Saxony Lutheran seniors reflect on first season of football

BENTON — While high schools across the area prepare for the final varsity week of the regular season, the football dream for six Saxony Lutheran seniors came to its storybook ending.

As the sun was setting in Benton, the Crusaders completed their perfect introduction to football with a 40-0 win over Kelly to finish the junior varsity season 8-0.

"I think it was a great experience," Saxony Lutheran senior Seth Mueller said. "I would definitely do it again, and I'd recommend others to do it."

As a first-year football program, Saxony Lutheran was only eligible to compete in junior varsity. The Crusaders went on the road from Doniphan, to Kentucky, to Illinois to Perryville, where a JV game at St. Vincent had the crowd of a varsity homecoming.

The Crusaders' 15 upperclassmen had a physical advantage that carried them through a series of road games against JV squads comprising underclassmen.

Nevertheless, the experience for the seniors went a long way. This was a dream not originally thought possible when they first arrived as freshmen.

One of them was senior running back Ethan Bohnert, who was not a high school athlete, but instead an aspiring bodybuilder.

"Being able to play football at the JV level, even for my school, it means a lot to me," senior running back Ethan Bohnert said. "I never thought we'd have a football program, and I've been praying and praying over the years, and finally it happened and I just love the sport. I love the chemistry, and I love my family."

Bohnert was one of five seniors who found the end zone during the game. It was important to him because he had to fight through the pain of a broken hand to carry the ball for one more game.

"To get to the end zone one more time was something really special for me," Bohnert said. "We talked about before the game how I was going to receive the handoff, even with my hand broken in three different spots. You just have to persevere past the small things and do what's best for you."

Bohnert was heavily relied on as a running back during most of the season, even before his injury. Senior offensive lineman Austin Hunt also had to deal with a hand injury for most of the season, but also found a way to persevere and carry the ball into the end zone for the first and only time in his career.

"It was crazy," Hunt said. "I never thought I'd do it. I didn't even think I'd play. I had an injury at the beginning of the season, so just to get out there was awesome.

"It was definitely a grind after the injuries," he added. "(Bohnert and I) were both pretty upset, but we made sure that we did our best to keep our spirits up and try and get out there as soon as possible."

Unlike most of the seniors who scored, Mueller had to get his touchdown the hard way, by snagging an interception and taking it to the end zone for a pick six.

"It felt amazing," Mueller said. "I got a couple of intercepts, but never got to actually take it to the end zone."

Two seniors played on the soccer team this year. Jackson Wilson and Owen Buchheit helped take the Crusaders to the state semifinals in 2022 and saw football as something to try while they had the opportunity.

"Something I never tried before, and I'm glad I tried it," senior receiver/linebacker Wilson said. "I made a lot of new friends with all the people that came in and people I haven't talked to before, but they play football and became friends with them."

Not many players can fit two sports into one season. Sometimes they would practice both sports on the same day. Fortunately for them, they had the energy to handle wearing both hats.

"It takes a lot of commitment and it gets hard sometimes, but just got to push through and really keep your head up and keep going," Buchheit said. "I'm so thankful for Saxony letting us do this, playing two sports at a time."

With much of the core intact for next season, the Crusaders look ready to be competitive in their first varsity season in 2025. For the seniors who laid the foundation for the program, the memories, lessons and experiences made during their only season on the gridiron will last a lifetime.

"I will put my kids through football," Bohnert said. "I'll encourage football to anybody, just because of the character that you build throughout the sport. There's been very rough times, there have been very high times, and I think having that characteristic with you throughout the rest of your life is something that is very helpful for you."