Pursuit of excellence gives Pirates edge, while experience pushes them forward

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The pieces are in place for the Hannibal football team to harbor legitimate championship dreams.

A skilled quarterback with a complete grasp of the offense. An NCAA Division I talent who can play a variety of positions. A bookend left tackle. A dynamic defensive end. A bulldog middle linebacker. A make-plays-everywhere safety. 

And speed here, there and everywhere.

Yet, what first-year Pirates coach Jeff Gschwender has watched develop over the last three weeks is something that cannot be quantified by yards, touchdowns or tackles. It’s the desire to improve and a relentless approach to being as close to perfect as possible.

“Even the guys who have a ton of experience, when they’re making little mistakes, they’re taking the coaching and they’re fixing it on the next rep,” Gschwender said. “There’s a lot of maturity, and it helps when there’s a lot of confidence because of the success they’ve had.”

Still, the Pirates want more.

They finished 8-3 last season, losing to MICDS in the Class 4 state quarterfinals. The Rams advanced to the state title game, losing 35-30 to Jefferson City Helias as the Crusaders capped a 14-0 season with their first state title since 1998.

Those same Crusaders provide the opening test for the Pirates, who make the trip to the state capitol for Friday’s 7 p.m. kickoff at Ray Hentges Stadium.

“We have to be ready for the next play, stick with our game plan and work hard,” Gschwender said. “That’s how you win big games.”

Cortland Watson is responsible for helping the Pirates maintain that even keel.

Entering his third season as the starter at quarterback, Watson completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,419 yards with 19 touchdowns and just five interceptions, and he did that while missing all or part of three games with a foot injury.

Despite losing a running back with more than 3,000 career rushing yards to his credit, Watson enjoys having a full arsenal at his disposal. A.J. Thomas has the capability of being a 1,000-yard back. Aneyas Williams can do it all, which is why Oregon has already offered the sophomore all-purpose back a scholarship.

Kaiser Greenwell, Tyler Hardy, Markell Humphrey and John Clubine add speed and great hands to the mix.

“We understand that we have some speed that we can play with and the kids understand what the philosophy is with what we’re trying to do,” Gschwender said. “They just come out ready to work. It’s about getting coached. The kids are doing the little things right.”

Returning four starting linemen, including first-team All-North Central Missouri Conference left tackle Caden Selle. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound bruiser will not play this week as he recuperates from a dislocated elbow, but he is expected to return soon.

His presence is vital, the same way Brady Zimmerman’s presence is along the defensive front.

The all-conference defensive end had nearly 50 tackles last season and disrupted play after play. It allowed linebackers such as Ashton Watts, who was a second-team all-conference selection as a sophomore, the freedom to chase ball carriers. Hardy is another ball-hawking linebacker.

Greenwell starts at safety with Clubine and Humphrey at cornerback, challenging opponents to find somewhere else to throw. It leaves little room for error.

“We have a lot of kids where it is their third year playing on Friday nights,” Gschwender said. “They understand what it’s going to be like.”

So do the coaches. Gschwender has previous head coaching experience, having spent three seasons at Bowling Green, and he’s been a part of the Hannibal staff the previous six seasons. Hired in February as the Pirates’ head coach, he’s been able to keep the staff intact.

That’s paying off.

“Everybody is jumping on board and they’re working their tails off,” Gschwender said. “The coaches love to coach and the kids love to play. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”