By Patrick MacCoonRecord Sports EditorIn any battle, the last line of defense is crucial to preventing an opposition from having its way.Fortunately for Warrenton and Wright City, each football program deploys a top notch senior safety.For the Warriors, Jacob Abel has proven to be one of the best sure-tacklers in the Gateway Athletic Conference and adds a solid punch.  At strong safety, Abel likes to play up closer to the line of scrimmage in order to create disruption in the backfield and halt an opposing teams running game. While the 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior has the ability to tackle like a linebacker, he also has to be able to provide solid coverage against receivers.Abel caught the eyes of many in his second season starting at the hard-hitting position. He earned an all-state selection due to his strong play in 2014.A fearless mentality on the defensive side churned out 113 total tackles (11.3 per game) and a team-high 55 solo tackles, both career bests for Abel. He also recovered a fumble and forced one as well.“I like when I am able to shut the offense down,” Abel said. “I love when I am able to read a run play and come up and tackle them behind the line of scrimmage or limit their gain. Not a lot of people expect a safety coming, but I like to get in on the action.”Playing a position many consider to be the most important on the defensive side of the ball, Abel prides himself on his strength.“John Lynch is my favorite safety I’ve ever watched,” he said. “He was a very physical safety for Denver. Like him, I might not be the quickest guy out there, but I’ll hit you hard and won’t shy down. You have to have the mindset that no one will ever beat you.”While one of the GAC North’s leading tacklers rarely lets an opponent slip past him, he also is a skilled pass defender.His coach believes opposing teams willl shy away from Abel, who had several pass deflections last season.“Jacob is a big hitter, but he is good in coverage as well,” Warrenton Head Coach Steve McDowell said. “He’s got a good combination of everything. He didn’t have any interceptions last year, but he knocked a ton of balls down. It’s very tough for opponents to throw in his area.”While working on his craft this offseason, Abel wants to play fast and furious, while also playing with space in the secondary.“Coach (Jeff) Smith keeps telling me to play with cushion,” the strong safety said. “As a safety, you are going to read the quarterback just as much as the receiver, but you must have a cushion. My goal is to never get beat deep and that requires to keep a cushion while in coverage.”The Warriors defensive leader, who made a game-deciding interception in his first varsity appearance as a sophomore, had never played a down of football until he entered high school. Now, he heads into his final season just 28 tackles away from reaching 200 stops in his career.Abel hopes to help his team accomplish something it hasn’t done since 2010. Win a playoff game.“He’s a true leader,” McDowell said. “Every team that plays us will be aware of him quickly. They will try and stay away from his as much as they can.”Just down the road, Wright City feels it has one of the Eastern Missouri Conference’s top defensive playmakers in speedy Tyler Brittain.After providing a solid threat the past few seasons at wide receiver, Brittain broke out in the secondary last year with a conference-best three interceptions in 10 games.“We clocked Tyler at a high 4.4 (seconds) in the 40-yard dash this offseason,” Wright City first-year Head Coach Jeff Sargent said. “He is one of our fastest players and is a turnover machine. He’s very intelligent and reads the quarterback well.”While he doesn’t rely on big-hit potential, at 5-foot-8, 160-pounds, a sharp focus often helps Brittain frustrate opposing gunslingers.The thought of allowing a long score haunts the free safety especially since his position is responsible for denying them.“For every play and matchup, the key for me is to just not get beat deep,” said Brittain, whose favorite NFL free safety is Arizona’s Tyrann Mathieu. “Playing safety requires a lot of mental strength. There are physical aspects about the position, but there’s even more thinking involved. I like to try and outsmart the opposing quarterback.”In a 22-18 win against North Callaway last season, Brittain sealed the outcome with an interception late in the fourth quarter to deny a potential game-winning drive. It was his second interception of the contest and first multi-turnover performance of his career.“Most people think of our position as a matchup with the receiver, but I like looking at each play as myself against the quarterback,” Brittain said. “When they make a mistake, I like to make them pay for it.”The witty defensive back will look to top his 41 total tackles from 2014 and hopes to land a few more interceptions.Brittain wants to help his senior class leave with its first winning season after an 8-22 record the previous three seasons.“I want to play strong football all around,” he said. “Being the last line of defense, I don’t want opponents to beat me or my team this season.”

Jacob Abel breaks free of a tackler against St. Dominic. He and Tyler Brittain are key factors for Warrenton and Wright City in the defensive secondary as well as playmakers on offense.

Patrick MacCoon photo.