By Chris Parker
Mountain Grove football returns a seasoned group of players from last season’s team that finished 7-4 falling to Mt. Vernon in the district playoffs.
“The strength is their experience,” Mountain Grove head coach Dan Swofford said. “There are basically eight guys on each side of the ball that played significant time last year on Friday nights. Everything they have been in is not new to them. Most of them have been there and done that. I think that is invaluable.”
That experience has the Panthers aiming high this season.
“We tied for a conference championship last year,” Swofford said. “This year the next step is we need to win a district championship. That means you have to play really solid football all year long to put yourself in that situation.”
Things start with two-way star Aden Estep.
Offensively, Estep was named SCA Back of the Year after as a junior. He rushed for 1,033 yards and 20 touchdowns on 140 carries while throwing for 483 yards and six touchdowns through the air.
“If you were to ask ‘what does and option, flexbone quarterback look like? I would picture Aden Estep,” Swofford said. “He is a good leader. He makes people around him better. He is athletic. He is smart. He has got some intangibles that not everybody has. It is a perfect situation and far as a flexbone quarterback.”
The offensive line returns Peyton Metty, Malaki Williams, Dameon Martin and Sam Smith. All four of those players were all-conference selections as offensive linemen last season.
“We are pretty deep on that offensive line,” Swofford said. “We have five positions and eight guys for those positions. We are going to have some guys step up there.”
Metty was a unanimous selection to the first-team.
“Peyton Metty is one of the better offensive linemen in our conference,” Swofford said.
Williams was second-team as just a freshman.
“Malaki Williams is a special player,” Swofford said. “He was just a freshman last year. He is 6-foot-2, 310 pounds and moves like he is about 225 pounds. He is really a special athlete.”
Martin also earned second-team all-conference honors.
“Dameon Martin is an undersized center who is a leader of our team,” Swofford said. “Him and Aden Estep are our captains. That is a perfect scenario there having the center and quarterback as the leaders of your team.”
Smith was named honorable mention all-conference.
“Sam Smith was just a sophomore last year. He is making progress on what he is doing and gotten stronger in the weight room,” Swofford said.
Carson Gibson will be a new starter on the offensive line. Aydon Barbe is another option on the offensive line.
“They are physical. They are guys who are great teammates. They are tight knit. We go as our offensive line goes. They are blue collar guys. There is not a tougher bunch of guys in our area as a whole,” Swofford said. “Coach (Josh) Carlton, our offensive line coach, does a great job getting those guys ready. They come off the ball and they will absolutely get after you.”
Another underclassman that found success last season was fullback Brayden Curtiss. As a sophomore, he rushed 123 times for 910 yards and 10 touchdowns. He tallied those numbers despite playing limited snaps in the first two games.
“When (Curtiss) goes well, we go well,” Swofford said. “He is tough as nails. We found out what he was about through the year, and he just kept getting better and better.”
Halfback Eli Golden will see an expanded role this season after rushing for 168 yards last season.
“(Golden) is one of these guys who can do a little of everything. He just keeps getting bigger and stronger and faster,” Swofford said.
Kaden Murphy is another halfback who saw action last season and return. He had 108 yards rushing. Look for Brody Bevan to also get some carries.
Unsurprisingly, Mountain Grove will lean on the run.
“I told the team if I had my way we wouldn’t ever throw the ball,” Swofford said. “The fact of the matter is we do, and we have to be able to do that.”
When the Panthers do throw the ball, Kale and Brett Gardner will be key receivers.
Defensively, a pair of first-team all-conference selections return in Barbe and Curtiss.
Barbe was a first-team all-conference defensive lineman last season. He will be primarily a linebacker this season. He had 52 total tackles with six tackles for a loss last season.
“(Barbe) was an all-conference defensive lineman, but his main position will be at linebacker,” Swofford said. “He is going to be a 200-pound, 5-foot-11 kid who works his tail off all the time. He is a weight room fanatic. He is really strong. We are excited to see what he does.”
Curtiss returns to his linebacker spot where he led the team with 86 total tackles and 17 tackles for a loss as a sophomore.
The secondary will feature Eli Golden who was a second-team all-conference selection on the defensive line where he led the team in sacks with three to go with his 60 total tackles and 10 tackles for a loss.
Kale Gardner led the team in interceptions with five and returns to the secondary.
“I think (Kale Gardner) will make some really big waves there,” Swofford said. “He is going to be hard to throw on.”
Estep reprises his role in the secondary coming off a 56-tackle season. Murphy will move back from linebacker to defensive back this season. He had 77 tackles last season.
Slade Rodgers is poised for a breakout season as a junior defensive lineman. He had 36 total tackles with seven tackles for a loss on his way to honorable mention all-conference honors.
“Slade is going to be a dominant defensive lineman this year,” Swofford said. “He is extremely strong, fast and aggressive.”
Jacob Crosco will be a staple on the defensive line when he returns from boot camp.
“(I said) you go to boot camp and when you come back you are going to be one of the leaders on our team,” Swofford said. “He is a tough kid who works hard at everything he does. I am really excited to see him when he comes back.”
Crosco was an honorable mention all-conference honoree on the defensive line.
Brannon Short, Ethan Haacke and Ethan Archuleta will be newcomers to the defensive line.
Aiden Kumpala, who was also at boot camp in the summer, will compete for time at defensive back. Joey Hickox is a senior who will compete for playing time and play a big role on special teams.
Mountain Grove hosts Thayer, Willow Springs and Houston for a jamboree on Aug. 22. The Panthers open the regular season on Aug. 29 at defending Class 2 state runner-up Fair Grove.
That game will kick off a season of high expectations for the Panthers.
“Success for our community would be to win a district championship. It would be a big thing,” Swofford said. “For our program at the end of the year, that is where we want to get to. We can compete with anybody we play with this year. I am not going to tell you we are going to beat them, but I think we can definitely compete with them, and we have a great shot at beating anybody we play. The success at the end of the season comes down to how we finish in that district tournament. That is what we are shooting for.”
