After starting the season 2-1, the Red Bud Musketeers dropped their final six games of the season and this year will be looking to get back to the playoffs as they did two years ago.
Red Bud will count on their offensive and defensive line play as well as their quarterback this season.
“Our skill positions are above average and we have good depth at those positions,” said Red Bud coach Dave Lucht. “We felt like we underachieved last year and the guys have worked hard all summer long and are ready to start the season with a win.”
One of Red Bud’s biggest weapons offensively will be junior quarterback Jake Hoffman (6’2 200).
“Jake started as a sophomore and played good football for us,” said Lucht. “He is a junior now and he has gotten better over the summer. He is a very good passer and a very strong kid who is hard to tackle. He has good size for a quarterback, and we expect big things from him this season.”
The Musketeers have a bunch of guys that are capable of running the football this year, and their depth in the backfield will be a major strength for this team.
“We have a whole committee of guys who can run the football, but our top three has to be Mitchel Cleveland (5’9 165 senior), Tyler Hubert (5’9 155 sophomore), and Tyler Magruder (5’6 150 junior). All three players are pretty quick and have good elusiveness to them. Hubert may be the best overall runner, but all three are decent runners. If they are not running the ball, then they will be playing as receivers.”
Along with three running backs that will see time as receiver, Tyler Henry (5’11 150 junior) could also be a force catching the ball.
“Tyler came on strong over the summer and will be a big asset for this team,” said Lucht. “Our receivers have good overall speed, and their hands are good. We don’t have a lot of size at that position, which is a concern.”
Red Bud returns three starters on the offensive line in Carl Borja (6’3 280 junior) at center, Cameron Mueth (5’11 265 junior) at guard, and Richard Burgess (5’10 200 junior) at tackle. The other starters on the offensive line will be Cody Murray (5’10 190 senior) at guard and Bubba Donjon (6’2 175 junior) at tackle.
“These guys have been in the weight room the entire off-season, and they have bonded as a group,” said Lucht. “We have a mice mix of size and mobility, which is important on the offensive line.”
Defensively the Musketeers will once again run an aggressive 3-3-5 scheme. Red Bud has good depth on the defensive line as Mueth, Donjon, Borja, Jason Greer (6’2 200 sophomore) and Jon Borja (6’ 230 senior) will all see time up-front.
“I am pretty comfortable with the depth of the defensive line,” said Lucht. “Keeping our big guys fresh throughout the game will be extremely important, especially late in the ball game.”
The starting linebackers for the Musketeers will be Murray, when he is not playing on the defensive line, Ben Huegle (6’ 175 sophomore), and Seth Heizer (6’1 165 junior).
“All of the linebackers are quick, and our outside containment should be really good,” said Lucht. “These guys attack the football and can make some hard hits.”
The Red Bud secondary will be comprised of Henry, Cleveland and Hubert, while Hoffman will play safety. The other starting spot is up in the air as Magruder and football newcomer Stefan Gregson (6’ 180 senior) are battling.
“Our overall team quickness in the secondary is better than in the past,” said Lucht. “Plus, we have some guys who are excellent in coverage and others who can hand out some big hits. We need our secondary to limit big plays from opposing offenses, while flying to the ball on defense.”
Red Bud made it to the Elite 8 in the 2A playoffs two years ago but stumbled in a repeat attempt, going 2-7 last season. This year the Musketeers are hungry as they fight for a chance to get back to the football promise land—the playoffs.
“Our goal is to be able to compete in every game,” said Lucht. “We think we are better than last year, and we expect to be in every game we play. We got a taste of the playoffs two years ago, and we want to get back to the post season.”
The Musketeers also look to have a better showing in the Cahokia Conference after just picking up one win last season.
“I expect Freeburg and Breese Central to be battling for the top spot, but you can never count out Columbia,” said Lucht. “They lost a lot of good players, but they will just reload. I expect them to be right on the heels of Freeburg and Breese Central this year. Dupo will be much improved and give a lot of teams a battle, while Wesclin and Carlyle round out the rest of the teams. I think we are a middle-of-the-pack team right now, but you never know. If we get a couple of wins early in the season, we might be a contender for the conference as well.”
Red Bud starts the season with a road game against Pinckneyville Friday night.
