Arcola football has 32 out with CGB; open season Friday at Sullivan

By Editor | August 26, 2025 |

Arcola’s football team, in a co-op with players from Cerro Gordo-Bement had a scrimmage game on Fri., Aug. 22 at Thomas-Bradford Field. Pictured (l-r): Aiden Tuel (18), Jacob Henderson (65), Joe Schum (9), Emmett Langley (91), Brandon King-Takahashi (22), Cesar Rivera (2), Ronnie Vega, with the ball (5), Carson Jewell (55), Gavin Storm (67), Clark Foss (25), Tristan Skowronski (8), Lucas Meinders (20). Arcola/Cerro Gordo-Bement football will kick off the 2025 season on Fri., Aug. 29 at Sullivan. Photo by Nancy Rairden.

By Mike Monahan

ARCOLA – The total number of football players last Friday, which was an open to the public practice, was 32. The number has fluctuated between 27 and 33 during the first two weeks of practice. Cerro Gordo and Bement are in a co-op with Arcola. The name remains the Arcola Purple Riders.

Arcola and CGB have a total of at least 14 returning lettermen. The seniors are Brody Drake, Dawson McMillan, Joe Schum and Brevyn Whisman (all lettered) in addition Quenton Rios is on the team.

Whisman is the starting quarterback, while the practice last Friday showed that Blaine Helmuth could be one of the receivers. Helmuth is a 5-10 sophomore. Drake appears to be one of the running backs along with Ronnie Vega, who scored the only points of the practice on a kickoff return for the Purple team (play gold team which had gold rubber covers to put on their helmets). Sophomore David Bates also saw some action at running back. The team appears to have some speed at running back and in the defensive back positions.

Whisman averaged 50.7 yards per game passing in seven games.

The CGB and Arcola players appear to be getting along well.

Medina said on the first day of practice, “Everybody was sitting together at lunch. It wasn’t this side versus that side.”

Arcola sophomore Conner Truex returns after starting at center last season. Eli Corpus appears to be one of the receivers, while Lucas Meinders could see time at running back.

Arcola has five seniors, nine juniors, nine sophomores and nine freshmen. The Purple Riders lost nine players from last year’s 4-5 season due to graduation, while CGB lost 11, including eight linemen.

The Purple Riders open the season Friday at Sullivan in a Lincoln Prairie Conference game set for 7 p.m. Sullivan was 10-1 last season and won the LPC, going 10-0. The Redskins, who reached the second round of the Class 3A playoffs as Sullivan/Okaw Valley, averaged 33.3 points per game and allowed 11.6. Sullivan dropped Okaw Valley from its co-op and now the Redskins enrollment is 317 and could be a Class 1A team. If Okaw Valley was part of the co-op the enrollment would be 467. The Redskins lost 18 seniors from last year, including quarterback Cooper Christiansen, who averaged 142.2 yards per game. They also lost the top three running backs leaving junior Addison Hullom as the top returner.

20025 Arcola Purple Riders football roster
Head coach: Sergio Medina 1st year. Assistant coaches Tommy Eddleman, Steven Franco, Hugo Garcia, Brett Poorman, Chris Ridgeway and Doug Henderson
Name Height Weight Position
Seniors
Brody Drake* 5-9 163 RB/DB
Dawson McMIllan* 5-9 206 OL/DL
Quenton Rios 5-10 202 OL/DL
Joe Schum* 6-0 182 TE/OLB/LS
Brevyn Whisman* 6-2 214 QB/LB
Juniors
Eli Corpus* 5-11 178 QB/DB/RB
Antonio De La Garza 5-8 260 OL/DL
Carson Jewell* 6-0 165 OL/LB
Konner Kersey 5-9 150 TE/LB
Lucas Meinders* 5-11 155 RB/DB/WR
Remi Roberts-McGeehon* 6-2 155 WR/DB
Gavin Storm 5-11 218 OL/DL
Paul Wright* 5-6 245 OL/DL
Sophomores
David Bates* 5-10 172 RB/LB
Blain Helmuth 5-10 203 TE/LB
Jacob Henderson* 5-8 210 G/LB/FB
Emmett Langley 5-11 200 OL/DL
Cesar Rivera 5-7 120 WR/DB
Jayden Smith* 5-10 235 OL/DL
Conner Truex* 6-0 240 OL/DL
Aidan Tuel* 5-7 154 G/LB/WR
Ronnie Vega 5-5 120 WR/DB
Freshmen
Konner Demko 5-7 123 WR/DB
Clark Foss 5-3 110 WR/DB
Brandon King-Takahashi N/A N/A OL/LB
Mitchel Murphy 5-9 268 OL/DL
Tristan Skowronski N/A N/A QB/DB
Kegan Sheets 5-5 118 WR/DB
Ke’Din Smith 6-0 207 OL/DL
Oliver Parish 6-1 285 OL/DL
Coleman Tate N/A N/A OL/DL
*returning letterman