SportsAugust 18, 2016
Kelly football team looks for youth to carry the load in 2016
BENTON, Mo. -- The Kelly football team knows what it's getting into; coach Lance Powers understands the impact of graduating 15 seniors. "We're young this year, that's for sure," he said. "You can't hide it." The Hawks enter just their third season of varsity football looking to retool and find a new core, which looks like it may come from a big group of sophomores and a few impact freshman...
BENTON, Mo. -- The Kelly football team knows what it's getting into; coach Lance Powers understands the impact of graduating 15 seniors.
"We're young this year, that's for sure," he said. "You can't hide it."
The Hawks enter just their third season of varsity football looking to retool and find a new core, which looks like it may come from a big group of sophomores and a few impact freshman.
Powers believes the group's biggest asset right now is its willingness to learn and a tight-knit relationship.
"They do work hard and they know their strengths and they know their weaknesses," Powers said. "If I was to put a word on them, right now it would be 'family.' They do a lot of stuff together, they've bought in to what we're trying to do, they're on each other to get better, they're competing. ... That's probably the biggest thing. They want each other to do well, and they know that's the only way the team's going to succeed."
Offense
The offensive line should be Kelly's strength; the question is how long it takes to get there, as it works through a bevy of offseason injuries.
"We will get there again and it will be a strong point for us soon," the coach said, "but it's just going to take a little time. And we've got to get healed up."
The unit returns three starters from a season ago -- seniors Shane Goering and Austin Eskew and junior Dylan Sanders. The latter played every snap at center in 2015. Isaac Faire played a considerable amount as a freshman and should step into a bigger role.
Look for sophomore Levi Watkins and freshman Michael Barton to contribute heavily, especially while banged up players get healthy.
The skill players surrounding that line are a bigger question mark.
The Hawks' leading returning rusher is sophomore Luis Logeman, and he carried the ball just 27 times last year. He will slide into the No. 1 spot at halfback, though a heavy rotation will feature Brent Carlyle as well as provide time for freshmen Christian Williams and Lance Thomas.
"There might be a few nights I had a kid carry over 15 or 20 carries, but it's not often," Powers said.
Wide receiver returns a similar amount of experience, which is to say very little. Quintin Lara is the leader there, but the junior caught just two passes in 2015. Now he'll set the tone for a receiving corps that may often split three or four players out wide, including Landon Hahs, Peyton Efftink, L.J. Thomas, Evan Ebert and Parker Ramsey.
Quarterback was a spot Kelly expected to have returning experience, but no one on the roster has attempted a varsity pass after expected returning starter Kyle Fitzgerald did not return. Instead, Christian Worley will get the nod under center, and Powers believes the sophomore has all the tools to develop into a quality QB.
"He is a great leader. As a quarterback, the kid's got great touch and makes smart decisions," Powers said. "His arm strength is building -- we work on that in practice, going long toss and stuff. His decision-making is getting better -- always willing to ask questions, trying to learn and recognize coverages.
"Our biggest thing with him is let's make sure we don't put ourselves in a bad play. We're always talking about, 'Let's find a win first, take what they give you and go from there.' He knows that."
Defense/ST
Expect the Hawks to work out of a three-man defensive front with defensive coordinator Tim McGuire Sr. calling the shots.
"Whatever the mad scientist Tim McGuire decides to do is what we do," Powers said. "Every day when I come in here, I enjoy listening to him and watching him teach. Just everything he does, it's like going to school every day. Whatever 'Senior' wants on the 'D' side, that's what's going to happen."
The defensive line lost a good number of snaps from last season, and will be anchored by many of the same players as on the offensive side -- Eskew, Sanders, Watkins, Barton and Faire.
The linebacking corps features a group of six players with the potential to make significant contributions, including Logeman, Goering -- who Powers describes as the quarterback of the defense -- Carlyle, Efftink, Lara and Nelson Shadwick.
"I think it'll be fun to watch," Powers said. "We'll get sideline to sideline a little bit better than last year, I think. A lot of linebacker play getting to the ball quicker is what I see."
Ramsey (24 tackles), a junior, reprises his role as a regular starter in the defensive secondary. Alongside him will be L.J. Thomas, Williams, Hahs and Ebert.
Special teams will be a question mark thanks to preseason injuries and the graduation of returner Maurice Davis, who was the most explosive player on the team.
"You kind of say, 'Man, that was easy when he was here,'" Powers said. "We'll fill the void, it's just going to take more than one guy."
Final analysis
Kelly football is still a young program trying to grow into itself, and Powers stresses the importance of patience during that process. At the very least, 2016 should give the team a leg up on a year ago, when Powers was thrown into the head coaching job just a month before the season started. This time around offered far more prep time for both coach and players.
"We had better numbers over the summer in weights -- way better numbers," Powers said. "Our group from last year that was in the weight room all summer long, it's probably double to triple [this year] with the commitment. ... We're not quite where we want to be as a program yet, and I understand that. It's going to take a little time."
The goals for the Hawks are straightforward: compete in their first year in the SEMO Conference, try to do better than a seventh seed in the district and try to win more games than last year.
"You've got to be a little bit of a realist -- win more than what you won last year. That's a goal," Powers said.
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2016 Kelly Hawks Roster
No. Name Year Ht. Wt. Pos.
1 L.J. Thomas 10 5-10 140 WR/DB
2 Landon Hahs 10 5-6 140 WR/DB
3 Marvin Warren 10 5-10 120 WR/DB
5 Parker Ramsey 11 5-7 160 WR/DB
6 Quintin Lara 12 5-10 160 WR/LB
7 Christian Worley 10 6-0 170 QB/DB
8 Peyton Eftink 10 5-9 155 WR/LB
10 Bryston Pemberton 9 5-3 100 WR/DB
11 Lance Thomas 9 5-9 150 RB/LB
13 Marshall Meeks 10 5-3 155 WR/DB
15 Caleb Meeks 9 5-4 100 WR/DB
16 Evan Ebert 10 5-7 150 WR/DB
17 Matt Blunt 9 5-5 115 WR/DB
20 Louis Logeman 10 56 150 RB/LB
21 Christian Williams 9 5-10 140 RB/DB
22 Brent Carlyle 11 5-8 155 RB/LB
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24 Trystan Wohlferd 11 5-6 140 WR/DB
25 Sam Jett 9 5-6 161 RB/LB
27 Galen Limenk 10 5-9 116 WR/DB
28 Nelson Shadwick 11 5-8 200 FB/LB
44 Wyatt Standridge 10 5-11 170 RB/DB
50 Michael Burton 9 5-11 185 OL/DL
55 Jacob Foster 10 5-6 175 OL/DL
61 Damon Schultz 10 5-8 255 OL/DL
62 Luke Casey 11 5-11 175 OL/DL
65 Payton Ramsey 9 6-0 200 OL/DL
67 Daniel Biggs 9 5-11 240 OL/DL
70 Isaac Faire 10 6-1 215 OL/DL
71 Shane Goering 12 5-8 180 OL/LB
72 Austin Eskew 12 6-7 330 OL/DL
73 Levi Watkins 10 6-4 295 OL/DL
77 Dylan Sander 11 6-1 225 OL/DL
80 Dawson Hicks 9 5-10 110 WR/DB
81 Gavin Childers 10 5-8 205 FB/DL
91 Colby Stevens 9 5-6 190 OL/DL
99 Alex Jarvis 9 5-6 190 OL/DL
N/A Tyler Wolf 10 5-8 145 WR/DB
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Head coach
Lance Powers, 2nd year (2-8)
Assistant coaches
Ryan Adams, Andy Cannon, Josh Freeman, Cody Hanneken, Chris Lambert, Tim McGuire Sr., Roger Nuemeyer
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2016 schedule
Date Opponent Time
8.19 @East Prairie 7 p.m.
8.26 CRYSTAL CITY 7 p.m.
9.2 ST. VINCENT 7 p.m.
9.9 @Malden 7 p.m.
9.16 @Portageville 7 p.m.
9.24 @Charleston 3 p.m.
9.30 NEW MADRID CC 7 p.m.
10.7 @Scott City 7 p.m.
10.14 CHAFFEE 7 p.m.
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2015 at a glance
Record: 2-8
Playoff result: Lost to Caruthersville 66-20 in Class 2 District 1 first round
Points for: 22.5 ppg
Points against: 45.3 ppg
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Key returners
OFFENSE
Passing: None
Rushing: Luis Logeman (27 att., 84 yds)
Receiving: Quintin Lara (2 rec., 46 yds.)
DEFENSE
Tackles: Parker Ramsey (24)
Sacks: Lara (1)
Interceptions: None
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