2021 Fall Preview: McDonald County Football

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By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

Kellen Hoover is entering his fifth season at McDonald County and the Mustangs have plenty to be excited about.

Returning 15 starters from last year’s 5-5 team is one thing, but the Mustangs come back with wins over Lamar and Monett, as well as a district win over Marshfield.

The district win was the program’s first in more than a decade.

“There were definitely some high points to last season,” said Hoover. “It was just great to see the excitement that those wins generated in our team, school, and community. It was great to see the looks on our kids’ faces when the hard work they put in results in some victories.

“That being said, we’re obviously not satisfied. Our hope was that getting a taste of some of that success would drive our offseason and motivate us to get better every single day. We’ve seen a lot of our kids make significant strides since last year, both in the weight room and on the football field. It will be important that our kids are able to hold each other accountable and pick each other up, because the season won’t come without hard days, both individually for them and as a team. It’s important that we accept our role and execute it to the best of our ability, and stick together to make 2021 great.”

Leading the charge this year will be senior quarterback Cole Martin.

Martin was an All-Big 8 selection last year, passing for 1,361 yards and 16 touchdowns while completing 64 percent of his passes. He’s entering his third year as a starter, making him one of the most experienced signal-callers in the entire Big 8.

“Cole has shown tremendous growth every year as a starter,” said Hoover. “I think the game slowed down a lot for him last year, and from what I’ve seen this offseason, he has developed an even deeper understanding of our system. He made a lot of our play calls during our passing league this summer, and was able to explain why he wanted to attack that way based on the look the defense was in. His competitiveness and leadership, combined with his physical ability and football IQ, make him a blast to coach, and I’m excited to see what’s ahead for him as a senior.”

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Martin also returns his favorite target in classmate Levi Malone.

Malone was a unanimous All-Big 8 selection, finishing with 498 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 27 receptions.

Along with Jack Parnell, Colton Ruddick and senior All-Big 8 tight end Logan Harriman, Martin should have no shortage of experienced options in the passing game.

“Levi has worked on his route running and Cole has improved his arm strength, so I think they will be more dangerous running all kinds of routes,” said Hoover. “The best thing will be that we have several other guys at wide receiver that can make plays, so defenses can’t zero in on Levi. Colton Ruddick, Jack Parnell, and Cross Dowd are all threats at any given time so Cole is able to spread the ball around depending on what the defense is giving him.”

Garrett Gricks, Junior Eliam, and Danny Grider will return to anchor the offensive line. All three are two-way starters with Gricks earning All-Big 8 honors on the defensive side of the ball (72 tackles in 2020). Ivan Serna and Angel Mendoza saw some time on the offensive line last year when injuries forced them into action. Senior Ben McGonigal is also competing for offensive line reps.

The defense is packed with returning starters, featuring Martin, Malone, Dowd and Pierce Harmon in the secondary.

Harmon finished last season with 28 tackles and four interceptions, earning All-Big 8 honors.

“They all started multiple games in the secondary at different times last season,” said Hoover. “They’ve shown an increased confidence back there in offseason workouts, and an understanding that will allow them to play and anticipate faster.”

The trenches will be manned by Gricks, as well as returning starters Levi Neale, Logan Harriman, Junior Eliam and Toby Moore.

Levi Helm (79 tackles in 2020) and Jared Mora will be senior linebackers with a ton of experience.

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Hoover is also excited about the development of some pivotal newcomers.

Jude Horrocks and Andrew Watkins are expected to see increased reps at inside linebacker. Jakobe Montes is also competing for reps at inside linebacker and running back.

Sophomores Destyn Dowd, Sam Barton, Jayce Hitt and Sam Murphy should all see increased roles entering this fall.

This season is about seeing if the Mustangs can take the next step in building the program.

Hoover has seen five wins in two of his first four seasons, something that hadn’t happened in more than a decade prior to his arrival. Now it’s about seeing if the Mustangs can get over that hump and slide into the upper echelon of the Big 8.

“It was important for our program that we played in two games last year in which at least a share of the Big 8 West title was on the line,” said Hoover. “We didn’t win either of those games, but I think our kids learned a lot, and I also think those losses have been in the back of our minds all offseason.

“To compete for conference and district championships, we have to be more consistent in our execution. We have to be the best at our job every snap. We have to accept our roles and stick together because it will take all of us, freshmen through seniors, to get to where we want to go.”

McDonald County will jamboree at Mount Vernon with Bolivar and Neosho. The Mustangs will open the 2021 season on Aug. 27, hosting Aurora.

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