Harrisonville is ready to return to being, well, Harrisonville this year.

After seasons of 6-6 (2019) and 6-4 (2020), the Wildcats look to get over the 6-win hump in 2021. The Wildcats won 44 games and a Missouri Class state title from 2014-2018, and are primed to get back to that level.

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“We expect to return to relevance in the ranks of Missouri high school fooball,” head coach Kyle Schenker touted. “Our kids have worked extremely hard in the offseason. We have great leadership and desire and definitely going to play with a huge chip on our shoulder.”

Having one of the state’s top running backs is a good start to that goal.

Jace Reynolds, a first-team Missouri Class 4 selection in 2020, returns after jetting for 2,446 yards (244 yards per game) and 31 touchdowns last year. The 5-foot-8 185-pound senior also ran wild with 2,096 yards as a sophomore.

When Reynolds needs a breather, senior back Josh Pesek isn’t a slouch. The 5-foot-10, 205-pounder brings some power and rushed for 521 yards and five scores as a junior.

Also seeing time in the Wildcats run-heavy system will be senior running back Carson Miller (5-foot-9, 210) and Gabe Messer (5-foot-9, 190).

“We really like our running game, and its hard not to with one of the top running back prospects in the state, and seniors with great work ethics,” said head coach Kyle Schenker.

The running game will be essential to take the pressure off three new faces at quarterback – junior Espen Glenn, sophomore Mason Mitchell and freshman Nate Reynolds.

“All three will play a ton for us somewhere but will be in the quarterback mix,” Schenker said. “We’ll see how it all shakes out over the next couple weeks.”

Regardless of the playcaller, senior Zander Johnson (5-foot-11 185) will be the primary target at wide receiver.

Up front, senior Diego San Nicolas (6-foot-2, 245) returns as a team captain to lead the offensive and defensive lines.

Miller, a team captain in 2021, notched over 70 tackles in his junior campaign at linebacker, while Messer returns as a team captain at the linebacker corps. Fellow team captains in Reynolds and Pesek also will ring up hits at linebacker.

Johnson will return at cornerback to head the secondary.

In addition to the perennially tough Missouri River Valley West conference, Harrisonville will host Maryville in Week Two, and Wayne Hills from New Jersey to open the season on August 27. Needing a game late in the scheduling period, Harrisonville went on a search for an open opponent, and amongst schools from Nashville and Dallas, Wayne Hills contacted Harrisonville and was willing to make the trip to the Kansas City area.

>> Harrisonville team page, schedule <<