March 28, 2024

CMB football looks for encore after historic year

BAXTER — The 2014 football season for the Collins-Maxwell/Baxter Raiders was the best year in program history.

No other CMB team went a complete regular season without a loss.

Now, the question is, what will the Raiders do for an encore?

“Every year, you don’t think you can replace guys. It’s going to be hard to replace the guys we lost, but hopefully you have guys who put in a lot of meaningful minutes that step up to be the guy and you hope you have younger guys who are ready to take on roles and get on the field,” said CMB coach Rob Luther, who begins his 19th season at his alma mater. “We have a decent nucleus back and definitely have guys who tasted a pretty successful season last year.”

The Raiders, who went 10-1 overall last year, lost all-state wideout and Division I player Bryce Kemp, two all-state linemen in Patrick Girard and Clayton Weltha and all-state kicker Joey Nissen, along with several other talented seniors, but returners like all-stater Brady Stover, Hunter McWhirter, Blake Coughenour and Charles Robertson hope to prove last year’s historical season wasn’t a fluke.

McWhirter comes into the season as the No. 3 ranked quarterback in Class 2A, according to iowapreps.com. He threw for 1,716 yards and 18 total touchdowns as a sophomore.
Senior Nate Bishop and sophomore Braydon Aker will battle McWhirter for the starting job in camp.

“I am not opposed to playing more than one guy, but we’ll let it play out,” Luther said. “They are all three great kids, and I hope they all try to compete and try to get on the field somewhere. It’s good to have options.”

McWhirter lost Kemp but will get to throw to Stover for one more year if he wins the job. Stover had a team-high 63 catches, 902 yards and eight touchdowns last year and earned first-team all-state honors as a defensive back after collecting 10 interceptions.

Stover, the Iowa Preps’ No. 1 ranked 2A wideout, will be used several different ways on offense, including at quarterback, running back and receiver while also returning kicks and punts.

While Stover is the No. 1 option, finding him a compliment is something being worked out in preseason practices. Hunter Gunderson returns after hauling in 16 passes last year and Brad Ritter and Brady Kemp also are expected to be formidable options in the passing game.

Coughenour ran for 847 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore. He’ll need to be even better in 2015, but Luther compared his junior tailback with one of the best in CMB history.

“He was pretty good last year, but we need him to have a big season,” Luther said. “He wants it, and I think he’s an all-state running back. You might end up saying he’s the best tailback at CMB since Joe Langenberg.

“Joe’s the best running back I have ever coached, and Blake has the potential to be better. We have to block for him and put him in good situations, but he’s explosive.”

The blocking part won’t be easy after losing three starters to graduation. But Archer McFadden and Jason Hillgren are back after starting every game last year.

A group of five players are battling for the final three starting spots. That list includes Toren Schultheis, Will Clapper, Adam Smith, Joseph Bienfang, Jacob Accord and Caleb Van Zante.

The Raiders averaged 35 points per game in starting 10-0 last season, but the change the coaches made on defense may have been the biggest factor in producing the historical season.

CMB switched to a 3-5-3 defense and held opponents to a little more than 15 points per tilt. The Raiders surrendered 14 points or fewer six times.

Returning from that unit in 2015 will be Stover, Robertson, Tucker Maxwell and Gunderson but CMB also lost four of the top five tacklers.

Robertson had 40 solo tackles and two sacks a year ago. He’ll headline the linebackers along with Coughenour and Gunderson.

“We feel like we have lots of guys back on offense that can put up points, but the bigger concern is on defense,” Luther said. “We have more holes to fill on that side of the ball.”

Ritter will fill a hole at defensive end, Maxwell returns at safety and McFadden returns to the defensive line. Luther said Hillgren will either be the other defensive end or one of the five linebackers.

McWhirter. Kemp, Aker and Zach Schafer are all battling for time at linebacker, while the other corner opposite of Stover has yet to be decided.

Nissen was a weapon CMB had last year but won’t in 2015. The first-team all-state kicker could be replaced by Creighton Caple or Stover, who also will punt for the third straight year.

Albia is the favorite to win District 7 in 2015. The Blue Demons return several all-staters, including tailback Carter Isley, whose 2,327 yards and 33 touchdowns led all of 2A in 2014.

“After Albia, then everyone else has a chance,” Luther said. “PCM, North Polk and us are probably next. Davis County should be better. PCM is hungry. It’ll be Albia and then everyone else for 2-3-4 and hopefully we can find a way to get in.”

The Raiders open the season at West Marshall on Aug. 28. They’ll have four home games — two in Baxter against Davis County and Albia and two in Maxwell against Roland-Story and Clarke.

“It comes down to belief and attitude,” Luther said. “Last year’s team was about guys who really loved each other. We are not there yet with this group.

“To go 9-0 you have to have some luck, too. The ball has to bounce your way so I just want the kids to have those expectations but be ready to go. We haven’t had to come back after a loss in two years. When we lost last year, we turned in the equipment. We better be ready and be prepared to come back after a loss. Hopefully we won’t have to, but I am guessing at some point we will.”