Rock Bridge football looks to sustain success in a new era

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

When the Rock Bridge football team takes the field against Park Hill for the season opener on Aug. 29, the Bruins will look quite a bit different than they have in years past, with the most notable change coming behind center.

After ending the 2024 season with a 10-2 record, another Central Missouri Athletic Conference (CMAC) title and district championship in hand, head coach Matt Perkins' team graduated some standout seniors. That group included starting quarterback Brady Davidson, who ended up graduating a semester early to join his Northern Illinois University Huskies for spring ball.

"It's probably probably the biggest loss that I've experienced, as a coach," Perkins said. "Brady was the great player that all of you saw, but he was more than that for us between, you know, Monday through Thursday. So, that loss is significant, but I think our guys understand, you know, we don't want to take a step backwards."

The Bruins are adjusting to life without last year's starters by looking to the next guys in line. Perkins said that he recently named sophomore Sean Nevills Jr. the team's new starting quarterback.

He is excited about the depth and versatility he has in that room, but added that having Nevills Jr. behind center will bring something a little bit different to the offense.

"He's worked really, really hard. He's an elite athlete," Perkins said. "It is going to be a little it different. We're going to be pretty speedy.

Nevills Jr. has some talented players and leaders to lean on in his offense, as he makes the transition to starter. Perkins said his offensive line may just be the strongest unit on his 2025 squad, with all-state lineman Barrett Armbruster and Isaac Gottman both returning for their junior campaigns.

The Bruins also have some veteran playmakers in the mix for 2025. Memphis tight end commit Garrett Essner will look to make some noise in his final season, while also mentoring fellow tight end Evan Williams. Perkins also mentioned that all-state linebacker Quentin Lea will be playing both ways for Rock Bridge, something the team hasn't done in the past.

"[A change in leadership] can be fun, but everybody's got to be on the same page and realize that, you know, we're going to look a lot different than we looked last year. That can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing. So, you know, you got to have the buy in," Perkins said.

Despite all the changes coming in Perkins' fourth season at the helm of Bruin football, the team is still dead-set on sustaining success. Rock Bridge has been in the district championship game every year since Perkins took over, winning the last two-straight titles.

"I think the the attitude and the mindset is we're not satisfied with where we've been. So, every day we come in with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder an it's maybe the hardest working group I've had," Perkins said. "I think you got to have good leadership at the top with you, with your seniors and we've been really fortunate. We lost a lot of those guys, you know, and year-after-year you lose those guys and you always kind of wonder who's going to step in and fill the void, but thankfully, we've got some juniors that are now seniors...that have played in a lot of meaningful ball games. They kind of know the standard and know what it takes to be successful."

Rock Bridge is looking to make its next big jump as a program, which will be making a run in the state tournament. The Bruins haven't been able to get out of state quarterfinals for the past couple of seasons, falling to DeSmet out of St. Louis for the past two years.

Perkins said a big key to taking that next step will be staying healthy.

"You got to have health. We walk into the game last year with the DeSmet and we're missing, you know, 2,500 yards of offense from two of our starters. Who knows what that looks like if they're around," Perkins said. "But it would be good to be healthy going into that game, so, as a coach, you look at those things like what do you got to do different to be a little bit fresher down the road?"

Bruin football will continue summer workouts, as the 2025 season is just around the corner. Rock Bridge will begin the year on a two-game home-stand, beginning with Park Hill on Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.