Entering 2015, Louisburg was 1-6 in games decided by a touchdown or less in the past two seasons. The Wildcats had finished 5-5 and 3-6 in those years.
De Soto was 0-9 in 2013 and 3-6 last fall. They went 1-10 in contests decided by 14 points or fewer; the only victory being a 13-12 win versus Louisburg last year.
This season, both teams are 4-1 and have each bettered last year’s win total. On Friday, De Soto travels to Louisburg in a Frontier League matchup between a pair of surprising 4A-I programs.
“There just comes a point in time your kids say enough is enough,” Louisburg coach Kyle Littrell said. “We have got to mature, we have got to show that we are getting better, and it’s time to close the game out.”
Coach Brian King has more than 95 players out at De Soto, large for any level, especially 4A-I. The Wildcats have plenty of depth, and King said the talent has improved from ’13-14. De Soto began two-platooning this year, which King said has greatly helped the squad.
“I don’t think we have anybody that is exceptionally talented,” King said. “I just think that we have a really solid group of guys who has bought into what we do and bought into physicality.”
De Soto changed with a key 23-7 victory Week 2 against Paola. De Soto had lost by a combined 73-13 to Paola the last two seasons.
“They’ve seen a little bit of the flash of what we can do,” King said. “It kind of woke them up and said, ‘Hey, we could be a really good team.’”
Last week, Cooper Lee, one of the state’s top specialists and all-purpose threats, kicked a game-winning field goal to defeat Spring Hill 27-24. Nate Thompson, also the starting quarterback, hauled in a snap off-center and placed the ball in time for the game-winning kick.
Running back Mason Clark broke his nose in the second half of that game and continued to play. Clark is healthy for Friday. Thompson finished with 180 rushing yards last year; he took over the starting job early in 2014.
Senior nose guard Reid Kelly (6-foot, 200 pounds) has received praise by opposing coaches for controlling the middle. Senior Joey Hundley has done well at defensive end. Multiple experienced seniors start at linebacker: Cody and Kyle Carnes, Wyatt Stewart and Rex Templin. De Soto, like much of the Frontier League, is a defensive-minded team.
De Soto stands No. 3 in 4A-I in scoring defense with 63 points. Fellow league members Ottawa is fifth with 70, Louisburg is sixth with 73, and Paola is tied for No. 10 at 86. Baldwin is No. 16 with 118 points in the 32-team class. King said the Frontier League has a different level of physicality compared to other leagues he’s seen in his seven years.
“Defensively, they are always very, very sound,” King said. “So what you do offensively has to be executed truly well.”
For Louisburg, the change happened at halftime of the season-opener versus Ottawa. They led 7-0 and eventually won 35-6. Littrell went into the locker room and told the team, “Hey, we are at a crossroads.”
“It was, ‘Do you want to be the team of the last two years or do you want to be a different team?” Littrell said. “Because here is where you have the opportunity to prove it, and nowhere else can you do it except the next two quarters. They have been getting the message.”
In Week 2, Louisburg trailed Eudora by 14 and came back to win 50-42 in a rare shootout victory.
“We fought through adversity six different times coming from behind,” Littrell said. “That was a true opportunity for the kids to show their character.”
After a 29-7 victory against KC Piper, Louisburg lost 11-10 in the fourth quarter to Paola before a 24-7 win versus Baldwin last Friday.
“Out of the five years that I have been a head coach, I thought I got away from what my game plan was,” Littrell said of the loss. “I would like to have that game back.”
Louisburg committed a penalty versus Paola on the potential game-tying extra point. Paola decided to go for two and won.
“We have yet to put four solid quarters together in three phases of the game,” Littrell said. “That’s a little frustrating, and it’s getting that time of the year where we need to do. … Until we do, we are a beatable team.”
Quarterback Austin Terry and Littrell had a goal to not have an interception all season. Terry threw his first interception last week against Baldwin, but even the Baldwin coaches told Littrell the ball hit the ground after film study.
“The thing I really like about Austin is how much he has grown as a person and the decision-making that he is doing on and off the field,” Littrell said.
In a new process started this week, the coaching staff passed out evaluations to the players to grade themselves. The sheets came in Wednesday night. Some of the players graded themselves harder than perhaps the coaches would.
“This group of kids is truly a joy to coach,” Littrell said. “They are fun to be around. They have got great attitudes. They are concerned about getting better and eliminating mistakes.”
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