Missouri Football: 2017 Season Preview for the Staley Falcons
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
The 2016 season was another fantastic year for Staley High School. Located in Kansas City, the Staley Falcons finished 10-3 and made it all the way the Class 5 state semifinals but ultimately fell, 34-31, to eventual champion Vianney. With a favorable schedule, experience in the pocket, and a veteran defense returning, the Falcons enter the 2017 season as one of the top teams in the “Show Me State.”
Staley opened the 2016 season with three straight wins over Liberty North, North Kansas City and Platte County. On Sept. 9, the Falcons fell for the first time during the season to Blue Springs South, 31-21. The next week, the Falcons recovered by destroying Fort Osage 34-12. On Sept. 23, the Falcons fell for the second time in three weeks losing a squeaker at William Chrisman, 43-39. Staley then closed out the regular season with three blowout victories against Oak Park, Kearney and Ruskin finishing the regular season 7-2. The Falcons easily blew through the first three rounds by dismantling Liberty North, Liberty and Park Hill before their heartbreaking loss to Vianney.
In 2017, Staley is returning the majority of last year’s squad and will their semifinal loss to fuel them on a run towards a state championship.
Offense
Last season Staley put up a whopping 36 points a game on average returning several playmakers in 2017 with the same goal in mind. Senior quarterback John Raybourn will once again be under center after throwing for 1,405 and 15 touchdowns. The 6’3”, 185 pound, signal caller also ran for 484 yards and five more scores. His favorite target from 2016, senior wide receiver Rod Criss, also returns. The 6’3”, 180 pound, playmaker caught 40 passes for 850 yards and had five receiving touchdowns last season.
The leading returning rusher for the Falcons is senior Isaiah Hall who had 300 yards on the ground. Senior Dan Mangold (6’1”, 250 pounds) and junior Jackson Pfender (6’5”, 275 pounds) will anchor the Staley offensive line.
Defense
The Falcons gave up just 17.5 points per contest a season ago and return nine starters from that squad. Senior defensive end Tyler Miller will anchor the defensive line. The 6’5”, 230 pound, big man had 93 total tackles last year including 15.5 for a loss. The playmaker at the linebacker position will be senior Joe Cantrell who had 84 total tackles including 12 for a loss. Junior Quinten Arello will be one of the stars in the stacked Staley secondary after he led the team with four interceptions and posted 55 total tackles.
2017 Schedule
8/18/2017 at Liberty North
8/25/2017 North Kansas City
9/1/2017 at Platte County
9/8/2017 at Blue Springs South
9/15/2017 Fort Osage
9/22/2017 William Chrisman
9/29/2017 at Oak Park
10/6/2017 Kearney
10/13/2017 at Ruskan
Schedule Breakdown
If preseason rankings give any indication, Staley will come out in 2017 with a bang as they have their eye on finishing this season with a state championship. Staley is ranked No. 11 in Missouri (MaxPreps) with their toughest games coming back-to-back on the road against Blue Springs South, the No. 23 ranked team in Class 5, and Blue Springs, the No. 5 ranked team.
The 2017 roster has the talent and a similar schedule as last year so look for these Falcons to soar through the regular season on their quest to capture some gold.
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Photo credit: The Kansas City Star; Staley WR Rod Criss