9 minute read
Rebels reload after strong senior class departs
Evan Weiss
MATT KING
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matt.king@lee.net
PARK HILLS – Central ended a modest absence from the state football playoffs last November by capturing its eighth district championship in 12 years.
A stellar senior class stamped its imprint on the program with a 10-2 record, falling only to Class 4 semifinalist MICDS by a touchdown and Class 3 champion St. Mary’s in a rout.
Although only three offensive and three defensive starters are back for the next chapter, the Rebels have prospered in this situation before.
Whether or not this roster can eventually approach the dominance that included four shutout victories in a seven-game stretch remains to be seen, but the general outlook remains favorable.
Many of the new starters previously saw extensive varsity action during second halves, once the first string established huge leads and relinquished the reins to them.
But reduced depth at several positions will create more two-way players out of necessity, and likely force Central to operate at a more tempered pace.
“One of our biggest strengths last year was the ability to play fast, running a lot of plays within a short
Central REBELS
2021 Record: 10-2 (4-0 MAFC White) Head Coach – Kory Schweiss (19th season) Key returners – Jobe Bryant, jr., WR/S; Casen Murphy, jr., QB/S; Evan Weiss, sr., OL/DL; Ty Schweiss, sr., WR/LB; Triston Stewart, sr., OL/DE; Jaxon Jones, soph., RB/LB; Logan Murray, jr., C
2022 Schedule:
8/26 – Poplar Bluff 9/2 – at Caruthersville 9/9 – Potosi* 9/16 – at Cape Central 9/23 – Ste. Genevieve* 9/30 – at Valle Catholic* 10/7 – at Fredericktown* 10/14 – at Dexter 10/21 – Farmington
Ty Schweiss
amount of time,” Schweiss said. “That was possible because we had a lot of guys playing strictly on one side of the ball.
“From a skill perspective, especially our receivers and secondary, we’ll still be able to rotate guys in who are fresh. But otherwise it will be challenging, especially early in the season when it’s hot, to give them some breaks.”
Central averaged a lofty 51 points and 511 yards of total offense per game. Various single-season and career records were broken by running back Dayshawn Welch and quarterback Jett Bridges, who have left their successors an elevated standard to follow.
Leading tacklers Ruger Sutton and Dylan Holifield have also moved on, and the maturation of the next set of starting linebackers could parallel defensive success.
But the Rebels have richly bolstered their athleticism with numerous stars from the track and basketball programs, and are poised to thrive behind a promising offensive front.
“I feel like this could potentially be the best starting line we’ve had in a while, and we were really good there last year,” Schweiss said. “As far as the spread game goes, these five are athletic, pretty strong and have the tools to do many different things.”
The quarterback spot now belongs to junior Casen Murphy, a touted baseball prospect who would have certainly started sooner if not for the proven excellence and poise of Bridges.
Schweiss anticipates solid progress and production as a dual threat from Murphy, who stands to benefit from a crew of dangerous targets spanning the field.
The most obvious
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Casen Murphy
playmaker in space is junior Ty Schweiss stays at outside Jobe Bryant, who returns as linebacker while Williams and a three-year starter and has Horton are competing along already garnered interest from the opposite side. multiple Division I football Williams is also thriving in and basketball programs. practice as a viable extra-point
Bryant captured all-state choice after both kickers from distinction in a second sport last season opted to leave last fall after compiling more the program. than 1,000 receiving yards The new two-year schedplus 15 touchdowns. The Reb-uling cycle appears to hold els may also creatively incor- a similar degree of difficulty. porate him into the backfield. Although MICDS is no longer on the docket, the Rebels Ty Schweiss and Zack Boyd add experience at receiver. have replaced small St. VinCaden Casey and Kendall cent with Class 5 Poplar Bluff Horton, known for their in week 1. hoops skills, could break Ste. Genevieve remains the out along with state track chief conference rival, and neighbor Farmington stays medalists Kannon Harlow and Hakin Wagner. locked into the week 9 slot,
Sophomore Jaxon Jones but the marquee matchup of has emerged as the premier top-10 caliber teams arrives in week 6.choice at running back. Mason Williams has fully recovered Valle Catholic joins the from ACL surgery, and Jailen MAFC White Division this Welch should also pick up season, and will meet Central some carries. for the first time since 2005.
All-state left guard Evan Schweiss and former high Weiss powers a sizable offen- school teammate Judd Naeger sive line, and works alongside made their head coaching all-MAFC center Logan debuts on opposite sidelines Murray at center. Tackles one year earlier. Triston Stewart and Nathan Weinhold move into starting roles, along with right guard Sammy Callaway, after getting valuable time on the defensive line last season.
Their health and stamina will be tested right away, and Coach Schweiss plans to exercise caution within the game plan to avoid wearing them down over the course of a daunting season.
“We were able to send in subs and you wouldn’t really notice much of a drop-off,” he said. “We won’t be able to sub as much this year on the defensive line. We’re tinkering with or changing some of our schemes due to lack of depth up front. A lot of linemen will have to play on both sides of the ball.”
Jones is trending toward being regarded as a top linebacker in the area while still young.
Ty Schweiss stays at outside linebacker while Williams and Horton are competing along the opposite side.
Williams is also thriving in practice as a viable extra-point choice after both kickers from last season opted to leave the program.
The new two-year scheduling cycle appears to hold a similar degree of difficulty. Although MICDS is no longer on the docket, the Rebels have replaced small St. Vincent with Class 5 Poplar Bluff in week 1.
Ste. Genevieve remains the chief conference rival, and neighbor Farmington stays locked into the week 9 slot, but the marquee matchup of top-10 caliber teams arrives in week 6.
Valle Catholic joins the MAFC White Division this season, and will meet Central for the first time since 2005. Schweiss and former high school teammate Judd Naeger made their head coaching debuts on opposite sidelines one year earlier.
The Warriors have been bumped to Class 3 since capturing six Class 1 state titles in the span of a decade under Naeger, and will have hosting honors this year at Fr. John Dempsey Field.
“From a community standpoint, and for our players, it’s going to be really neat,” Schweiss said. “I think everybody has wanted to see this matchup for probably the last 10 years.
“Honestly, Judd and I both wanted to do this when our teams were starting to be really good. We talk a lot about schematics, so it’s almost like taking away an assistant coach when we play against each other.
“We avoided that because we helped each other out so much. But now, our programs have reached a point where it’s harder to find competition that satisfies the needs of our kids consistently throughout the season, so it’s probably about time that we play each other.”
Jobe Bryant
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Trojans shuffle deck with tough schedule ahead
MATT KING
matt.king@lee.net
POTOSI – Two narrow losses at the outset and a serious injury to star running back Booba Henson forced the Potosi football team to show resilience last season.
Several seniors at the time had been given much different roles in the lineup, and the Trojans responded with four victories during a stretch of five October contests.
“With the strength of our schedule, I really thought that we competed well,” former PHS standout and third-year head coach Dylan Wyrick said. “In those first two games against Owensville and Farmington, we were one play away on both nights from being 7-4 instead of 5-6.”
Any current uncertainty heading into week 1 against St. Clair is more anticipated, based on graduation turnover and competition to fill vacant positions.
Potosi also has proven talent. Quarterback Blake Coleman, receiver Gavin Portell and linebacker Zane West enter their senior campaigns as three-year starters.
Wyrick and his coaching staff face the challenge of finding the balance between expanding the playbook and patiently bringing newcomers up to speed.
“As a young head coach, you learn quickly that less is more. I feel at times that we may have thrown too much at them,” he said. “Now I’m just trying to focus on the things that we’re good at, and find sets that put the opposing defense where we want it instead of trying to run a thousand different things.”
The presence of Coleman behind center should facilitate that process. He embodies a trend of strong and aggressive throwing
