Francis Borgia knights

When it comes to Missouri football, few men have left a legacy like St. Francis Borgia Coach Dale Gildehaius. With a 286-112 record after 37 years of coaching at the school, a 2021 finish of 1-9 was disappointing to say the least. However, the 2022 campaign marked new life for the Knights, who found themselves in the district final with an 8-4 record before losing to eventual state champion Blair Oaks. It was clear Borgia played with a chip on their shoulder after the lackluster season, and with a stacked roster of returners, don’t expect the Knights to slow down anytime soon. With 1,297 passing yards in 2022, Koen Zeltmann (5-11, 170) returns for his senior season after notching 12 TDs in the previous campaign and his second offensive player of the year title. Zeltmann’s speed is undeniable as he has been named All-State in the hurdles every off-season of his high school career. This speed pushed him to 530 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in the 2022 season. Behind Zeltmann will be junior Hayden Wolfe (5-11, 185) who collected 524 rushing yards of his own, and finding the endzone an impressive eight times throughout the season. Meanwhile, equally important is the receiving corps of seniors Tate Marquart (5-10, 170) and Nathan Kell (5-10, 174), who made up 10 of the 12 touchdown receptions from Zeltmann

Class: 2 or 3

Conference: AAA

Head Coach: Dale Gildehaus

Years at School: 37

Record at School: 286-112

Offensive Starters Returning: 8

Defensive Starters Returning: 8

Total Returning Lettermen: NA

2022 Overall Record: 8-5 last season, earning both young men All-Conference accolades. Marquart has made a significant splash, recording the second-most receptions in the conference, grabbing the attention of schools like Missouri State and Southwest Baptist. Gildehaus says that the key will be keeping his skill guys healthy, as well as his line which will look almost identical to the previous season, seeing a familiar name Jacob Gildehaus (6-2, 275) alongside fellow senior Andrew Maune (6-3, 293), and juniors Brandon Klusner (6-1, 245) and Jacob Brinkman (6-0, 220). On the offensive end, the Knights are looking to spread the field and continue to run up the scoreboard.

On the opposite side of the ball, Borgia will run a 4-3 defense, led by Wolfe at linebacker and Kell at defensive back. Wolfe and Kell both earned All-Conference status for their defensive efforts, notching 51 and 62 tackles, respectively. Senior Will Hoer (5-10, 170) is also expected to make a large impact at DB after seeing 54 tackles in the previous season. Junior Lucas Hardin

(5-11, 205) will also return to linebacker after recording five sacks and 22 solo tackles. While returning a majority of its defensive squad, Gildehaus expects his team not to settle and continue to improve on last year’s play. Coach attributes his team’s success to the family mentality within the program. “Every one of my players knows I’m there 24/7, 365 days a year if they need me,” Gildehaus said. “[I want] the kids to know I’m a coach on the field, but like a father to my players off the field.” Gildehaus will continue to instill the competitive drive that the Knights needed last season in order to come back from such a down season in 2021. The Knights likely have a couple games circled on their schedule for the upcoming season, however, no challenge in the regular season will be more difficult than heading on the road to face the 2022 Class 3 state champions Cardinal Ritter Sept. 29. Another opportunity to avenge a loss for the Knights will come on homecoming night as Borgia hosts Duchesne Sept. 15 at home. The season will conclude as it did last season with an exhibition at home against an out-of-state opponent, Dupo from Illinois, before the start of district play. Notably, the upcoming season marks the schools’ last in its current conference, the Archdiocesan Athletic Association. The Archdiocese announced that it would no longer facilitate conference operations, effectively dissolving the conference in its current form. Reportedly, Borgia submitted requests to join the Four Rivers, Gateway Athletic and Metro Conferences ahead of the 2024-2025 season but it looks as if none of those will work out. As a result, Borgia will become independent after this season, continuing the schools woes of finding a permanent conference home, which it had hoped were ended by joining the AAA in 2012. Though scheduling may look different in the future, the goal for Borgia remains the same: to develop the courage, determination and dedication to be successful. This season it looks like Borgia is back to their consistently competitive ways. The schedule is of course tough, but Coach Gildehaus throughout his career likes to play a challenging schedule to prepare his teams for when it matters most, in the district and the playoffs.

Last season, the St. James Tigers finished with a record of 3-8. They beat Salem, Cuba, and Principia, but lost in a close game to Lutheran South that came down to the last minute. They also lost to Hermann, Sullivan, Union, and Pacific. The team battled through the injury bug in the skill and line positions. This season, a new head coach takes the reins as Dusty Craft will be calling the shots. He has been a part of the Tiger program for the last couple years and takes over an experienced group with 25 Lettermen returning with eight starters on offense and seven returning starters on defense. The Tigers’ offensive scheme will look a little different this year under Coach Craft. Last year, they averaged 5.9 yards per carry during the run game, 86 passing yards per game, and scored 18.36 points per game. “We will be going away from our Wing T offense to more of a Spread/Pro look,” Craft said. “Our strengths will be the skill positions using our athleticism.”

Senior Cooper Harlan (5’10, 200 lbs) is back at quarterback. Coach calls him “A field general with lots of experience as the signal caller.” He will be one of the seniors this year to watch along with Ryan Spurgeon (5’10, 175 lbs), and Josh Earls (6’1, 170 lbs).

Class: 3

Conference: Four Rivers

Head Coach: Dusty Craft

Years at School: 3 (1st as HC)

Returning lettermen: 25

Returning offensive starters: 8

Returning defensive starters: 7

Last year’s record 3-8

Spurgeon is a mainstay at the running back spot, using his speed and athleticism to not only earn the hard yards up the middle, but also break off a long run every so often. He is a big play waiting to happen and the new wide-open offense should give him the space he needs. Earls is a great route runner at wide out and with the ball in the air more look for a big year from him. The junior duo of Blaine Noakes (5’9, 155) and John Altis (5”10, 165) are back at wide receiver as well. Senior James Perkins (6’1, 200) is back at his tight end spot after missing last season with an injury. Coach says “He will be an impact player on both sides of the ball.” Senior offensive lineman Luca Giacolone (6’3, 225 lbs) earned honorable mention All-Conference 2nd Team Coaches, All-District and 2nd Team Media All-District. Jacob Carpenter (6’4, 270 lbs) is another senior offensive lineman who will contribute to St. James’ front once again, as will big junior Lane Engelmeier (6’1, 275). A pair of juniors, Charles McCormick (5’10, 205) and Max Burns (5’10, 205) will round out the offensive line.

Coach Craft’s philosophy is to dominate with the offensive scheme. “Any offense must be a balanced attack to be successful,” Craft said. “We must be able to run and pass out of multiple formations and attack the defensive weaknesses when necessary.”

On the defensive side, the Tigers are looking to run a 3-3, 3-4 hybrid formation. “Our strengths this year will come from our experience,” Coach Craft said. “A lot of the starters come in with three good years of experience and the younger guys who will contribute this year were thrown to the fire a little last year, so they have experience now that will help them be ready.” Senior outside linebacker Ryan Spurgeon will spearhead the defense with junior linebacker John Altis. Spurgeon earned 2nd Team AllConference last year and 1st Team Coaches All-District, 2nd Team Media

All-District, and 3rd Team Coaches

All-State. Cast mates, Blaine Noakes, and Ganon Ambrose will man the defensive backfield along with Josh Earls who will be a huge asset to the secondary playing defensive back. Other contributions to the defense include senior defensive lineman Luca Giacolone, junior defensive linemen Charles McCormick, and Max Burns. Junior Carter Wilfong (6’0,180) will man one of the defensive end spots while senior James Perkins will be at the other.

“One of the big strengths with us being in an odd front defense is it will allow our DE’s James Perkins and Carter Willing to just play football and wreak havoc,” stated Coach Craft. “This season is the first as head coach for me,” commented Coach Craft. “I am really excited to get started. Leaning on our experience on both sides of the ball, I look to us having a good start at changing the culture of St. James Football.” Bringing back a talented, experienced core of seniors and juniors along with some good size and speed should put St. James in a better position throughout the year to be more competitive each and every week.