ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Missouri Western offensive line is primed and ready for the 2022 season with its full slab starters from last season back in the trenches.
Lead by 2008 Griffon Football alum Coach
Patrick St. Louis, a mix of youth and experience again highlights this critical position. St. Louis is looking forward to this group's progression this year. He highlights the need for discipline as a group.
"When you're blocking someone and you have a good block and all the sudden the quarterback takes off in a different direction, your first natural instinct is to grab. You gotta learn to let go."
St. Louis will be looking to his more experienced players to handle those duties up front as he himself heads into his sixth season at MWSU. This is his fifth season as co-offensive coordinator.
#76 - SENIOR-KEEGAN ZARS
2021 Games/Starts: 11/11
High school/Hometown: Mill Valley High School/Shawnee, Ks.
Height and Weight: 6-4, 294
St. Louis Word Association: Consistency
One of three seniors in the offensive line room,
Keegan Zars represents what it means to be a student athlete. Zars started all 11 games last season and has already graduated with both is undergraduate and masters degrees. St. Louis The sixth-year senior is all business when it comes down to it.
"He's the definition of consistency work ethic in the way he does things and how he goes about his business."
#74 - SENIOR - P.J. BRAUN
Games/Starts: 10/9
High School/Previous School/Hometown: North Valley High School/Stephan F. Austin/ Reno, Nv.
Height and Weight: 6-5, 310
St. Louis Word Association: Diligent
P.J. Braun is coming into his second year with the Griffons. He is one of three seniors on the offensive line, and St. Louis says he is looking for Braun to make a push this season.
"He's a very diligent worker. He's the type of guy who's always working on something, the type of guy who wants to be extremely physical."
#66 - JUNIOR - NOAH PRICE
Games/Starts: 8/7
High School/Hometown:Liberty High School/Liberty, Mo.
Height and Weight: 6-3, 293
St. Louis Word Association: "Find a way"
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Noah Price started as a walk-on his freshman year and has earned his scholarship over his career. He claimed his starting spot the last five games of the season last year. St. Louis says he isn't surprised by Price's surge.
"He is kind of the guy that always finds a way."
#77 - JUNIOR - KEITH RUSSELL
Games/Starts:8/4
High school/Previous School/Hometown:Reedy High School/Navarro College/Frisco, Tx.
Height and Weight:6-6, 293
St. Louis Word Association: Physical
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Keith Russell transferred in last year and made his mark by the halfway point of the season. By week four, he was playing regularly and starting nearly every game by week six. St. Louis is excited about his physical nature.
"He's a truly physical kid. He's a big, athletic kid for sure."
#62 - JUNIOR - EVAN CLARK
Games/Starts: 9/8
High school/Hometown: Derby High School/Wichita, Ks.
Height and Weight: 6-2, 295
St. Louis Word Association: Athletic
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Evan Clark hails from Wichita, Kansas. He was a starter for most of last season and made the All-MIAA Third Team . Clark has put on 25 pounds coming into this season, but St. Louis says that it doesn't matter since his athleticism makes him a valuable asset to the Griffons this season.
"He's an extremely athletic for an offensive lineman has a lot of skills in both pass protection and run protection."
#71 - JUNIOR - BRENDEN MCCLURE
Games/Starts: 11/11
High School/Hometown: North County High School/Boone Terre, Mo.
Height and Weight: 6-5, 287
St. Louis Word Association: Energy
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Brenden McClure started all 11 games last season. He's put on 22 pounds this off season in preparation for his junior campaign. St. Louis says McClure has always risen to the occasion.
"He just continues to gradually increase over time and keeps getting better. A very consistent player over the years and just keeps rising to the occasion."
#65 - SOPHOMORE - MARQUISE SIMMONS
Games/Started: 3/0
High School/Hometown: Desmet Jesuit High School/St. Louis, Mo,
Height and Weight: 6-4, 312
St. Louis Word Association: Perseverance
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Simmons has dealt with numerous injuries over his career. He played three games last season for the Griffons and has slimmed down nearly 15 pounds. St. Louis says that a move from guard to tackle over the last year has done wonders for his game.
"He's deceptively athletic. We've moved him from guard to tackle in the past year, which really helped him I think."
#62 - SENIOR - JAMAL JONES
Games/Starts: 0/0
High School/Previous School/Hometown: Thornton High School/West Hills Community College/Harvey, Il.
Height and Weight: 6-3, 303
St. Louis Word Association: Passion
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Jamal Jones comes back after a torn ACL last year. Jones loves the game of football, and St. Louis says that his passion for the game has made him a valuable asset to have in the offensive line room.
"He has a lot of passion for football. He's a student of the game. He's a guy you can catch at dinner watching film on his phone."
#67 - SOPHOMORE - ANDREW SELL
Game/Starts: 3/0
High School/Hometown: Logan-Rogersville High School/Rogersville Mo.
Height and Weight: 6-5, 297
St. Louis Word Association: Self-Aware
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Andrew Sell is back for his third season with MWSU. He has put on over 30 pounds in preparation for the season. Sell brings skills to the team that not very many young linemen have, says St. Louis, and he is exctied to watch him play.
"He has a ton of skills. He's just got to be dominant all the time."
#78 - SOPHOMORE - CHRISTIAN MOZINGO
Games/Starts: 1/0
High School/Hometown: St. Thomas Aquinas High School/Kansas City, Ks.
Height and Weight:
St. Louis Word Association: Deceptively Athletic
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Christian Mozingo is geared up and ready for his sophomore season. St. Louis says he has really put in the work in conditioning to get in shape for the upcoming season. He also mentions he has a knack for getting out of sticky spots on the field.
"He somehow gets out of things that most people would snap an ankle or knee or get rolled up on."
#69 - SOPHOMORE - NATHAN SCHWULST
High School/Hometown: Vilonia High School/Vilonia, Ar.
Height and Weight: 6-2, 296
St. Louis Word Association: Knows-it-all (but in a good way)
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Nathan Schwulst is yet another talented underclassman for St. Louis. He is a hard worker who does everything with intention and understands the schemes almost as well as the coaches. Coach St. Louis says that when he is with the younger groups, he can step up and get the entire offense organized and ready to go.
"He can direct traffic and get everyone all off in the right spot. He's extremely intelligent football player, has a high IQ."
#50 - SOPHOMORE - JONNY BOTTORFF
Games/Starts: 6/4
High School/Hometown: Notre Dame High School, Quincy, Il.
Height and Weight: 6-4, 295
St. Louis Word Association: Intense
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Jonny Bottorff returns to MWSU for his fourth year in the program, but second year of eligibility. Bottorff has battled injuries early on in his time as a Griffon, but St. Louis says he is ready to go this year. St. Louis also points out that Bottorff has been working hard in the weight room this year.
"He's an extremely hard worker in the weight room. He loves the physicality of the game."
#63 - FRESHMAN - AUSTIN SOHL
High School/Hometown: Plattsmouth High School/Plattsmouth, Ne.
Height and Weight: 6-4, 301
St. Louis Word Asssociation: Determined
Sohl brings personality to the team room, as Coach St. Louis says he can be a bit of a goofball. This doesn't stop him from asking all the right questions and getting down to business when the time is right though, according to St. Louis.
"He's in the background asking a lot of questions. He's always trying to soak up things. He's determined to be a good football player."
SOPHOMORE - BROCK PEDRUZZI
High School/Previous School/Hometown: Bishop Carrol/Coffeeville Community College/Wichita, Ks.
Height and Weight: 6-2, 259
St. Louis Word Association: Hard working
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Brock Pedruzzi comes to MWSU after a successful year at Coffeeville Community College. He played in nine games and is working hard to learn the Griffon offense. St. Louis says that even thoguh you might not hear him, he's usually silently working hard on getting better.
"He's a very soft spoken, quiet-mannered type of kid, but he works hard hard."
FRESHMAN - CONNOR HOLT
High School/Hometown: Festus High School/Festus, Mo.
Height and weight: 6-5, 290
St. Louis Word Association: Confident
Connor Holt is a true freshman that had great success in high school. He was an all conference lineman twice. St. Louis says that he has is unique among most freshman because of his confidence.
"He's got an edge of confidence to him, but not cockiness. As a freshman, you don't see that all the time."
FRESHMAN - JOE TURNER
High School/Hometown: Assumption High School/Assumption, Iowa
Height and Weight: 6-5, 295
St. Louis Word Association: Adaptable
St. Louis has been very impressed with
Joe Turner due to the ability he shows to be a great teammate. Turner has been sidelined by injury since his arrival at MWSU, but that hasn't stopped him from adapting and finding a way to be a good teammate.
"He's a hard worker. He came in, worked hard, found out about the injury and bounced back to find a way to help his teammates."
FRESHMAN - QUENTIN GARRETT
High School/Hometown: Lafayette High School/St. Joseph, Mo.
Height and Weight: 6-2, 284
St. Louis Word Association: Coachable
Quentin Garrett comes to MWSU from local Lafayette High School. The St. Joseph native has worked hard this summer, and St. Louis has been impressed with how willing he is to learn and be coached.
"He's a very coachable kid. If you tell him do something, he will tend to do it. That's a lot different from a lot of guys at that age."
FRESHMAN - KEVIN LYLES
High school/Hometown: Pattonville High School/Maryland Heights, Mo.
Height and Weight: 6-5, 340
St. Louis Word Association: Positive
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Lyles joins Missouri Western as a true freshman. St. Louis says he's a very hard worker, but his best trait is his positivity. St. Louis says that this hasn't gone unnoticed by the upperclassmen and his teammates.
"He's extremely positive through hard things, which the older guys have noticed."
The MWSU offensive line will have their work cut out for them, but St. Louis feels that his room is up for the task.
"We want to play with great effort. We want to be the most physical group on the field. If we aren't the most physical group on the field then we don't feel like we have succeeded that game, no matter the outcome."
September 1 is fast approaching, but St. Louis loves where is group is at.
"We have everyone back this year. From a group that started last year with not a lot of experience to a group that really has experience will be a big benefit."
