The Cassville football team kicks off its season on Saturday, returning 10 lettermen to a squad that lost 13 starters from the 2022 season.
Clay Weldy, Cassville football coach, is in his second year at the helm of the program, aiming to turn youth and inexperience into a force to be reckoned with in the Big 8 West this season.
Cassville comes off a 5-6 campaign, starting the season with three wins out of four and finishing with just one out of five.
“We went through a tough stretch in the middle to late part of the season where we fought injuries and turnovers,” he said. “We made it to the second round of districts after a hard fought win over Aurora and then lost to Reeds Spring 14-7 in the district semifinals.
Gone from last year’s team is more than a snap’s worth of seniors, including kicker Peter Littlefield, a Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College signee.
While there are not many returners for the Wildcats this season, the lettermen coming back are in key positions on the field.
“We return two lineman, a running back, our leading receiver and our quarterback,” Weldy said. “We have a returning starter at each level of our defense. We are going to lean on their experience to help out our young guys who will be getting a lot of playing time this year.”
Leading the returners will be four seniors in 5-7, 140-pound Garrett Ewing, wide receiver and defensive back who earned All-Conference and All-SWMFCA accolades last year; 5-10, 20-pound Joseph Reuter, lineman; 5-110, 180-pound Bryson Jacobson, running back and defensive back; and 5-10, 170-pound Joey Craft, defensive back and wide receiver. Also returning is 5-10, 170-pound junior quarterback Bodee Rose.
“Garrett started at WR and DB, a fiery competitor that was our leading receiver last season,” Weldy said. “Joseph is a 2-year starter at center who has been solid for us since his sophomore year. Bryson is a 2-year starter for us at RB and has played DB and LB on defense, and we expect him to be a leader for us on both sides of the ball this season.
“Joey is a returning letterman who has played a variety of positions for us during his career. He’s a smart kid who is versatile. And Bodee played quarterback for us as a sophomore last year. He has a chance to be a very good player for us as he gets more comfortable and consistent at QB.”
Incoming impact players include five seniors, five juniors and six sophomores. Familiar names include 5-5, 120-pound senior wide receiver Dakota Bowen, senior tight end Cosmo Rhoads, standing tall at 6-4, 215 pounds. Sophomores most likely to contribute regularly in multiple spots include Tristan Thompson, 5-10, 175 pounds, and Colton Roark, 5-10, 170 pounds.
“Our goal as a team is to get better as the season progresses,” Weldy said. “We want to see improvements each week of the season. We want to be playing our best football when districts begin.”
The Wildcats averaged 22 points per game to opponents’ 24 last season, led opponents in passing with 119 yards to 71, and were 38 yards on average behind on the ground, 160 to 198.
Cassville opens the season at home on Saturday, its first-ever regular-season weekend contest due to the official shortage.
The Wildcats host Hollister at 7 p.m., moved back from 1 p.m. due to forecasted heat. The season’s final contest is also at home, when the Barry County Brawl against Monett comes to town.
