County football scores for Sept. 3-4

The Perry-Lecompton Kaws matched Holton touchdown for touchdown to end the first quarter tied at 14 Friday night, but it was the last time the Kaws would cross the goal line. Holton’s defense dug in and the Wildcats scored 7 points the next three quarters to end 35-14. Sophomore Jon Denton is the ball carrier for the Kaws in this photo. The two schools were meeting again for the first time with new ball teams after the Kaws’ powerhouse team dominated the Wildcats in last fall’s 4A state semifinal on Perry-Lecompton’s march to state. Photo by Clarke Davis

Thursday’s game (Sept. 3)
McLouth 18, Immaculata 13
• The Bulldogs led, 12-0, after a quarter and held off the Raiders in the second half to win their season opener. The running game was a key for McLouth in the win as sophomore Alex Courtney ran 25 times for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns and senior E.J. Field ran 12 times for 105 yards and a score. Freshman Marc Walbridge was 4-for-11 passing for 63 yards in the win.

Friday’s games (Sept. 4)
Oskaloosa 24, Valley Falls 21
• A report on this game can be found below.

Holton 35, Perry-Lecompton 14
• In a rematch of last season’s season opener and also the 4A state semifinal, the Kaws and Wildcats were tied after the first quarter, 14-14, but it was all Holton thereafter as the Kaws got out to an 0-1 start. Sophomore Jeremy Immenschuh had a 16-yard touchdown pass to senior Brad Phillips and junior Trent Robb had an 11-yard TD run with senior John Mehl adding both extra-point kicks. The Wildcats outgained Perry-Lecompton, 378-91 yards on the ground. Immenschuh was 10-for-21 passing for 92 yards. Robb led the way on the ground for the Kaws with 12 rushes for 47 yards. Phillips had 5 catches for 51 yards.

Wathena 28, JCN 6
• North avoided a shutout on a fourth-quarter 25-yard scoring pass from junior Jeff Hale to senior Lucas Page. JCN is 0-1.

Abilene 35, Jefferson West 7
• West fell to 0-1 as the Tigers’ only score came on a 9-yard run by senior Austin Siess in the third quarter. Alex Baker added the extra-point kick.

Bears slip past Valley Falls in season opener, 24-21

If the first game of 2009 sets the tone for the football season for Oskaloosa and Valley Falls, it’s going to be an exciting ride for the two teams as Oskaloosa took advantage of penalties and turnovers for a 24-21 win Friday in Valley Falls.

The game was equal parts a won game for the Bears and a lost game for the Dragons as the Bears and standout senior running back Brandon Barnes made plays when they needed them, while Valley Falls had a couple key penalties, including one that nullified a 52-yard touchdown run, and couldn’t take advantage of some fourth-quarter momentum.

The game got off to an exciting start, as Valley Falls senior Chance Gier fielded the opening kickoff and rambled 80 yards for a score with junior Nick Domann adding the extra point for a 7-0 Dragons lead.

Oskaloosa looked to match the score as the Bears drove to the Valley Falls 23 but the drive stalled there and Barnes was stopped on fourth-and-2 to turn the ball over to the Dragons on downs.

The Bears drove to the Dragons 40 on their next possession when a 7-yard run by junior Mark Newell turned into a 31-yard gain thanks to two penalties on Valley Falls senior Blane Brosa, who was ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Dragons held to force a fourth-and-goal at the 11 but junior quarterback Adam Bowser and Barnes turned a short pass into an 11-yard touchdown to cut it to 7-6 as the 2-point conversion run fell short.

The Dragons were driving at midfield early in the second quarter when senior Logan Wynkoop lost a fumble and Oskaloosa recovered at the 50. Bowser fumbled the snap on the next play and Valley Falls got the ball back in Bears territory but, three plays later, a pass by Valley Falls junior quarterback Alex Lederer was picked off by Bears junior Levi Wade at the Oskaloosa 22.

Fourteen plays later, Barnes punched the ball across the goal line from a yard out to make it 12-7 Bears as the drive spanned 78 yards and included runs of 16 and 29 yards by Barnes. Barnes and Newell converted fourth downs into first downs on the drive.

With time winding down in the first half, the Dragons appeared to get a big momentum swing as senior running back Mitchell Streeter broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run, only to see Domann flagged for an illegal block in the back at the 20, well behind the play. The Dragons instead found themselves with first-and-10 at the Oskaloosa 30 and the drive stalled at the 29, where Oskaloosa took over on downs and ran out the clock to take a 12-7 lead into halftime.

The Bears chugged out another scoring drive on the first drive of the second half as Barnes returned the opening kick to the Bears 40 and, 11 plays later, took the ball in from 10 yards out to make it 18-7 as the 2-point conversion pass fell incomplete. The key play on the drive was an offsides penalty on the Dragons on fourth-and-2 at their own 15 and Barnes’ score came on the next offensive snap.

The Bears continued their policy of short kickoffs following Gier’s opening score and the Dragons put together perhaps their best drive of the night as they scored on a nine-play, 61-yard drive. They overcame an 11-yard loss on a bad pitch as Gier got the yardage back and more on a 20-yard run, then scored on an 11-yard run with 54 seconds left in the third quarter. Senior Tyler Wynkoop ran for the 2-point converstion to cut the Oskaloosa lead to 18-15.

Oskaloosa’s next drive saw the Bears convert fourth-and-short at the 50 and Barnes run for a 9-yard gain on third-and-8 at the Valley Falls 33. A holding call helped stall the Bears drive as they went for it on fourth-and-long only to see a Bowser pass intended for Barnes intercepted by Logan Wynkoop at the Oskaloosa 8. Wynkoop returned it to the Dragons 30 and the Dragons had a chance to regain the lead with 5:11 left in the game.

The momentum boost didn’t last long as, on second-and-6, Lederer fumbled the snap and Oskaloosa recovered at the Valley Falls 34. This time it wasn’t Barnes but Newell who made the score on a 10-yard run to give the Bears a 24-15 lead with 2:32 left in the game.

With the Dragons on the ropes and time dwindling, the Valley Falls offense came through again as Tyler Wynkoop returned the ensuing kickoff to the Dragons 48. The Dragons faced a fourth-and-5 at the Bears 35 with 1:42 to play when Lederer found Logan Wynkoop on a short pass across the middle and Wynkoop took the ball in for the score to cut the lead to 24-21 with 1:33 to play.

The score meant the Dragons would need to attempt an onside kick and Domann’s kickoff ricocheted off Newell’s knee with a Dragon recovering the ball at the Valley Falls 47. Wade was flagged for a pass interference penalty, only Oskaloosa’s third of the game, on the next play and the Dragons had a first down at the Bears 38. A 13-yard pass from Lederer to Streeter gave the Dragons first down at the Bears 25 with 1:18 to play and the game came down to a fourth-and-7 at the Bears 22. Lederer tried to make the pass on the left-middle side of the field and Barnes jumped in to knock the pass away to allow Oskaloosa to run out the clock and escape with a 24-21 win.

Barnes toted the ball 22 times for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns along with three receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown for the Bears. Newell had 23 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown. The Bears outgained the Dragons, 317 yards to 222, on offense not including return yards.

Valley Falls was led by 9 carries for 68 yards for Gier, who also had the kickoff return TD, and 8 carries for 54 yards by Streeter. Lederer was 5-for-11 passing for 70 yards and a TD. Logan Wynkoop had two catches for 41 yards and a score. The Dragons incurred 10 penalties for 60 yards compared to only 3 for 30 for Oskaloosa. The Dragons also committed one more turnover than the Bears, 3-2.

Oskaloosa coach Scott Whaley said both schools should be proud of the way the teams performed.

“It doesn’t get much better than that,” a relieved Whaley said after the game. “You’ve got two teams that absolutely played their hearts out, and two communities that can be really proud of their kids. I take my hat off to them for how they came back.”

Whaley said he was happy with how his offensive line, which was somewhat of a question mark for the Bears entering the season, stepped up to allow for all but 21 yards of the team’s offensive output on the ground.

“They took over a little bit at times in the second half,” he said. “We have some big kids, but they’re pretty inexperienced. I was pleased with how they did tonight.

“When they recovered that onside kick, it was like they kicked me in the gut. Then, there at the end, Brandon made the play. He’s got a nose for the ball. He’s a heck of a player.”

County high school volleyball preview 2009

The county’s six high school volleyball teams will be hard-pressed to top a 2008 season that saw three teams easily eclipse 30 wins and one place fourth at state, but the six returning coaches will do their best to lead their teams to success as season play recently began.

As in 2007, the Jefferson County North Chargers had the third-best winning percentage in the county in 2008 behind Oskaloosa and Jefferson West, but were the only squad to advance to state play before settling for fourth at the 3A state tourney in Salina. The Chargers’ final record was 35-10 and the state berth marked the school’s fourth in the last five seasons.

Oskaloosa and Jefferson West, meanwhile, were top seeds at their respective substates but faltered in the semifinals to finish with 34-6 and 33-6 records, respectively. Valley Falls saw a two-win improvement over 2007 to finish 22-16 in 2008, and McLouth turned around a losing 2007 record to go 22-15 last season. Perry-Lecompton also saw a seven-win improvement to finish 11-27 in 2008.

There were no coaching changes at the head spots among the six county teams, although McLouth is making use of a former JCN standout as an assistant under Erika Houk.

All six county schools got into action last week. Oskaloosa plays next at the Baldwin Invitational Tournament Saturday, Jefferson West will travel to Royal Valley in Hoyt tonight (Thursday) for a triangular with Holton and Royal Valley, JCN plays next in a triangular at McLouth Sept. 15, McLouth plays at the Nemaha Valley Invitational Saturday, Valley Falls plays next at a triangular with Troy and Kansas City Christian Sept. 15, and Perry-Lecompton plays host to Bishop Ward and Eudora in a triangular tonight.

Following are capsule previews of each team entering this season in order of their finish last season.


Oskaloosa Bears
Coach: Tosha Landau, fourth year
2008 record: 34-6

Landau lost a couple key components from a very good 2008 squad but has a mixture of experienced youth and seasoned upperclassmen back to make another run at a state berth.

Gone are seniors Nicole Rockhold, Whitney Artman and Keri Heston, but Landau does return four starters. Her squad of 16 players includes only two seniors.

The OHS varsity rotation includes senior right hitter Kyra Coffman, who was lost late last season to a knee injury but has returned, senior left hitter Allison Lloyd, sophomore middle hitter Haley Pfau, junior libero Hailey Kelly, junior left hitter Kristen Brey, sophomore middle hitter Rachel Schmanke, sophomore setter Jordan Miller, sophomore back row specialist Brooke Beach and junior Jessie Beach.

“I think we have good offense and a lot of good hitters, plus an experienced libero and a really good setter who’s only a sophomore,” Landau said. As of Sept. 4 the team was 2-0 in the early going. “We’re a young team and don’t have as much experience as others may, but the girls are very talented.”

Landau said she looked for the Delaware Valley League to be competitive this season. She’s hoping the team’s athleticism and chemistry can combine to form a good follow-up season to another near miss at substate a year ago.

“We have a lot of athletic girls,” Landau said. “They work well together and have good chemistry, which makes a difference. I know we have quite a few new coaches in the league, so I have no idea how it’s gonna go. I know we have some hard workers and they were in the weight room together this summer getting ready. The best thing is that they all know they have a part to play and they do their best to play it. We don’t have anybody expecting to be the star.”


Jefferson West Tigers
Coach: Sara Becker, fourth year
2008 record: 33-6

Becker has the numbers but has some rebuilding work to do as only two starters return from last year’s standout team.

There are 33 girls out for volleyball at West, which is up from 31 a year ago, but 13 are freshman while 20 are in the junior varsity and varsity mix. There are four seniors on this year’s team.

Becker said the varsity squad was a work in progress coming off a season-opening West Invitational that saw the Tigers go 1-4.

“There’s a lot of room for competition this year,” she said.

Seniors on the team include libero Morgan Scott, setter Marissa Goodrich, right hitter BriAnna Ploude and Kaitlin West. The rest of the varsity mix includes junior hitter Jessica Wells, junior setter Monica Sanders, junior middle hitter Danielle Steffey, sophomore Marci Greene, junior defensive specialist Cece Liby and junior left hitter Taryn Brees.

“Up until last Friday (Aug. 28) we were still figuring out who was going to be on varsity,” Becker said. “This is kind of a rebuilding year, so we’ll see how it goes. Next year we should be really good too.”

Becker said she expects ACCHS and Holton to be the class of the Big Seven but thinks her team should be competitive down the stretch as the group progresses.

“Definitely, although we started off slow, we can be competitive down the stretch,” Becker said. “Right now I’d say our strength is our defense, especially on the back row. We’ve got pretty solid defensive players, and they make good reads. We’ve got some big kids, too, but we’re working on coordination.”

Becker said she and the team were disappointed with their showing at the home invitational but she did note some ground to build on.

“This is the ultimate team game,” Becker said. “The main thing is that, as hard as it is to come out 1-4, it didn’t really show how well we played. We were right there with all the teams, so it showed we’re not that far away.”


JCN Chargers
Coach: Jeremy Gish, ninth year
2008 record: 35-10

Gish made his fourth trip to state in eight years as North’s coach with the 2008 squad and hopes a squad trying to rebound from some injuries can keep the good times rolling in the Charger program.

North’s group of 25 players includes six seniors and four returning starters. Key varsity contributors Lisa Weishaar, Amelia Noll and Devin Gigstad were lost to graduation, but senior setter Sara Navinskey is back from a knee injury suffered during last basketball season, and junior middle hitter Jordyne Seichepine returns along with 2008 starters junior Kelsey Deviney and senior hitter Molly Lyon.

The rest of the varsity mix for JCN includes senior libero Sara Peres, who has also suffered a knee injury in the past, junior hitter Katie Noll, senior Beth Anne Brickell, senior back row specialist Krista Weishaar, and sophomore hitter Jordan Kramer. Another senior who played on last year’s squad, Lexie Kiser, suffered a knee injury and is out for the season.

“There are a lot of factors that go into how successful you can be,” Gish said. His team is off to a nice start (through Sept. 3) at 6-1. “We had an opportunity to lose a couple more matches there in our first tournament but the girls pulled them out. I think we’re still trying to find ourselves a little bit.”

Gish agreed that the DVL is anybody’s to win this season.

“It’s hard to get a grasp on the league this season for some reason,” Gish said. “Overall I think the league is stronger than it’s been.”

Gish points to experience as the main strength for the Chargers.

“We have four starters coming back from a team that went to state, so that’s obviously a strength,” he said. “They showed that by not tensing up in a couple close games early on.”

Despite the change in personnel, the goal is again the same at JCN.

“It’s still our goal to get to state and see what we can do, but we’ll see what happens,” Gish said. “So far, we still have a lot of work to do, so it’s hard to judge. The record is a positive at this point but I don’t think we look like a state team right now. If we improve the way I know we can, we’ll definitely have an opportunity.”


McLouth Bulldogs
Coach: Erika Houk, third year
2008 record: 22-15

A former Oskaloosa Bear in Houk has brought in a former JCN Charger in assistant Jessica Seichepine to help try to get the McLouth team to the next level with the most returning experience in the county.

The Bulldogs improved by eight wins in 2008 to post a winning record and return eight girls who started at some point last season on this year’s squad. The Bulldogs have 20 players out with five seniors.

The headliner returnee is 2008 Lawrence Journal-World area player of the year senior hitter Kylie Shufflebarger, but she is joined by returnees senior hitter Cassidy Bristol, senior setter and hitter Courtney Chilcoat, senior hitter Taylor Rush, and senior hitter Alexa DePriest. The rest of the varsity includes junior setter Jeri Holwick, junior libero Logan Terry, junior defensive specialist Katy Perry, junior hitter and back row specialist Jessie Troupe, and sophomore hitter Terri Stewart.

“We should be very strong this year,” Houk said. “This group has played varsity together the last two years, plus some club volleyball, so they work well together.”

The Bulldogs are off to a middling start at 4-3 but Houk is optimistic about the team’s chances in an even DVL.

“We’ve played well, but the girls just need to finish,” Houk said. “The number one thing they need is to learn to have confidence going out to win, rather than to not lose.”

The addition of Seichepine, who was a member of a state team at JCN before going on to play in college, adds more strength in experience to the coaching staff. Houk said the team knows if they can bring it all together, this could be a special year for the Bulldogs.

“They know this is their year to shine,” Houk said. “Confidence will be a huge factor for us. The girls have been working really hard, so I’ve been hapy so far. They’ve taken these early matches and I think we’ve learned from it.”


Valley Falls Dragons
Coach: Seth Cooper, fourth year
2008 record: 22-16

The Dragons also for a second straight year have some strength in numbers with 28 girls out for volleyball, including six seniors.

Despite the good numbers, Cooper has only three returnees that saw major playing time for the Dragons in 2008.

Leading the way are seniors hitter Bethany Myers, setter Brenna Lane, libero Jessica Landman, hitter Bailey Sherretts, hitter Hannah Navinskey, and hitter Courtney Watson. They will be joined in the varsity rotation by junior hitter Abbey Kearney, junior setter Jade Edmonds and junior hitter Kaitlyn Speer.

“We’re still figuring out who goes where,” said Cooper. The Dragons are 2-5 to start the season. “I think our hitting should be a strength along with our defense.”

Cooper said the team already ran into experienced groups that should be among the tops in the DVL this season.

“We’ve still got to work on our serving and passing,” he said. “I’d like to think we can be better than how we started.”

Last year’s 22-win mark was a two-win improvement over 2008 and Cooper said his team just needs to get up to varsity speed, as although the upperclassmen are in place, they weren’t able to get a great deal of varsity experience.

“We played with the good teams at times early on,” he said. “I think this group can be better about getting over mistakes and putting them behind us and move on. Once the girls figure out how fast the game moves at the varsity level, they’ll be better off, but they have to gain some experience and play together to do that. I think we’ll get better as the season goes along.”


Perry-Lecompton Kaws
Coach: Jill Bradney, third year
2008 record: 11-27

Bradney is in her 10th year overall as head coach at Perry-Lecompton, although this three-year stint is 13 years removed from the first seven years of her tenure at PLHS.

The Kaws won double-digit games for the first time in a while in 2008 after three straight seasons with only four victories. This year’s squad has 26 girls out with a group of six seniors.

The Kaw varsity includes seniors Shelby Erickson, Katie Volle, Jessica Christman, Shea Visser, Caitlin Callahan and Amber Smith. Junior Abbey Bays, sophomores Sierra Morgison and Josey Hurd and freshman Jordan Erickson are also in the varsity mix.

The Kaws are 1-1 after defeating Piper and falling to Jefferson West in their first triangular of the season.

Efforts to reach Bradney for comment on the team were unsuccessful.

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.”