Cameron High School
Dragons Loaded With Experience, Versatility
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When it comes to the Cameron Dragons and their field of competition in Class A, a main ingredient to the success of a season can be how many players you have available on any given Friday.
"In small schools, it's about attrition sometimes," Cameron head coach Tim Brown said. "Hopefully we can stay healthy throughout the year, and if we can then I think we've got a lot of promise."
The Dragons are coming off an 11-1 season last year, after going 9-1 the year previous. Entering the 2023 season, Brown and his team are not content to relish in their past success.
"We've had a lot of success in the past few years, and we want that to continue on," Brown said. "A lot of these guys who are seniors now, they started or played as freshmen. They've got a lot of game experience, a lot of playoff experience. We have high expectations.
"We've been fortunate enough to go undefeated the last two regular seasons, obviously that's a goal again. Every single-A team in the state wants to end up at the big game at the end, and that's where we want to be."
The Dragons are equipped with an experienced roster with positional versatility up and down the roster -- starting with their quarterback-slash-outside linebacker, senior Colson Wichterman (5-11, 165). A three-year starter, Wichterman brings a steady presence and veteran know-how under center.
Coach Tim Brown discusses the upcoming season
"My quarterback is one of those really experienced players," Brown said. "Wichterman's a tough kid."
Wichterman is one of several seniors and juniors who have multiple years of varsity experience under their belts. The Dragons graduated five seniors, but boast half a dozen seniors this go-round.
Much of Cameron's experience will be levied at the Dragons offensive line, where seniors Ashton Hoge (6-0, 175), Thad Dempewolf (5-11, 220), Ryder Stern (6-0, 210), and Delbert VanTassel (5-7, 150) look to lock down four of the five line spots.
Also in the mix at offensive line is Landon Dempewolf (5-10, 155), Ike Yoho (5-9, 145), Ryan Schrack (5-7, 150), Wes Starcher (5-8, 140), Carter Paczewski (5-11, 165), Brandon Yoho (6-0, 195), Hunter Wright (6-0, 245), Gavin Taylor (5-10, 160) and Jordan Strohmeyer (6-0, 185).
The wrinkle in the offensive line group- and across the entire Cameron roster- is that none of those players will be expected to only ply their trade blocking up-front.
With a smaller roster, each of the Dragons will be tasked with multiple positions in the upcoming season.
"We're fortunate to have those six seniors who're really going to have the experience going in and I think we're going to be lucky to have that, because our numbers aren't that great," Brown said. "So our guys are going to have to shift and be able to play multiple positions like we have the last couple years."
Hoge is someone who has played plenty of linebacker for the Dragons, and will be hopping aboard the o-line for the first time this season.
"Ashton Hoge had some injuries last year, but he's been a starter for us all the way through and he's been a big leader," Brown said. "He's really hit the weight room, he's a lot stronger than he's been, and he's a football fanatic. He's going to be a heck of an athlete for us.
"Hoge is a player who can play anywhere. Right now we have him at tackle because he's extremely strong and fast and that fits our program. He's a linebacker, he's going to be one of the stellar linebackers in our league this year."
Also at linebacker with Hoge and Wichterman will be sophomore Gunner Lilley (5-7, 135), senior J Ross (5-9, 170), and a variety of players who could also see time at running back, tight end, receiver, and safety.
Stern, Thad Dempewolf and Vantassell will start along both the offensive and defensive lines, with the rest of the offensive line group flipping over to d-line as well. Look for Yoho and Colin Magers (6-3, 175), who also plays wide receiver, to factor heavily into the edge conversation.
While all of Cameron will have flexible position designations, a couple Dragons will be tasked with truly being jack-of-all-trades. Ross, Hoge and Slaton Pettit (5-11, 145) could be deployed across the gridiron, while a player like sophomore Kason Angel (6-0, 170) can tick off four -- or more -- boxes.
"Kason Angel's one of those kids who can play anywhere," Brown said. "He's the backup quarterback, he'll play safety, he can play linebacker, he may play running back. He's one of those kids, he's a multi-sport athlete, he's a multi-position athlete. We're fortunate to have so many of those kids out here.
"We've got kids who can play multiple positions here."
Featured on offense for the Dragons will be their new tailback Klypsan Wallace, a transfer who enters Cameron as a junior following back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at John Marshall. Ross and Hoge could also take carries, while Pettit and Lilley could line up at tight end in certain packages.
"(Wallace has) been successful there, kid's been working very hard, building his strength in the weight room, very coachable kid, and we're expecting big things from him."
Though it might seem oxymoronic, Cameron sees their team identity as being able to morph into a variety of different styles each week to match up best with their opponents.
"We're a multiple-set system," Brown said.
That is no more true than on the offensive side of the ball, where the Dragons could use heavy sets or a spread look based on what they judge to be best for that week.
"We have had years where we haven't used tight end very much, and we've had years where we used tight end quite a bit," Browns said.
"I think this year we can be in a double tight end set at times, and there'll be times where we'll spread the field. It depends on who we're playing, what defense they're playing, and our personnel, who's healthy then."
In the wide receiver-slash-defensive backs room will be Mason Scott (6-1, 145), Camden Frye (6-0, 140), Soier Reed (5-9, 150), Dylan O'Neil (5-7, 140), Trey Estel (5-10, 145), and Brian Thomas (5-7, 120).
Brown is assisted by Matt Burge, Derek Martin, Gibbs Davidson, James Rogers and Nick Myers.