The best qualities of a football team could be described with word like speedy, intelligent or powerful, but Cassville Football Coach Clay Weldy used another word to describe his Wildcats this season — Gritty.
Cassville, one of the smaller-sized teams in the Big 8 this season and with multiple underclassmen in starting roles, turned in a 5-6 campaign, falling to Reeds Spring in the district semifinals, 14-7.
“I’m happy we progressed like we did and got better every game,” Weldy said. “We had a good start at 3-1, then had some tough games in the middle. Buty, we were playing our best at the end. Our last game against Reeds Spring was the best defense we’d played all year, so I’m very proud of how we progressed there.”
Weldy said the Wildcats’ biggest issue this season was turnovers, including five in the final game of the season.
“Turnovers were our Achilles heel,” he said. “Against Nevada, we had a lot of turnovers, and we had five against Reeds, so I’m proud of our defense for being able to keep us in that game. We didn’t have the record we wanted, but we got better, and the defense was playing its best football when it counted.”
While there were some highlight moments on the field this season, Weldy said the biggest takeaway for him was watching his leaders find their voice and seeing some players take on new roles.
“I loved seeing the growth we had, especially from the young kids,” he said. “These seniors grew into their leadership roles. They are not crazy vocal, but they got better there as the year went on.
“It was also great to see guys like Ethan Lamborn move to the offensive line, Trey Wilson go from receiver to running back and Bryson Jacobson from linebacker to safety. They all flourished.”
Weldy said instead of the heavy vocal leadership, this year’s seniors led by example.
“They led much more by example, and as the year went on, they got more vocal,” he said. “That was something we talked about over the summer. I told them, ‘We will only be as good as our seniors.’” Cassville’s underclassmen made an impact on this year’s team, including freshman DJ Glidewell who played on the line all year, and sophomore Bodee Rose, who quarterbacked the Wildcats.
“A lot of guys played their first varsity snaps this year,” Weldy said. “We had some ups and downs and saw some good and some bad. All of that will make us better in the future.”
Rose won the quarterback job over the summer, and Weldy said Rose’s potential is whatever he decides it can be.
“Bodee just got better and better, and any time you have a sophomore quarterback, you will have some good and some bad,” Weldy said. “He did a lot more good, and he will only get better.”
Looking forward, Weldy said he’s excited for the program’s future with so many young players gaining experience.
“I’m excited for Bodee and for all the guys getting playing time this season,” he said. “I’m also excited for the guys in the weight room getting stronger to battle for a starting spot.”
Season stats for Cassville this season include:
Passing
Bodee Rose, sophomore, 64 C, 138 A, 1,256 y, 10 TD, 10 INT
Rushing
Trey Wilson, senior, 132 C, 800 Y, 11 TD, 1 F
Bodee Rose, sophomore, 118 C, 645 Y, 5 TD, 7 F
Bryson Jacobson, junior, 132 C, 800 Y, 4 TD, 4 F
Jake Anthonysz, senior, 9C, 44 Y, 1 TD
Receiving
Garrett Ewing, junior, 33 C, 654 Y, 5 TF
Trey Wilson, senior, 15 C, 333 Y, 4 TD
Hernan Hernandez, senior, 8 C, 156 Y, 1 TD
Riley Ruark, senior, 2 C, 82 Y, 1 TD
Defense
Bryson Jacobson, junior, 33 S, 34 A, 5.5 TFL, 2 Sacks, 2 FR
Garrett Ewing, junior, 30 S, 25 A, 1.5 TFL, 2 INT
DJ Glidewell, freshman, 28 S, 27 A, 4.5 TFL, 1 FF
Keaton Shellenberger, senior, 27 S, 29 A, 1 TFL, 2 FGB
Canyon King, sophomore, 23 S, 47 A, 2 TFL, 1 Sack
Ethan Lamborn, senior, 21 S, 22 A, 5.5 TFL. 2.5 Sacks, 1 FF
Jake Anthonysz, senior, 22 S, 16 A, 2 INT, 2 FR
Hernan Hernandez, senior 18 S, 17 A, 3 INT
Kicking
Peter Littlefield, senior, 30/30 PAT, 3/6 FG
Team
1,311 passing yards, 11 TD, 10 INT
1,747 rushing yards, 21 TD, 13 F
777 passing yards allowed
2,174 rushing yards allowed
