Countdown to kickoff: Going on deep playoff run is major part of Monroe City’s motivation

MONROE CITY, Mo. — Being involved in lopsided playoff football games was nothing new for Monroe City.

Being on the losing end was.

Bowling Green scored four touchdowns on eight offensive plays in the first quarter of last season’s Class 2 District 7 semifinal game, led 44-0 at halftime to prompt a running clock for the second half and cruised to a 51-6 victory over Monroe City in a battle of state-ranked teams.

The Bobcats marched to the Class 2 semifinals, losing to eventual champion Lamar, while the Panthers, coming off back-to-back Class 1 semifinal appearances, had to grapple with their earliest postseason exit since 2019.

“For all of us, that left a bad taste in our mouth,” returning senior Trey Smyser said.

“It was hard to take in,” admitted running back Quincy Mayfield. “It was a different perspective.”

For Coach David Kirby, there’s no looking back.

“We had a dang good football team last year and just ran into teams better than us,” he said. “Our goal is not to worry about last year, but to worry about this year and take advantage of the opportunities. This is a new team, and our focus is on Week 1.”

The opening opponent will be 15-time state champion Valle Catholic, which lost to Lamar in overtime in last season’s title game, halting its quest to match Webb City for the most championships in Missouri high school history.

The teams have met twice previously since 2014. Valle ousted Monroe City in the district championship game that year, while the Panthers got their revenge in the 2017 state title game.

“This is an opportunity to see how good we are right away on the state level,” Kirby said. “We’re going against arguably the best small-school football program in state history. It’s a great opportunity to see what we can do against an elite program.”

Monroe City finished with an 8-3 record last season to finish third in the Clarence Cannon Conference behind South Shelby and Centralia.

By most measures it was a success, considering it had graduated a talented senior class that was part of back-to-back teams that won 24 of 27 games.

“If people think 8-3 is a bad record, then that says something about the program over the years,” Mayfield pointed out.

“We have kids who have played a lot of Friday night games, and that was not the case last year,” Kirby said. “Sometimes the moments got a little bigger than they should have. One of the benefits is that those kids got a massive amount of reps.”

The Panthers return their triple-threat offensive backfield that accounted for the bulk of their 2,804 rushing yards.

Mayfield rushed for a team-leading 891 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Jayden Holland ran for 827 yards and 11 scores. Both are entering their junior season. Dylan Ross has put on a few pounds for his senior season after rushing for 790 yards a year ago. He sat out as a sophomore after suffering a concussion.

“Dylan is just as strong and just as fast as me, and Jayden just makes plays happen,” Mayfield said.

“They do play off each other,” Kirby added. “If a team loads up to stop Quincy, it opens it up for Dylan. If they stop Dylan, it opens it up for Jayden.”

The one change will be at quarterback, where 6-foot-2 ½ sophomore Wyatt DeGrave will replace the 5-foot-8 Smyser, who will move into a role as a wide receiver and running back.

Smyser said he already had decided to propose the switch to Kirby when the coach approached him with the idea last winter.

“I feel like with me at running back or wide receiver or wherever is where I can help the team the best,” said Smyser, who ran for 151 yards and threw for 528 more on 30 completions last season after playing the position for two years at Palmyra.

“I have all the confidence in the world in that kid (DeGrave). He’s a big kid and is only going to continue to get bigger and fill out more. I think the kid is going to do great things this year. We’re still going to be a run-heavy team because that’s who we are.”

Kirby said the decision was two-fold: It gets DeGrave, the “more complete passer,” in the lineup, while keeping the speedy Smyser, who also will continue to be the primary kickoff and punt returner, on the field.

“We knew Wyatt was coming up,” the coach said. “He’s a football-minded kid who has grown up around the game and understands what we’re trying to do. It’s been cool to see him mature and take the next step in growing as a quarterback.

“Trey has great athleticism in open space. When you put him at wide receiver, he gives us a fast, vertical threat all the time. He’s agile and adds a dimension to the receiving game. And we ran a lot of single-wing stuff last year and let him run.

“I like to tell people we run the spread. We want to see how many people can touch the ball during the game.”

Monroe City returns four of six starters along the offensive line in Blake Pfanner, Aiden Utterback, Toby Sapp and Lane Willard, the only senior. Abraham Smyser will primarily be a tight end after playing several positions as a sophomore.

Kirby said junior Cole Hays, who did not play last season, is “coming into his own as a route runner” and expects Hays and Trey Smyser to “create some electric moments in the passing game.”

The Panthers return eight starters on defense, with the linebacking corps of Mayfield, Ross, Sapp and Abraham Smyser a strength. That unit allowed 280 points and yielded more than 3,100 yards last season, numbers higher than usual, but skewered by losses to Bowling Green and South Shelby (59-6).

“We started a whole lot of young’uns, and in the league we play in, you’re going to take a few hits when you start sophomores,” Kirby said.

Monroe City has won or shared four CCC titles since 2017 and again sees itself as a contender.

“I don’t know who the lead dog is in the pack,” Kirby said, “but if we play the way we’re capable of, I think we could be a tough out for anybody.”