“We are excited to play!” said Montezuma football Coach Pat O’Brien.
And play they will in the season opener at Twin Cedars of Bussey on Friday evening, Aug. 28.
“The boys are ready to compete and get after it,” O’Brien said. “We had a good week of camp, and a good week-and-a-half of practice,” the coach said, after the team had practiced a week-and-a-half.
The Braves went 6-3 last season and had one of the most prolific offenses in all of Iowa Class 8 football.
Twin Cedars was 1-9. “It’ll be a good game,” O’Brien said. “Twin Cedars was a young team last year and had a few miscues per game.”
The Braves are wound tight – but not entirely – around 6-4, 225-pound junior quarterback Eddie Burgess.
Burgess threw for 2,900 yards and 49 touchdowns last season. He rushed for just over 1,000 yards and 20 more touchdowns.
Kodie Strong (5-7, 170 and a senior) and Brian Diaz (5-9, 180, sr.) are working in the team’s running back position.Trey Shearer, a 5-10, 150-pound senior, is manning the “hybrid” spot, sort of a combination of wide receiver and fullback. He had 1,001 yards receiving and 20 touchdowns in 2019.
Manning the tight end spot is Joey Kercheval, a 5-8, 160-pound senior.
Splitting time at one of the guard spots are T.J Townsend (5-9, 260, jr.) and Tod Geiger (6-0, 205, freshman).
A returning starter at center is Kennen Roadcap (5-10, 260, soph.).
Jack Brenner (5-10, 200, jr.) is a returning center at the other guard position.
The wide receiver is Cole Watts, a 5-11, 170-pound senior who had 1,100 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns last season.
Owen Cook (5-11, 155, soph.) is the team’s kicker. He was 27-for-37 on points after touchdowns, and kicked off 88 times for 3,179 total yards.
On defense, the Braves will line up with Burgess at free safety. He had 53 tackles last year, including a dozen for lost yardage, and one pass interception.
Connor Van Zee (5-8, 150) will be at one corner spot. He had 52 tackles and broke up six pass plays.
The other corner will be alternated between Kodie Strong and Trey Shearer. Strong had 32 tackles. Shearer had 42 stops, and intercepted four passes.
Joey Kercheval and Brady Ogan (5-9, 155, sophomore) will share the other linebacker spot. Kercheval had 41 tackles. Ogan had 29 stops.
Matt Karadios, a 5-9, 160-pound freshman, will be at one of the defensive end positions.
At the other end, Braves Tod Geiger, a freshman, is listed, along with Brenner, who had 29 tackles.
Roadcap and Townsend will share time at the nose tackle position.
The Braves listed 27 players on their roster as of late last week.
Twin Cedars lists eight seniors on a 17-man roster.
Quarterback Dallas Clark (5-11, 160) was 83-for-168 as a sophomore starting for the varsity last season. His completions went for 963 yards and six touchdowns.
The Sabers showed some balance between passing and running.
Halfback Brayden Den Burger (5-11, 145, sr.) rushed for 362 yards and a 4.3 per carry average. Kade Dunkin (5-7, 120) rushed for 316 yards and a 7.5 average.
Dunkin also caught 51 passes for 535 yards and five touchdowns. He also was the team’s top tackler with 90.5 stops, and intercepted five passes.
Levi Messamaker (5-6, 140), rushed for 290 yards, a 4.8 average, and six touchdowns.
UP FIRST – The Braves are at Twin Cedars on Friday, Aug. 28, with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
