Major changes are taking place with the West Prairie/ Southeastern football program including a new head coach and a new home field.
After five years at the helm of the Cyclones’ program, John McCormick stepped down at the end of last season paving the way for new head coach Mark Benson to step into the role of rejuvenating the WP/SE program.
The other major change for the Cyclones will be playing on their new home field at the West Prairie Jr./Sr high school location in Colchester.
After many years of use, Baumann Field at the old high school site in Sciota was decommissioned this past year and a new field was installed.
WP/SE finished 1-8 last season, missing the Illinois 8-man Football Association (I8FA) playoffs for the second season in a row, Benson moves into his first official varsity head coaching job after spending almost a decade serving as an assistant at the varsity level in his hometown of Belvedere, Ill., before moving to the Macomb area.
After attending Western Illinois University, he spent a couple of seasons as an assistant/scout for former Macomb High head coach Kelly Sears. Benson is now entering his fourth year as a member of the West Prairie faculty and now will add football coach to his role.
With WP/SE being a member of the I8FA, one of the biggest adjustments for Benson is converting from 11-man football to eightman.
“The biggest thing is the field,” said Benson. “The field is forty-yards wide, so you get to the sideline very quickly. As far as the X’s and O’s, it’s pretty much the same. I think you have to be better at executing ... speed kills. But, everyone has to be accounted for and you look for weaknesses you can exploit and take advantage of your strengths.”
Benson welcomed 27 student-athletes out for the program this year and it’s a mix that is pretty evenly distributed between West Prairie and Southeastern.
There is some experience returning to this year’s squad, but Benson will eventually focus on several key positions such as a quarterback to replace the graduated Tristan Hester and a running back to replace 1,000-yard rusher Austin Nelson.
Benson has several candidates for the quarterback position including sophomore Hayden Wilcox who saw playing time last year.
“Even when we pick a guy, we’ve still got to have a few more ready to go,” said Benson.
As he still assesses the talent with his squad, Benson is already planning on being a run-oriented team this fall.
“We will run the ball a lot...that’s our intention,” said Benson. “Our goal is to control the ball...hold onto it as long as we can to keep the defense off the field. A new coach, new scheme. I think that’s going well. I really like our offensive line and for our skill positions, we’ve got a good group of guys.”
“My aim is to find eight special guys that can play defense for us that aren’t on offense,” Benson added.
Along with the returning experienced players, Benson is excited to see several newcomers come out for the program.
“We also have some kids coming out as seniors who have never played before,” said Benson. “They have size and ability, but they just lack experience, so we’re hoping they can grow into those spots to help us out. I’m optimistic about that.”
Benson does have several returning players that bring experience to the team and will be relied on throughout the season.
Seniors Eli DeCounter (TE/LB) and Keith Szabo (RB/DB) along with junior Bryson Tanner (RB/DB) will be looked upon to fill leadership roles for the Cyclones this fall.
“We’re starting to see some leadership... it’s taking a little bit to develop. Part of it is everyone getting to know each other,” said Benson. Those guys with the experience have the most to share and teach the other kids.”
As for the new playing field, Benson is optimistic and excited for the program as are many of the players.
“I think we have a very good relationship and the kids are excited because they don’t have to drive to Sciota especially if you’re from Augusta,” said Benson. “It’s great here and having the town atmosphere around. And, the kids also put work into the field. We asked the kids to show up with shovels and twenty kids showed up with shovels.”
“They’re just good kids,” Benson continued. “They’re a really good group of kids who are respectful and willing to do the work. It’s our job to get the energy out of them and see that their hard work is going to pay off.”
WP/SE kicks off the new season on Friday in Colchester as the Cyclones will host non-conference foe Blue Ridge. Game time is at 7 p.m.
