorable mention All-Conference linebacker who made 36.5 stops and 8.5 tackles for a loss while picking off two passes. Ash Grove returns senior linebacker Tristyn Davis, a second team All-Conference pick; Lobdell, an honorable mention All-Conference defensive lineman; and Crow, an honorable mention All-Conference defensive back. Davis made 58 tackles and four tackles for a loss, Lobdell had 39.5 tackles and nine for a loss and Crow added 16.5 tackles and three interceptions.
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Several players will see time at different positions, though. Trammel is one of two linebackers to return to that position this fall after making 30 tackles, joining Morrison. Crow is the only secondary player back, though Mooneyham did see some time there. The Pirates will replace everybody on the defensive line with Lobdell and Palmer moving to linebacker. Lowak will see a lot more time defensively and Bowers will move from linebacker to defensive line. Moreland also figures to see a lot of time as a corner and Delk, Doles and Griffin will also factor in defensively. Sophomore Brady Nicholson will also see the field.
The Pirates allowed 161 rushing yards and 51 passing yards per game defensively in 2020.
“We’ve had more returners on offense and going through the seven-on-seven this summer we’ve had a really good offense,” Long said. “Towards the end of seven-on-seven the defense really started to come together. We’ve had a bunch of kids learning it and playing it for the first time where offense they had some identity from last year. The defense we’re still learning but with the pieces we’ve got together we’re really excited about these kids on defense this year.”
The Pirates have added Cabool to their schedule in week two which will provide a good test early on. Agape and Clever have also been added as Ash Grove replaces Lockwood, Greenfield and Pleasant Hope.
