When the dust settled on the 2006 high school football season, only two teams had winning campaigns, but all six coaches are back and looking for more success in 2007 with play starting Friday night.
Only one team – the Jefferson County North Chargers – qualified for the bi-district playoffs in 2006 and the Chargers fell to the Rossville Bulldogs in that round of the postseason. Perry-Lecompton finished at 6-3 but lost out in a tough district in class 4A while Oskaloosa, McLouth, Jefferson West and Valley Falls finished with losing records, including an 0-9 record on a manpower-deficient Valley Falls squad.
Most of the county teams are on the road to start the season Friday. McLouth and Valley Falls play home games versus Delaware Valley League opponents Troy and Doniphan West, respectively. The other four hit the road for the opener as Perry-Lecompton travels to Immaculata, JCN visits Pleasant Ridge, Oskaloosa makes the long bus ride to Wathena and Jefferson West heads to Sabetha. All games begin at 7 p.m.
Pictures and schedules for all the fall sports teams in the county can be found in the annual fall sports preview section in this week’s edition of the Independent and Vindicator.
Following are capsule reviews of each team in order of their finish in 2006.
Perry-Lecompton Kaws
Coach: Mike Paramore, seventh year
2006 record: 6-3
A 14-5 record over the past two seasons has shown Kaws head coach Mike Paramore he has the on-field talent needed to succeed in the Kaw Valley League and a big squad this year has returnees at key positions to give Paramore hopes of keeping the winning going.
One advantage Paramore has is numbers as he has 58 players out for football this season, including a group of 10 seniors. Last season Paramore reaped the benefits of a strong 2005 junior varsity team to put the Kaws in the hunt for the 4A postseason only to fall short in district play. Many of the players who contributed to that success are back in the Kaw starting lineup this season.
Back at quarterback is senior Caleb Denton, who accumulated nearly 1,500 total yards last year passing and rushing. Two seniors were lost to graduation in the backfield but the biggest returning weapon there is junior Shane Gimzo, who stood out in many games last season. Joining Gimzo will be junior fullback Aaron Andrew as senior Aaron Brooks and junior Mark Higgins may also see time in the backfield. The receiving corps features key returnees junior Kyle Morgison and senior Dillon Harrell. Tall tight end target junior Joel Gantz returns and senior Brandon McMullin, sophomore Brad Phillips and junior Nathan Wilbur may also be targets for Denton passes.
The injury bug bit Paramore a little bit on the offensive and defensive lines as senior Alex Hackathorn returns this season from an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury that prematurely ended his 2006 season. Hackathorn’s compatriots on the line will be senior Matt Merritt, senior Drew Pearce, senior Mitch O’Trimble and junior Caleb Wege.
Paramore called the line the deepest part of this year’s Kaw squad as that group will be joined on either side of the line by junior Josh Durflinger, senior Billy Brown, junior Casey Quigley, junior Dillion Freed and junior C.J. Bunce. Durflinger, Brown and Hackathorn will be the main parts of the defensive line along with junior Ryker Morris. Gantz and Gimzo will man the outside linebacker spots while other linebackers will include Andrew, Higgins, Freed, O’Trimble and sophomore Logan Hurd. The defensive secondary will include Morgison, Denton, McMullin and Harrell with some help from Brooks, Phillips, Wilbur and junior Eric Hastert.
“Our junior varsity only lost one game last year, so we were happy with that,” Paramore said. “We bring back a majority of our skill guys. We’re lucky to have great upperclassman kids and the younger kids have also fallen into line.”
As one of the smaller schools in the KVL, the Kaws always have their work cut out for them in league play. Paramore expects that to be the case again this season.
“It’s a tough league, but I think we carry a top group of kids as good as anybody’s top group,” he said. “We want to line up and be as physical as we can be every week. The guys have picked it up really well and our summer camp work helped. Conditioning-wise we had the best numbers we’ve had by far. Right now we’re battling some illness but hopefully that passes and we’re ready to go by next Friday.”
JCN Chargers
Coach: Mark McMillan, 14th year
2006 record: 6-4
McMillan followed the adjustment upward to class 3A play last season with yet another playoff appearance but with a couple key returnees in tow, he has several key contributors to last season’s team to replace, including the starting quarterback.
The numbers in the football program at JCN are again solid as McMillan has a crew of 42, including 10 seniors. Senior Luke Noll takes the reins as Charger quarterback after the graduation of two-year starter Daniel Finley. Even with the loss of running back Drew Kraxner to graduation, the backfield remains solid with seniors Abe Noll and Vince Foulk, who will be joined by junior fullback Chris Hale. Senior tight end Chris Noll, junior split end Matt Perry and sophomore Nick Clark will be the main receivers for McMillan, and the Charger line will include seniors Jared Brown, Mike Miller and juniors Matt Moore, Kyle Domann and Matt Noll with senior Patrick Willard also in the mix.
That group of linemen will be joined by senior Robert Erhart and sophomore Jake Robohn on the defensive side while the linebacking corps includes Miller, Abe Noll and Foulk. The secondary will include cornerbacks Chris Noll and sophomore Austin Gaspard along with senior safety Pat Booth.
“Luke did some quarterbacking for us at the JV level last year but this season is still a learning process somewhat,” McMillan said. “We’ve got a couple kids moving into the D-line for us, too. I feel like we’ve got a good group of guys.”
McMillan said he looks at the DVL as being fairly even in terms of competition this year. He said the usual teams stand out at the start of the season but the final winner may be hard to call.
“Pleasant Ridge is always tough because of the number of kids they have, and Troy usually comes out tough, but we’ll see where everybody’s at,” McMillan said. “I’ve been pleased with the effort of the guys thus far. They’re hard workers. We have speed, and if we can get that to work for us, we’ll be very competitive, I think. We’re always a run-oriented team but we want to push the pass sometimes too. Over the season we want to get a good mix of that going.”
Oskaloosa Bears
Coach: Scott Whaley, second year
2006 record: 4-5
Whaley led the Bears to a 2-game improvement in wins last season but couldn’t quite get over the hump and lead the Bears to the second playoff spot in a district with eventual 3A champion Silver Lake as well as JCN and McLouth. The season ended on a good note with a win over county rival McLouth but Whaley would like to see a solid group of seniors get Oskaloosa into the postseason.
Whaley has a roster of 30 players with a total of 10 seniors this season. He was middle school head coach when this year’s seniors went undefeated in eighth grade and hopes he has the right mix of players again this year to lead to bigger and better things for the Bears. Back at quarterback is senior Brock McGinnis, who battled knee problems last season. The backfield is a strength for Oskaloosa as seniors Boone Heston, and Brandon Hawks will be joined by converted lineman senior Clay Metzger at fullback. Metzger also battled injury problems with a foot last season and Whaley hopes those injury problems are part of the past. The receiving corps includes junior J.T. Thurston, junior Chase Tenpenny and seniors Dillon Robbins and Colby Artman. Tenpenny came on late last season as an offensive threat at receiver so may be one to watch again. Whaley said the offensive line mix includes senior Derek Brey and juniors Kyle Artman and Jarrod Bates with some help from juniors Drew Beisel and Jake Gamble and senior Joey Adams.
That same group will flip to the defensive line with Beisel joining Heston and Metzger at linebacker. Thurston, Colby Artman and Robbins will join sophomore Brandon Barnes in the secondary.
“They’re a good group of kids,” Whaley said. “They’ve been fun to work with. Last year was an adjustment back to me as head coach and I’m hoping that with them being a year older and some continued work on parts of the game, that will help. I feel like we have some depth on the line that will allow us to rotate some kids around and keep fresh legs in the game.”
Whaley also said there was no single clear frontrunner in the DVL this season but he knows with last year’s improvement and the past performance of the seniors, the Bears won’t be sneaking up on any opponents this season.
“The league will be competitive, I’m sure,” Whaley said. “I figure that everybody we play will be better than they were last year. We have to play well every week. We’ve practiced hard and we’re getting closer but we’ve still got a long way to go.”
McLouth Bulldogs
Coach: Harry Hester, fifth year
2006 record: 3-6
The Bulldogs followed up a stellar 2005 season with a somewhat disappointing 3-6 record in 2006 thanks mostly to departures from the 10-1 2005 team, but Hester is back for a fifth year as coach with a majority of his starters on both sides of the ball back for more action.
The 2006 season got off to a 3-1 start before the Bulldogs ended the season on a five-game slide, so Hester is hoping his team of 30 players is able to stay healthy. The group includes 10 seniors, including top returnees quarterback Mark Stewart, running back and receiver Ryan Smith, lineman Jesse Snyder and nose tackle Brian Kabus. Stewart will be backed by junior Derrick Crouse and sophomore Cody Winborn at quarterback while junior Skyler Terry joins Smith in the backfield. The receivers include Smith, Terry, Crouse, senior Kent Sparks, sophomore Chris Culter, senior Cody Wise and Tonganoxie junior transfer Jake Hullinger. Winborn and sophomore Tyler Drinnon may also see time at receiver. The lines will include Snyder, Kabus, sophomore Sheldon Mills, seniors Dustin Summer and David Buckley and sophomores Brad Spencer and Gus Harrison. Sophomore Robert Saxton may also be in the mix on the defensive line.
Linebackers for the Bulldogs will include Smith, Crouse, Kabus, Buckley, Wise, senior Cameron Stout, Hullinger, Harrison and sophomore Dacoda Reusch. Stewart, Terry, Sparks, Culter, Drinnon and Winborn will all be in the mix in the secondary.
Staying injury free is Hester’s main key for the Bulldogs this season as six starters lost time to injury in 2006, which helped lead in part to the five-game losing streak to end the season.
“We have to stay healthy,” Hester said. “This year’s senior class has worked very hard in the weight room and on the field to continue our tradition. We only have three returning juniors so our sophomores and possibly some freshmen will need to step up to the challenge this season.”
Like McMillan and Whaley, Hester also said the DVL is a multi-team race this season.
“I don’t think there will be any undefeateds in the league this year,” Hester said. “Oskaloosa has a great group of seniors and Pleasant Ridge will have 60 kids out, which means it’s probably not hard to find 11 good ones. It’s gonna come down to turnovers and who can avoid them. We’re getting a great effort from the guys every day. We battled through some injuries last year and I’m sure we’ll have some growing pains this season. I would say they aren’t ready yet but, by next Friday, hopefully we’re ready to go.”
Jefferson West Tigers
Coach: Steve Johnson, second year
2006 record: 3-6
Johnson’s move from St. Marys resulted in a 3-win improvement for the Tigers in 2006 and what Johnson lacks in experience on this year’s squad, he makes up in numbers.
West has 57 players out for football, which is up about a dozen from last year according to Johnson. That group includes 10 seniors. With multi-year starting quarterback Brayden Black lost to graduation, Johnson will plug junior Kyle Sanders in at quarterback. Sanders did get some experience last season with Black fighting injury. Seniors Matt Edington and Nick Briney return in the backfield along with junior Garrett Stewart, sophomore Austin Siess and senior Brandon Langston, who will also play some tight end. Receivers include junior Cole Buckman, senior Charlie Smith and Johnson said Siess may also see some time at receiver.
Johnson pointed to the line as a point of strength for the Tigers as six players who started at some point last season return. Senior C.J. Delfelder, senior Allan Van Noy, senior Garrett Mohney, junior Alex Harris and senior Tim Heckel will key the offensive line with junior B.J. Higgins and sophomore Nick Harris joining on the defensive side. Linebackers will include Briney, Langston, Stewart and senior Austin Lee. The secondary will be manned by Edington, Buckman, Smith and Siess.
“I think offensively we’re better all-around this season,” Johnson said. “Having six guys back (on the line) is huge for us.”
Football in the Big Seven is never an easy slate, but Johnson said he is optimistic for what he can get out of his team in 2007.
“I feel a lot better about the team going into this season,” Johnson said. “We’re a lot farther along now than we were last year at this point. We ended up throwing more than we wanted last season, so hopefully we’ll be a little more consistent in our running game this season. I’m feeling pretty confident at this point, especially in our line strength.”
Valley Falls Dragons
Coach: Rod Bunde, 15th year
2006 record: 0-9
Bunde’s Dragons took their lumps last season as he finished the year with less than 20 players and started several freshmen on both sides of the ball en route to a winless season. The loss of starting quarterback Daniel Nottingham to a knee injury in the first quarter of the first game also didn’t help.
With those being the facts, Bunde hopes the experience gained last year added to a junior varsity team that was undefeated in 2006 can turn this year’s schedule into more positive results for Valley Falls. Bunde has 29 players out this season, including only three seniors and four juniors.
Sophomore Mitchell Streeter returns at quarterback after sharing the position with graduated senior Jake Kearney last season. Junior Josh Kearney is the main returnee in the backfield and will share duties there with senior Devin Brown, sophomore Chance Gier and sophomore Tyler Wynkoop. Receivers will include junior Ridge Glassel, sophomore Logan Wynkoop, junior Garrett Jennings and freshman Alex Nottingham. Senior Cameron Bickford, who was in the backfield last season, has been moved to the line and will join sophomore Justin Sales, sophomore Tyler Miller, junior T.J. Breese and sophomore Riley Bunde there.
That group will also switch to the defensive side and be joined there by sophomore Kyle Heuertz and senior Sam Smith. Linebackers will include Logan Wynkoop, Jennings, Breese, Gier and Kearney with Glassel, Brown and Tyler Wynkoop in the secondary.
Bunde said the added freedom of more numbers is one step toward better results on this year’s Dragon squad.
“Some of the lineup will change somewhat but we’re pretty much set,” Bunde said. “We thought we got more benefit from Cameron by moving him up front and using his size in the line. The kids have had great attitudes in practice and want to do what it takes to improve.”
Bunde said it would be hard to know who the frontrunners are in the DVL this season until the season is a couple weeks old and the teams match up versus one another.
“It’ll be competitive but I don’t know for sure who will be the teams to beat until we get into it,” Bunde said. “Oskaloosa, Horton, JCN, Pleasant Ridge and Wathena come to mind right away. I really think Wathena could surprise with some good size and skill players. We’re definitely looking for improvement. I’m excited about this year. The kids are bigger, faster and stronger, I guess I’d say. Hopefully that translates onto the field.”
An '07 high school volleyball preview will be posted next week.....
