Pigskin Preview: Savannah brings back experience, adds star power for title push

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Any football team that returns the majority of its varsity talent is going to enter the next season with high expectations. That becomes even more true in the Midland Empire Conference. Add a 10-2 record from a season ago, and you have a group with the talent and experience to make a serious run.

“I’d say a state championship for sure,” All-State senior linebacker Kaiden Phillips said of the team’s goal. “We’re all hungry, we want it. Put in the work every day, day-by-day, step-by-step, we all want that.”

The potential is already high for a team built to make another deep postseason run, but the addition of All-State standout and Division I commit Chase Bell raises the ceiling even more. Bell gives the group another proven playmaker and could be the piece that helps push them past the hurdle that ended last season.

“Well, it didn’t hurt,” head coach Anthony Hayes said about the new addition. “Chase Bell has been a really good pickup and good addition to the team. With a lot of kids coming back he’s fit in really well with our culture and work ethic and I’m excited to have him a part of it.”

Phillips and Bell will lead the defense. The pair of All-State linebackers will likely set the tone for a Savannah defense that strangled opponents last year, allowing just 9.1 points per game.

On offense, returners are found at nearly every position as well. The Savages bring back their top four receivers: seniors Jake Bodenhausen and Rylanton Cook and juniors Zyler Snapp and Makhi King. All four recorded between 100 and 250 receiving yards last season and will likely get even more involved in the passing game as All-Conference and All-District nod Caylor Schrick returns at quarterback. Schrick put up 372 passing yards, 864 rushing yards and five passing touchdowns last season. They’re protected up front by All-Conference returner Xander Markt and the rest of the offensive line.

“These are guys that I grew up playing with and we all have seen guys before us work hard and we want to work hard too,” Markt said. “We’ve worked really hard and followed in those footsteps of people before us and now we’re in a great spot where we see all these younger kids around us and we’re able to lead them better than we were led.”

With so much talent returning, every player on this team has a state title on their mind. Fifth-year coach Hayes looks to keep his players focused day-by-day while keeping the bigger picture in mind.

“I think you got to kind of just boil it down to day-by-day,” Hayes said. “I don’t want to say success is only winning a state title. … Our kids want to win. I think for us to take the next step, we’ve won MEC titles, we’ve had winning records, they really want that district title. If you’re sitting where we are, wherever we land in classification, whoever wins our district will be a frontrunner for a state title. That is the next step that everybody is hungry to take.”

That was the case for the Savages last season, as they were placed in a district with Kearney, which went on to finish 14-0 and win the state championship. Since Savannah’s most recent move to Class 4 in 2023, the Savages have been placed with Kearney in each of the past three seasons and lost to the Bulldogs all three times, with Kearney winning the state title in two of those three years. Class and district assignments will be released on the first day of play, Friday, Aug. 28.

Nevertheless, Savannah is ready to play whoever is in front of them.

“We’ve really beefed up our non-conference schedule this year,” Hayes said. “We’re going to have some tough early tests. We’re going to find out who we are and where we need to go and I like that. When we get to the later rounds of our district play we’re going to run into the Kearneys of the world, the defending state title teams. I think that only helps you. I don’t want to play a schedule where we have this false sense of who we are. I want to be tested, our kids want to be tested and we’re definitely going to get that.”

For the Savages, this season is one of opportunity. With so much talent returning and another proven playmaker added to the mix, Savannah remains focused on the ultimate goal.

“Our goal every year, at the beginning of the season, we always want to go all the way,” Markt said. “We know together we can do amazing things because years before we have. But now we have stronger guys, more guys, more experienced guys and most importantly we have great leaders.”

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →