Mediocrity chafes Blue Springs South

Blue Springs South climbed to the top of the Missouri Class 6 podium in 2011, using a late-season surge to win the second state championship in school history. The ensuing two seasons have been lackluster by comparison.

The Jaguars are 11-10 since capturing their state title — a model of inconsistency they expect to change.

“We pride ourselves on playing our best football at the end of the season, and for whatever reason, that hasn’t always been the case the last two years,” Jaguars coach Greg Oder said. “We’re excited about changing that. I really like the group we have. They’re extremely coachable.”

A team that includes only two returning starters will be charged with returning the Jaguars to prominence. Blue Springs South must replace a 40-player senior class.

Oder says the talent is there to make it happen — even if the experience isn’t.

“What helps is we have good players — they just haven’t played much varsity football,” Oder said. “We have some guys who are really good players, but they just either developed late or were behind good players last year.

“Some of our best teams here had a ton of new starters. It all depends on how it fits together.”

The Jaguars have long established a defense-first mentality. Linebacker David Dye is expected to lead that assignment.

The offense returns a bit more experience, though not by much. Junior wideout Briley Moore-McKinney saw the most playing time among all returning starters, along with senior offensive lineman Christian Boyles. Adam Cofield will take a higher profile in the backfield.

Quarterback Noah Nigro ran with the first-team offense over the summer, though his ankle injury allowed Cameron Miller to also see some snaps under center.

This story was originally published August 19, 2014 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Mediocrity chafes Blue Springs South."