As he enters his 10th season at the helm of Houston High School football, head coach Eric Sloan will have a group featuring many new faces playing key roles.
“After losing so many starters from last year, I was concerned about how we would gel,” Sloan said. “But so many of these kids are buddies outside of school and sports, so it’s been a pretty good transition. “We’ve had to replace a lot of experience, but they get along so well, and I think having that kind of chemistry helps.”
The Tigers went 4-6 in 2023, starting the campaign at 3-1 and then dropping 5 of their last 6 games (including a 35-13 defeat in a Class 2 District 4 playoffs contest at Strafford).
This year’s squad features 15 seniors, many of whom will be playing significant minutes for the first time in their careers.
Sloan said he expects the Tigers’ offensive and defensive lines to be the team’s strong points this season.
“Line depth will be where our strength lies this year,” Sloan said. “This is the first time I’ve been able to say that since I’ve been here; usually it’s the skilled positions.”
The offensive line will be anchored by senior center Logan Dixon, with senior Devin Shelton and junior Mason Dodson at guard, and a handful of others at tackle. Many of the same players will also handle defensive line duties, as senior Layne Seago returns as the starting nose guard.
Sloan hopes to implement sort of a “line by committee” approach.
“We’ll play a bunch of guys on defensive line,” he said. “We’re about 10 guys deep on d-line. We’ll try to get three or four plays out of somebody and then bring in fresh legs.”
Many of Houston’s offensive plays will revolve around senior Jordan Arthur, who last year compiled a whopping 1,100 all-purpose yards.
“We’re going to ask Jordan to do several different things offensively,” Sloan said. “Obviously, he’s going to line up in the slot, but he’s going to carry the ball quite a bit for us as a running back and you’ll sometimes see him taking snaps as a quarterback. He’s going to be doing a bit of everything.”
Arthur was also a statistical leader for Houston’s defense last season – recording 7 interceptions and numerous big tackles – and at safety will again be a fixture for the Big Red D.
Junior DJ Riley will handle quarterback duties for the Tigers this year, after previously playing at wide receiver. This will be his first season at the position since he was in 7th grade.
“He’s a really good athlete and he’s made the transition pretty well,” Sloan said. “He’s a runner, so we’ll be able to utilize that a little more this year than we have in the past. If he rolls out and has green grass, I think you’ll see him take off running – and when that happens, good things can happen.”
Joining Riley in the backfield will be Seago at tailback and Brayden Richardson at fullback. Meanwhile, burly senior Maleki Morgan will be at tight end.
“He helps us on the edge because he’s a really good blocker,” Sloan said. “And he has good hands, so when we can get the ball to him in space, that will be a bad combination for a d-back trying to tackle him. He probably won’t outrun anybody, but he might drag some guys for a while.”
Kicking duties will be handled by a newcomer in senior Fernando Rosales, who has displayed a strong leg in practice and could ultimately prove to be a valuable offensive asset.
Houston’s coaching staff will also have a new look this season. Former HHS coach Billy O’Neil is back as the team’s defensive coordinator, and there are multiple other changes among Sloan’s assistant coaches.
“The kids have adapted pretty well,” Sloan said, “and it’s been another pretty good transition.”
The Tigers kick off the season this week with a lengthy road trip to Pierce City and host Springfield Catholic next week. Houston begins South Central Association conference play Sept. 13 at Salem. After losing to their Dent County namesakes 40 straight times, the Tigers have defeated them in three consecutive matchups.
While avoiding turnovers and other big mistakes will of course be important, Sloan figures health and line play are keys to his team’s success in 2024.
“We’ve got to stay healthy,” he said, “but I think if we can control the offensive and defensive lines, that will be big for us. We’ve got a lot of inexperience on defense and kind of a low number in the linebacker department, so our d-line needs to make lots of plays to lighten the load on the guys behind them. And if our offensive line can wall people off and make some alleys for guys to run in, that will be huge for us.”
SCHEDULE
Aug. 30: Pierce City, 7 p.m.
Sept. 6: Springfield Catholic, 7 p.m.
Sept. 13: Salem, 7 p.m.
Sept. 20: Cabool, 7 p.m.
Sept. 28: Thayer, TBA
Oct. 4: Ava, 7 p.m.
Oct. 11: Willow Springs, 7 p.m.
Oct. 18: Mountain Grove, 7 p.m.
Oct. 25: Liberty, 7 p.m.
*Home games in bold
