Victories for the De Soto football team might not necessarily mean scoring more points than its opponents on Friday nights.
The Dragons, 0-10 last year, have put together a more favorable schedule for 2022, but a rugged slate of Mississippi Area Football Conference Red Division games will test a team that has mostly young players.
Mostly.
While the skill positions are made up of underclassmen, the offensive and defensive lines are filled with veterans with 20 to 30 varsity starts apiece. Seniors Jesse Deaton (left tackle), Asa Foeller (left guard), Stephen Woelich (center), Richard Gilchrist (right guard) and Isaac Foeller (tight end) and junior Cory Dierks at right tackle give De Soto the most experienced line in the MAFC Red, which includes Festus, Hillsboro, North County (2021 Class 4 semifinalist) and Windsor.
Woelich was second-team all-conference last season on the offensive and defensive lines. The Foeller twins won medals at the Class 3 state wrestling championships in February.
“They all had a really good offseason,” said De Soto head coach Keith Woodland, who begins his second season.
After being shut out in their first three games and struggling to score at midseason, Woodland promoted freshman Austin Missey to starting quarterback. He returns for his sophomore season with a lot more confidence in himself and knowledge of the team’s option offense.
What’s the one thing Missey doesn’t want to do this year?
“Don’t go out there and act like you can’t do anything,” said Missey, who ran on the De Soto 4x200-meter relay team during track season last spring.
“I think we’ll move the ball more this year. We’re going to throw the ball more and get everybody involved. I’m not too experienced as a passer yet, but we’re working toward it.
“The option is a game changer for us because we’re not just handing off up the middle this year. We’ve got faster guys. It just works. I like having the ball in my hands, making plays and helping my team win.”
The Dragons will run the triple option out of the shotgun.
“We’re going to throw the ball around a bit,” Woodland said. “Our top few receivers have good hands and can run.
“(Missey) kept getting better and better,” the coach added. “Having Austin at quarterback makes it easier to run the offense the way I thought it would. He’s such a great kid, a mature leader. He can’t even drive (yet) and I can’t tell you how many kids look up to him.”
Missey’s not even the youngest person in the backfield. Freshmen Robby Smith and Eli Thebeau are the starting running backs. Other teams from the county – Hillsboro and Northwest – have successfully employed freshmen at running back. Woodland said Smith and Thebeau weigh between 165 and 170 pounds and can handle the wear and tear of the position.
“They’re really talented kids, but they’re 14 years old,” Woodland said. “I am nervous. It’s kind of where we’re at. I don’t have any (upperclass) depth there. Both are physical. They are both heady football players. We have to coach them to be patient and follow their blocks. They’re two of the fastest kids on our team, but they’re not going to outrun everybody on Friday nights.”
De Soto has had its share of superb receivers, such as Lamont Allen and Mayson DeRousse in recent years. The receivers in 2022 are junior Colton Fischer, senior Dom Bourne and senior Trevor Pirtle, who played soccer for the Dragons last year.
The Dragons deploy a 3-5-3 defense. Gilchrist moved from the defensive line to linebacker, Bourn is back at safety and the cornerbacks are Fischer and Pirtle.
Ethan Patterson returns at kicker and Woodland has confidence in his ability to boot the extra point. Patterson made one field goal last season.
Woodland made changes to De Soto’s schedule to give his squad more equitable competition. The Dragons visit Bishop DuBourg on Friday night. The Cavaliers were 0-8 and scored 14 points last year. The schedule gets tougher for De Soto’s home opener against Class 3 Sullivan, which was 5-6 a year ago.
“I like our attitude. I like our youth,” Woodland said. “We’ve got some talented young kids. They’re fun to be around.
“If you combine camp, we’ve had a good four weeks of practice. You always have peaks and valleys but we’ve had mostly up days. It’s going to be a fun season regardless of the overall outcome.”