PLENTY OF POTENTIAL: SOME PLAYERS TO WATCH IN THE UPCOMING FOOTBALL SEASON

CAPE CENTRAL

Brian Emmendorfer (5-10, 170, sr.)

Cape Central, K

Emmendorfer booted a 58-yarder last year, second longest in state history. However, his team didn't give him enough opportunities last year to put up impressive numbers -- he was just 13-of-16 on extra-point kicks and 4-of-7 on field goal attempts. He needs more chances this year to prove to scouts that he is consistent. Emmendorfer will also be asked to play more wide out and corner back this year than last year. Emmendorfer is one of the team's fastest players. He runs the 40 in about 4.7 seconds.

Justin Welker (6-1, 205, sr.)

Cape Central, DE, TE

Welker has been a Cape Central starter since his sophomore year. An intense competitor, the hardy Welker seemed to be the team's playmaker last year on a defense that really wasn't as bad as the scores indicated. The key to Central's season this year will be its ability to sustain drives -- which it did not do last year -- and Welker will be looked upon to help move the chains at tight end. Welker, who also played sparingly at fullback, proved last year that once he catches the ball, he's not easy to bring down. He has good speed (4.7 40), but it will be his strength and grit that will make him one of the better players around this season.

Jamelle Austin (5-5, 180, sr.)

Cape Central, RB, LB

Leverage. Austin is all about leverage. A low center of gravity, the determined Austin is hard to knock down and he's not afraid to initiate contact. Defenders have to grab him and not let go if they want to tackle him. Austin is not the type of back that can move a pile by himself, however. The success of Austin depends on the success of his linemen. Austin had a 200-yard game last year against St. Charles West. He ended up rushing for 570 yards on 111 carries for the season and scored five touchdowns.

O.J. Turner (6-1, 200, sr.)

Cape Central, FB/LB

There's nothing fancy about Turner. He just likes to hit. One of Central's most aggressive, intense and competitive players, Turner brings speed and strength to the Tiger offense and defense. He throws crushing blocks out of the backfield and with his 4.7 speed, he has shown the ability to break off big runs.

Casey Dwyre (6-0, 200, sr.)

Cape Central LB/G

Dwyre has hit the weights hard and put on several pounds of muscle in the offseason. Dwyre was steady for Central last year at linebacker and had the most tackles on the team. He is a key part of his team's strength -- and that is defense.

JACKSON

Ray Goodson (6-5, 215, sr.)

Jackson, OLB, TE, WR

Tight end body. Wide receiver speed. Goodson could be the biggest surprise of any player around this year -- mostly because not many people know of him. Goodson was an all-state linebacker last year at 4A Ozark. He will start on both offense and defense. On offense, his combination of size and speed -- he runs the 40 in the 4.6 range -- will allow him to be moved around in the offense. He will without a doubt take some of the offensive pressure off Whitney and he'll likely be the area's best linebacker. He'll play outside linebacker and his height should give him a distinct advantage at that position. Those who saw him play in Ozark said he would've been the best linebacker in Southwest Missouri had he returned to Ozark. Goodson was a state qualifier in the 215-pound division in wrestling last year. On the track team, he ran a leg of the 4x100 team.

Caleb Daniel (6-6, 248, sr.)

Jackson, DE

Don't let the 248 pounds fool you. Daniel has got broad shoulders, a thin waist and is a bona-fide athlete. Daniel led the team last year with seven sacks and he had 75 tackles. Daniel should have a better year than that this year. According to Jackson coach Carl Gross, Daniel depended too much on his speed last year and tried too often to run around blockers. This year, look for Daniel -- who has put on about 30 pounds since last year -- to pin his ears back and try to run over people. Daniel's presence should force a lot of teams to keep running backs in to block for the quarterback in passing situations and with his height, he will bat down his share of passes.

Travis Dambach (6-5, 280, jr.)

Jackson, OL

As head coach Carl Gross put it, Dambach was a "big puppy" last year. But Dambach turned the pudge into pipes with an impressive offseason in the weight room. "He's cutting sleeves off shirst so you know his pipes are looking good," said Gross. With much of Jackson's offensive line gone from graduation, Dambach -- Jackson's biggest lineman -- will have to grow up in a hurry if Jackson is to live up to its expectations.

Seth Harrell (6-1, 195, jr.)

Jackson, LB

Harrell found the starting roster as a sophomore last season and helped lead a talented linebacking crew on a defense which was considered the best in the area. Harrell is a pesky defender who hits hard and is difficult to block. He has good speed and size.

SCOTT CITY

Tommy Klingman (6-3, 268, sr.)

Scott City, OL

The Rams have owned the line of scrimmage for the past two years. And if Klingman has anything to say about it, it will be the same story this year. If Scott City is to repeat its dominance of the past two seasons, it will be the offensive line -- anchored by Klingman -- that will make it possible. Klingman has good size and, because he's had plenty of playing time since his sophomore year, has honed his footwork.

Marcus Klund (5-9, 165, jr.)/Brad Glenn (5-7,169, jr.)

Scott City, RB, DB

Glenn and Klund will get the bulk of the carries for Scott City this year though they have different styles. Glenn, who has very good speed, just takes the ball and runs. Klund isn't as fast but is more nifty, using his instincts and intellect to rack up yardage. Although neither has much experience in the offensive backfield, first-year coach Stephen O'Brien likes them both and will rely on them to fill in the huge shoes of running backs Matt Underwood and David Enderle.

CHAFFEE

Travis Hanback (5-11, 170, sr.)

Chaffee, QB

Hanback put up some of the best numbers in the area from the quarterback position last season. Hanback threw for 1,099 yards on 89-of-197 passing last year. Chaffee will need Hanback to make things happen. Hanback has a strong arm, but he needs to improve on his accuracy from a year ago. He threw 13 interceptions last year but only had six passing touchdowns.

G.P. Glueck (5-10, 185, sr.)

Chaffee, RB

Glueck had one of the best individual performances in the area last year when he scored four touchdowns in a game -- two on kickoff returns. Chaffee will need that type of performances on a more consistent basis this year and Glueck will get the opportunity because he will be moved from fullback to tailback. He didn't get a lot of opportunities to carry the ball last year at fullback as Tommy Stidham got most of the touches at tailback. But Glueck -- also an all-state baseball player -- is a good athlete and should be a very fine running back. The only question is, will he have any run to room with a new offensive line?

Jeremy Lynn (5-8, 145, sr.)

Chaffee, WR

Hanback was one of the top quarterbacks in the area a year ago and Lynn was his favorite receiver. Lynn caught 39 passes for 460 yards a year ago.

ST. VINCENT

Derek Kutz (5-10, 155, sr.)

St. Vincent, K

Kutz has dead-aim accuracy, making all 42 of his extra-point attempts a year ago. He often kicks off through the end zone. His longest field goal in a game is 44 yards but has kicked a 60-plus yarder in practice. Last year, he made 11 of his 18 field-goal attempts. After attending some kicking camps over the summer, Kutz is drawing interest from several NCAA Division I schools, especially Kansas State. Kutz will also play wide receiver and defensive back for the Indians.

Jonathan Paulus (6-0, 165, sr.)

St. Vincent, QB

Want an accurate quarterback? Want one with a good touchdown-to-interception ratio? Want one who threw for 1,172 yards last year? Paulus is your man. Paulus completed 57 percent of his passes a year ago and threw 17 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions. No telling what he'll do this year on a team that could be better than it was a year ago when it lost in the state semifinals.

Ryan Brown (6-4, 171, sr.)

St. Vincent, WR

Brown, a very fine athlete has the size and speed to dominate at the 1A level. Brown has shown the ability to go up in traffic and pull down passes, creating more confidence in QB Paulus. Brown was an all-state catcher in baseball and is proven winner. Brown's stats may suffer, however, if no one can stop St. Vincent's running game, featuring Mark Gotto, the Indians' leading rusher from a year ago.

PERRYVILLE

Tyler Abernathy (6-0, 182, sr.)

Perryville, QB

The returning starter from a year ago, Abernathy possesses a strong arm and, as his position requires, is a good leader. Perryville will be dumping the one-dimensional wish-bone attack and going to a more balanced approached under first-year head coach Lance Bell. Abernathy's numbers last year weren't that great (18-for-46, 278 yards, 2 tds, 4 INTs) but the Pirates will look to Abernathy's arm and brain to lead them in the offensive transition.

Mike Schmidt (5-9, 162, sr.)

Perryville, RB

Pound-for-pound, Schmidt is the strongest player on the Pirates' team and will take over the running back position from 1,100-yard rusher Shawn Statler who graduated. Last year, Schmidt averaged 4.44 yards per carry over 48 attempts and scored two touchdowns.

Mike Blevins (6-2, 195, sr.)

Perryville, P/TE

Blevins' main position is tight end, but he may be the best punter in the region. And since many coaches maintain that the punt is the most important play in football, that makes Blevins very valuable. He earned all-state honorable mention accolades a year ago and has drawn interest from some Division I institutions.

FREDERICKTOWN

Steve Francis (6-1, 225, sr.)

Fredericktown, FB/NG

Fredericktown had its first winning season since 1983 last year, and Francis was right in the middle of it. Playing fullback, the blocking of Francis in a wishbone attack was a key to the Black Cats' success and teams soon found out that he was hard to bring down when he carried the ball. He rushed for about 500 yards last season and a most of that came toward the end of the season. A noseguard on defense, Francis is a moose. He has placed in national ammateur weightlifting contests. Francis was no doubt the team's workhorse last year. Against Kennett last year in a district game, he rushed for more than 100 yards and played every down on defense.

Clay Hendrix (5-10, 170, sr.)

Fredericktown, QB/LB

A linebacker who happens to play quarterback -- that's how Kent Gibbs describes Hendrix. Hendrix was thrown into the quarterback position last year and he ran the offense well and helped lead the Blackcats to its best season in years. Hendrix may not be the hardest hitter around, but he brings em down any way he can. He'll take on two blockers, he'll dive at players' ankles. In short, Hendrix does whatever it takes. As a quarterback last year, Hendrix missed quite a few plays on defense. Gibbs wants to make sure Hendrix is playing more on defense this year.

SIKESTON

Kevin Keller (6-6, 260, sr.)

OL, Sikeston

Sikeston will have to open bigger holes this year with all-state running back Justin Robinson gone, but Keller and his huge line-mates should be up to the task. At 6-6, 260, Keller and Justin Lowes (6-3, 270) will be the focal point of an offense with inexperienced skill players.

Kris Eastwood (6-5, 250, sr.)

Sikeston, DE

Sikeston may have to win more games with defense this year and the Bulldogs are relying on Eastwood to be a dominating force on the defensive line. He registered 56 tackles and four sacks last year.

CHARLESTON

Jordy Mixon (5-9, 185, jr.)/Dontay Clark (5-9, 160, jr.)

FB, Charleston:

Mixon and Clark, as sophomores, combined for a 1,500-yard season a year ago. Mixon ran for 778 yards, while Clark ran for 714. Mixon scored seven touchdowns, while Clark had eight. Mixon and Clark are both excellent athletes, but the Bluejays will struggle again this year if they can't hold their own at the line of scrimmage.

Russell Crawford (6-0, 180, sr.)

QB, Charleston

Crawford split time at quarterback last year, but this year the responsibility of running the West Coast offense will lie squarely on his shoulders. Last year, Crawford completed 21 passes in 65 attempts for 248 yards and six interceptions.

OTHER PLAYERS OF INTEREST

Stan Revelle (QB, Poplar Bluff): Threw for school-record 2,102 yards last year but was not on the all-state team.

Daniel Larkins (OL, Poplar Bluff): Best lineman on the second-best team in the area a year ago.

Chase Kennedy (LB, Dexter): Returning all-stater.

T.J. Sides (OL, New Madrid): Ricky Smith was all-stater last year, but T.J. Sides (6-5, 275) was the big man on campus.

Derek Burnett (RB, Dexter): Behind Whitney, could be the second-best running back in the area this year. Ran for more than 1,100 yards and rushed for 5.8 yards per carry a year ago.

Byron Minner (QB, New Madrid, sr.): After throwing for 446 yards and rushing for 833 yards, Minner was the second-best player for NMCC last year behind all-stater Ricky Smith. He'll be the best player on his team this year and the Eagles could be a better team.

Dereke Tipler (RB, New Madrid, jr.): Rushed for 478 yards on 64 carries a year ago and scored six TDs total. Also an excellent special-team performer.

Ronland Ranson (DE, New Madrid, jr., 6-2, 190): A very good all-around athlete, he'll lead a tough New Madrid defense.

Larry Green (RB, Kennett): Scored a touchdown once every 10 carries and ran for 872 yards overall a year ago.

Ortiz Banks (RB, Hayti): Ran for nearly 1,600 yards last year and averaged about seven yards per carry. Banks could lift Hayti to respectability this year.

Conrad Ivie (QB, Malden): Led Malden to a district title last year and has a very strong arm for a 2A QB. Needs to cut down on his touchdown-to-interception ratio.