By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Another year, another solid season for the Joplin football program.
That was the story in 2024 for the Eagles, who played to a 7-4 record and lost in the district championship to Nixa. Those four losses were to 13-1 Nixa (twice), to 10-3 Republic, and to a 9-2 Carthage team in overtime.
It was year 10 at the helm for head coach Curtis Jasper, who’s put together eight straight winning seasons and hasn’t had a Joplin team finish under .500.
“Culture wise, I think each senior class has figured out that it’s important to kind of leave something behind as far as a legacy of a culture and what they want the next groups to be like, the standards of operating procedure and how to go about doing things,” Jasper said. “I think that means a lot to each group and I think there’s some carryover there.”
The district runner up in three of the last four seasons, Joplin will benefit from an especially large senior class in 2025 with as many as 31 of them on the roster. It’s a class that Jasper has been excited about for a while.
“Good kids that work hard and that care about the underclassmen as well,” he said. “Yeah we have some shoes to fill for sure from last year, but we’re excited about the guys that we’ve got.”
The Eagles’ offense will be the most experienced unit going into this fall. They return several starters on the line and at skill positions, though Joplin must replace unanimous COC west lineman Brennen Washington, unanimous COC receiver Davin Thomas (also third-team all-state) and third-team all-state athlete Collis Jones, among others. Thomas hauled in 57 catches for 834 yards and 8 touchdowns along with 171 rushing yards, and Jones made 24 receptions for 406 yards and 4 scores. Running back Toryn Jones also graduated after carrying the ball 235 times for 1,176 yards and 18 scores.
The offensive line returns senior Isaac Yust (second-team COC, second-team all-region), senior Isaiah Britt (second-team all-region), senior Jayden Camerer, and senior Caillou Magee. Senior Lane Cole and sophomore Titus Cole are competing for time at the fifth spot.
“That’s four offensive linemen who either started or at least have quite a bit of starting experience, so that bodes well,” Jasper said.
Senior John Jasper (18 catches, 203 yards, 1 TD) returns at tight end after making the second team all-region squad. Senior Traevian McCadney (19 rushes, 66 yards, 1 TD) would have shared time at running back last season but injured his knee in week one and then Jones took over. At receiver, Joplin returns senior Layne Royle (2nd team All-Region) who was third on the team with 21 catches for 370 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Daniel Rose will return as the starter after earning second-team COC honors as an athlete and second-team all-region honors at quarterback. He completed 123 passes for 1,778 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 150 yards and 2 scores.
“Obviously Davin was a big-play guy and Collis was a big-play guy, but we feel really good about the guys we’ve got and being able to move the ball down the field,” Jasper said. “I think we might have to find some of those big plays but as far as having that much experience on the offensive line, we feel confident being able to execute and drive the ball.”
Joplin’s defense looks a little more uncertain heading into the season. Senior Neil Barstow is back up front after making the COC second team and the all-region first team as an end. He totaled 39 tackles and 2 sacks and was also a second team COC punter. Two linebackers return in seniors David Bhend (second-team COC, second-team all-region) and Andrew Snider (first-team COC, first-team all-region). Bhend recorded 74 tackles (3 TFL) and Snider led the team with 128 stops along with 2 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries. Senior Jariah Clark (second-team all-region) made 94 tackles last year out of the secondary.
Senior Toby Ipsen was a 2nd team kicker on both the COC and all-region teams last year. He was a perfect 41-for-41 on extra point attempts.
Joplin will jamboree at Webb City and then host Kickapoo to open the season. The Eagles only have three other home games, against Nixa (Sept. 12), Carthage (Oct. 3) and Webb City (Oct. 24).
“Most of our coaching staff is back and all of our coordinators are back,” Jasper said. “There’s a lot of continuity there and I just appreciate the guys coming out all summer long and working in the heat and again just continuing to put good seasons back-to-back. The fun part as coaches is each team is different. The leadership, the seniors and everything is new from year to year, their style and how they go about things. That’s the fun part as a coach is watching them take hold and make the team theirs because that’s what I tell them, it’s your team and we’re here to facilitate as you hold your fellow players accountable and hold them to the standards as we go.”
