County high school football preview 2009

The 2008 county high school football season was a remarkable one as, for the first time in a long time, a county team played for a state title. The 2009 season will see that coach try to regroup while the other coaches try to take their program to the next step.

All six head coaches return for the 2009 season in Jefferson County. Perry-Lecompton was the undisputed best story of the 2008 season as the Kaws finished the regular season 6-3, squeaked into the 4A playoffs and then went on a memorable four-game winning streak before falling to Hayden in the 4A state title game. Despite the 10-4 finishing record, the Kaws didn’t have the county’s best regular-season record in 2008. That honor belonged to Valley Falls at 7-2, but the Dragons fell in the first round of the 2-1A playoffs to finish 7-3. Oskaloosa also made a playoff appearance in 3A but lost in the first round to finish the 2008 season 6-4. Jefferson West had a second straight 4-5 season while Jefferson County North and McLouth finished at 2-7.

Two county teams start the season head-to-head once again as Oskaloosa plays at Valley Falls in week 1. Jefferson West plays host to Abilene to open the season while JCN makes the long bus ride north to Wathena, McLouth travels to Leavenworth to face Immaculata, and Perry-Lecompton enters a home rematch of last year’s 4A state semifinal against Holton. 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 2008.

Perry-Lecompton Kaws
Coach: Mike Paramore, ninth year
2008 record: 10-4

The 2008 season looked like a potential lackluster follow-up to an 8-2 2007 season going into the 4A playoffs but, this time, there would be no bi-district game letdown as the Kaws rolled past DeSoto, Atchison, Louisburg and Holton to reach the state title game in Salina.

Coach Mike Paramore lost a great deal of his offensive production from that team as a group of 17 Kaw seniors graduated in May. The Kaws return only two offensive and three defensive starters but Paramore is approaching the 2009 season as an exciting challenge.

“We want to get to the point the program can be competitive, year in and year out. We put things together at the right time last year,” Paramore said. “Last year’s seniors were good guys and did the right things in the locker room as to ‘This is how it’s done, this is how you work hard.’ We’ve got a great practicing team this season. I’m excited to get started.”

The main returning skill position player for the Kaws is senior Brad Phillips, who was a wideout last season but will see time in the Kaws’ backfield this year. The team of 56 players includes 11 seniors. The job of replacing standout quarterback Shane Gimzo will go to senior Ethan Moe and sophomore Jeremy Immenschuh, who Paramore said were battling it out for the starting job. Phillips will be joined in the offensive backfield by junior fullback Trent Robb, sophomore Luke Kellum and sophomore Branden Ball, who is a transfer from Santa Fe Trail. In the mix at receiver are junior Dalton Bahnmaier, senior Tyler Banton and junior Ty Williams with senior Shelby Polite, junior Cody Amerine and sophomore Jon Denton working at tight end to replace graduated senior Joel Gantz. Sophomore Trevor Hastert will also be in the receiving mix. The offensive line will include senior Logan Hurd, senior Wes Boaz, senior Mason Durkes, junior Tyler Bedford, junior Logan Elliott, senior Gage Bergman, junior Nathan Turpin, junior Austin Naramore and junior Dalton Jantz, who is a transfer from Free State.

Boaz, Bergman, Turpin, Elliott, Jantz and Bedford will be in the defensive line corps with junior Trevor Madorin. Linebackers include Hurd, Durkes, Ball, Denton, Polite, Amerine, Kellum, and junior Chris Callahan. The defensive secondary will include Phillips, Moe, Banton, Bahnmaier, Immenschuh, and senior Brooks Christman with Robb and Hastert at the safety spots. Paramore also has to find a new kicker this season with Neng Artwichai lost to graduation. He said seniors John Mehl and Kameron Hurd will fill that role.

“It makes it hard to find playing time for everybody,” Paramore said of his team’s depth. “I really like the way the kids go about it at practice.”

The Kaws are in their final season as a member of the Kaw Valley League as a move to the Big Seven League is set for the 2010 season. Paramore said he knows, as always, the going will be tough in a league in which Perry-Lecompton is one of the smaller schools.

“It’ll be a tough season,” he said. “There’s nobody you can look at and say is a huge favorite, but nobody is a sure win, either. I don’t see anybody running away with the league this year. It’ll be a battle every game.”

Paramore said consistency will be a key for the Kaws as they try to follow up what was the team’s best season since 1980.

“It’s fun to see the carryover (from last season),” Paramore said. “We depended on Shane so much last year. I really look at us to be a bit more balanced offensively. Last year our defense was up and down, hot and cold, and we just got hot at the right time. We need to get more consistent. I want to prove we’re better than that. Last season was a lot of fun, just to see the team make that progress. But last year was last year, and we can’t live on that. We want to go out and do things the right way. This group of kids wants to put their mark on this program.”


Valley Falls Dragons
Coach: Rod Bunde, 17th year
2008 record: 7-3

Valley Falls was looking to complete a turnaround from a winless 2006 and 4-5 2007 season and made that happen with an athletic squad that won the most regular-season games in the county.

Bunde and the Dragons had the misfortune of running into a good Troy team in the first round of the playoffs, however, and that brought the season to a grinding halt. The good news is the Dragons return the bulk of their skill position players back, including one who has made a position change.

The biggest loss for Valley Falls was the graduation of senior standout running back and kick returner Josh Kearney, but Bunde has made the move to switch senior Mitchell Streeter from quarterback to running back to help fill that role. This year’s starting quarterback will be junior Alex Lederer with Streeter there if needed and sophomore Brock Watson also on the depth chart.

Bunde has good numbers for a 2A program with 44 players, including 11 seniors. He returns eight starters on either side of the ball. Streeter will be joined in the backfield by senior Chance Gier, senior Tyler Wynkop and junior Nick Domann. The receiving corps will include senior Billy Morris and senior Logan Wynkoop along with tight ends senior Riley Bunde and junior Alex Nottingham. Bunde does return some experience on the offensive line with senior Justin Sales, senior Kyle Heuertz, junior Brooks Glassel, junior James Grey and senior Tyler Miller.

Riley Bunde, Glassel and Sales will lead the defensive line cadre with Domann, Nottingham, Lederer and sophomore Bryson Smith in the mix at linebacker. Streeter, the Wynkoop brothers, and Gier will lead the secondary corps.

“We’ve got senior leadership and experience,” Bunde said. “We had some rainy days early on where we had to just run through plays inside and, normally that’d be a bit rough, but this group of guys know the plays and there was no problem.”

Bunde said there are a couple teams that stand out in the Delaware Valley League this season but a lot of the final outcome will be up in the air.

“Until we start playing and figure out who has what, it’s hard to say,” Bunde said.

Bunde said despite the returning experience his team still has room for improvement entering a season that has good potential.

“We’re making progress. I hope we continue to improve each week,” Bunde said. “We’ve still got a lot of room to grow. There’s a lot of excitement coming off last year’s success. All the guys have great attitudes, and that makes a difference.”


Oskaloosa Bears
Coach: Scott Whaley, fourth year
2008 record: 6-4

Whaley turned the need for replacement of his starting quarterback and two running backs into a 1-win improvement from 2007 last season, and this season he’s hoping a couple key returnees can lead the Bears to more success.

The Bears fell to Rossville in the bi-district round of the 3A playoffs a year ago but do return an experienced quarterback and arguably their best tailback for the 2008 season.

Whaley’s team of 28 players includes seven seniors and five returning starters from a year ago. Junior Adam Bowser returns at quarterback with senior Brandon Barnes the key returner in the backfield along with junior Mark Newell. Whaley said junior Levi Wade and senior Mitch Boucher will also be in the group of running backs. Wade will also see some time at receiver along with junior Sheldon Malicke and senior Adam Marshall. Whaley said the line is what suffered the most from losses to graduation as this year’s mix includes junior Jake Buscher, sophomore Austin Trowbridge, sophomore Daniel Rhodes, senior Kodey Martin, and senior Cody Green will step into those spots this season.

The defensive line will include the same mix of players as the offensive line with the addition of junior Doug Obrock. Newell, Buscher, Rhodes and Wade will be at linebacker while Bowser, Barnes and sophomore Chris Garst will be in the defensive secondary.

“We’re pretty inexperienced at a lot of spots, but the only way to fix that is to play some games,” Whaley said. “I will say this, we’ve improved a ton from where we were at the start of practices.”

Whaley pointed to Pleasant Ridge, Valley Falls, Troy and Wathena as the teams to beat in the DVL race with JCN and Jackson Heights on the rise.

The Bears get an early challenge at Valley Falls to open the season. Whaley said what the team has in experience will be needed this season, as taking care of the ball will also be very important.

“We need that experience in the backfield to come through for us,” Whaley said. “We had problems last year in giving the other team a short field because of turnovers. It’s even more important we don’t do that this season. We’re really gonna rely on those guys coming back, and hopefully we’ll find some other guys to give us some good time. The guys are working hard. I’m happy with them and the way they’ve come to play so far.”


Jefferson West Tigers
Coach: Steve Johnson, fourthyear
2008 record: 4-5

Work on developing a solid program with the middle school have paid dividends for Johnson as the numbers in the JWHS football program are better than ever going into the 2009 season.

The Tigers have 60 players out for football including a strong group of 13 seniors. Johnson returns nine defensive and seven offensive starters from a team that had an up-and-down 2008 season in the perennially tough Big Seven.

One position change leads the way as senior Alex Baker moves from wideout to starting quarterback at West. Sophomore Dalton Dean will be his backup. The backfield returns some good experience in junior Ethan Mumaw and senior Stephen Skaggs with junior Grady Tichenor also set to see some time there. Senior Austin Siess is the main returning receiver along with senior Tim Rhodd and junior Clint Lee. Johnson had to do some shuffling on the offensive line with junior Cameron Langston, senior Steven Vaught, senior Hunter Rouse, senior Paul Brink, senior Matt Shenk and junior Jordan Hunt in that group.

Those players will be joined on the defensive line by junior Joe Miller and junior Scott Hutchinson. Linebackers include Skaggs, Mumaw and senior Capp Wood with Siess, Tichenor, Lee, Rhodd and Dean in the secondary.

“We had to fill two spots up front (on offense),” Johnson said. “I think we all feel really good about the decisions we’ve made to get the program to where we’re not having to rely on playing young kids every year. This year we’ve lost some good kids to graduation and got some good kids back. Alex (Baker) is a big, smart kid, and he knows the offense well, so I’m comfortable there. We’ve also got some good kids to develop who can see some spot play on varsity.”

Johnson pointed to perennial frontrunners Holton and Sabetha as teams that stick out in the Big Seven,

“Those two teams you know will always be ready to play,” he said. “Nemaha Valley also is a team we always have problems with, and we get a tough game right off the bat versus Abilene.”

Johnson’s hopes of getting the team over the .500 mark for the first time in his tenure fell just short in 2008 but hopes abound that the Tigers can get on the overall winning side of the ledger for 2009.

“I’d say we have better leadership this year than we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Johnson said. “This is the best it’s been. We still have our ups and downs but everybody is going through that. So far everything has gone pretty well, I’d say we’re farther along at this point than we were last year. Defensively we should be a much stronger team. The core of our line is back. Offensively, we have some different kids in there but they’re kids who can make plays. We want to use our mobility and make people play in the space of the field.”


JCN Chargers
Coach: Mark McMillan, 16th year
2008 record: 2-7

Two straight 2-7 seasons aren’t what Charger fans have been used to over the history of the JCN football program, and McMillan has made some adjustments to try to break that string of records.

Once again the Chargers have 40 players out for football, including a big group of 13 seniors. McMillan points out he only has three juniors, however, so the bulk of the team is underclassmen. The Chargers return 10 lettermen from last year’s squad.

One change is at quarterback as junior Jeff Hale steps in and senior Austin Gaspard, last year’s starter at QB, takes a spot in the backfield along with senior Breck McMillan and senior Cody McMahon. Sophomore Dalton Minor will be the backup quarterback. Wideouts include senior Quentin McAfee and senior tight end Lucas Page among others.

The core of the offensive and defensive lines will be senior Andy Swoyer, senior Tyler Noll and senior Hayden Minor with Swoyer also seeing some time at linebacker along with Gaspard and McMahon. Dalton Minor, McAfee and junior Spencer Wentz will be in the secondary mix as McMillan said he was still making up his mind with a week of practice left who would fill out the depth chart.

“I really think we should be more salty this year,” said McMillan, who was begrudging the absence of the hot early season weather he often uses to get his team in shape. “The last couple years we’ve had some injury problems and things just haven’t worked out. Always in the past we’ve worked extra hard in the heat to really outlast teams those first four games. We haven’t had that heat this year.”

Despite some personnel changes on the field, McMillan said he hopes the Chargers can be in the top shelf of the DVL along with Pleasant Ridge and the other contenders.

“This senior bunch is turning into good leaders for us,” McMillan said. “I think versatility is a strength for us. We’ve always been that ‘Three yards and a cloud of dust’ type offense but this year we’re gonna try and balance the offense out some. Defensively we have a few question marks but we’re going full speed. We start the season young at a couple positions but that happens sometimes.”


McLouth Bulldogs
Coach: Chris Stewart, second year
2008 record: 2-7

Stewart’s first year as head coach after four years as an assistant at McLouth had its share of frustrations but still resulted in a 1-win improvement over the 2007 season, so Stewart is hoping the Bulldogs can make the most of the lowest numbers of players in the county.

There are 25 players out for football at McLouth, including only four seniors and two juniors, but there are five returning starters on either side of the ball. Stewart said two other returning players saw good playing time in 2008 but weren’t starters.

The team’s youth means Stewart faces playing sophomores and freshmen in key spots, including quarterback, where sophomore Calvin Booth and freshman Mark Walbridge are battling it out for the starting spot.

“Quarterback is a question mark but we’re getting close to a decision there,” said Stewart with a week of practices left before opening night. “Playing a sophomore or freshman to start isn’t something a coach likes at all most of the time. Unfortunately we don’t have that level of play from upperclassmen at that position.”

Sophomore Alex Courtney may be the team’s best overall returnee at running back and is joined in the backfield by senior Tyler Drinnon and senior Chris Culter. The receiving mix will also include sophomores Tim Culter and Cody McHenry.

Another group of young players will try to shore up the offensive and defensive lines with sophomore Alen Kramer, junior Shane Cassatt and senior Dacoda Reusch joined by some undetermined other young players. Cassatt will join Courtney at linebacker with sophomore Shawn Dailey leading the secondary.

“We do have a few guys with some experience on the line but that’s probably going to be our youngest area, which is tough,” Stewart said. “Alex (Courtney) worked hard this offseason and I’m very optimistic about how he’s improved over one year. I think Shawn (Dailey) will come along well along with some others.”

Stewart pointed to Pleasant Ridge, Wathena, Troy, Doniphan West and Valley Falls as teams that could and should shine this year in the DVL. He said the focus at McLouth will be improving as the season progresses.

“I want to try to keep improving. Even though we have a lot of younger kids, they’re committed to playing and they enjoy playing,” Stewart said. “They’ve been enthusiastic about coming out and doing the work they need to do. I think our strength will be the effort we put out each week. The guys will give it everything they’ve got. I’ve told them that it does make a difference, putting out an effort like that. I’m confident the kids are gonna do that.”