UPDATED: Veteran Line Will Pave the Way for Fairbury Football Success

Name	Ht/Wt/Grade	Position	@HuskerlandBob Sez

Zane Grizzle	6-1/195/12	Quarterback-DB	An all-district player who's ready for a great senior season.
Domenic Hyson	5-10/205/12	Lineman	He's the leader of a sizable, veteran offensive line.
Braden Suey	6-0/165/12	WR-Linebacker	Team's leading returning tackler, expected to be offensive playmaker.
Kazz Hyson	6-6/330/12	Lineman	Do you really think I'd leave a 6-6, 330-pound, two-way starter off this list? I mean, what if he found out?

Overview

After a disappointing 1-6 record in 2020 the Jeffs return a veteran team that includes seven starters on defense and six on offense.

“Returning our entire offensive line means that should be a strength for our team, and two of them are two-year starters. We will also have a healthy starter at quarterback after Zane Grizzle battled injuries last season,” says third-year head coach Matt Edson, a 2020 graduate of William Jewell College. “We will be young at the rest of the skill positions but we are excited about that talent in that group, and it will be great to be able to have some consistency after COVID and injuries really impacted our team last season. Last season we didn’t have one practice with our entire roster available.”

Offense

Grizzle (6-1, 195) is a senior who was all-district as a sophomore and in part-time duty last year passed for 198 yards and two TDs and rushed for 134 yards and four TDs. Junior Brenden Rugge (6-1, 170) has starting experience at wide receiver with senior Braden Suey (6-0, 165) and junior James Olds (6-1, 175) also bolstering that position.

The battle for the start at running back will be decided between two players with starting experience, juniors Auggie Judd (5-10, 185) and Devon Carel (6-2, 170), with junior Riley Arner (5-10, 175) likely the team’s fullback.

Leading that veteran offensive line will be seniors Domenic Hyson (5-10, 205), an all-district selection in 2020, and Kazz Hyson (6-3, 270), with senior Rorik Blanty (6-6, 330) and juniors Ashton McCown (5-10, 195) and Drake Richtarik (6-1, 235) rounding out what is a big, physical group.

Defense

Suey (58 tackles, 5 TFL) is the team’s defensive leader and will be joined at linebacker by Domenic Hyson (40 tackles, 5 TFL) and Judd (28 tackles, 3 TFL) with Runge, Riley and McCown also experienced players at that position. Richtarik (25 tackles, 5 TFL) is a playmaker in a defensive line that will also include Blanty and Kazz Hyson.

Carel (38 tackles, 6 TFL) and Grizzle will be leaders of the team’s defensive secondary with Olds another returning starter.

@HuskerlandBob Sez

Getting your starting quarterback for a full season helps and who doesn’t want a veteran line to play behind? Look for the Jeffs to finish at about .500 and make a run at a playoff berth.