Slater wildcats

Last season, the Wildcats transitioned into a new system under a new head coach, they opened the season with a 38-14 win against Midway. Although, this is not how the remainder of the season would go. The Wildcats roster would undergo many injuries and would leave the sidelines looking sparse. Once again Slater put in maximum effort, but received minimal results. Going just 2-7 on the season was another disappointment for a Wildcat team that has some good size, speed and athletic ability. It was a similar story to the previous few years where sometimes it simply comes down to not having enough players to be competitive with their schedule. Last season especially, players would have no choice but to play on both sides of the ball and this was the eye-opening realization to make the switch to 8-Man Football. That’s right. The Wildcats have decided, along with a few others in the central Missouri area, to make the move to 8-man football. It comes down to being competitive and giving players a more positive experience. The transition will not be easy as they will have a head coach by committee approach as coaches Aric Falls, Eric Brayman and Cedric Davis form a head coaching Triumverate. Each coach will handle a specific area of the program. In making the switch there will be a learning curve on the vast differences between 11 man and 8 man, but one thing holds true; size, speed and athletic ability matter no matter what version you’re playing and that is what will give Slater an advantage. They return eight players with experience on both sides of the ball. At quarterback, senior Grayson Zydbel (5’11, 165) will showcase his athletic abilities that enabled him to throw for 1,102 yards and 8

Class: (8-Man)

Conference: Central River Conference

Head Coach: By Committee

Number of Returning Lettermen: 12

Returning Starters Offense: 8

Returning Starters Defense: 8

Last Year’s Record: 2-7

TDs. Junior Chase Hemeyer (5’8, 140) is coming off an injury and he will add speed to the QB position. At the wide receiver spot junior Brandon Terrill (6’3, 160) has great size and had 20 catches for 456 yards and 6 TDs. Senior DeVon Moore (5’11, 160) made 11 catches for 181 yards and 2 scores and junior Jalen Knox (5’11, 160) made 3 catches for 24 yards. Junior Gannin Moore (6’2, 180) will be able to give the defense a different look from his familiar tight end spot. The primary rusher will be senior Seth Hunsaker (6’1, 160). Freshman Ethan Lowman (5’11, 150) will be contributing at running back right out of the gate. His speed and size will make Ethan a force coming out the backfield. Upfront the junior guard tandem of Keiton Head (6’0, 180) and Cody Gessling (6’5, 250) returns. Sophomore Maddox Tyler (6’2, 220) will add size and strength to the OL. The coaching staff believes the Wildcats speed and size will be a big part of their offensive success this season as they will return a veteran line with veteran skill players. They will have speed all over the field it will be tough to guard when they spread it out. Adding a TE that stands at 6’2, will be able to open the field and give the QB another big target. The Wildcats will employ an 8-man Spread attack. Last season Slater averaged 121 rushing yards and 132 passing yards per game and 20 points per game last year. Decent, balanced numbers, but look for those to explode in the wide-open 8 Man game where teams can score 50, 60, 70, 80 or even 90 points in a game! The defensive side of the ball is tasked at keeping those numbers to a more reasonable level. The good news is that they have eight experienced players back. Senior linebackers Seth Hunsaker (43 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) and Grayson Zydbel (14 tackles, 1 INT) lead the way. They will be joined by junior Brandon Terrill (28 tackles, 3 INT, 1 DEF TD) who will play a hybrid LB/Free Safety spot. Along the D-Line will be the trio of juniors Gannin Moore (DE, 3 tackles, 1 FF), Keiton Head (DE, 50 tackles, 3 sacks, 9 TFL, 2 FF) and Cody Gessling (DT, 9 tackles, 2 sacks) and sophomore Maddox Tyler will rotate in on the line. DeVon Moore (8 tackles) and Jalen Knox (10 tackles, 1 FF) are versatile enough that they will play either cornerback or move inside to defensive end. Look for freshman Kia Legardo (6’1, 160) to be in at cornerback as well. His height and athletic ability will make him a tough corner to throw against. Last season the Slater defense allowed 175 rushing yards and 84 passing yards per game and 35 points per game. With a new start, the coaches are very excited to have they type of players they have returning. They have a lot of athletes with speed all across the field. Being able to cause havoc when it comes to the passing game, and the DL