By Chris Parker
Camdenton went 6-5 last season in its first season as a part of the Central Missouri Athletic Conference. The Lakers moved from the now defunct Ozark Conference to a completely new schedule of mostly central Missouri teams.
“It was a good transition for us,” Camdenton head coach Par Pitts said. “It was a competitive schedule and competitive conference. It seemed like every week you were going to face a quality, well-coached team with good history.”
That first season in the in the CMAC had the Lakers looking at improving one key thing: strength.
“We knew we had to get physically stronger and better prepared to go through the grind of the season,” Pitts said. “That is one of the things we have concentrated on.”
While the conference alingment is still new, the offense will be turning back the clock a bit to a more traditional brand of Camdenton Laker football with a focus on the run game.
“We are shifting to being able to line up in two backs and a tight end more often,” Pitts said. “The last six years we have lined up in empties most of the time. We are transitioning to that (a run-focused offense) and feel like we have three or four guys who can carry the football.”
The rededication to the run came as a welcome piece of news for the offensive line.
“They took that challenge. Deep down our guys want to come off the football and get downhill,” Pitts said. “We have been doing it a little bit in our lower levels to prepare for that because we could see it coming. They took the challenge and are excited about it. The biggest part is the preparation, getting bigger, getting stronger and getting more durable. They latched on to the challenge and are getting better.”
The return to the run has been a long-held goal for Pitts.
“It has been a goal of mine since I took over, but our personnel has led us to throwing the ball a ton. I think we are going to be able to run the ball a significant amount.,” Pitts said. “When we threw the ball so much it lengthened the game. We needed to find a way to shorten the game a little bit because we are going more guys playing both sides of the ball than we have in the past.”
Three starters return on offense with a fourth player who saw limited starting action.
Michael Maschino and Quinten Knipp are in the mix at quarterback. Cole Ginnings will be at wide receiver. Eli Dickerson will be at running back with Brody Reese seeing time at both receiver and running back. Bryce Branson will play tight end.
The all-important offensive line will feature Hunter Lane, Junior Phillips, Colton Bearden and Keyton Crossman.
While the offense will focus on successfully running the ball, the defense is locked in on stopping it.
“We have to be better against the run, and we need to limit possessions from the other team,” Pitts said. “It is hard to go deep in the playoffs when you are giving up a bunch of points. Somewhere someone is going to have a good defense, and you are going to have to match that. We want to be better tacklers and more physical up front.”
Five defensive starters return.
Paul Muff is back on the defensive line after totaling 33 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and two sacks last season.
“(Muff) has had a great off-season. His strength and speed have improved even more,” Pitts said. “That is his strength is being able to get off the football. I expect he will be a force up front.”
Andy Diaz joins Muff on the defensive line.
Dickerson will go both ways holding down a spot at linebacker. He led the team in tackles (49) and tackles for a loss (9.5) last season with 1.5 sacks and two interceptions.
“(Dickerson) has grown this off-season. We are looking for him to be a dynamic player on both sides of the ball,” Pitts said. “Last year, he showed signs on offense, but on defense he was around the ball causing turnovers and negative yardage plays.”
Branson will go both ways seeing time as a defensive end and linebacker on defense. Similarly, Ginnings will see action at both safety and linebacker. Luckas Routh will be at defensive back.
Health will be key for a Laker squad relying on several two-way players.
“We need to stay healthy, and we have to be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” Pitts said. “One of our strengths needs to be those (guys) up front. We need to have a distinctive rise as we go through the season and get better each week. I want to compete for a district championship. That has to be our goal every year. Our guys dream of state championships, so battling for a district championship and continuing on would be success for us.”
The Lakers will jamboree at California on Aug. 22 before opening up the regular season at home against Jefferson City on Aug. 29.
