LYNDON TIGERS

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

After making the switch to 8-Man last fall after years of success at the 11Man level, Lyndon battled their way to the quarterfinals of the DI playoffs, losing a rematch with Burlingame – a team the Tigers dealt their first loss of the year in a Week 8 barnburner, 60-59.

The third round loss left the Tigers with an 8-3 mark in the first year of 8-Man, and also, at least for now, marked the last game for Scott Jones in the head coaching role after he accepted a job outside of education.

Jones remains on staff as an assistant in charge of the offensive and defensive lines, while former assistant, and Lyndon head basketball coach, Michael Massey takes the reins of the football program.

Massey returns five offensive and six defensive starters from that 2022 team, including the state’s fourth ranked college football prospect in the class of 2024, his 6-8, 280 pound nephew, senior Kaedin Massey.

The All-District lineman totalled 67 tackles, four sacks, and six tacklesfor-loss in the middle of Jones’ 3-2 defense, though his college future is along the offensive line, where he also excels for the Tigers.

The senior’s college recruitment blew up this offseason and he narrowed his list of favorites to K-State, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Ole Miss before committing to Kansas State.

Coach Massey’s son, All-District safety Jalen (96 tkls.) also returns, along with senior D-ends Caleb Anschutz (69 tks., 5 sacks) and Daxten Miller (39 tkls., 4 sacks), All-State senior linebacker Casten Wirth (130 tkls., 6 sacks, 8 TFLs, 2 INTs), and senior D-back Ethan Ramey (66 tkls., INT).

The Tigers also got a big boost to an already extremely strong group of returning starters when Inman standout Tanner Heckel’s mother, Megan, accepted the head girls basketball position at Lyndon and the star football, basketball, and track athlete made the move to finish high school at LHS. Heckel is coming off his second straight appearance in the 1A title game as a D-back and QB, and will line up at those same positions this year “Even though you lose senior talent every year, there will always be kids to step up and fill those shoes,” Heckel said. “Last year at Inman we had lost a lot of good senior talent and many outside people thought we were going to have a down year, but we competed and made it back to the state championship.”

As a junior, Heckel had over 2,200 yards rushing and passing with 27 combined TDs and also served as a lockdown defender posting 47 tackles, a tackle-for-loss, and two INTs, both in the 1A championship game. He earned All-State honors on both sides of the ball and the move hasn’t diminished his hunger for a title.

“Our team goals for 2023 are to win a state championship, along with every game we play,” Heckel said.

Heckel has two All-State O-linemen to protect him in Kaedin Massey and Anschutz, as well as Wirth (206 yds., 5 TDs) at tight end, Ramey at receiver, and Jalen Massey (991 yds., 16 TDs, 8 YPC) back at running back after he earned AllState honors as a junior.

Coach Massey also pointed out senior receiver Daxten Miller, junior utility player Elijah Feltner, and sophomore James Marcotte as newcomers to watch for offensively, along with Marcotte at linebacker and Feltner at D-back.

“We do have a few holes to fill on both offense and defense, but we have some young guys that are ready to step up and show what they can do on the varsity level,” coach Massey said. “We have a tough regular season schedule that will prepare us for the postseason. We play in arguably the toughest district in the state.”