Montezuma’s football season was guided by eight senior players who have drawn high praise from head Coach John Beck.
The coach also had a few words to say about the team’s defeat at the hands of powerful Audubon.
The eight seniors are Eddie Burgess, Connor Van Zee, TJ Townsend, Jack Brenner, Zach Bennett, Cam Michalek, Keaton Stokoe and Gabe Wearmouth.
Those of us who cover the Braves keep searching for new ways to say things about Burgess’ many accomplishments. Beck summed it up pretty well with this:
“We’re going to miss him,” the coach told Chris Varney of KGRN radio. “He’s a special athlete and a special kid.”
“He was one of the last to leave the field after the Audubon game,” Beck said.
Varney pointed out that Burgess passed for more than 9,000 yards during his career, a record in Iowa 8-man football. His 137 touchdown passes also is a Class 8 mark.
Eddie added more than 3,500 rushing yards, and 75 rushing touchdowns.
At linebacker, he had more than 260 total tackles.
Burgess has announced that he will continue his education and football career at Upper Iowa University in Fayette, the state’s only NCAA Division 2 school.
Connor Van Zee – A three-year starter on defense, he also was worked into the offensive scheme more this season.
TJ Townsend and Jack Brenner. “Two-year starters in our offensive line,” Beck said. “They blocked for Eddie. You don’t get the kind of yards we gained without linemen doing the job up front,” Beck said.
Zach Bennett – “He returned to Montezuma and did a great job on the defensive line,” Beck said. “He was itching to get in there on offense, too, but we kept him mostly one-way to help the team keep more guys rested.”
Cam Michalek – “He stepped up and accepted the tight end responsibilities,” said the coach.
Keaton Stokoe – “He started a few games early,” Beck said about the big lineman. “He loved his teammates and would do anything for them.”
Gabe Wearmouth – “He left Montezuma after his sophomore year, but came back,” Beck said.
Losing 63-14 to Audubon was quite a shock, but it painted a pretty clear picture of what the Braves need to do.
“We’ve got to be a hair faster and stronger,” Beck said. “We might look a little different next season, but we will still be able to throw and run the football.”
The Braves have more than two dozen players scheduled to return.
Audubon, said Beck, “was physical up front. They were fast, too. It was hard to move their big bodies. We became one-dimensional, and the game spiraled out of control for us from there,” he said.
“Defensively, we just struggled to do our jobs at times, although the boys played hard and gave their all,” Beck said.
“After Audubon went up 21-6, we got a defensive stop but couldn’t capitalize on it,” said the coach.
“We tried different things, but in 8-man football, if one guy is out of position, things can go bad real quick,” he said.
Beck credited Audubon quarterback Gavin Smith, who rushed for 301 yards and six touchdowns. “He was shifty, and tough to tackle,” Beck said.
Audubon was a 34-30 winner at WACO on Thursday evening, Nov. 4. That earned the Wheelers a spot in this week’s semifinal round in the UNIDome, where they’ll face CAM-Anita, the one team that defeated them earlier this year.
Meanwhile, thanks seniors, and to all of the football Braves!