CARL JUNCTION — One of southwest Missouri’s most productive defensive players a year ago, senior Levi Duley is back and making an impact this season for Carl Junction.

A 6’0, 185-pound middle line backer, Duley and the Bulldogs went down in defeat in week 1 to rival Webb City, but put it all together on Friday against Republic in a 39-0 win.

Duley says that while he isn’t always the biggest player on the field, he takes pride in being one of the quickest and brings a relentless attitude to the field.

“When you add aggressiveness and relentless pursuit to a little bit of speed, good things tend to happen,” he says.

A year ago, Duley led the Bulldogs with 115 tackles, added four tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery as Carl Junction went 9-3. Despite a week 1 loss to one of the state’s premier programs, the Bulldogs have high expectations for the remainder of the 2017 season.

“We have a lot of potential as a team and the talent to go a long ways we just have to make the choice to make it happen,” he said.

Duley began playing flag football at a young age and says he has enjoyed the game ever since.

He says the most influential person in his football career has been a former coach, Kevin Carry.

“He demanded maximum effort which pushed me to be better every day and showed me the balance between confidence and cocky,” Duley said.

A fan of NFL linebacker Reuben Foster, Duley says he appreciates his aggressive style of play and the way the 49ers flies to the ball.

Although he does not currently hold any offers, Duley has attended several camps including a camp at Southwest Baptist in Bolivar.