(Anita) The CAM football team enters the 2021 season with one of the most talented rosters they’ve ever had.
The Cougars only loss last year was a 30-28 setback to eventual state runner-up Fremont-Mills in the quarterfinals. There’s no doubt this team has visions of reaching the dome. They return a ton of firepower on both sides of the ball. “You start off with Lane Spieker who had 1,700 yards of rushing last year and was pretty efficient on the offensive end with 408 yards passing so he’s the type of kid you can put him at quarterback, you can split him out, you can do many different things with him. He’s going to try and make plays and be successful and do anything he can to help his team. Then there’s complimentary players like Colby Rich who had over 400 yards receiving last year and Joe Kauffman and Cade Ticknor.”
Coach Barry Bower points out a newcomer that will be a welcome addition. “Ethan Follmann came out for the first time this year.” Bower says, “He’s an athlete. He’s a tough nosed kid as far as being a state wrestler. So he’s going to add some different dimensions. It’s going to be a wonderful, wonderful tool for us to spread it around.”
Beyond that, there are several athletes ready to make a name for themselves. “Austin Williams, Gabe Rouse, Jack Follmann, and I haven’t yet mentioned our guys up front that are all back. A lot of these guys are state tracksters or involved in baseball and went to a substate final. We’ve got a lot of guys that are rearing to go.”
Nolan Hensley, Reese Oglesbee, and Gavyn Jessen return as starters on a quality offensive line. While the lofty visions for this team seem very realistic, Bower warns that success is not guaranteed and anything can happen. “I want these guys to understand you have to keep working hard. You never know what’s going to happen as far as injuries. You never know when the ball is going to bounce a certain way. You have to have some luck to win championships. The mind is a very powerful tour. Keep the mind in check and good things are going to happen.”
This is Bower’s second year as the head coach and, with that, he believes they are farther ahead than they were a year ago at this time.
Coach Barry Bower:
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