The Cassville football team struggled from injures at the receiver position in the 2021 season, and Coach Clay Weldy is hoping those challenges were left behind.

This year, the Wildcats return a fair amount of experience, and some new faces are working on the wings, as well.

At tight end, Weldy said three Wildcats are making an impact so far this summer: Isaac Hadlow, Keaton Shellenberger and Canyon King.

“Isaac is a senior and returning starter at tight end, and Keaton played some tight end last year, as well, but was mainly a starting linebacker and receiver,” Weldy said. “Canyon is a sophomore with really good have, and he’s working at tight end and true receiver for us.”

Weldy said the position is an important one in the Wildcats’ offense because of the versatility it requires.

“You have to have decent size to block a linebacker or linemen, and you have to be able to run and catch the football, as well,” Weldy said. “It takes a unique ability to be a good tight end.”

Outside of King, others vying for time as a true wide receiver include: Garrett Ewing, Hernan Hernandez, Trey Wilson, Riley Ruark, Dakota Bowen and Frank Osborne.

“Garrett was a starter last season before injury took him out, and Hernan started the whole season,” Weldy said. “All our guys look good, and several are getting better at catching the ball. A few, like Trey, have been running backs prior to this year or last, so they are still learning the offense as a receiver.”

Ruark is a first-year senior who has not played since junior high.

“He’s a tall kid, and that’s good to have,” Weldy said. “Learning the plays is still a focus for a lot of kids, and the experienced ones just keep getting better.”

Weldy said the basics are still paramount at this point in the year.

“The first thing to know is the formation and where to line up correctly,” Weldy said. “We run the ball quite a bit, so you have to know where to be and where to block. We are also working on running better routes and catching the ball properly. But, for us, the order is line up right, block right, then maybe you get to catch a football.”

The former offensive coordinator for the Wildcats, Weldy said how much action receivers will see depends on a number of factors.

“It always depends on what we have,” he said. “Some years we throw more than others, and I almost always ant to throw more. But, to have a successful pass game, you need a quarterback you trust to throw it, blockers he trusts to protect him, and receivers we trust to catch the ball.

“A couple years ago, we threw quite a bit. Part of that was because we’d go up early in games, so we’d air it out in the second half.”

Weldy said he hopes the team aligns to have similar success this season.

“Each year we want to be better and better, and when you can throw the football, it makes you a tough team to stop and makes your run game better,” he said. “I’m trying to not be one-dimensional, but you have to look at what you have. A year ago, we were struggling with injuries and moving kids from receiver to running back and all over. So, we run the football in our offense, and when we can throw, it makes us better.”