By Chris Parker
Republic posted a fifth consecutive winning season going 9-3 last year. The only losses came to Nixa and Carthage twice. That duo went on to finish as state runner-up in Classes 6 and 5, respectively.
“I feel like our program is in a really good place,” Republic head coach Ryan Cornelsen said. “I feel like the kids understand expectations. We have typically good numbers and kids that will work at it. Last year, we were proud of our season. We played really well and played a very high level of football. We need to find a way to win those really close ones against those good teams. Against Carthage and Nixa, we just weren’t able to do that a year ago. I thought we played well and played hard, but we just didn’t make quite enough plays. I was really proud of the season.”
There will be many new faces in new places for the Tigers this season, but they do return one of the best players in the state in Keiran Govan. Govan, a Mizzou commit, earned first-team all-state honors as a defensive back last season. He had 57 total tackles with four interceptions and six passes defended. He also led the team with 10 receptions for 220 yards and four touchdowns.
His performance as a junior led to colleges from across the country making offers.
“First and foremost, his film from his junior year was really impressive,” Cornelsen said. “I think the things people saw that they were impressed with were just how fast he plays. He is really savvy and understands the game. He has a different role every game because we use him to take away somebody’s best receiver or play in the box. From the snap to when he was around the ball, he can come downhill in a hurry. Once he gets there, he is long and does a good job making tackles. He can go up and make plays with his hands as well. College coaches were able to see those things. Once his film got spread, it blew up pretty fast.”
Govan will have an expanded offensive role this season, but the exact role for both Govan and most of the skill players is to be determined.
“We will run multiple quarterbacks early in the year and try to figure out different personnel sets,” Cornelsen said. “Each year you take your dominoes and try to place them in there. I try to be patient through the season and let the season determine where we go and what we are and not necessarily just guess.”
Trenten Coleman, Brennan Overstreet and Cooper Cornelsen were all named as options at quarterback with Nolan Lashley, Lincoln Caldwell and Govan all potentially finding themselves in the backfield at some point.
Senior Raleigh Verstraete is moving from offensive line to tight end. Brody Romines will be at center in his senior season. Brye Hein is a senior tackle. Kordel Riley will be a receiver.
The secondary will be a strength on defense led by Govan with Alex Johnson, AJ Uhl, Carter Coggin, Cayden Pacheco and Fisher Moore all projected to see time at either safety or corner.
“We feel like we have some depth in the secondary, which will allow us to move Keiran around and use him in different ways,” Cornelsen said.
Ethan Montiel earned first-team all-conference honors as an outside linebacker last season, but he functions up at the line as a defensive end often leading to a team-high 18 tackles for a loss and seven sacks last season.
Ekene Chukwu returns to the interior of the defensive line after posting a 35-tackle junior season.
“He is a big, strong kid,” Cornelsen said. “Last year, he really got better towards the end of the year. He should have a really good season this year.”
Keith Ellis will also be on the defensive line.
Look for Coleman and Baelor Cutbirth at inside linebacker.
While Republic will have many new players stepping up this season, Cornelsen expects them to be productive right away after putting in work on the junior varsity level to get ready for the varsity shot.
“Since I have been here, some of our best players in single seasons were guys who didn’t play until their senior year. They stayed hungry. As a coach, you have to make those lower levels important. It has to be something you coach and show attention to. You can’t just worry about Friday nights. We have been successful at the freshman and JV levels because we put a lot of attention to it for that very reason. Some guys don’t develop as soon as others. Some of these guys weren’t ready a year ago, but they have been in our program getting those reps and getting attention and are set to just as likely to have a good season as someone who has been starting for three years,” Cornelsen said.
Republic opens the season on Aug. 28 at Lebanon as the Tigers look to build towards another deep district run.
“We want to be playing at a level we expect come districts,” Cornelsen said. “Some years you feel like you can get there really fast when you have a bunch of returners. Some years is going to take you a while to get to where you can execute at that level. When you replace an entire offensive line; we are not going to execute the same we did a year ago early in the season. We understand that and have been here before. We know it takes a little more time.”
