CHAFFEE RETURNS SKILL, LITTLE DEPTH; RED DEVILS HOPE TO IMPROVE UPON LAST YEAR'S 3-7 RECORD

Some would consider a 3-7 season a failure.

To Chaffee, it is something to build on.

After years of being a doormat, Chaffee wasn't a guaranteed win last year. The Red Devils were competitive in every game they played and weren't that far from 5-5.

But the Red Devils, who got out to a 3-3 start, faded down the stretch as the wear-and-tear took its toll on a team that seriously lacked depth.

Chaffee will try to prevent a meltdown from happening this year, but the Red Devils are once again lacking numbers.

The Red Devils have just 33 on their roster, which includes just six juniors and nine seniors. Basically, the same handful of players are counted on to play offense, defense and special teams. It makes for very few rest breaks throughout the season.

"The biggest question for us is football conditioning," said Chaffee coach Allan Horrell. "How long can we keep it up with our limited numbers. It's iron-man time."

The players that Chaffee does have, appear to be solid -- particularly at the skill positions.

The Red Devils lost running back Tommy Stidham, the physical and emotional leader of the team last year, who ran for 1,475 yards.

But Chaffee should be fine in the running department as G.P. Glueck -- the fullback last year -- has been moved to tailback.

Glueck,a senior, has good size at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, and is a good athlete with strength and speed.

Glueck, who carried the ball about five times per game last year, didn't get much of the spotlight last year as Stidham was almost the sole ball carrier. But Glueck proved he had the skills to dominate a game. In a game last year, he scored four touchdowns, two coming on kickoff returns.

Behind center, senior Travis Hanback returns after having a solid season last year. Hanback was among the area's leaders in passing (1,099 yards). However, he threw just six TDs to 13 interceptions.

"A lot of those (interceptions) were hurried things," said Horrell. "And sometimes, receivers would be picked off in their routes. We do a lot of timing patterns and he would throw it to where the receiver should have been and there was a defender standing there. And a lot came in desperate situations where they knew we'd be throwing."

Hanback will have several familiar faces returning from last year's squad, particularly Jeremy Lynn (5-8, 145) who caught 39 passes for 460 yards as a junior. Senior Perry Rice was also a dependable receiver last year and will join junior tight end Jeremy Hahn as Hanback's main targets.

Senior Shawn Powderly (5-8, 175), a tight end last year, will take over the fullback position.

The offensive line is somewhat of a question mark heading into the season. Though the Red Devils have quite a bit of experience up front, they lost their leader Andy Obermann at left tackle and are, for the most part, pretty small.

Sophomore Zach Horman (6-0, 175) and senior William Hargrove (6-0, 271) will play the tackle positions. Sophomore Brent Thomason (6-1, 190), seniors Jimmy Haney (5-10, 150) and Aaron Glastetter (5-9, 175) and junior Brett Graham (6-1, 192) will rotate at the guard positions. Junior Jeremy Townsend (5-10, 195), a starter since his freshman season has nailed down the center position.

Defensively, Powderly will lead the team at middle linebacker. Horman and Thomason will join Powderly on the outsides. Glueck will play some at linebacker, but will play mostly at safety where Horrell wants to utilize his speed and aggressiveness and let him make plays.

Also in the defensive backfield will be Rice, Lynn and Chris Wood (5-11, 150).

On the defensive line, Haney and Glastetter will play at the ends, Townsend or Graham will play nose guard and Hargrove (6-0, 271) will pair with junior Justin Sadler (5-11, 185) at the tackles.

CHAFFEE

Mascot: Red Devils

Enrollment: 207

Coach: Allan Horrell

Conference: SEMO South

District: Class 1A, District 1

Last year's record: 3-7

Key losses: Tommy Stidham, RB; Andy Obermann, OL

Key returners: G.P. Glueck, RB; Travis Hanback, QB; Jeremy Lynn, WR