For the third year out of his three years at McDonald County High School, football coach Kellen Hoover faces a somewhat rebuilding process.
Going into the 2019 season, Hoover has no familiar faces in any skill positions.
McDonald County High School
2019 Football Rosters
Varsity/JV
No.^Name^Grade^Position
1^Trent Alik^11^WR/DB
4^Bailey Lewis^11^RB/DB
5^Colton Ruddick^10^WR/DB
6^Micha Looney^10^WR/DB
7^Junior Teriek^12^RB/LB
10^Dylan Allison^12
11^Matt Brauer^10
12^Cole Martin^10^QB/DB
13^Arturo Garcia Morales^12
14^Cody Tuttle^10^WR/DB
15^Jack Teague^12^RB/LB
17^John Howard^12^WR/DB
18^Dakota Bullington^10^WR/DB
22^Keegan Driscoll^12^WR/DB
23^Walter Wilson^12^WR/DB
24^Tyler Nelson^11^WR/DB
25^Kevin Martinez^12^WR/DB
26^Corbin Jones^12^WR/DB
28^Wyatt Yousey^10^TE/LB
31^Michael Williams^12^WR/DB
45^Billy Laughard^10^RB/LB
50^Levi Helm^10^TE/LB
54^Kaidan Campbell^11^OL/DL
60^Alberto Valdez^10^OL/LB
61^Dylan Avans^10^OL/DL
62^Logan Harriman^10^OL/DL
63^William Mitchell^12^OL/DL
67^Bradley Saylro^11^OL/DL
68^Garrett Gricks^10^OL/DL
71^Tryston Leach^12^OL/DL
72^Levi Neale^10^OL/DL
73^Matthais Shearer^12^OL/DL
76^Angel Arteaga^10^OL/DL
78^Ben McGonigal^10^OL/DL
80^Levi Malone^10^WR/DB
82^Jackson Clarkson^11^TE/LB
84^Kyle Hook^11^WR/DB
88^Danny Grider^10^TE/DL
Freshman
3^Kurt Harris^9^WR/DB
4^Kasen Hahn^9^RB/DB
6^Hunter Harris^9^WR/DB
9^Kolter vick^9^WR/LB
10^Cody Demoura^9^WR/DB
12^Sterling Woods^9^QB/DB
13^Blain Ortiz^9^WR/DB
15^Cross Dowd^9^QB/DB
40^Fischer Sanny^9^FB/LB
50^Juan Morales^9^OL/DL
57^Khody Owens^9^OL/DL
68^Lalynd Stauber^9^OL/DL
70^Clayton Akin^9^OL/DL
72^Ange Mendoza^9^OL/DL
75^Ashton Looney^9^OL/DL
81^Jack Parnell^9^WR/DB
85^Jordan Saylor^9^WR/LB
88^Raider Blue^9^WR/LB
2019 Mustang Football Schedules
Varsity
Date^Opponent^Time
Aug. 23^at Mount Vernon Jamboree^7 p.m.
Aug. 30^Marshfield^7 p.m.
Sept. 6^at Logan Rogersville^7 p.m.
Sept. 13^East Newton^7 p.m.
Sept. 20^Hollister^7 p.m.
Sept. 27^at Nevada^7 p.m.
Oct.4^Cassville^7 p.m.
Oct. 11^at Lamar^7 p.m.
Oct. 18^Monett^7 p.m.
Oct. 25^at Seneca^7 p.m.
Nov. 1^TBA^7 p.m.
JV
Date^Opponent^Time
Sept. 2^at Marshfield^6 p.m.
Sept. 9^Logan Rogersville^6 p.m.
Sept. 16^at East Newton^6 p.m.
Sept. 23^at Hollister^6 p.m.
Sept. 30^Nevada^6 p.m.
Oct. 7^at Cassville^6 p.m.
Oct. 14^Lamar^6 p.m.
Oct. 21^at Monett^6 p.m.
Oct. 28^Seneca^6 p.m.
Freshman
Date^Opponent^Time
Sept. 2^ Marshfield^6 p.m.
Sept. 9^TBA^6 p.m.
Sept. 16^Bolivar^6 p.m.
Sept. 23^at Hollister^Ninth/JV^6 p.m.
Sept. 30^at Sarcoxie JV^6 p.m.
Oct. 7^Cassville^6 p.m.
Oct. 14^TBA^6 p.m.
Oct. 21^SPF Central^6 p.m.
Oct. 28^at Seneca^6 p.m.
In his first year at MCHS, Hoover and the Mustangs went 5-5 led by quarterback Peyton Barton, running backs Isrrael DeSantiago and Timber Teague and receivers Cole DelosSantos and Kennedy Hodson after McDonald County finished 0-10 the previous year.
Last year with all those players lost to graduation, McDonald County went 3-7 behind the running backs Oakley Roessler and Joe Brown, quarterback Ben Mora and receivers Reece Cooper, Marshall Foreman and Boston Dowd.
Gone for the 2019 season are all those, along with all the yards they gained and the touchdowns they scored.
"We don't have anyone who gained one yard last year unless it was in a mop-up situation," Hoover said. "We are going to have to essentially replace every single position on offense except for a couple of linemen."
The only two returning starters on offense are guard Kaidan Campbell and tackle Tryston Leach.
"Kaidan is a true technician," Hoover said. "We look for him to take on more of a leadership role and to open up a lot of running lanes for our ground game. Tryston will be leaned on heavily to get our running game going early in the season. He has good feet for his size (6-6, 315) and continues to get better at his technique as well."
Hoover said senior Jack Teague will get the majority of carries at tailback with relief help from Junior Teriek. Sophomore Junior Eliam will line up at fullback, wingback, tight end or be spread out in a four-receiver set.
"Jack can run like a deer," Hoover said. "He's strong and fast. Junior can fly. He is smooth -- a pure runner. Junior Eliam is big and strong. He is very athletic for his size and he will wear a lot of hats for us."
Calling the shots at quarterback will be sophomore Cole Martin.
"The main thing with Cole is we have to keep him upright," Hoover said. "As a sophomore, he has on his plate taking over at quarterback at the varsity level. He is smart enough to do it and is getting better every day."
Martin's main targets at receiver will include seniors Keegan Driscoll and John Howard. Senior Michael Williams, junior Trent Alik and sophomore Levi Malone give the Mustangs more depth at receiver than any other position.
"Keegan has got good hands while John is smart and will surprise you with his speed," Hoover said.
Defensively the picture is a little brighter with five returning starters back including, Williams, Teague, Eliam, Alik and Garrett Gricks.
Williams is lone returner on the team who picked up any post-season honors last year, earning second team all-conference and honorable mention all-district at his safety position.
"Michael does a really good job coming downhill and making plays around the line of scrimmage," Hoover said. "He is a really good run-support safety. Jack is a solid tackler. He is tough to get outside of because how he can run. He is a high effort guy and has improved a lot over the summer."
Sophomores Eliam and Gricks will bookend the defensive line at both ends while Alik will cover the opposing offense's best receiver.
"Junior and Garrett both got thrown into the fire a little bit last year," Hoover said. "They have had an off-season to get stronger and build some confidence. They've looked good in camp."
Hoover said that leaves a lot of positions open for someone to fill.
"We should have a lot of good competition for spots," Hoover said. "We want to see how kids compete for a spot and we get an idea on how they will compete on Friday. It's been good to watch that competition. We will probably have more guys going both ways than in the past so we are going to have to have some young guys step up in their conditioning. We will have guys ready to go behind them, but when it comes down to the game on the line, we will have to have our best on the field."
McDonald County opens the season on Aug. 30 against Marshfield at home. The Mustangs are then on the road on Sept. 6 at Logan-Rogersville before returning home to host East Newton on Sept. 13 in their first Big 8 West Division contest.
"You have to consistently bring your best in the Big 8 each and every week," Hoover said. "It's all about focusing on us and doing our job extraordinarily well each and every snap. If everyone is focused on getting their job done right, everything else will take care of itself."
Sports on 08/29/2019