South Callaway bulldogs

The South Callaway Bulldogs are looking to improve on their success from last year (6-5) with new leadership. Head Coach Steve Wisch is taking over the team after 8 years on staff as an assistant coach. Coach Wisch’s transition into the new role should be easy on the team since he is a familiar face. He hopes to continue the culture of discipline, helping his players develop athletically and personally. The Bulldogs welcome back 10 starters from last year’s team, giving a strong core group of experience to this team.

The Bulldogs are welcoming back senior quarterback Tayber Gray (5-9, 145). Gray posted some very solid numbers last year with 699 yards rushing, 599 passing yards, and 14 total touchdowns. He earned himself 2nd Team All-District Honors for last year’s efforts and also collected All-District Basketball Honors as well. Gray also sees time on the other side playing as a defensive back. He earned himself 1st Team All-District Honors for his defense as well with 55 tackles and 1 interception. Gray is a key to this team’s success this season. If he can keep his team focused, put them in good positions, and keep making athletic plays then they will be in good shape offensively. Senior offensive lineman Landon Adams (6-0, 200) is returning to the trenches for the Bulldogs with some valuable experience to lead his younger teammates. On the Class: 1

Conference: EMO

Head Coach: Steve Wisch

Years at School: 8 (First year as HC)

Overall Record: 0-0

Returning Lettermen: 10

Offensive Returning Starters: 5

Defensive Returning Starters: 5

2022 Overall Record: 6-5 line next to him will be the large sophomore lineman Lee Butcher (6-2, 220). He’s an athletic big man who is a successful All-Conference Track competitor as well. Rounding out the top 3 lineman is junior Alex Kraft (6-1, 200) who is looking to continue to gain experience and have a breakout year in his position. Senior wide receiver, Isaiah Shirley (5-9, 130) is back as a target for Tayber Gray and hoping to improve on his 4 catches and 1 touchdown from last year.

Defensively, South Callaway is blessed with some returning strong athletes such as senior defensive linemen Eli Benningfield (5-8, 190) who ended the year with 44 tackles and 1 sack. He will be helping out on the OL as well and is quite an athlete as he is a state qualifying wrestler. Next at outside linebacker is senior Owen Rees. He is a pillar at backer after finishing last year with 81 tackles and 1 sack which earned him All-District Honors. Rees will also have his outside linebacker counterpart junior Nathan Hecktor (6-2, 180) back as well. Hecktor finished the 2022 season with 14 tackles. Senior Landon Adams (6-0, 200) returns along the D-Line. Last year Adams had 28 tackles and 1 sack so expect to see a similar defensive output for him. The Bulldogs will see a few of their players pulling double duty this year but that is nothing new for these experienced players. Their quarterback Tayber Gray will be working as a defensive back as well this season. Senior Levi Summers (5-10, 155) will be providing some overall ability and athleticism to this squad on the OL at LB. Senior Noah Kinney (5’8, 160) will add depth and ability to the offense WR & defense DB. Kinney is another state qualifying wrestler. In the running back and defensive back areas will be senior Ryan Briggs (5-8, 140) that will add some important depth to this team. Briggs is an All Conference track athlete who ended last year with 16 carries for 76 yards. At outside linebacker and wide receiver will be the quick and lengthy junior, Zach Wright (6-2, 170). He will be a good target for QB Tayber Gray to bomb the ball downfield on some deep shots. Sophomore Jace Caruthers (5-11, 250) will be in trenches on both sides all year as a solid utility lineman. Getting some looks at running back and defensive back also

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are sophomores Kolton Adrian (6-2, 170) and Graden Pontius (6-0, 140). These guys will be getting some great experience and hopefully will solidify into key players for the Bulldogs.

Upon review of last year’s season, Head Coach Steve Wisch is focusing on “building on the tradition of swarming and punishing at South Callaway with kids playing happy & fast while creating havoc for other teams.” South Callaway has good tradition of solid football teams, especially in recent years, and hopes to build upon their success. Coach Wisch really cares about making sure his team has a good experience and learns how to become successful on and off the field. “We have a great tradition here at South Callaway - the goal is to build upon that foundation in all aspects. Our staff desires to have a positive impact on kids in all aspects of their life. Our belief is that by becoming better men of discipline, appreciation, work ethic, grit, and service, we are going to be happy with the outcome of how we develop as football players as well.”

South Callaway is a solid team with great returning players who know how to win. As long as they continue to play their game this year and their underclassmen develop well as the season progresses, they will find success and make a solid playoff run.

In 2022, the South Shelby Cardinals recorded their first winning season since 2016. Under the leadership of Head Coach Adam Gunterman, the team finished the season with an 8-4 record, eventually losing to Monroe City in the District championship. It was Gunterman’s third season at South Shelby as the head coach. The team has seen vast improvements since he took over in 2020; South Shelby went 0-8 in his first season. In a competitive Clarence Cannon Conference, the Cardinals will look to repeat their success in the 2023 season.

South Shelby boasted a potent offense in 2022 and will see eight offensive starters return this season. The team returns some of its most explosive players, including senior WR/RB Cameron Wiseman (5’10, 180). Wiseman proved to be an asset for both the Cardinals’ running and passing game. He recorded 716 receiving yards on 57 receptions, as well as 688 rushing yards and a total of 16 touchdowns in the 2022 season. This earned Wiseman first-team All-District and All-Conference and 2nd team All-State honors as a WR. The Cardinals will also return their primary rusher, senior RB Kendal Hammond (6’2, 215). Hammond led the team in rushing yards with 1,638 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. He recorded three additional receiving touchdowns and earned first-team All-Conference honors. The Cardinals aim to reproduce their offensive success in

Class: 1 or 2

Conference: Clarence Cannon

Head Coach: Adam Gunterman

Years at School: 3

Record at School: 12-19

Overall Record: 12-19

Offensive Starters Returning: 8

Defensive Starters Returning: 6

Total Returning Lettermen: 17

2022 Overall Record: 8-4

2023 behind five returning offensive linemen. These returning linemen include senior OL Chance Rainey (6’3, 215) and Ethan Dodd (6’1, 215), as well as junior OL Kaiden Pool (6’2, 215), Aadon Magruder (6’0, 200) and Cooper Elsen (6’1, 190). The Cardinals begin the season with experience on the line, something that will be a great advantage for the run-first offense. Dodd, in particular, returns to the lineup after getting injured in week 3. Another significant returning starter includes senior WR Jarron Durbin (6’3, 180), who recorded four receiving TDs and 113 receiving yards in 2022. “Most of these players are multi-year starters and understand what is asked of them,” Gunterman said. The Cardinals offense will look to begin the season with a bang against the Milan Wildcats. South Shelby’s offense propelled them to big wins over district competition in 2022. The team averaged 31.4 points per game, including six games where they scored more than 40 points. They did it behind a strong rushing game, which averaged 245.6 rushing yards per game. With their top two rushers – Wiseman and Hammond – returning in 2023, as well as five returning linemen, look for the Cardinals to push that running game even further. The team also averaged 155.3 passing yards per game and primarily utilized a pistol formation. They will have to replace All-State QB Trey Countryman and Coach Gunterman says two players are battling for that spot.

On the other side of the ball, South Shelby will return six defensive starters. Of these starters, the Cardinals have several key linebackers coming back to the lineup. This includes OLB Chance Rainey, who earned second-team All-State, first-team All-Conference and first-team Coaches All-District honors in 2022. Coach Gunterman says Rainey will be the defensive leader in 2023. Due to injury, Rainey only played in 10 of the team’s 12 games, but managed to register 86 tackles, five sacks and 18 tackles for loss. Other significant returning starters include senior LB Kendal Hammond and junior OLB Cooper Elsen. Hammond registered 65 tackles, along with seven tackles for loss, one interception and two forced fumbles. Elsen tallied 59 tackles, three forced fumbles and three sacks – totals that earned him secondteam All-District honors. South Shelby’s secondary will feature two returning starters: senior DBs Cameron Wiseman and Jarron Durbin. In 2022, Durbin recorded 30 tackles, along with two interceptions and two forced fumbles, while Wiseman recorded 58 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble. The Cardinals also return senior DL Ethan Dodd, who registered 14 tackles and two sacks in just 2.5 games, before injury caused him to miss the rest of the season. The defense also includes valuable newcomers like junior LB Gabe Bowen (5’10, 180) and senior LB Jordan Timbrooke (6’0, 180), along with junior DB Preston Elsen (5’10, 165).

The South Shelby defense, who primarily lines up in an odd 3-4 front, allowed 20.8 points per game this past season. Coach Gunterman aims to get this average below 20 points per game in 2023.

“(South Shelby’s) defensive strengths start with retaining our entire coaching staff for 2023, including defensive coordinator Carl Parman,” Gunterman said. The defense allowed 170.3 rushing yards per game and only 88.8 passing yards per game this past season. With key returning starters, Gunterman and the South Shelby coaching staff are hopeful that their defense will continue to improve.

Since Gunterman’s first season as South Shelby head coach, the team has seen vast improvements on both sides of the ball. Despite losing key starters, Gunterman is confident that success will continue in 2023. “We are making the right steps to becoming a tough football team,” he said. “We have great potential.”

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Yost, Agent