A season without playoffs has Waterloo Bulldogs hungry for return

Even a late-season win over Mater Dei, which reached the Class 4A semifinals, wasn’t enough to salvage some of the frustration at the end of a 4-5 2015 season for the Waterloo Bulldogs.

“Our turnovers were bad in the first four games and once we corrected that it was a little too late,” said Waterloo coach Dan Rose, whose team won three of its final four games to build some momentum he’d like to see carried over into 2016.

The late wins came against Mater Dei, Mascoutah and Jerseyville, with the Bulldogs finishing 2-5 in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Even with losing 12 seniors from 2015, Rose likes the talent and experience he has returning.

“We have quite a few kids coming back that have more experience than what we normally have at this point in time,” said Rose, though his team lost some quality players in quarterback Aaron Laskowski, Cole Milam, Mitchell Gladney and Max Jennings.

Offense

A new quarterback in junior Ross Schrader (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) should benefit from the return of the Bulldogs’ top two receivers in Kyle Knefelkamp (22 catches, 414 yards, six touchdowns) and Austin Patton (24 catches, 278 yards, five TDs.

“They both pose a threat to run across the formation, too,” Rose said.

Schrader replaces Laskowski, who threw for 1,361 yards and 16 TDs last season with 10 interceptions and now plays for Lindenwood-Belleville.

“He’s smart and he’s done a lot of work in the offseason to improve his strength and speed,” Rose said of Schrader.”His speed and quickness have increased drastically.”

Senior Travis Thier is a slot receiver.

Senior Hayden Bender, who ran for 139 yards and one TD last season, is in the backfield with senior Scott Nanney. Bender will also be the kicker and should benefit from working with former Waterloo High and University of New Mexico kicker Ben Skaer, who has been added to the coaching staff.

Senior tackle James Neary (6-3, 260), a two-year starter, is the leader of an offensive line that includes senior guard Austin Crimm (6-0, 205).

Defense

Senior Kory Johnson is back for his third year as a starter on the defensive line. He is a disruptive force who had 50 tackles and five sacks in 2015.

Back at linebacker are senior Logan Kaufmann and junior Jesse Matthews (46 tackles, one sack).

A potentially strong defensive backfield includes Knefelkamp (40 tackles, one interception), Patton (46 tackles, one interception) and Ryan Wiggers. Wiggers is a senior safety who dealt with a broken hand last season.

This story was originally published August 15, 2016 at 9:44 AM with the headline "A season without playoffs has Waterloo Bulldogs hungry for return."