Moniteau football’s offensive line remains a strength despite loss of Braden Beachem
There's good news and bad news surrounding Moniteau football's offensive line entering the 2026 season.
First, the negative: 6-foot-1, 245-pound senior tackle Braden Beachem is out for the year, still nursing a knee injury sustained in a game against Kane late last season.
The good news is the other four starters all return — center Bryce Stamm, left guard Carter Knight, right guard Bryan Hazlet and right tackle Tyler Boring. All four are members of Moniteau’s 1,000-Pound Club in weightlifting.
“Not having Braden is a huge loss for us. He's one of the biggest and strongest players on the team,” Moniteau (3-7 last year) coach Clay Kohlmeyer said. “The other starters, overall it was a young group last year. Carter is now a senior, but the other three are just juniors. Keeping them together for another year is going to be great with all their experience. Our line will be our anchor.”
The left tackle spot will be filled by sophomore Cameron Reep. The average height and weight of the five starters is 5-feet-11, 225 pounds, which will give the front an edge in size over a lot of the defensive lines it will be facing.
Kohlmeyer gave the green light to add a few wrinkles into the offense this season, which last year ran a Power-I scheme.
“We'll run some West Coast, Power-I and some spread,” he said. “We believe we have the personnel to do it, and we want to give opposing defenses different things to look at. We're also moving from a gap (man) blocking scheme to a zone scheme.”
For the offensive line, the changes mean a bit more to digest.
“It's like a test to see what we can do,” Knight said. “But I don't think it will be that hard because we have more experience this year, and I'm looking forward to it.”
Rob Flick, who was a lineman at Moniteau and Allegheny College, was added to the coaching staff this year.
“He (was part of) this offense in college,” Kohlmeyer said. “He’s helping the guys out with what to do against different defenses.”
Members of Moniteau's line have a strong bond that extends beyond the gridiron. All five of this year's starters are throwers on the school's track and field team.
The group often gets together off the field.
“We'll go out to eat or get food delivered, I usually host things at my house,” Hazlet said. “We just try to stay locked in with each other because we have to be firing on the same cylinder.”
Hazlet started on the offensive line as a freshman in 2024 when the Warriors endured a winless season.
“There were struggles with attitude that year,” Hazlet said. “Last year, we were a team. Having all that friendship, I couldn't have been happier playing football. All of us shooting for the same goal helps us all.”
