Layne’s World: Chinn highlights Monroe City defense

Published 1:11 am Tuesday, July 28, 2026

MONROE CITY, Mo. — Defensive end Layne Chinn had a breakout season for the Panthers as a junior last season.

Chinn won the 2025 Clarence Cannon Conference Defensive Player of the Year after compiling 68 tackles, 14 stops for a loss, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception.

“It was pretty amazing winning that,” said Chinn. “I had a lot of good coaches and I had a lot of good teammates.”

Last season was Chinn’s first season as starter and is ready to help lead as a senior this season.

“I think I’m able to do my job well,” said Chinn. “I can really get done what needs to be done.”

Monroe City head coach David Kirby thinks Chinn will have another strong season to help anchor the defensive line again this season.

“I’m excited to see what Layne can bring to the defensive side of the ball,” said Kirby. “That was a real special honor that he received last year. I think that kind of puts a target on his back, so to say. But he’s up for the challenge and he understands what we did last year doesn’t mean anything this year.”

The Panthers graduated Jayden Holland and Blake Pfanner from its defensive line, but does return senior Zach Smith and has several players vying for time up front. Smith had 24 tackles and had a forced fumble last year.

Playmakers in the secondary
Another key defensive player for Monroe City is senior cornerback Da’ Viere Holland, who had a team-high five interceptions, 13 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and 60 tackles last season.

Holland gives Monroe City a lockdown cornerback who also contributes as a wide receiver and kick returner.

“(Holland) was an All-Stater last year,” said Kirby. “He’s very good and plays the ball extremely well. He’s got a great moxie about him. He drives you nuts sometimes and I love that about him. We’ve got a great relationship, so I know what I’m getting from him. He’s fiery, but he’s competitive.”

Monroe City senior Wyatt DeGrave made 23 tackles and had four interceptions as a safety, although his main focus is at quarterback. His younger brother, sophomore Wes DeGrave, had 21 tackles, two pass deflections and an interception last year.

“I think we’re going to be really good,” said Wyatt DeGrave. “I feel like we filled our spots well. We had a really good defense last year, and we have a bunch of guys that learned from those guys. So I feel like our younger people are going to step up and take a big role, and I feel like they’re going to be great.”

Changing of the guard at linebacker
Monroe City has the most turnover at linebacker with the graduation of Quincy Mayfield, Toby Sapp and Abram Smyser.

However, Monroe City is excited to see what juniors Landon Beaver, Blaize Kauble and Collin Potterfield can do at linebacker.

“Blaize Kauble’s going to do some things,” said Kirby. “Landon Beaver and Collin Potterfield are back. We got kids that are going to step up. We had some really good linebackers last year that played a lot of ball, but these young kids behind them that were in the drills and getting their nose in the mix. They played a lot of playoff games, so they understand no one is going to take it easy on us.”

In part-time duty last season, Beaver had 12 tackles, Kauble had 15 tackles and Potterfield had 21 tackles.

Senior Julian Moss could play a role similar to Mayfield did last year as a hybrid outside linebacker and defensive end, with Moss compiling 47 tackles, six stops for a loss, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble last year.

Monroe City’s defense was a strong point last season, shutting out three different opponents and holding three other teams to under 10 points. The Panthers are hoping to replicate that with a different group in 2026.

“I feel pretty confident,” said Chinn. “I think our defense is looking pretty strong.”