March 28, 2024

Mustang football gets jump on competition at team camp

MONROE — Prairie City-Monroe football coach Greg Bonnett had the chance to see how some of his varsity players looked in pads a few weeks before official practice began when the Mustangs took part in the Simpson College team camp.

And what the veteran coach discovered during the weekend scrimmages was that his Mustangs should still be able to throw the ball all over the field.

PCM will pair the top ranked quarterback in Class 2A with the No. 4 wide receiver in the passing game and three returning starters on the offensive line and a few other newcomers expected to make significant improvements should help the Mustang offense be one of the best in District 7.

“It was nice to see how we played with the pads on, and we got a chance to see who are going to be some of our physical players,” said Bonnett about the team camp. “I feel like we got a bit of a jump at the start of the season that maybe we didn’t get in my previous years here.”

Gilman returns at quarterback and he comes into the season as iowapreps.com’s top 2A signal caller after throwing for 2,518 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior. His top target will be Iowa Preps’ fourth-ranked wideout Luke Greiner.

Last year’s offense lost 1,000-yard rusher Ronnie Marshall and two of the top receivers Ricky Reeve and Trey Lindsay, but Bonnett expects the offense to return to form with wide receiver replacements Noah Clark, Reid Jenkins and Chase Kuecker.

“We found out that we can still throw the ball well,” Bonnett said. “Gilman played really well that week (at Simpson).”

Replacing Marshall might be tougher, but PCM will go with a running back-by-committee that includes Logan Littrell, Ryan Kohlhof, Tyler Dredge and Clay Cooper.

Littrell is the top returner but only rushed for 95 yards and three touchdowns a year ago.

A positive with the running game will be the return of three linemen — Leevi Telfer, Ethan Thomas and James Snoddgrass, who all started every game as sophomores.

That trio will be paired with seniors Gunnar Davis and Tyler Foster.

The Mustangs have the ability to throw the ball all over the field, but the coaching staff won’t be afraid to run it if opposing defenses spread them out.

And if the offense stalls, junior Chase Wilkie gives the Mustangs a weapon in the kicking game. The returning all-stater was 36-of-39 in PATs and 3-of-5 in field goals last year.

While Gilman and the offense receive most of the attention, Bonnett was impressed with his defense at the team camp, too.

PCM will continue to use multiple sets with multiple fronts and will rely on their returners to lead the way.

Three of those starters include Telfer, Snoddgrass and Thomas on the defensive line.

Davis Herndon has missed some of camp because of military basic training obligations, but PCM will count on their returning all-district linebacker to make plays in the middle.

Linebackers Littrell, Sneller and Jenkins are all back after starting last year, and Clark is expected to make an impact as a linebacker, too.

Jenkins’ 41 solo tackles is the most of any other returner. Herndon and Littrell both had 36 solos, and Sneller had 32.

The only returning starter in the secondary is Dredge, but PCM will have solid depth as Kohlhof, Sheldon Speers, Colten Warrick and Noah Anderson are all battling for snaps.

Nathan Trausch is expected to be the other defensive end when the Mustangs use a four-man front.

District 7 teams will most likely be chasing Albia for the league title. The Blue Demons return several all-staters, including tailback Carter Isley, whose 2,327 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns led all of 2A in 2014.

“Albia is the favorite because of Isley alone,” Bonnett said. “But I don’t think you can ever rule out North Polk or CMB. They’ll be well coached, and I know they have some talent back, too.”

The Mustangs went 4-5 a year ago but made the playoffs as the No. 4 seed out of the district. If they want to improve on that record in 2015, they’ll need another big season from Gilman, who led the team to an average of 32 points per game last year.

“I think it’s good for them,” Bonnett said of Gilman and Greiner’s preseason accolades. “I honestly do believe Logan is the No. 1 quarterback in 2A and I think Greiner is at least the No. 4 wide receiver. They are two talented players who are going to make a lot of plays for us.”

The defense also will need to improve. PCM allowed 30 points per game and opponents scored at least 42 points against them during the three-game losing skid that ended the year.

The Mustangs, who open the season at Pella Christian on Friday, scored at least 28 points seven times but went 4-3 in those games, including a 45-31 loss to Williamsburg in the postseason opener.