Last week, I wrote about Missouri all-state soccer and why Northwest’s Alex Drexler rightfully earned the honor of best goalkeeper in Class 4, as voted by the state’s coaches.
This week it’s a different story. The Missouri Football Coaches Association released its prep all-state selections, with one glaring, head-scratching oversight. Cole Ruble didn’t make the Class 6 first or second team. A senior quarterback at Seckman, Ruble was on the Class 5 second team as a sophomore and Class 5 first team last season, albeit in the “athlete” designation rather than QB. Seckman’s move up to the highest class obviously was a factor.
The Leader has recounted Ruble’s impressive statistics many times and I won’t belabor the point again here. But after watching him play the last three years, it’s inconceivable that the best rusher and scorer in the St. Louis area (by far) would be left off the all-state team for his final season of work. His accomplishments earned a football scholarship at Southeast Missouri State University, an NCAA Division I program.
Seckman head coach Nick Baer had a simple, diplomatic reaction to the news of Ruble’s snub.
“The best is yet to come,” Baer said.
MFCA member coaches submit names of nominated players to regional committees, which forward them to a state vote. Coaches may nominate their own players but cannot vote for them. Baer chose not to criticize the rules for selection, but said he nominated Ruble and seniors Zach Hudson and Noa Isaia as well. None of them were chosen. There are just two all-state teams in Class 6, while there are three for the other classes.
“Class 6 is a different beast,” said Baer, who in two seasons has led the Jaguars to 18 wins and the doorstep of their first district title. “The voting process is different. There are politics involved. Unfortunately, (Ruble) didn’t get the votes he deserved.”
I’m not saying Liberty North senior Sam Van Dyne (second team) or Park Hill senior Kendrick Bell (first) aren’t deserving of their honor. I’m sure they’re every bit as exciting to watch. Hillsboro head coach Bill Sucharski told me that playoff success determines how many players teams can nominate for all-state. Like Seckman, Park Hill lost in the district semifinals, while Liberty North fell to eventual state champion CBC in the state semifinals.
The Ruble stat that impressed me the most this season was his rushing for 20 touchdowns of 40 or more yards. It reminds me of a famous quote from the late Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers: “Give me 18 inches of daylight. That’s all I need.”
It’s anybody’s guess why Ruble was left off the list. It may be because the Jaguars were so one-dimensional running the ball and Ruble never had to win a game with his passing arm, although he threw for 23 career touchdowns, 22 in his final two years, with only four interceptions.
Anybody who watched him burn St. Louis University High for seven touchdowns on a cold night in Imperial this fall will never forget this Friday-night flash.
“He’s never going to ever stop proving he’s the real deal,” Baer said.
With football teams in the county ranging across all six classes, there was ample opportunity for other players to make the all-state teams. The four who did were all in Class 4.
Festus senior Arhmad Branch was voted to the first team at wide receiver and Hillsboro senior Austin Romaine made first team linebacker for the second time. Romaine’s teammates from the district champion Hawks, defensive lineman Alex Medina and running back Jaxin Patterson, both landed on the second team.
Branch, one of the best basketball players in the county, started playing football late, as a junior. All signs indicated he’d merit at least a partial scholarship to play hoops in college, but it now looks more likely his collegiate sport will be football.
I caught up with Branch after he’d been named to the all-tournament team at the Gene Steighorst Tournament on Saturday and asked him about his college decision. I’d heard a rumor from a friend of his that he was thinking about playing football at the University of Tennessee. He told me he planned to visit the campus in Knoxville soon, but wasn’t committed yet.
When Festus quarterback Cole Rickermann graduated after Branch’s junior season, I wondered if a new QB would diminish his ultra-playmaking ability. This fall he was less of a deep threat, but new quarterbacks Jeremiah Cunningham and Essien Smith frequently found him open on quick slants and screen plays, allowing Branch to break out for long gains as defenders grasped at him in futility.
Looking at Branch’s hard work and physical development under football head coach A.J. Ofodile, I can see him playing in the Southeastern Conference, home to Tennessee, Missouri and some of the best teams in college football.
“(Making all-state) means a lot, only playing football for two years,” Branch said. “The work definitely showed. I felt like I got snubbed last year. This year I came back harder. I got stronger, faster and I was patient on my releases. We had a lot of five-yard routes to get me the ball and use my speed.
“I will miss my teammates and coaches the most and how fun it is to go out there and put on a show for the fans.”
As Baer said for Ruble, the same for Branch – the best is yet to come.
Good luck fellas.