For three seasons, the Cassville football team brought home some type of postseason hardware, and after a tough season marked by inexperience in 2021, the Wildcats are raising the bar this year.
Clay Weldy, newly minted head coach entering his 15th season with Cassville, said inexperience was the challenge last year, and this year’s challenge is utilizing the growth from the last.
“The best part of last season was how we continued to improve and get better throughout the season,” Weldy said. “We were an extremely inexperienced team a year ago. Each week, as we gained experience, we were able to play better and became more competitive in our games. We are hoping that the experience we gained and the adversity we went through last year will pay off this year and make us a better team.”
Another hindrance last season was physical.
“We also had some injuries early in the season that caused us to move some guys around to fill those spots,” Weldy said. “We had several guys that ended playing several different positions during the season, which we are hoping will make us better this year.”
The Wildcats have nearly a dozen senior returning starters, filling all variety of positions.
On offense, Cassville has Brennen Cieslinski, 6-0, 175; Austin Revolorio, 5-10, 220; and Christian Tidwell, 5-9, 230 on the line, with Tidwell playing both ways. Jake Anthonysz, 5-9, 165, is the elder statesman of the backfield and a defensive back, and Isaac Hadlow, 6-0, 200, will bookend the line at tight end. Hernan Hernandez, 5-8, 170, rounds out the senior offense at wide receiver and defensive back, also filling the role of punter.
On defense, Wyatt Alexander, 5-8, 160, will be at defensive back with Trey Wilson, 5-6, 140. Keaton Shellenberger, 6-2, 205, will lead the interior at linebacker. Ethan Lamborn, 6-1, 230, will anchor the defensive line.
The final senior leader is not on the field much, but has a vital role, kicker Peter Littlefield. He, along with Anthonysz, Hernandez and Tidwell, sport All-Conference honors from 2021.
Returning junior starters number three: defensive lineman Cosmo Rhoads, 6-4, 215; linebacker and running back Bryson Jacobson, 5-10, 170; and offensive lineman Joseph Reuter, 5-10, 205.
Four more key seniors add to the Wildcats’ depth: linemen Ethan Morgan, 5-8, 200; Josh Yount, 5-8, 160; and lineman Bryson Hendrix, 5-10, 260, and wide receiver and defensive back Frank Osborne, 5-9, 130.
Another five juniors and a sophomore fill out the likely starters and playmakers: defensive back and receiver Garrett Ewing, 5-7, 140; receiver and defensive back Dakota Bowen, 5-4, 130; linebacker and quarterback Joseph Burton, 5-9, 160; lineman Richard Fohn; and linebacker and receiver Angel Vail, 5-8, 170. Sophomore Bodee Rose is 5-9, 145 and penned at defensive back and quarterback.
Over the summer, Weldy said Rose, Ewing and Burton have all been taking reps under center.
“Garrett is a year older, so his knowledge of the offense is a little bit better,” he said. “Bodee got hurt in Week 3 last season, so he’s still playing a little catch-up learning plays and reads. Joseph is in his first year at quarterback and had a great summer. We’re putting a lot of people in different positions to see what works best.”
Weldy said the upperclassman- heavy squad will have to lift the Wildcats from a 3-7 campaign and first-round district exit, and he believes they can.
“We have good sized senior class and we will be leaning on that group for leadership this season,” he said. “We bring back quite a bit of experience from last year’s team. I believe our experience will be a biggest strength going into the season.
“We felt that we need to get faster and stronger. We have been working hard in the weight room since the end of the season trying to get stronger and put on some good size. Working on speed has been another emphasis.”
Weldy said the focus comes from a lesser physicality in 2021, a hallmark characteristic of successful Cassville teams.
“We felt that last year we were not as physical as we like to be, and that begins in the weight room,” Weldy said. “That continued to be addressed in the summer, as well. We have been seeing some good gains, but are still looking to improve every day.” Weldy said with the change in staff, he hopes the Wildcats can start big and grow bigger. “For the first time since 1998, Lance Parnell will not be coaching football at Cassville,” he said. “We have several staff changes besides Lance. So, we have several new coaches, and Ben Glidewell will take over as defensive coordinator. “Our goal as a team is to get better as the season progresses. We want to see improvements each week of the season. We want to be playing our best football when districts begin.”
Cassville opens the season on the road at Hollister on Aug. 26, closing the campaign also on the road, facing Monett in the Barry County Brawl on Oct. 21.
Editor’s note: This article and 14 others will be printed in the 2022 edition of Gridiron, set to come out by the end of August.
