By Staff
MOUNDRIDGE – For the 2023 season two things are known for sure for the Moundridge football program, they will be led by a first-year coach and the team will be extremely young with 28 of the 31 players listed on the roster being underclassman.
After going 6-4 in 2022, Moundridge will be going in a new direction as Tyler O’Connor takes over the football program assisted by Bret Lange, Courtney Moddelmog, and DaWayne Stos.
This will be the first time O’Connor has led a program which makes everything more of a challenge than it may already be as he tries to direct a program that has made runs in the state playoffs but have not won a state title since the mid-1970's.
“My expectations as a first-year head coach will be to learn as quick as possible,” explained O’Connor. “I have been fortunate enough to have learned and mentored by some outstanding coaches. I look forward to getting to know the kids and watching them grow into great football players as well as young men.”
The Wildcats did lose a few very key seniors to graduation but remain an extremely young team in that only three seniors, six juniors as well as fourteen sophomores and eight freshmen are listed on the 2023 roster.
What O’Connor does have to work among the youngsters will be 11 returning starters, five on defense and six on offense.
Moundridge will build their offense around juniors Henry Hecox and Barrett Moddelmog, both juniors. Beginning his third season as the quarterback, Hecox rang up 1,500 yards in total offense in 2022 with 869 yards passing and another 631 yards running the ball. Moddelmog is a sizable tight end at six-foot-three and 190 pounds who was a force last season while leading the team in receiving with 26 receptions for 348 yards and four touchdowns.
All returning is senior Joaquin Huff who covered 354 yards on 56 carries good for 10 touchdowns at running back.
(Joaquin Huff)
The remaining three returnees on the offense are all juniors in wide receiver Lane Durst plus linemen Braden DenHartog and Layton Weins.
Huff, Moddelmog, Durst, Hecox and DenHartog also return as starters for the Wildcat defensive unit with Huff and Moddelmog manning the linebacker positions where they were the top two tacklers in 2022. Durst will once again be a free safety, with Hecox playing cornerback and DenHartog lining up at noseguard.
According to the coaches, two players to keep an eye on will be the Kanitz brothers, senior running back/linebacker Kreighton and sophomore wide receiver/free safety Kaizer. Both are transferring into Moundridge from McPherson with their father, Dustin Kanitz, taking over as the replacement for head boys’ basketball coach from retiring Vance Unrau.
Concluding his outlook on the upcoming 2023 season, coach O’Connor said, “I am expecting the season to continue to get better on a week-to-week basis beginning in fall camp. We will be looking for upper classmen to emerge into leadership roles, something that will be particularly important as we move from practices to games and into district play.”
MOUNDRIDGE WILDCAT 2023 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE:
(All games set for 7:00 pm kickoff unless otherwise noted)
Friday, September 1 = at Ell-Saline
Friday, September 8 = Host Bennington
Friday, September 15 = at Wichita Independent
Friday, September 22 = Host Pretty Prairie
Friday, September 29 = at Little River
Friday, October 6 = Host Solomon
Friday, October 13 = Host Goessel
Friday, October 20 = at Herington
Thursday, October 26 = Bracket Game, TBA
Friday, November 3 = State Regionals, TBA
Friday, November 10 = State Sectionals, TBA
Friday, November 17 = State Sub-State, TBA
Saturday, November 25 = State Championship
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(The Staff covering McPherson County Activities can be reached by email at macks.people.places@gmail.com)
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