WILLARD — A massive smile spread across Ray Godfrey on Friday, Sept. 4.
Ozark’s leader secured his first win as head coach with a 48-12 victory over Willard (1-1).
Godfrey celebrated with his assistant coaches and embraced his players. For Godfrey, this moment was never about him.
“I just feel great for the kids,” Godfrey said. “God put me an opportunity to take over and the kids came out and did great.”
Godfrey’s a coach that the players love to be around. He’s attentive, respectful and demands the world of his team.
“He’s a great coach, I like him a lot,” junior running back Braxton Bell said. “He helps us get through our mistakes and he’s ready to lead us to a winning
season.”
Bell had a breakout performance for Ozark (1-1). He burst to two rushing touchdowns in the win. In the second quarter, Bell broke three tackles en route to the end zone. He broke away from one tackle, which caused him to spin and he was off to the races.
“When I hit the spin move and I took it all the way, that was my favorite one,” Bell said. “I’m not the shiftiest guy, so I surprised myself.”
Kaiden Wirtmiller, a junior running back, also added two touchdowns. Jet Easley scored a short rushing touchdown via a wildcat set, too.
Quarterback Caden O’Donnell tossed two touchdowns. On a broken play, O’Donnell rolled away from pressure and threw a towering pass into the air. Wide receiver Westin Samson rose above the Willard secondary. He caught the ball in traffic for a 46-yard touchdown.
O’Donnell also threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Easley in the second half.
The tone was set early in the game by Ozark’s defensive line. It’s a young group with zero seniors, but they made their presence felt early.
Reed Vesely, Jameson Medina, Lincoln Jones, Jacob Beasley and Jordan Vogler all produced big stops for Ozark’s defense.
“The defensive line has a lot of depth,” Godfrey said. “Coach (Sidney) Rone does an amazing job with them. It’s fun to see them play.”
Ozark’s defense flew to the ball all evening. They forced four turnovers, which included three fumbles. Special teams played a major role, too. On two occasions, Willard couldn't execute a clean punt, giving Ozark great field position.
“Those are things that you work on and focus on,” Godfrey said. “When you see it come to fruition, it makes you want to go and work at it even more.”
Willard’s opening touchdown came in the first half. Quarterback Carlos Begay tossed a pass over the top of Ozark’s secondary to Luke Thomas. Running back James Slaughter added to Willard’s score late in the fourth quarter.
Ozark enjoyed a positive evening, with players showering Godfrey with love. When asked about his team’s appreciation towards him, Godfrey ended with a quick joke.
“You might ask them that at practice someday,” Godfrey laughed. “They may not say that.”
Ozark hosts Webb City (2-0) on Friday, Sept. 11. Willard will travel to Glendale (0-2).
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Missouri State athletics for The Springfield News-Leader. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ozark football delivers head coach Ray Godfrey's first win
