Play action—Fall sports previews for area school districts

Mt. Vernon Football
Coach: Tom Cox (128-82) 18th season at Mt. Vernon
2022 Record: 8-4
Players to watch: Gavin Johnston, Braden Dodson, Jarrett Zerby
Outlook: The Mt’neers opened the eyes of football fans all across southwest Missouri a year ago improving from one win to eight wins a year ago, and a lot of that was thanks to the development of running back Braden Dodson and quarterback Gavin Johnston. The Mt’neers opened the season 6-2 and was a two-point conversion off an all-state selection’s fingertips in overtime against Reeds Spring away from winning the Big 8 East. This year will rely on the continuation of the development of the youth on the roster.
Coach Cox said: “Last year was really good for us. It wasn’t a great season. We were disappointed that we lost the Big 8 East championship game to Reeds Spring and then we were up 21 to Seneca in districts and couldn’t hold it. So our buzzword for this year is ‘finish’. Last year it was a climb and we did a good job of growing and developing and hopefully we can finish this season.
Gavin Johnston said: Starting as a sophomore was huge for me in my development. It was really nerve wracking playing in front of such a packed crowd and the guys you are playing have 200 pounds on me and could legally adopt me. It was a little scary, but this summer Coach Cox has really helped me reading defenses and timing and the experience will prove to be a huge help this season.” 
Mt. Vernon Volleyball
Coach: Bridgett Schmutz (196-118-14) 12th season at Mt. Vernon
2022 Record:17-14-2
Players lost to graduation: Nina Cowherd, Jordan Duncan, Caley Rogers
Players to watch: Cameryn Cornell, Hali Stokes, Teagan Huver, Macie West, Rae Downing, Ziah Schmutz, Payge Evans
Outlook: There are plenty of reasons to be excited for the Lady Mt’neers this year. The team showed a ton of improvement throughout the season a year ago and it resulted in a district championship game. However, it ended in a loss to an extremely talented and senior-driven Seneca squad. This year youth will be another storyline as only one senior will take the court in Payge Evans. However, they will also be looking to replace the 366 kills that Cheyenne Bieber had a year ago after her departure, deciding to focus on her softball career. Several returning starters in Cameryn Cornell and Hali Stokes will be a key focus in the Lady Mt’neers attack, as they combined for 392 kills. Two newcomers will be looked on heavily at the net this season in Rae Downing and Coach Schmutz’s daughter, Ziah. The combination of experience and youth has the Lady Mt’neers going in a very good direction and should be considered a dark horse in the Big 8 East this year.
Coach Schmutz said: “We are going to take the same approach as we did last year in just looking at things one at a time. One rep, one point, one game at a time because with our youth, we are wanting to shrink things down and worry about playing good volleyball one play at a time. Hopefully that will help us improve like we did last year by controlling what we can control and turning that into effort and intensity and turning that into wins.”
Miller Football
Coach: Derek Hill (0-0) 1st year
Players lost to graduation: Saige Colley, Beau Hall, Brady Johnson, Owen Pritchett, Brenden Mcnamara, Spencer Bowles, Garrett Stewart
Players to watch: Nate Hill, Jarod Lung, Caden Calvin, Owen Dempster
Outlook: There’s a new sheriff in town. Well, kinda. Derek Hill takes over as the head skipper after more than two decades on the Cardinal sidelines. Hill’s legacy in the Cardinals uniform goes deeper, as he was a member of the fabled 1994 state championship team that stood as Miller’s only championship until 2021. This year will be an adjustment period on several fronts starting with replacing five of the top six tacklers from a year ago. If the Cardinals are going to turn some heads in what could be a wide open SWC this year, it will be on the shoulders of the coach’s son and junior quarterback Nate Hill. Nate threw for 1,100 yards a year ago and eight touchdowns. He found a connection with fellow junior Caden Calvin who hauled in 13 receptions including a 69-yard touchdown. Calvin will be busy as he will be the primary rushing threat after gaining 305 yards a year. All of the changes will make life tough for the Cardinals but as history shows, never count out the Cardinals.
Coach Hill said: “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind but to be able to say, ‘Hey, I am the man now,’ is a great feeling. It is something when you grow up playing and know that’s the profession you want to get into, that is what you dream about. To be able to say ‘Hey, I am the head man of a program that I have admired and just loved for years,’ now is just a great feeling.”
Nate Hill said: “This group is really talented. We have been talented all our lives and now we are all learning the new playbook and everything. We are catching some balls, running hard, and tackling, which we didn’t do very well last year and our guys are hungry to win this year. I feel like we are learning and improving a lot day by day and think it can translate to some wins.”
Miller Volleyball
Coach: Tamara Landers 19th season
2022 Record: 31-5-1
Players lost to graduation: Emberlynn Kingsley, Haylie Schnake, Hailey Mart, Rose Hill, Lillie Ricketts, Addison Stockton
Players to watch: Ashlynn Helton, Rachel Nunez, Camden Stockton
Outlook: What a run for the Lady Cardinals the last four years. Four district titles. Three state appearances, finishing 3rd in 2020, 2nd in 2022 and a state title back in 2021. While the majority of contributors have graduated, including six last year, tradition never graduates. Expectations are still high this year despite having only three players returning with varsity experience. The scary thing is those three sophomores have a chance to be as good as any volleyball players that have came out of Miller in their recent run. Ashlynn Helton has taken over as the face of Miller athletics as a three-sport star, and was third on the final four squad a year ago with 173 kills and putting them down at the second highest rate behind only Emberlynn Kingsley, who is now playing at the college level.
Camden Stockton is looking to build on a season that was over as it was just getting started with a torn ACL just a few games into her freshman year. She was averaging three assists per set despite not being the primary setter.
Rachel Nunez took a huge step as an athlete last year during basketball and softball and seems poised to make an impact this volleyball season. This will be a very new look Lady Cardinals squad with plenty of questions, but one thing to never question with a Coach Landers coached team is if they’re going to be competitive, because counting out the Lady Cardinals may be a fatal mistake.
Aurora Football
Coach: Brandon Pitts (2-8) 2nd season at Aurora
2022 Record: 2-8
Players lost to graduation: Kelton Brown, Alex Rios, Daunte Floyd, Trandan Darnall, Nate Irvin, Josh Blackburn, Jack Cline, James Schutte, Ethan Husmann
Players to watch: Ethan Whitlock, Jose Ibarra, Jax Prater, Thomas Lara, Evan Hartwigsen, Clayton Jaramillo
Outlook: Aurora struggled a year ago in year one of the Brandon Pitts era as wins over Springfield Catholic and East Newton were the only two for the Dawgs, but the future is bright in Aurora. They will return several key pieces on the offensive and defensive lines. The success of the Dawgs this year will lean on the legs of Jax Prater who is looking to build on his 815 yards and five touchdowns from a year ago. The youth movement will begin under center as sophomore Thomas Lara will take over under center after attempting 14 passes a year ago. Coach Pitts is a notoriously defensive minded coach and will hope to improve on the 30 points per game his defense allowed a year ago.
Worth noting: Culture is the name of the game in Aurora. Coach Pitts has done a fantastic job of creating a culture of community and hard work and it is working. Coach Pitts has already instilled a new tradition of bringing Dawg Nation onto the field for post game talks and the community has started hopping on board. Pitts has the Dawgs heading the right direction.
Coach Pitts said: “Our phrase of the season is ‘Just Finish’. Last year we were really competitive in the first, second and third quarters and we weren’t able to finish. Most of our games were close but we weren’t able to get the job done. This year we are preaching finishing everything from blocks and runs to homework and stuff at home. If we can get this done then we will continue to compete and hopefully lead to some wins.
Jax Prater said: “Cassville is going to be a big goal for us. We haven’t beaten them in 23 years and thought we had them in the district game, but we are gunning for them this year.”