By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
GOWER - The last time the East Buchanan football team put the pads on together prior to this week was at the Class 1 state championship game at Faurot Field in Columbia last December.
It was a magical ending to 2021, as the Bulldogs beat Marceline 21-7 for the program's first ever state title.
Eight months have passed. The rings came in the mail. The shirts were made. The memories will last forever, but 2022 is the start of a new chapter.
"We're definitely not the underdogs this year," head coach Dan Ritter said. "We're going to take this new role on and kind of go with it. These young men are having a lot of fun. Everybody's coming and doing the right things."
It's a new chapter that could be just as exciting as the last one. East Buchanan returns 10 starters on defense, and several key skill positions on offense.
Chief among them is junior running back and safety Trevor Klein - fresh off of an all-state campaign as a sophomore, where he tallied 2,631 all-purpose yards and 34 all-purpose touchdowns.
He knows opponents will hone in on him. All Klein wants to do this year is help those around him, particularly in pass protection.
"I'm just hoping to open up the pass game and Rylee Parker, our other running back," he said. "He's going to be a big filler this year at the other fullback/running back spot. I'm just hoping to get the whole team open."
New at quarterback this year is junior Gage Busby, who played backup to Conner Musser last season. Being the starter isn't all that new to Busby. He was actually the starting QB for East Buchanan's middle school team three years ago, and helped that team go undefeated.
"We know that we can go out and do great things," Busby said. "But, we have to forget everything in the past and go one week at a time, no matter who we're playing."
On defense, East Buchanan returns its entire starting linebacking core, which includes senior Jack Archedekin, senior Carson White, senior Rylee Parker and junior Nick Klein.
"I'm really excited about those four linebackers," Ritter said, who played linebacker himself at Lafayette and then at Missouri Western in St. Joseph. "Mainly because that's my position, but our safeties look good. Our linemen are big and strong. All around, I'm excited about them."
It's the start of a new chapter for East Buchanan in 2022, and the Bulldogs know the target is on their back. Yet, there's an excitement in the air in Gower.
Yes, the state championship helps, but there's more excitement about the possibility of hoisting that trophy for a second year in a row.
"But it also adds a lot of pressure," Ritter admitted. "Like, we should be getting it done. These kids know they have a lot of pressure on them and high expectations, but they seem to not take that too seriously. They come out and play football, and they have fun with it."
East Buchanan opens at home against South Harrison on August 26.
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