This is the 11th of 13 Springfield Metro High School Football previews ahead of the season opener on August 30. The stories for Kickoff 2024 are available to all readers free of charge and without a subscription.
Considering the work Jacob Shinkarevich did on his body in the offseason after making 120 tackles in his sophomore season, the Logan-Rogersville linebacker was disheartened by the way his 2023 season ended.
It has only just begun.
Weighing 30 pounds more and noticeably stronger than the year before, Shinkarevich faced East Newton’s offense in the season opener. In response to a running play, the then-junior said his knee gave out due to a cleat malfunction and he was unable to play for the remainder of the Wildcats’ schedule.
His head coach Mark Talbert was heartbroken about the All-Big 8 East talent.
“He comes out as a junior and looks like Godzilla in the middle of the defense,” Talbert said. “And then that’s just part of football, you never know if an injury like that is going to happen. Luckily for him, that didn’t happen as a senior.”
Shinkarevich, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound defensive lineman from Logan-Rogersville, is ready to make the most of his final year of eligibility.
On a Wildcats team that boasts only three starters on both sides of the ball – most of the experience comes from the offensive and defensive lines – Shinkarevich is ready to carry a heavier load.
“The injury was tough, but I worked hard in the offseason and now I feel better than ever,” Shinkarevich said. “Being able to use my size now feels good.”
Talbert believes Shinkarevich is one of the better linebackers in the area, and he’ll have a chance to prove it when the Wildcats move up to the new Class 4 Ozark Mountain Conference.
“He was an incredible coach,” Talbert said. “Very soft-spoken, so I have to get him to use his voice. He leads by example, is a quiet guy.”
Football was a foreign word for Shinkarevich
Shinkarevich was born in London, England, and moved to Ontario, Canada at age 8 before moving to Missouri three years later. His father had relatives in the Ozarks.
When his new friends started playing football in fifth grade, he became interested in the sport. At first he didn’t understand it, but then he quickly caught on.
“When I lived in Canada, I didn’t know it, but when I came here, a friend showed it to me and I started playing.”
Now it takes up most of his life. He wrestles to stay in shape and is said to squat 450 pounds.
Talbert said Shinkarevich impressed several coaches at recent football camps at Southwest Baptist University and Evangel University.
He believes college football is his future.
“I can’t get hurt and I have to make the best film I can,” he said. “It’s my senior year, so I want to have fun.”
Honoring a fallen teammate
A pair of clean home and away jerseys bearing the number 58 hung neatly in an open Logan-Rogersville locker on Aug. 19, along with a framed photo of the teenager who took the court.
The locker belongs to Landis Carr, a starting lineman for the Wildcats last season before he was killed in a UTV accident in December 2023. He would have been a junior that season.
Carr’s loss shook the eastern Greene County school system, both for students and teachers.
“He was an exceptional and charismatic student at Logan-Rogersville High School, where he took pride in his grades,” Carr’s obituary reads. “He was known and loved by many friends, teachers and coaches for his infectious personality and laugh. He loved to make people laugh by telling jokes or acting silly, and he especially enjoyed teasing his family and friends.”
Talbert said there will be a tribute to Carr when Logan-Rogersville opens its season at home against Reeds Spring on Aug. 30.
Logan-Rogersville Wildcats
Trainer: Mark Talbert (seventh year at LRHS)
Record 2023: 4-6
Returning starters: Six (three attack, three defense)
Returning All-Conference Award Winners: Brayden Kent, OL/DL, Sr.; Lucas Parris, OL/DL, Sr.; Damari Barr, DL/OL, Sr.; *Jacob Shinkarevich, TE/LB, Sr. (* means award 2022)
Coach’s comment: “Going into the summer, we knew we had a lot of holes to fill. The nice thing is we’ve had some success in our lower leagues, so it’s been really fun for us as a coaching staff to get them into (varsity) roles. They’re making the most of it. We’re excited about this group.”
outlook: Logan-Rogersville will have several freshmen at its skill positions, including two quarterbacks who were successful in junior high and junior varsity last season: freshman Kasimir Manczuk and junior Sam Frieze. Talbert can breathe a sigh of relief knowing his offensive and defensive lines have plenty of all-conference level experience to help the freshmen acclimate not only to the varsity, but also to a new conference against Class 4 opponents. Losing starting quarterback Thessen Prenger (now at Missouri Southern) and top linebacker Shinkarevich to injuries was tough in 2023, but it may have helped others mature for 2024.
