By Chris Parker
The 2020 season was a tough one for the Parkview football team. The Vikings went winless and played just six games due to COVID-19 quarantines.
Parkview will look to get back above .500 for the first time since 2018 behind an experienced quarterback in senior Caden Burks. Burks has started since his sophomore season. Last year, Burks threw for 661 yards and six touchdowns in five games.
He will look to have a big senior year for the Vikings, but will need to get help to be successful.
“I definitely sense some urgency from him. We are trying to make sure he doesn’t put too much pressure on himself. It is not a one-man game. He can’t do everything by himself. That is one of the things we have been trying to impress upon him is that he has to let the game come to him. He has to do his job,” Parkview head coach Ben Dougherty said. “There are obviously going to be times where he has to free-hand it a little bit. Whether that is taking off and scrambling for a third down or whatever it may be. The main thing is that we don’t want him to put too much pressure on himself. With any player, when they put too much pressure on themselves that is when mistakes happen.”
Some of that pressure will be taken off with the return of junior Cam Harris. Harris was the team’s leading rusher last year with 175 yards in four games.
“He has good hands. He is a very good runner. He is very good at seeing that hole open up in front of him and making that one cut and planting his foot and getting down the field,” Dougherty said.
Senior Isaiah Farley will also see time in the backfield as well as at wide receiver.
Junior Chris Anderson returns to his wide receiver position after leading the team in receiving last year. He is a big play threat that had 22 catches for 361 yards and three touchdowns last year.
“He (Anderson) is one the fastest kids in the city,” Dougherty said. “His hands have gotten a lot better this year. I think he could easily double his numbers from last year. He is really good at taking a short pass and turning it into a touchdown,” Dougherty said.
Anthony Nunda will also factor into the game at wide receiver.
“Anthony is the guy with the ball in his hands is electric. He can make people miss and turn short gains into long gains,” Dougherty said.
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Waynesville transfer Xzavia McArthur and sophomore Jamile Johnson will also play wide receiver.
Up front, Eric Anderson, Covey Heslin, Devonte Trout, Latayvion Trout and Adam Dougherty will be key factors. Anderson is entering his third season as the starting center. Heslin and Trout both saw starts on the line last year.
Dougherty will look to get his run game going to free up his explosive weapons on the edges.
“In the past we have made our bones running the football with guys like Cole Jenkins, Anthony Riley and Blake Delacruz. Caden has brought a different presence to our offense than the quarterbacks we have had in the past. He can throw it, and he can run it. Our plan is to be an explosive offense. We want to use the run game to set up those explosive plays in the pass game. I am very excited about some of the athletes we have on offense,” Dougherty said.
On the defense, things start in the secondary with 6’4, 180-pound cornerback Shane Glass. Glass earned all-conference, all-district and all-region honors last year after he had 40 total tackles and two interceptions.
“He (Glass) came over to the defensive side of the ball as a sophomore and found a home there. The thing that makes him special is that he has very good instincts when it comes to turning and finding the ball. He isn’t afraid to tackle either. He is very aggressive and very physical,” Dougherty said.
Fellow senior Junior Lamarre will also be in the back half at safety. Lamarre is the team’s leading returning tackler after he had 54 tackles last year.
“He (Lamarre) is a great wrestler as well and that shows in his tackling. He is one of the most reliable tacklers on our team. He isn’t the tallest guy, but he has a lot of scrap in him. He is a kid that has a real passion for the game,” Dougherty said.
Junior Ethan Brantley is another returning starter. He will be opposite Glass at cornerback.
Up front, Daugherty sets the tone on the defensive line. He had 32 tackles and three tackles for a loss last year.
“He (Daugherty) starts it all up front for us,” Dougherty said. “He is a monster up there. He is the guy that gets into the backfield and makes plays for us. He is the guy who commands double teams. He is one of our best leaders.”
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The defensive line will feature senior Rydell McDowell. McDowell moved in from Mississippi last year, but was unable to find a consistent position. This year he will be a defensive end.
“This summer we have discovered that he (McDowell) has a really high motor. He is really energetic and plays hard every play,” Dougherty said. “When you look at him, he does not look like a defensive end. He is short and stocky, but he plays really hard. I have been really proud and impressed with the effort I have seen from him.”
Carl Thomas returns at linebacker for his third year starting. The senior had 37 total tackles last year.
“He (Thomas) is a real heavy hitter who is not afraid to make contact. He has the size and the tools. If he can put it all together this year he could have a really big year,” Dougherty said.
Ryan Decker is a junior who started last year and will move from outside linebacker to inside linebacker. Dougherty called him the quarterback of the defense.
This defense will have to be flexible. The Ozark Conference offers wildly different offensive puzzles for opposing defenses to solve each week.
“It is a challenge week-to-week. Glendale and Camdenton throw the ball around the yard. Then another week you will have Lebanon running the flexbone. It is definitely a challenge because it is tough for your kids to settle into a rhythm because you obviously can’t play those teams the same way. It is a challenge to just in a week get the kids ready for sometimes totally different styles of football. It is a challenge we welcome. It keeps us on our toes. It keeps the kids engaged,” Dougherty said.
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Overall, Dougherty wants to see his team improve and let the wins take care of themselves.
“I want to see big improvements from last year. I think we were really close in several games last year. I think if we see that improvement again that the wins will start to come,” Dougherty said. “I want us to be better than we were last year; bottom line.”
Parkview opens the season on Aug. 27 at Waynesville.
