By Chris Parker
Kickapoo football went 4-6 in its first season as a member of the COC. The Chiefs learned a lot in their first season.
“(You) have to be on point every Friday night,” Kickapoo head coach Nate Thomas said. “(There are) great coaches and great players every single week. (It is a) physical brand of football and a very fun conference to be a part of. We appreciate the work that was done to get us in and for the COC admin for allowing us in.”
Four offensive starters return this season.
Brody Wilson earned all-conference, all-region and all-district honors as a tight end last season. He had six catches for 106 yards and tied for a team-high with three receiving touchdowns.
“Brody is highly intelligent. He has a knack for getting into zones and using his big frame to get open. At 6’4, 240 pounds he is a throwback endline tight end who can get after you on the line of scrimmage,” Thomas said. “Brody is going to need his own oxygen tank at halftime cause I’m not sure he will come off the field for us very often.”
Tevin Christian was a second-team COC East athlete who led Kickapoo with 26 catches for 315 yards while also tying for the team lead in kick returns with seven.
“(Christian is) very athletic and he is a polished wide receiver. He can run every route in the route tree and understands leverage on defenders,” Thomas said. “Tevin is another guy like Brody who is going to be lined up all over the field and on both sides of the ball as well as in the kicking game.”
Will Buckley and Ahmaun Fowler will also see time at wide receiver. Cade Burcham, Eli Wilson, Ben Mayo, and Easton Hoffman will all see time at tight end.
Javon Mack, Justin Harris, Daycen Phillips, and Rylan Hamilton will be the running backs.
Brock Brooks is taking the reins at quarterback.
Up front, second-team all-conference offensive lineman Parker Kiebach returns.
“We will lean on Parker’s leadership a lot on offense,” Thomas said. “Being a three-year starter for us at left tackle, he gives some of our younger guys a calming presence on the offensive line. Parker will also play some defensive end on the other side of the ball.”
Preston Roberts and Carter McCormick are two more returning offensive linemen for the Chiefs.
Defensively, five starters return.
Kiebach, Wilson and Justin Escobar will be staples up front on the defensive line with Cade Burcham and Justin Harris key players at linebacker. Burcham is poised for a big season after missing his junior season with an injury.
Carden Underwood leads the secondary after earning second-team all-conference honors a year ago when he pulled down 54 total tackles. He will run the secondary from his free safety position.
“(He has a) high football IQ. He loves football. (He is) very instinctive back there at safety and seems to always be in the right spot,” Thomas said. “His timing (has improved). When he was younger, I think he knew he was right in what he was seeing, but was slower to trust himself and go make plays. He sees things quickly and now when he sees it, there is no hesitation.”
Fowler and Christian will be at corner. The other safety spot is an open competition with Mike Ingram or Buckley among candidates for the spot.
Kickapoo travels to Ozark on Aug. 22 for a jamboree with the host Tigers and Nixa before opening the regular season Aug. 29 at Joplin.
“These guys are very close and work well together. They have done a great job bringing some guys along and gotten them to where they can help us on Friday nights,” Thomas said. “We know the challenges of playing in the COC. We want to be in four-quarter games every single week.”
