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Kennett football players earn All-SEMO recognition
KENNETT, Mo. - It was a rough season for the Kennett Indian football program.
Despite displaying a ‘zero’ in the win column, a few Indian players were able to shine through and earn All-SEMO recognition. These players include seniors Kevin Thompson, Caleb Duncan and Austin Gattis as well as junior Tyquavious (Ty) Jones.
Andrew Webster, who coached the Indians this past season, said he was proud of these players for fighting through what he called a messy season.
“Collectively, none of these dudes gave up on the team,” Webster said. “They never stopped playing hard. Things didn’t work out the way we wanted them to, dealing with a young team and a hard schedule, but those guys played hard all year.”
Thompson sits at the top of this list as the sole Kennett Indian to earn First-Team All-SEMO. The 6’1” 270-Ibs two-way player, earning First-Team for his duties on the Offensive Line, also earned Second-Team for his work on the Defensive Line.
“I’m proud of Kevin,” Webster said. “Even though he is really talented, he’s a great worker, a great teammate and a great all-around player. He’s the best defensive lineman we’ve had, period.”
He had 69 tackles on defense this season, nine of which were tackles for loss including two sacks.
Thompson returned this season after earning All-State during his junior campaign. According to Webster, they had a lot of faith running the ball this season because of the two players he had in the middle protecting the rusher.
Right beside Thompson was Gattis at Linebacker, a fellow senior who earned Second-Team on defense.
“You’ll never find a tougher kid than Gattis,” Webster said. “That kid is tough, tough as nails. He never comes out of the game. You can always count on Austin Gattis to give you his best, without a doubt. He’s just a great teammate.”
Standing at 5’10” and 165-Ibs, Gattis had 85 tackles this season, five tackles for loss and two sacks. He also had a fumble recovery to regain offensive possession.
Gattis also played both sides of the ball, serving as the Indian's center on offense.
“The biggest, most impressive stat for Gattis is that he only missed two or three plays the entire season,” Webster said. “He played every offensive snap and almost every defensive snap except for maybe two or three.”
This was his second year accomplishing this feat. In his junior season, Gattis played every snap except for one the entire year.
The last senior recognized was Duncan, who served multiple positions on Kennett’s team this season. His effort led him to be one of the team leaders in passing yards, starting in the quarterback position at the start of the year, and rushing yards. Along with those two offensive stats, Duncan was one of the team's leaders in receiving yards as he moved to wide receiver later in the season. He also spent some time on the defensive, helping disrupt passes and making tackles.
Ultimately, he earned Second-Team All-SEMO in the wide receiver position. He also had an honorable mention as the team’s Linebacker.
“He’s a really good football player,” Webster said of Duncan. “He’s played lots of years and we are proud of him. He’s tough and talented.”
The final Kennett All-Conference recipient was the junior quarterback Jones. This is his second year leading the Indian’s offense. However, his All-SEMO recognition was on defense as a punter. He earned Second-Team All-SEMO for his efforts clearing the ball this season.
“Ty plays hard and he’s a respectful kid,” Webster said. “I really like Ty. He’s a good kid. Unfortunately, he got put in a lot of weird bad punting situations this year but he always gave us his best and I’m proud for him.”
The All-SEMO conference picks were nominated and voted on by other coaches in the league. The SEMO Conference, including schools from all six classes in the Missouri State High School Activites Association (MSHSAA), is a deep conference including 16 teams.
“Anyone who makes First-Team All-Conference has made a heck of an accomplishment,” Webster said, “You have some respect on your name as a football player if you are First-Team or Second-Team All-Conference in the SEMO Conference because there are some solid teams in there.”
In addition to these players, Webster emphasizes the respect he has for senior Landon Decker and how he deserves to be recognized with the best of the All-SEMO honorees.
“I will say that if Landon Decker had been able to play all year and not gotten hurt, I think he would have also been an All-Conference player,” Webster said. “If Landon doesn’t get injured, he is 100% an All-Conference player and the only reason he isn’t on this list is because of his injury.”
Decker went down on the second game of the season in their home opener against Paragould. He was out for the remainder of the season as he battled an injury to his elbow.
These players are still in contention for All-State, All-District and All-Region honors.