2020 Emporia High School Football Preview

A E R A 2020

L L A B T O O F

W E I V E R P EMPORIA OLPE

COUNCIL GROVE MADISON LEBO HARTFORD CHASE COUNTY NORTHERN HEIGHTS Stories by Eli Lederman The Emporia Gazette

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

THE EMPORIA GAZETTE

‘EVERYTHING IS CHANGED’: AREA PROGRAMS SET TO PLAY THIS FALL IN MIDST OF COVID-19 The familiar notes of fall football arrived once again this summer, though this time they came with some unusual, new flavors.

When high schoolers across the area reported back to their respective programs last month, they did so in masks and waited in line for temperature checks before strapping on helmets with protective splash guards. During practices, position groups worked in smaller pods and initiated full team contact only when necessary, while coaches focused on X’s, O’s and the regulations of social distancing. At the end of each session, everything from pads and helmets to footballs and blocking pads received deep cleaning.

Football, in the midst of COVID-19, is a whole new game.

“Everything is changed,” Emporia head coach Corby Milleson said. “If we could operate like we did last year, I would be in seventh heaven right now.

But nothing is the same this fall.”

High school football this fall, for now, is on. In July, the Kansas State High School Activities Association voted against pushing back the fall season,

maintaining football’s scheduled Sept.

4 start date. On Aug. 28, as schools in Kansas City and Wichita canceled their fall sports seasons, KSHSAA approved an “optional alternative fall season” to begin in March if fall play is suspended.

Immediately, area coaches expressed concerns over its feasibility.

Locally, within area programs which have taken all of the necessary safety measures thus far and have successfully made it through a preseason, the drive to attempt the traditional fall season remains, even in the face of the pandemic.

“These kids have dreams and goals, and when that’s taken away, it’s devastating,” Hartford coach Colton Barrett said. “We saw the effect this had on our athletes last spring. We don’t want them to lose another season now.”

Operating in the age of COVID-19, typically strict and regimented football programs are even more rigid this year, with precautions and regulations dictating nearly every move.

During weight sessions and film study at Lebo, masks have been mandatory and the team locker room gets dis-

MEET THE SPARTANS

Onterrio Robinson Sophomore

Zachary Jackson Senior

infected each night. Some programs, such as Emporia, have done away with locker rooms altogether. At Olpe and Council Grove, coaches have adjusted to limited team huddles and the challenge of barking orders out to groups distanced in every direction. On the sweltering practice fields in the midst of August heat, hand sanitizer has been as imperative as water.

Players themselves have risen to the occasion, as well. Chase County head coach Brody VanDegrift, has seen his players arrive more focused during practice sessions while they intently adhere to safety protocols, seemingly grateful to be able to play and aware of the looming danger of COVID-19 at the same time. At Lebo, head coach Brian Hadley sees a group of players that has matured, forced to grow up faster than they should due to the events of the past six months. Each of the head coaches in the area agrees that their players seem more serious this fall, hyper-aware of the gravity of this season.

“Having everything taken away from them in the spring, the players seem to realize that nothing is a given

and it shows.” Hadley said.

But while the successful preseason has many confident headed into Week 1, there remains plenty of concern about safety and the completion of the fall season, as well.

The continued spread of COVID-19 across the United States is difficult to ignore, and as more schools across the state choose to put their seasons on hold each week, coaches in the area are left wondering what lies ahead. “You can have a good day at practice and then you watch the news and it takes some air out of your sails,” said Council Groves’ Butch Hayes. The fear of COVID-19 looms constantly, tearing down even the smallest bits of optimism.

With play set to begin Sept. 4, the goal of completing a full season stands even as coaches can’t predict whether their teams will still be playing into next week, and their answers to what would constitute a successful season are different. Some, such as Olpe’s Chris Schmidt, are happy simply to

MEET THE SPARTANS

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emporia spartans LEARNING ON THE JOB

At the end of the 2019 season, the Emporia High School Spartans said goodbye to a senior class — the team with a seismic offensive line that improved its record each season starting in 2017. The team had players that were talented and tough; the kind of players Corby Milleson likes to coach.

“They played the game the right way,” Emporia’s seventh-year head coach said.

In their wake this fall, is an Emporia team missing 19 of its 22 starters from a year ago when the Spartans went 6-4, leaving a young, untested group to fend for itself in the rigorous Centennial League. But despite key departures across the depth chart, there remains plenty of talent on Emporia’s roster with returners such as Camden Kirmer, Charles Snyder and Bobby Trujillo to go with newcomers who will have ample opportunities to make an impact. Talent, for these Spartrans, may not be what holds Emporia back.

Instead, it’s a lack of experience at the varsity level in one of the most physical leagues in the state that poses a potential roadblock this fall.

“These guys are going to have to mature in a hurry,” Milleson said. “And they’re going to have to catch up to the speed of the Centennial league in a hurry, too.”

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Among those stepping into new roles for the Spartans is quarterback Cam Geitz. The 6-foot-1 junior has performed well through camp this summer and into early preseason practices, but like so many of his teammates, Geitz will be forced to adjust not only to physicality, but the speed of the varsity level on the job when the season opens on Sept. 4.

Geitz will benefit from having several veterans around him on offense. Kirmer, who broke out as a playmaker a season ago, returns at running back and will carry the load for the Emporia offense, while Geitz will be able to look to senior tight end Charles Snyder and junior Kaden Woydziak in the passing game.

And as the personnel will be different for the Spartans, so will it’s plan of attack offensively to fit the team’s personnel. Without the same offensive line to run behind, the Spartans will move away from their power-based running scheme, instead looking to keep the ball nearer to the line of scrimmage behind a ripe offensive line.

“I didn’t see us being real successful running down hill, off-tackle, smash-mouth football,” Milleson said.

Please see Spartans, Page 4

Emporia Schedule: DATE SEPT 4 SEPT 11 SEPT 18 SEPT 25 OCT 2 OCT 9 OCT 16 OCT 23

Opponent Emporia vs Topeka-Hayden Emporia at Topeka-West Emporia vs Tokpeka Emporia at Highland Park Emporia vs Washburn Rural Emporia vs Seaman Emporia at Junction City Emporia at Manhattan

*Schedule found on Maxpreps, team did not provide

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

emporia spartans

SPARTANS From PAGE 3 “This will give us a chance.”

With a young, unproven roster is a challenging league, Milleson’s Spartans may endure some growing pains this fall, but Emporia’s head coach re-

mains pleased with the squad he has in front of him and is ready to see what it can offer.

“I want to see what kind of heart they have; what kind of heart they’ll play with,” Milleson said. “That’s more important than anything.”

Emporia opens its season at home against Topeka-Hayden on Friday Sept. 4.

MEET THE SPARTANS

Wilmer Sandoval Sophomore

TreyMane Scott Freshman

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

MEET THE SPARTANS

Caleb Maley Freshman

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Page 8

MADISON BULLDOGS MADISON PREPARED TO HANDLE UNFINISHED BUSINESS Madison head coach Alex McMillian knows what he wants from this upcoming football season, and when pressed on the subject, the Bulldogs’ fifth-year head coach is clear, direct, and more certain than anything, McMillian is confident.

“As a program, we plan on winning our league, our district and then going on to compete for a state championship,” he said. “Those are our stated goals.”

The optimism is warranted.

Madison Schedule: DATE SEPT 4 SEPT 11 SEPT 18 SEPT 25 OCT 2 OCT 9 OCT 16 OCT 23

Opponent Madison at Burlingame Madison vs Hartford Madison at Southern Coffey County Madison vs Udall Madison at Oxford Madison vs Chase County Madison at Flint Hills Madison vs Central

*Schedule found on Maxpreps, team did not provide

A year ago, Madison stormed through its regular season slate undefeated and rolled through the early playoff rounds, reaching the sub-state title game before falling to eventual state champions Canton-Galva in a 46-6 defeat. This fall, Please see Madison, Page 9

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MADISON From PAGE 8 the Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 in the Lyon County League Preseason Poll, and have returned in 2020 hungry to get back to the sub-state title game and to advance to where they could not a year ago.

Expectations following the 11-1 season are high.

Despite graduating a number of players who were crucial to last season’s success, Madison has retained a strong nucleus and returns a core of impact upperclassmen equipped to help the Bulldogs contend once again this fall.

With quarterback Ryan Wolgram, running backs Hunter Engle and Brome Rayburn and tight end Drew Stutesman remaining in the fold on offense, the Bulldogs bring back key contributors from a unit that bulldozed opponents and averaged 60.8 points per game a year ago. With established lineman Isaac Miser and Joseph Stubbs returning with sophomore Isaac Knight and junior Kevin Heineken expected to join them, Madison enters the season with the foundation for another prolific offense and an offensive

line set up to pave the way for the Bulldogs’ running game.

On defense, it’s more of the same for Madison with loads of talent back from a group that allowed more than 18 points only once in 2019. Engle earned All-State honors a year ago with 45 tackles, seven sacks and two forced fumbles as a pass rusher and will look to wreak havoc once again alongside Stubbs on the line. Stutesman, who joined Engle with All-State recognition in 2019, is set to continue in his role as the anchor of the defense at linebacker where he recorded 70 tackles a year ago with Wolgram and Rayburn expected to slot into the secondary together.

Madison is short neither on talent nor ambition. After stumbling against Canton-Galva a year ago, the Bulldogs are once again favorites in the Lyon County League and have the pieces to make another deep playoff run. Madison fell short in 2019; it doesn’t intend to repeat history this fall.

“Our motto this year is simple: we’ve got unfinished business,” McMillian said.

Madison opens its season at away against Burlingame on Friday Sept. 4.

MEET THE SPARTANS

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

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MEET THE SPARTANS

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

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Page 11

NORTHERN HEIGHTs wildcats IN WITH THE NEW For the first time in 22 seasons, Greg French won’t be running the show for Northern Heights, and so there are many things that will be new and different for the Wildcats this fall.

At the helm is a new head coach in Darwin Sweetman, who spent the past two seasons cohead coaching with French. Alongside him is a new coaching staff calling plays and running practices. On the field, a team returning only four starters from a year ago features many new faces, all of it unfolding in the midst of a pandemic.

“It’s been a heck of a year to take over a program,” Sweetman said. “There’s been a lot of trying to figure out what’s going to fall in which places.”

But despite all of the change at Northern Heights this fall, the focus around the program remains on last season and building off of a year which saw the Wildcats finish 6-4 while earning their first playoff victory — a 44-14 win over Flint Hills League rivals Lyndon — since the 1980s. And for all that’s different about Northern Heights this fall, Sweetman is aiming to maintain his team’s success by keeping as many things as he can the same, starting with his offense.

Seeking to maintain continuity, Sweetman plans to stick to the spread offense that made the Wildcats so successful in 2019 once again this fall. For a team with few returning starters, the system will allow Northern Heights to put the ball in the hands of its proven contributors such as senior Colton Tiffany and junior Braden Heins, who will feature out of the backfield and as receivers, while taking pressure off of the Wildcats’ young offensive line. The straight-forward system will also lend itself to younger players such as 6-foot-7 freshman tight end Kaedin Massey, who can make an impact as both a blocker and a pass catcher at his size.

While the offense, schematically, will be the same for Northern Heights, the quarterback will not be as junior Aaron Ross, who previously

Northern Heights Schedule: SEPT 4 SEPT 11 SEPT 18 SEPT 25 OCT 2 OCT 9 OCT 16 OCT 23

Northern Heights at Council Grove Northern Heights vs Northeast Northern Heights at Central Heights Northern Heights vs Lyndon Northern Heights at Uniontown Northern Heights at Pleasanton Northern Heights at Olpe Northern Heights vs Valley Heights *Schedule found on Maxpreps, team did not provide

played as a wide receiver, is set to take over under center. Ross’ arm has turned heads all summer, but the young quarterback still has work to do in understanding and executing Sweetman’s offense. An unproven commodity leading the offense, Ross represents yet another change for the Wildcats, but his progression may become one of the first true successes under the new head coach. “(Ross) is one of the guys who will mean a lot for us if he can get things going this year,” Sweet-

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

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CHASE COUNTY From PAGE 12 we’re going to throw a lot at them.”

When VanDegrift talks about “throwing a lot” at the Bulldogs’ new opponents, he means two things: speed and offensive firepower.

In each of VanDegrift’s four seasons in charge of the program, the Bulldogs have featured at least one 1,000-year rusher, and senior running back Trint Rogers seems a lock to keep the streak alive having eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in each of his past two seasons. Sophomore Mitch Budke, who featured occasionally at quarterback as a freshman, will take over the offense this fall, offering a skillset as both a passer and a runner, following in the footsteps of his brother, Cael, who himself rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2019. And while the Bulldogs are keen to stick to the run, Chase County intends to throw the ball in 2020 and are wellsuited to do so with seniors Blaise Holloway and Tylon Yabarra, who can serve as threats down field and also in the running game from VanDegrift’s

jet sweep packages.

Together, the group offers promise for an offense that scored 30 points a game a year ago.

“We have a lot of our speed on our team this year.” VanDegift said While scoring was seldom an issue for the Bulldogs in 2019, keeping opponents off the scoreboard was. Chase County will bring with it to District 5 a powerful, veteran secondary manned

by Rogers, Holloway and Yabrra to play behind linebackers Budke and freshman Brock Griffin, who is expected to have a sizable role as a freshman. But where the Bulldogs’ success is likely to be determined is in its ability to stop the run, which remains a question mark headed into the season and stands as a problem VanDegrift and Chase County will have to navigate within its new district.

Chase County’s new district and upcoming opponents may be unfamiliar, but the Bulldogs’ enter the season with weapons offense and promise on defense, ready to tackle the unknown.

“Our goal is to be competitive in our new district,” VanDegrift said.

Chase County opens its season away against Moundridge on Friday Sept. 4.

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

PERENNIAL WINNERS, OLPE SET TO CONTEND ONCE AGAIN

OLPE EAGLES Olpe High School Head Coach Chris Schmidt isn’t big on casting hefty expectations, even if he’s got plenty reason to do so this fall.

Returning the core members of a team which went 10-1 and reached the sub-state semi-final a year ago, his Eagles are again among the favorites to contend in 2020. Loaded with experience, talent and a group of players still nursing the wound of the loss to eventual state champions Centralia in 2019, Olpe is well-positioned to chase down its first state title since 2014. Despite all the positive notes, the 14th year head coach’s confidence is a quiet one, and his mantra remains simple.

“I want us to play well early and improve throughout the year, first and foremost,” Schmidt said. “If we do that and stay healthy, we can make a run at the end of the season.”

Just don’t let the muted tone deceive you; with five returners on offense and six on defense, the Eagles appear to be on the most well-equipped programs in 1A football.

Traditionally a Power-I, run-first powerhouse, Olpe’s offense is prepared to become versatile with junior quarterback Damon Redeker taking the reins this fall. A former wide receiver, Redeker gives the Eagles speed under center and Schmidt plans to utilize it with several different option packages for his new quarterback to run alongside 2019 All-State Honorable Mention running back Kynden Robert

and transfer running back Chris Olsson, a player the Eagles are expecting big things from. The new look will maximize Olpe’s personnel and could add a dash of unpredictability to the team’s attack.

While the Eagles plan to rely on the run, their defensive goals lie in stopping it with a 5-2 base defense. Former defensive back Jordan Barnard has bulked up since last fall and this season will slot into a defensive end role for the Eagles. Returning to man the linebacker spots behind him is 2019 AllState Honorable Mention recipient Ted Skalsky, who will be joined by Olsson in his first season with the varsity team. Olpe held opponents under 20 points in nine of its 11 games in 2019, and it appears the Eagles have the pieces to field a smothering defense once again.

A year ago, the Eagles season ended in a heartbreaking, 22-20 loss to Centralia. Olpe, Schmidt felt, were good enough to win it all and believed the winner of that game would go on to win the state title.

His Eagles just fell short.

“We were close,” Schmidt said. “I thought we were right there with them but we just didn’t have it.”

The team Olpe brings back this fall can be as good, if not better than the program’s 2019 iteration. This time, maybe, they’ll make it all the way.

Olpe opens its season away against Ellinwood on Friday Sept. 4.

Olpe running back Kynden Robert (3) gets wrapped up by a Centralia defender during last year's playoff matchup.

Olpe Schedule: DATE Opponent SEPT 4 Olpe at Ellinwood SEPT 11 Olpe vs Central Heights SEPT 18 Olpe vs Lyndon SEPT 25 Olpe at Uniontown OCT 2 Olpe at Pleasanton OCT 9 Olpe at Jackson Heights OCT 16 Olpe vs Northern Heights OCT 23 Olpe at Northeast *Schedule found on Maxpreps, team did not provide

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Page 15

HARTFORD JAGUARS DOING THE LITTLE THINGS Last fall, according to Hartford head coach Colton Barrett, the Jaguars lost at least three games they should have won, plagued by squandered opportunities, an inability to close out opponents and missed tackles. It was those little things that were the difference between finishing the season 3-6, as Hartford did in 2019, and closing it out at 6-3 with a spot in the playoffs.

In 2020, the Jaguars intend to eliminate those small mistakes and, in turn, give themselves a shot at competing for a district title.

“In order to take the next step like we want to, we’re going to have to handle big situations and capitalize on the games we should.” Barrett said.

Hartford has lofty goals this fall, but there are reasons to believe the Jaguars can turn things around, and they begin with junior running back Shayden Sull and sophomore quarterback Ali Smith.

Sull emerged as a breakout star for Hartford in 2019, accounting for 7.9 yards per carry and 31 total touchdowns. The junior’s speed and elusive-

ness in space as both a runner and a pass catcher earned him All-District honors and provided Hartford with a crucial offensive weapon. Smith, meanwhile, showed promise in taking on the starting quarterback role as a freshman, throwing for a shade under 1,000 yards with 16 touchdowns through the air. Together, Sull and Smith give the Jaguars a dynamic duo it can rely on to put points on the

Hartford Schedule: DATE Opponent SEPT 4 Hartford vs Maranatha SEPT 11 Hartford at Madison SEPT 18 Hartford at Burlingame SEPT 25 Hartford at Lebo OCT 2 Hartford vs Rural Vista OCT 9 Hartford at Wakefeild OCT 16 Hartford vs MDCV OCT 23 Hartford at Central

board.

Yet while Hartford may have plenty of offensive firepower, its fate likely lies on the defensive side of the ball, and that’s where Barrett is making changes.

The missed tackles and defensive lapses that cost the Jaguars in 2019 resulted from a lack of team speed, Barrett said. That, at least, isn’t likely to be an issue this fall as Barrett plans

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to have five “speed guys” on the field at all times, slotting in fleet-footed defenders alongside Sull, who led Hartford with 112 tackles as a safety last fall. The Jaguar’s defense will also feature a trio of new faces in defensive tackle Andy Andrews and linebackers Tanner Highley and Trenton Schroeder, who each missed the 2019 season due to transfer rules or injury, but are expected to jump immediately into Barrett’s defense.

The formula for success at Hartford this fall is simple: Run the ball and control the clock, make tackles on defense and most importantly, cut out the small mistakes that sunk the Jaguars a year ago. Do that, and Hartford just might have a shot at doing what it couldn’t in 2019.

“Last year, we thought maybe we could compete for a title and we let a couple of games slip,” Barrett, the fourth-year head coach said. “This year, we’re hoping we can capitalize and make some noise in our district.”

Hartford opens its season at home against Maranatha on Friday Sept. 4.

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

BRAVES READY TO KEEP ON BUILDING Council Grove braves

On the new turf field at Legion Stadium this summer, plays have been executed better, route running has been more crisp and, much to the coaching staff’s delight, there have been far fewer dropped footballs.

The 2020 season hasn’t quite yet begun, but Council Grove is finally beginning to look like a Butch Hayes football team.

After a debut season that featured plenty of growing pains and a 2-7 finish, Year 2 of Hayes’ rebuild with the Braves is underway and Council Grove’s head coach is pleased with the progress his team has shown this summer. Now he’s ready to see his program make even bigger strides this fall.

“I think having a year underneath our belt and just having experience is big for us,” Hayes said. “We’re building something here.”

Among the focuses for the Braves this season is spicing up an offense that Hayes called “vanilla” while making a concerted effort to limit turnovers. Last season, Council Grove struggled offensively as Hayes

Council Grove Schedule: DATE SEPT 4

SEPT 11 SEPT 18 SEPT 25 OCT 2 OCT 9 OCT 16 OCT 23

Opponent

Grove vs Northern Heights Council Grove at Osage City Council Grove vs West Franklin Council Grove at Concordia Council Grove vs Marysville Council Grove at Riley County Council Grove at Chapman Council Grove vs Clay Center

*Schedule found on Maxpreps, team did not provide

attempted to turn a run-first offense into an aerial attack, and the Braves turned the ball over more than 30 times. This fall, with senior quarterback Hadyn Bieling under center once again, Hayes has expanded the playbook, hoping that a less predictable offense and a year of experience will increase his team’s scoring output and strengthen its ball security.

Losing 12 seniors from the 2019 team, Council Grove’s preseason practices have featured a number of open competitions for spots on the depth chart. At tailback, senior Ethan Craige projects to start for the Braves, but junior Wyatt Johnson has impressed the coaching staff this summer and will challenge for the role, as well. Out wide, each of the spots in Council Grove’s four-receiver spread set remain open with the likes of Corbyn Miller, Kahle Jones, Chase Bacon, and Tom VanValkenburg among those battling to earn starting jobs with underclassmen challenging from behind.

On the other side of the ball, first-year defensive coordinator Darron Reddick, a graduate of Council Grove, is managing key positions battles of his own

and working to configure a defense that can support an improved Council Grove offense.

After moving up to 3A football in 2020, the Braves are set to face a challenging slate of opponents this fall. Even if Council Grove improves on both sides of the ball, the progress made may not be enough. But looking at the schedule, Hayes sees winnable games early on and hopes that early momentum could propel his program.

“If we could win some of those games and gain some confidence, I think we could surprise a few people,” Hayes said.

Council Grove opens its season at home against Northern Heights on Friday Sept. 4.

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

Page 17

LEBO WOLVES

HADLEY, LEBO LOOKING TO MAKE THE JUMP When third-year head coach Brian Hadley took over Lebo’s football program in 2018, the roster he assumed held just three upperclassmen and not a single senior. Instead, Hadley was equipped with a raw group of sophomores, and the Wolves finished his debut season with a record of 4-5.

That once untested group of sophomores now makes up a talented and proven senior class at Lebo, and after a 7-3 season in 2019 in which the Wolves earned their first playoff win of Hadley’s tenure, Lebo is back and looking to go further this fall.

“We feel like this is our year to really make a push in the playoffs,” Hadley said. “Our goal is to make it all the way to Newton.”

With a schedule featuring local opponents in Hartford and Chase County, and a deep 23-man roster — the largest since Hadley arrived — there’s plenty of reason for excitement this fall, but the main

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Page 18

LEBO From PAGE 17 source of optimism lies with senior Devan McEwen.

The dual-threat quarterback served as the focal point of the Wolves’ offense a year ago, throwing for 1,719 yards and 24 touchdowns while adding 534 yards and another 12 touchdowns on the ground. McEwen’s efforts were good enough to earn league, district and state postseason honors, and with another year of experience under center, Lebo is expecting even more from its star quarterback.

Surrounding McEwen is an offense ready to improve on the strides it made in 2019. Senior running back Andrew Bailey is set once again to share rushing responsibilities with McEwen with returning offensive lineman Caleb Fehr and Joseph Linzer paving the way. In the passing game, McEwen will continue to rely on last season’s leading receiver Kyle Reese and fellow senior Jerome Ferguson, a blocking tight end whose 28 catches accounted for 409 yards and four touchdowns in 2019. Elsewhere, receivers Luke Davies and Jonas Konrade will seek to carve out larger roles in the offense as additional targets.

Defensively, Lebo will rely primarily on many of those same players, with Fehr, Linzer and Ferguson forming a formidable defensive line and McEwen, who made 68 tackles and six interceptions as a junior, manning the second-

ary. Andrew Bailey, Lebo’s leading tackler from a year ago, leads Lebo’s linebacking core from the middle with Reese and Davies flanking him on either side.

Headed into his third season with the same core of players he’s coached since 2018, Hadley is prepared for his most successful season yet.

Dropped into Division II this fall, Lebo will avoid powerhouses such as Canton-Galva in a potential playoff push, and with a talented and experienced group on the field, the Wolves appear primed to contend in 2020.

“Our motto for this year is #Allin,” Hadley said. “I feel like we’ve got what it takes this year to make a deep run.”

Lebo opens its season at home against Southern Coffey County on Friday Sept. 4.

Lebo Schedule: DATE 9-4 9-11 9-18 9-25 10-2 10-9 10-16 10-23 10-30

Opponent SCC @ Lebo Chase County@ Lebo Lebo @ Waverly Hartford @ Lebo Lebo @ Wakefield Lebo @ Centre

White City/Rural Vista @ Lebo Marais des Cygnes Valley @ Lebo To be assigned

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2020 From PAGE 2 make it to Week 1. Others, like Northern Heights’ first-year head coach Darwin Sweetman, are hoping to get at least halfway through the season.

Uncertainty is a constant presence this fall just like masks and six-feet of distance, and makes looking too far ahead a fruitless task.

“Personally, do I feel like we’re going to have a season that lasts?” Hayes said. I don’t know,” While area coaches maintain different outlooks, they also each have their own reasons for why they remain committed to stewarding this football season so long as it is safe.

Sweetman, who himself graduated from Northern Heights, knows that for some of his players, football is what keeps them in school and on top of their academics. At Hartford, Barrett has players from whom another season of action and game film might yield a scholarship offer. VanDegrift wants more than anything to simply give his senior class a proper final season.

Every program has specific goals driving their efforts to play this fall under the crush of a pandemic.

For so many people and so many reasons, a football season this fall is that important, and so they’ll push on beginning Sept. 4, aspiring to keep a fall season alive even if the outcome is out of their control.

“As a coach, you’re in this business to get to know the kids and prepare them for life,” said Olpe’s Schmidt. “If football gets taken away, I won’t have the opportunity to do that. That’s my biggest fear.”

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Fred Jackson Sophomore

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

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Saturday, September 5, 2020

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