Football has no mercy for the weak.
AJ Ofodile has two jobs in the Festus athletic department: strength and conditioning coach for all athletes, male and female, and head coach of the football team.
The first responsibility is more important than the second and Ofodile has the credentials for both, as a standout tight end at Mizzou and in the NFL, and as head coach at Columbia Rock Bridge before coming to Festus in 2020.
No wonder, then, at his first observation about the 2024 Tiger squad.
“This is the first time since I’ve been here, where all of our offensive line beat their strength standards,” said Ofodile, who has a career record at Festus of 30-17 and won a district title in 2020. “Every other time we’ve had to (go to) battle with a guy who’s undersized, or wasn’t quite there strength-wise but they’re giving you all they’ve got.
“We’re excited about our offense because we feel we have all the pieces we need from a physical standpoint. It’s going to come down to (whether) we can master technique, be focused (and) have good game plans – the things we can control.”
One of those things is the strategy at quarterback, which for the past two seasons was a tag-team between Jeremiah Cunningham and Essien Smith. Cunnigham graduated this spring, leaving Smith at the controls. For Ofodile, the 178-pound Smith clean-lifting 315 pounds this summer is just as meaningful as his 2023 statistics – 497 yards on the ground in 41 carries (12.1 yards per run) with seven touchdowns, and another 218 yards and four TDs via the air, with no interceptions.
“That’s a position we’ve been really deep at,” Ofodile said. “Essien has played a lot of football in his three years. That’s the theme of our team in general, and the second thing I’m excited about is the individual improvement of all of our players. The guys have really been dedicated to improving themselves physically and Essien is a flagship guy. He owns just about every school record in his weight class in the weight room.
“He’s been dominant running the ball. Sharing the time the last couple of years limited (his) snaps, but he’s upgraded just about every aspect of the game.”
Smith’s backup will be sophomore Parker Perry, who is too talented to keep on the sideline all year and could see time at QB.
“From the time (Perry) was a kid, he’s always had a special arm with his touch,” Ofodile said. “He’s running the ball at a level I didn’t think he’d be at for a year or two.
“We rushed for over 1,500 yards at that position two years ago and at this level it’s such an advantage if your QB can be part of the run game. It’s the equalizer in a lot of situations.”
Another addition to the ground attack is senior Mason Schirmer, an all-state lefthanded pitcher for the Festus baseball team. Schirmer was a first-team all-conference selection at linebacker last year with a team-best 115 tackles. But his athleticism and slimming down from 245 to 225 pounds make him irresistible at running back.
Schirmer has his eye on competing for another band of Tigers at Mizzou – and maybe not just on the diamond.
“We’re going to see how this year goes,” Schirmer said. “Obviously, I’d love to have Mizzou offer me in both (sports). I’d even walk on to play football.”
“He’s transformed himself as much as anybody (on the team),” Ofodile said. “He’s leaned up (and he’s) stronger, faster. For a guy who’s traditionally been a classic ‘mike’ linebacker from tackle to tackle, now he can go sideline-to-sideline as a defensive player.
“The lightbulb popped in my head – let’s see if he can run the ball. He was a running back when he was younger, so he has that instinct and skill.”
Senior Avery Edwards is an explosive running back who also plays safety. Edwards rushed 67 times for 649 yards and 10 TDs a year ago. Sophomore Kamden Yates weighs only 160 but is a strong, physical runner with exceptional acceleration.
“That puts him in position to make a lot of plays,” Ofodile said.
There’s even more depth at RB with junior Leaunte Williams, who was the third option last year. He’s gained 20 pounds to 175 and is significantly stronger and faster.
“We have gap-scheme aspects to what we’re doing (at running back) and we have some zone scheme,” Ofodile said. “Running inside zone is an innate skill. You can teach aiming points, eyes and technique, but you can’t teach the feel for the run. So the guys who are really good at it are good at inside zone runs. Leaunte has a good feel for that.”
Also in the ground-game mix is junior Nemo Ford, who’s small and electric and moves up from the JV.
The Tigers have a skilled, deep group of receivers capable of producing big numbers. Senior Hunter Bates (12 catches in 2023 for 197 yards and three touchdowns) is one of the track and field team’s top sprinters. Seniors Dashawn Bridgett, Trey Lacey and Jeremy-Davis Mayes are top defensive backs who add depth and more speed. Junior Jackson Frank has great hands, speed and body control. Junior David Russell is an elite route-runner with great ball skills who plays slot and outside, and junior Rowan Stucke is a deep threat. Junior Aiden Clifton and sophomore Brayden Wilkes look to carry on the team tradition of high-performance tight ends.
“We can do a lot of things with that position,” Ofodile said.
Paving the road for all those skill players is an intact offensive line with lots of experience. Senior Calvin Ellis returns at center and has bulked up to 220.
“He’s a super-accurate snapper,” Ofodile said. “That’s one of the things you take for granted, ball placement and the speed and how efficiently it makes you roll. He’s also a really intelligent person and that’s what you need there, someone who can process.”
Joining Ellis are 280-pound junior guards Mason Weinhouse and Connor Rush and tackles Ezequiel Cristobal, a senior, and sophomore Carson Grass, who started every game as a freshman. Cristobal also starts on the defensive line and some of the other O-line personnel are likely to see time there as well.
With Schirmer ranging in front of them, Lacey, Davis-Mayes and Bates bring complementary skills to the secondary. Lacey led the team last season with three interceptions.
“With our defense, the first thing you think about is Mason,” Ofodile said. “You’ve got this big guy in the middle who’s going to run around and knock everybody’s head off. He’s as physical as it gets and now he’s added speed.
“But as a unit, the strength of our defense is the secondary, especially our corners and nickel (back). We play them in man-to-man every single snap and they’re in somebody’s face. We don’t baby them and give them help, and they hold up.”
Perry will do the punting; returning kicker Luke Wacker drilled 46 extra points in 2023 and regularly kicked off into the end zone for a touchback.
Festus went 8-4 overall and 3-1 in the MAFC last year. The Tigers have lost six games in a row to three-time defending MAFC champion Hillsboro, which has booted its rival from the Class 4 District 1 tournament three years running.
The Tigers open at home against Rolla Aug. 30. The Bulldogs were 3-7 a year ago.
“Our schedule excites me. We have a lot of challenging games that, prior to districts, are going to let us know exactly who we are. We added De Smet and we got Jackson back. We added Francis Howell Central, a Class 6 school. Rolla is a young team bringing everyone back. They’re big and physical and have a challenging scheme with the option.”