Columbia Hickman kewpies

The Hickman Kewpies struggled to find their footing last season enroute to a 2-8 season. Many different factors led up to it and Coach Cedric Alvis reflects on that, “Injuries prevented us from being the most successful at times. When healthy, we were able to do a few good things on both sides of ball, however, we were not able to consistently make plays.” The great news for coach Alvis is that Hickman returns seventeen experienced players, 9 starters on offense and 8 starters on defense. Having to play so many young, inexperienced players last year will hopefully pay dividends this season. On the offensive side of the ball, it starts with the signal caller junior Carter Holliday (6’4, 175). The QB completed 76 passes for 1,049 yards and 8 TD’s and added 45 carries for 172 yards and 2 scores. Look for the Academic All-State Holliday to be more comfortable in the pocket and become more of a dual threat at QB. The senior receiving duo of Lucas Murray (6’2, 160) and Tionne Milo (5’9, 165) will be a good source of yardage for the Kewpies. Murray had 14 receptions for 206 yds and 2 TDs and Milo had 12 rushes for 130 yds and a score and 13 receptions for 167 yds and 1 TD. Look for the biggest improvement to be at TE where junior Brock Camp will use his size (6’6, 230) to become a force at the tight end spot. Last season he had 16 Receptions for 234 yards, so look for those numbers to increase greatly. The primary ball-carrier will be senior Zach Wright (5’9, 165) who had 68 rushes for 282 yds and 4 TDs and

Class: 6

Conference: CMAC

Head Coach: Cedric Alvis Years at School: 6

Record at School: 13-36

Returning Lettermen: 17

Returning Starters Offense: 9

Returning Starters Defense: 8

Last Year’s Record: 2-8 was named Academic All-State. The biggest strength of this Hickman offense will be the return of an offensive line that is experienced and large in stature. They are led by senior Simon Hammer (5’11, 270). Juniors Kellan Moore (6’0, 230) and Drew Wooden (5’9, 200) are back again as is youngster Kooper Breshears (5’9, 260). Just a sophomore Breshears saw playing time last year as a freshman. The Kewpies will run a typical Spread offense as they look for not only more yards and points, but better balance. Last season they rushed for just over 100 yards per game and passed for 136 yards per game. Those low numbers led to a lackluster offense where they were shut out four times and scoring over 30 points only once. Coach Alvis sees a lot of promise and talent to build around, “With a lot of returning OLine, we are excited with our potential ability to run the football. With the emergence of several young players, we are optimistic about our improvement from last year’s team.”

The defense will have to step up their game as well after struggling to stop their opponents throughout the year. There is a good solid base and with so many players back healthy, look for this Hickman team to be more stout in 2023. The defensive line will be a strength with three seniors returning; defensive ends Ondreis Sharp (6’3, 240) who had 30 Tackles, 2.5 Sacks and 5 TFL, An’Danvantae Bussey (6’4, 215) 5 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 TFL and Aiden Smith (6’3, 240) 36 Tackles .5 Sacks and 6 TFL. All physical against the run and can pressure quarterbacks with their speed pass rushes. Sophomore Kooper Breshears will be at defensive tackle and behind him at backer is senior Devin Brown (6’0, 205). Brown made 30 Tackles, had 1 Sack, 1 FF, 5 TFL and earned Academic All-State honors. The secondary is stacked with the senior trio of A’Sean Gaddie (5’10, 160) Weston Howe (6’2, 165) and Rodney McNeil Jr. (6’1, 175). Gaddie registered 52 Tackles, 2 INT, 3 PBU, 2 TFL and was named All-Con ference and All-District. Howe led the way with 64 Tackles, 3 PBU and 2 TFL and the dynamic DB McNeil had 13 Tackles, 2 INT, 1 FF, 2 TFL and was named AllConference, All-District and Academic AllState. Hickman will run a 4-3 alignment this season. Last year they allowed 130 rushing yards per game and only 85 passing yards per game, but the 39.7 points allowed per game last year is why they are so happy to have injured players back and the upperclassmen, “We have experience at each level this year, we have returning lineman linebackers, and secondary pieces,” stated Coach Alvis. “We’re en- www.cleeks.com

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941 CHEROKEE DR STE 5 (660) 831-5322 couraged by the leadership our veterans have shown helping guide our young kids to step up as playmakers.” Coach Alvis and his Assistant Coaches: Lionel Smith, Chris Porter, Marvin Williams, Taylor Kliethermes, Craig Seymour, Danny Spry, Nash Sutherlin, Alec Downs, Jaylon Williamson, Jarel Hyler and Jeffro Jefferson instill the program’s philosophy, “Teaching and coaching, in my experiences are synonymous, pushing academic integrity in the classroom and competitive excellence on the field are one in the same,” Coach Alvis states. “In terms of football it is my opinion, that football is the ultimate team game, one player cannot decide the out-

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come of the game. Instead, a team must work together towards one common goal, each individual of the team must do their job. Understanding where each person fits, their required contributions, team expectations, societal norms and values is a process.” As coach continues to build this program back up, he can see more potential being realized this season. “Excited to get this bunch of kids on the field. The offseason has been an extremely beneficial time for a majority of the kids, as well as the overall improvement of our team.”

Matt Perkins had an exceptional first season leading the Rock Bridge program. His Bruins finished the season with a mark of 9-3, securing a CMAC conference championship and ultimately falling to DeSmet in the district finals. The year began with a loss to Park Hill South, but Rock Bridge quickly got things pointed in the right direction and reeled off seven straight wins, including a terrific 35-28 overtime win against Capital City. The winning streak ended with a tough loss to Francis Howell, the eventual Class 5 state champion.

This year, Rock Bridge returns seven starters to an offense that averaged 165 passing yards, 145 rushing yards, and 34.8 points per game. The team’s successes this year will begin under center. “We have great quarterback depth,” Perkins says, referring to two of Missouri’s best prep signal-callers: senior QB Sam Kaiser (6-6, 220) and junior QB Brady Davidson (6-5, 200). Kaiser, currently the state’s #1 quarterback recruit, earned Honorable Mention on the All-Conference team after throwing for 1,686 yards, 21 TDs, and 5 INTs. Encouragingly, Kaiser connected on 62% of his passes; as a senior, his accuracy should only improve. Kaiser has already pulled in Division 1 offers from the likes of Vanderbilt, Miami (OH), and Pitt. Amazingly, Davidson also made AllConference Honorable Mention and also has a Miami (OH) offer. Each features as

Class: 6

Conference: Central Missouri

Head Coach: Matt Perkins

Years at School: 1

Record at School: 9-3

Overall Record: 63-49

Offensive Starters Returning: 7

Defensive Starters Returning: 6

Total Returning Lettermen: 30

2022 Overall Record: 9-3 a pro-style quarterback, so Perkins can’t exactly switch them up to give the opposing defense a totally different look—but it’s a good problem to have. The secondyear coach boasts two of the state’s top quarterbacks, something most coaches can only ever dream of. And those aren’t the Bruins’ only big playmakers. Junior ATH Drevyn Seamon (5-10, 170) was named First-Team All-Conference as a wideout/kick returner after leading Rock Bridge with 14 TDs. He has the ability to make players miss but isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder and initiate contact. Expect him to be on even more end-of-year lists this winter. Senior RB Cooper Myers (5-9, 200) is a punishing rusher who relishes the chance to go between the tackles. Incredibly, Myers averaged 1 TD every 3.9 carriers. He’ll be a key factor in Perkins’ offensive setup in the season ahead. Sharing in the ball-carries will be senior RB Stef Williams (5-10, 180) and junior RB Derrick Young (5-10, 185). Ready to haul in passes from Kaiser and Davidson alike are junior WR Riley Rowling (6-0, 175) and junior WR Devin Holt (6-3, 185)—two of the conference’s fastest players—and sophomore TE Garrett Essner (6-5, 210). The Rock Bridge offensive line will be led by senior OL Lars Perkins

(6-1, 240), an All-Conference performer. He’s again joined as a starter on the line by senior OL Carter Devore (6-5, 275), senior OL Stu Llewellyn (6-4, 365), and junior OL Jaxon Kindle (6-4, 310). Senior OL Roderick Roby (5-11, 235) and senior OL JR Littell (6-2, 270), both athletic for their size, are set to see increased playing time in 2023.

Six starters are back for the Bruins’ defense. The linebacking corps will be again be led by senior LB Spencer Irvin (510, 190) and senior LB Grayson Cutchlow (6-3, 215). The two were monsters in their junior season, combining for exactly 300 tackles. Irvin finished the year with 161 tackles, 13 for loss, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery, while Cutchlow landed on 139 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 INT and 2 defensive TDs. They make for one of the more fearsome duos in the CMAC, but will be even tougher with the new presence of senior LB Elijah Morton (6-2, 230), a transfer from Hickman who already has an offer from Northwest Missouri State. Junior LB Crew Norden rounds out this promising group. Back to start on the Dline is junior DL Dain Almquist (6-3, 255). Almquist had a nice sophomore season, posting 44 tackles, 6 for loss, and 1 INT. Senior DL Josh Larkins (6-4, 280) and

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junior DL Jeremy Woods (6-1, 260) also project as starters. Senior DL Jeremy Anderson (6-0, 300) was set to return this year, but it looks like a preseason injury might sideline him. They will miss the 40 tackles he totaled last season. The secondary has loads of depth and some serious talent, including senior DB Cullen Snow (6-1, 175) and junior DB Ben Boehmer (6-0, 180). Snow, an absolute playmaker on defense, was named Second-Team All-State after recording 10 pass breakups, 7 INTs, and 1 defensive TD. Boehmer had 68 tackles, 2 for loss, and 1 INT. Expect senior DB Kenyon Minnis (6-0, 185)—who has an offer from Central Missouri—senior DB Parker Jutting (6-1, 175), junior DB Donivan Taylor (5-9, 185), and junior DB Mason Snider (5-11, 190) to all play big parts as well. Junior ATH Ross Taylor (6-1, 190) also features as a multi-purpose option on defense. He’s returning from an injury and, according to Perkins, has “lots of promise.”

Rock Bridge has some next-level playmakers in their ranks, along with two of the best young QBs around. There’s every reason to expect a big season from the Bruins, especially because, as Perkins says, “Our group has had a good offseason.”

Pigskin’s Pick: 7-2