A favorable schedule, two outstanding track and field athletes and a healthy battle at quarterback have the players and coaches at Crystal City confident the Hornets can post a winning season for the first time since they finished 7-4 in 2011.
As for the schedule, Crystal City’s nine opponents were a combined 13-59 last year, with Herculaneum the best among them at 5-6. Ironically, the Hornets will host Herky, the team they beat in the 2011 playoffs, in the final regular-season game Oct. 21.
Since his arrival as head coach five years ago, Dan Fox has navigated the Hornets’ departure from the I-55 Conference into independent status, building the program from the seventh grade up and producing three wins a year ago. Crystal City’s season ended with a 35-0 loss to St. Pius X in the Class 1 District 2 playoffs.
“We’re happy with the team we have,” Fox said. “We’re hoping to build on the season we had last year, which wasn’t enough. It could always be better. We’re always working toward that.
“We’ve got kids who don’t require a whole bunch of reps to understand what we’re doing. We had a good summer camp and we’re trying to make sure we’re not overwhelming some of the younger players. Our kids are ready to compete.”
One of the top competitions after the first week of practice is at quarterback, where senior Cyle Schaumburg is trying to hold off sophomore Nolan Eisenbeis. Schaumburg, the starter the last two years, passed for four touchdowns and ran for seven last year and is happy to see Eisenbeis improving.
“We’re both working hard in practice and looking about the same right now, so it’s a tossup,” Schaumburg said. “It’s a true competition. I’ve watched him get better the last couple of years and we’re battling to see who gets that spot.
“I think I can read the defense pretty well when we run the option. We have more speed than we’ve had in previous years.”
Fox said it’s a healthy competition that will benefit both players and the team. Eisenbeis also is learning the fullback and running back positions.
“I can see them sharing reps as the season goes on,” Fox said. “They bring two different elements to the game. Cyle’s cool and calm and understands the offense really well. Nolan’s a sophomore and is still learning the nuances of the offense, but he’s a good athlete and can improvise well when things go bad.”
Whoever takes the snap has some exciting options in the backfield and at receiver. Juniors Kanden Bolton and Camden Mayes return to the gridiron after all-state seasons in track and field this spring. They finished second and third, respectively, in the long jump at the Class 1 state championships in May. Mayes also qualified for the 110-meter high hurdles and Bolton competed in the high jump. Fox also coaches the Hornets in track.
Bolton had 645 yards rushing and receiving last year and leads a running back group with junior fullback Caden Raftery, Cohen Compton, Landyn DeRousse, Evan Wolfe and Ricardo Pastrana.
Mayes, Logan Gerhardt, Jesse Cathcart, Matt Nelson, Cale Schaumburg and Alex Kuchera give the Hornet QB plenty of options to throw the ball to. The speedy Mayes should be able to stretch defenses.
Senior Hayden Reynolds starts again at left tackle, and juniors Seth Senter (right tackle) and Luke Holdinghausen (right guard) are the two other returning starters on the offensive line. Freshman Max Nelson is the center and Jacob Loveless, Reed Lamar-Finch and Riley Henderson are the candidates to play guard or center. Junior Matt Binz plays tackle and lineman Storm Bruck is new to football.
Calloway Dashner led the Hornets in tackles last season, but graduated this spring. Holdinghausen looks to assume Dashner’s mantle from his spot at middle linebacker.
“He’s our thumper,” Fox said of Holdinghausen. “He’s more physical than anyone we’ve got on the team right now.”
Senter, Reynolds, Binz and Nelson will man the defensive line. Raftery moves from linebacker to defensive end. This is Reynolds’ fourth season on the varsity.
“Practice has been hard and I think our hard work is going to show on the field this year,” Reynolds said.
Eisenbeis, Cale Schaumburg and Lamar-Finch are at linebacker and Mayes, Bolton and Cyle Schaumburg line up in the secondary.
Fox said he’s still trying to find the team’s kicker and punter.
“I know in a close game a field goal can help you and I don’t want to be the coach that loses the game by two points,” Fox said.
Fox said competing with every team on the schedule isn’t guaranteed from year to year.
“This hopefully will be (our) most competitive team every week, (where we are) not just surviving games like it’s been in the past,” he said. “We’re playing Class 1 and 2 teams that might be desperate for wins like we are, or on the rebound.”
The Hornets open Aug. 26 at Chaffee.
Crystal City Hornets (Independent)
2021: (3-5)
Aug. 26 at Chaffee, 7 p.m.
Sept. 2 Louisiana, 7 p.m.
Sept. 9 Bayless, 7 p.m.
Sept. 16 at Confluence, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 at Gateway, noon
Sept. 30 at Russellville, 7 p.m.
Oct. 7 Van-Far, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14 at Missouri Military Academy, 7 p.m.
Oct. 21 Herculaneum, 7 p.m.