A Few Things To Watch For This High School Football Season
by John Huber, ISBN Contributing Writer
The "new" schools....as in the Ruskin/Hickman Mills consolidation and the new Liberty North High School. It will be very interesting to see what kind of program Head Coach Greg Valenzueala fields at Ruskin. In 2009 Ruskin and Hickman Mills were both Class 4 schools. Ruskin's enrollment was 1202 and Hickman Mill's was 919. Now in 2010, with the schools combined at Ruskin, the enrollment is 1741 and Ruskin has jumped to Class 5. They also play in the Suburban Mid 6 and will face a step up in competition with the likes of Park Hill, Lees Summit West, Lees Summit and Ray Pec on their schedule. Several of the coaches I talked to listed Ruskin as one of the sleeper teams in the metro this season. Liberty North fields an all-underclassmen team in their first year of play. Most of the times in the past these first year programs struggle a little their first season but show great improvement in year two..if not late in year one depending on what kind of competition they have in district play. The Liberty North District includes Kearney, Smithville and Excelsior Springs so it won't be an easy road but it wouldn't be unthinkable for them to sneak into the second place spot in district. It will also be very interesting to see how the split affects Liberty High School. I'm thinking with the program already established and winning it's won't have much affect.
The new coaches.. several coaching moves during the off season. Mark Simcox moved from Chrisman to Park Hill South. Andy Sims is the new head coach at Excelsior Springs. Andy Leech takes over at Grandview. Eric Thomas is the new coach at Lee's Summit. John Crutcher moves from his assistant spot at Ray South to take the William Chrisman job..just down Noland Road Jeff Floyd is the new guy at Truman HS. Also in Independence Jason Fenstermaker takes over at St. Marys and Jeff Wallace takes over for Tony Dudik at St. Joe Central.
Transfers...a few interesting transfer players to watch this season. Caleb Sims spent his sophomore season at Rockhurst, a very productive junior season at William Chrisman and now has transferred to Park Hill South for his senior year. Sims speed will be a nice weapon for new coach Mark Simcox. Victor Hoskins-Manning is a 6-3 210 WR who transferred from Wesport to North Kansas City in the off season. Manning is a little raw but very athletic and drew some attention with impressive showings at summer combines. Remember the name Donnell Alexander. A 6'0 205 RB, I first saw Alexander his freshman year at Grandview. He was a heck of an impressive athlete and RB. Over the past two seasons he was transferred to Olathe East, back to Grandview and now he is at Blue Springs South playing for Greg Oden. Alexander and Chris Gilyard should form a potent backfield for the Jags. Oh..and Alexander has great genes.his father is former Chief and NFL Hall of Famer the late Derrick Thomas. One more transfer and this may be the biggest yet. Ondre Pipkins at Park Hill high school. Ondre moved to the KC area when his mother had a job transfer and his name first surfaced with an amazing showing at the Mizzou camp in KC this past summer. Only a junior at 6'4 322, Ondre ran a 5.2 forty yard dash and wash impressive in the agility drills.
Blue Springs vs Rockhurst the rivalry.the early season match-ups get a lot of publicity but I think it's the play-off games that really stoke the fires. Since 2000, the year Kelly Donohoe took over at Blue Springs there have been only 2 seasons where one of these teams did not beat the other to end their season.
Let's look year by year:
2000 Rockhurst over Blue Springs 20-16 in the state quarterfinals
2001 Blue Springs over Rockhurst 31-16 in the state quarterfinals
2002 Rockhurst over Blue Springs 21-7 in the state quarterfinals
2003 Blue Springs over Rockhurst 24-7 in the state quarterfinals
2004 Rockhurst over Blue Springs 28-0 in the state quarterfinals
2005 Rockhurst lost to Desmet in state title game. Blue Springs lost to Blue Springs South
2006 Both teams lost to Blue Springs South
2007 Rockhurst over Blue Springs 42-17 in state quarterfinals
2008 Rockhurst over Blue Springs 48-0 in state sectionals
2009 Blue Springs over Rockhurst 23-21 in state quarterfinals
So the only two seasons one of these two teams didn't put an end to the other's season were in 2005 and 2006 when Blue Springs South got in on the act. Looks like Rockhurst leads the season ending rivalry 5-3 since 2000. These two teams have good reason to dislike each other!
Now let's take a look at some of the metro area teams:
Liberty Blue Jays
This years Blue Jay squad has a vast amount of size but not a lot of experience as just 2 starters return on offense and 3 on defense for Head Coach Joel Wells. Justin Fitzwater 6'4 300(sr) and Marshall Arnold 5'10 260(sr) return as 3 year starters on the offensive line. JJ Zimmerman 6'3 300(jr) , Kyle Starke 6'5 300(sr) and Trevor Sowers 6'2 300(sr) look to fill the other spots on a college sized O-line.
Jr. QB Lucas Norton will run the split back veer offense and look to hand the ball to backs Jameson Drew 5'9 170(sr) and Matt Santiago 5'8 175(jr). Austin Weese 6'4 220(sr) will also see time at QB.
On the defensive side of the ball DT Kurt Petroll 6'3 295(jr) , Linebacker Jeff Lamble 6'0 220(sr) along with Weese at DE return as starters in the 4-2-5 defense.
After battling a tough 2010 schedule that will include Park Hill, Ray Pec, Rockhurst and what's expected to be an improved Lees Summit squad, Liberty will then face a gauntlet of Columbia Rock Bride, Blue Springs and Blue Springs South in District 7 play.
The Jays open the season against an always tough Park Hill squad on the road with revenge in mind. Last season the Jays were cruising at 3-0 when they were shocked by the Trojans 20-11
Liberty North Eagles
Head Coach Ken Clemens starts the Eagle program from the ground floor after doing an amazing job in turning around the football program at Winnetonka. Clemens inherited an 0-10 Winnetonka squad and guided them to 7-5 and 8-4 seasons that included 2 play-off wins and a district title.
Obviously he'll have a very young inexperienced squad at Liberty North with several sophomores and at least a couple of freshman expected to contribute.
Junior Austin Haywood will quarterback the Eagles pro style offense.
Junior Zac Miller will lead the defense from the linebacker position and also see time on offense as a running back.
The Eagles will play in the Suburban Small 6 and Missouri Class 4, District 15. In district play they will face perennial state power Kearney, Excelsior Springs and Smithville.
Staley Falcons
In their first two seasons of playing football at Staley Head Coach Fred Bouchard has guided the Falcons to 9-3 and 11-1 records and two district and regional championships. This is after winning four state titles in six seasons at Harrisonville. In other words.don't expect the Falcons to stop winning regularly anytime soon. Not with Bouchard at the helm and the qb/rb duo of Michael Rich 6'0 180(sr) and Evan Campbell 5'9 185(sr) wearing the Green and Black. Rich and Campbell are three year starters and last season Rich passed for over 1800 yards and 20 td's while Campbell ran for almost 1600 yards. You probably won't find a more productive one-two punch in the metro area.
The Falcons return six starters each on offense and defense. Other offensive returnees are RB Morgan Steward 6'1 190(jr), OL Derek Skiles 6'2 245(sr), OL Taylor Lein 6'0 225(sr) and TE Nick Duffy 6'3 205(sr). On defense returning starters are DB Jackson Long 6'0 180(sr), DL Austin Hooten 6'2 220(sr), Devin Payne 6'0 185(sr), Kaleb Sweet 6'1 195(sr), DB Earon Pierce 6'2 180(sr) and LB Vidal Nelson 6'2 205(sr) who is drawing interest from D1 schools with impressive performances at the summer combines.
This year the Falcons move up to Class 5 and will play in a tough District 12 that includes Park Hill, St Joe Central and Oak Park. Pre-district play includes games against Blue Springs and Kearney so the Falcons will be battle tested by the time district play starts.
Oak Park Northmen
Oak Park is coming off an uncharacteristic sub .500 season under veteran coach Keith Ross. Only the third time that has happened in the 24 seasons Ross has coached at Oak Park. With several starters returning on both sides of the ball it's not likely to happen again this season.
On offense, all- conference RB Nick Elmore(jr) looks to carry the load coming off a stellar sophomore year. Other offensive returnees are QB Erik Ross(jr), RB Eric Greely(so), RB Trey Miller(jr), OL Will Frazier(sr), OL Chou Wei(sr), OL Sam jacks(sr) and OL Hasham Omari(jr).
On defense, Elmore, Miller, Frazier, Wei and Greely will see double duty in the Northmen 3-4 alignment alongside DB Gage Harrison(sr) and DB Kamron Grant(sr).
Newcomers to this years starters will include LB Tiernan Samm(so), WR/DB David Wingerson(jr) and OL/DL Sterling Newson(jr).
Oak Park competes in Class 5, District 12 along with Staley, St Joe Central and park Hill. The Northmen have the honor of opening the season at Liberty North this Friday night in the Eagles inaugural game.
Kearney Bulldogs
Coming off back-to-back 13 win seasons and a Missouri Class 4 Championship the Kearney Bulldogs seemed well stocked to make another run deep into the state play-offs. Head Coach Greg Jones took over when Mark Thomas left for Jeff City in 2006 and has continued and built on the winning tradition.
Back to run the Bulldog offense again this season is QB Shane Hartzler 6'3 200(sr). Hartzler completed 61% of his passes for 1753 yards and 17 td's in 2009. Harztler is a big, strong, accurate passer who could find a home on a D1 roster somewhere.
Graduation depleted the running backs and receivers as no back returns that ran for over 85 yards last season. Look for Ty Frakes 5'7 155(sr) and Morgan Fitzgerald 5'7 165(sr) to lead the rushing attack. Hartzler's main target could be WR Ryan Rische 6'2 170(sr) who caught 16 passes for 233 yards in 2009.
Kearney should be strong as usual on both sides of the line of scrimmage. OL Caleb Brenner 6'0 270(sr) will anchor the O-line while DL Jarod Love 6'0 220(sr) who had 10 sacks in 2009, LB Colton Michael 5'11 195(jr) and DB Damen Williams 5'9 165(jr) will lead the defense.
Kearney opens at Winnetonka Friday night. Mark your calendar for September 24th when Kearney hosts Staley. The Falcons were the last team to defeat the Bulldogs before they ripped off 10 straight wins, including a rematch win over Staley, on their way to the state title.
Excelsior Springs Tigers
New head coach Andy Sims comes to Excelsior Springs after 2 seasons as the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator at Liberty High school. Coach Sims also has coaching experience on the college level at Culver-Stockton and the University of Central Missouri where he played linebacker. He is credited for building a very strong off season strength and conditioning program. He takes over a tradition rich Tiger program that has struggled to 4-6 and 2-8 records the past two seasons.
Sims has generated a lot excitement around the program and has almost 100 players out for this year's team. With only three returning starters on offense and one on defense Sims will look to 4 seniors for leadership. OL Chris Mercer 5'9 198, RB Marcus Cody 5'10 162, LB Preston Lewis 5'10 180 and DB Jeremy Stone 5'11 155.
The Tigers play in Class 4, District 12 with Kearney, Liberty North and Smithville and open their season Friday on the road against the Richmond Spartans.
St. Pius X Warriors
Rick Byers is heading into his 16th season as head coach at Pius, and what a 16 seasons it has been. 3 State Titles, 1 State-runner up and 8 district titles. But the Warriors are coming off a 4-7 2009 record and a 5th place finish in the West Central Conference. Not something they are accustomed to at Pius.
Trying to restore the winning tradition will be a veteran offensive line featuring OT Devin Eberth 6'3 220(sr), OG Bennie Palmentere 5'9 230(sr), OT Isaac Hidy 6'3 240(sr), C Jordan Thomas 6'1 210(sr) and OG Sal Sciara 5'9 210(jr). This unit will pave the way for returning 1st team all- West Central Conference RB Anthony Zicarelli 5'7 175(sr). The quarterback position has 3 solid candidates competing for the starting job in Grant Gavin(so), Frank McCoy(jr) and Bryan Petcoff(sr).
The defensive strength will be a secondary led by CB Nico Brogoto 5'7 165 and S Grant Gavin 6'0 170(so).
The Warriors, who compete in the tough Class 3, District 16 with Chillicothe Maryville and Cameron and open the season Friday night at Sedalia Smith-Cotton.
Smithville Warriors
Head Coach Greg Smith enters his 8th season at the helm of a Warrior squad that is coming off a 2009 season in which they held leads in the 4th quarter in five of their six losses. Smithville steps up to Class 4 this season but should have the talent and experience to more then hold their own.
The Warriors return six starters on defense and seven on offense including their leading passer and rusher in junior QB Eric Gromacki who passed for almost 1500 yards and 15tds as a sophomore and junior RB Nick Nance who ran for over 900 yards and 8 tds in 2009.
Veteran leadership should be provided by a foursome of seniors, all who were all-conference performers in 2009. OL Scott Reilly, WR/DB Blake Webb, Lb Shane Cullen and RB Jake Mayhugh.
The Warriors compete in Class 4, district 15 along with Kearney, Liberty North and Excelsior Springs. They will host Cameron in their home opener Friday night.
Park Hill Trojans
Winning has become and expectation for Park Hill under Head Coach Greg Reynolds. In 10 seasons Reynolds has an 98-28 record and the Trojans have won 8 district and 1 state title. The winning ways should continue in 2010.
RB Trace Norfleet 5'11 165(sr) returns after rushing for almost 1000 yards and 12td's in 2009. Much of that yardage was gained running behind OL Adam Vanderpool 6'5 270(sr). The QB position will be manned by Nathan Wilson 6'1 180(sr).
On defense DL Blake Downs 5'8 215(sr), LB Darius Flint 6'3 190(sr) and DB Jordan Wang 5'9 180(jr) are returning starters.
One interesting and very large name to look for is transfer DT Ondre Pipkins 6'3 322(jr).
The Trojans complete in Class 5, District 12 with St. Joe Central, Oak Park and Staley. The Trojans open the season Friday night when they host Liberty.
Park Hill South Panthers
Mark Simcox becomes the third head coach in school history as he takes over a Park Hill South program that is coming off back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in school history. Simcox was the head coach at Chrisman for one season and previously an assistant at Park Hill and Blue Springs.
The Panthers return four starters on offense. At QB look for Jason Thetford 6'3 160(sr) to look for WR Austin Green 5'11 185 who caught 45 passes for almost 500 yards and 8td's in 2009. The running back position looks very solid with Joe Pearson 5'9 185(sr) and Darren Davis 6'1 170(sr).
Three starters return on a defense led by LB Myles Kreiger 5'10 195(sr), LB Andrew Davis 5'8 185(sr) and DL Sam Eickhoff 6'0 228(sr).
Keep an eye out for William Chrisman transfer Caleb Sims 6'0 175(sr).
The Panthers complete in Class 5, District 11 with Fort Osage, Winnetonka and North Kansas City. They open Friday night at home vs. Belton.
North Kansas City Hornets
Coming off a 1-9 record in 2009 Head Coach Chad Valadez is looking for a solid rushing attack, a talented transfer and an improved defense to lead the Hornets. The path to improvement will be challenging with a schedule that includes pre-district games against Liberty, Lees Summit West, Ray Pec and Park Hill.
NKC welcomes back six starters on the offensive side of the ball. The offensive line is anchored by senior Dominic Avila. The Hornets return experience and talent in QB Zach Benintende and RB's Kevin Webb and Kyler Washington. At WR Westport transfer Victor Hoskins-Manning displays a ton of potential.
The Hornets have three starters back on defense. Key contributors should DT Austin Messick(sr), DB Spencer Warman(sr), DB Marcus Jones(so) and DB Cameron Madison(jr).
NKC plays in Class 5, District 11 with Fort Osage, Winnetonka and Park Hill South. The Hornets open play at St. Joe Central on Friday night.
Winnetonka Griffins
New Griffin Head Coach Sterling Edwards will look to build on the momentum built by Ken Clemens the past two seasons. The Griffins finished 2009 with a 8-4 record and District and Regional championships. Coach Edwards certainly has the pedigree. He has spent the past five seasons coaching the offensive line under Kelly Donohoe at Blue Springs.
Even with the loss of All-State running back Darrel Jobe the cupboard is not bare at Winnetonka. A balanced offense will feature a speedy RB Alex Howell(sr) running behind an offensive line that includes John Rodriguez(jr), Frank Boniello(sr) and Joseph Wymes(sr).
On defense look for LB Brett Morris(sr) and DB DeAndre Thomas(jr) to lead the way.
The Griffins compete in Class 5, District 11 with Fort Osage, North Kansas City and Park Hill South. Coach Edwards gets a baptism by fire as head coach on Friday night as Tonka opens their season by hosting the Kearney Bulldogs.
Fort Osage Indians
In 2003 Fort Osage was 1-9. In 2004 Fort Osage was 0-10. Ryan Shartz was hired in 2005 and his first season the Indians went 1-9. Since that point Fort Osage has a 40-8 record under Shartz and has won four conference championships, three district championships, been to the state-quarterfinals three times, the state semi-finals twice, and to the state championship game last year. Heck it if not for key injuries to their starting qb in 2007 in the state semi-finals and to All-state rb Dalton Krysa in the sectionals in 2008 it's not hard for Fort Osage fans to think they might have made three straight trips to the Edward Jones Dome. There is no doubt that Coach Shartz has directed a Bill Snyder-esque turn around at Fort Osage. Even with the loss of All-state players EJ Gaines, Kamryn Tillmon, Ed Pearl and Nathan Hancock, Coach Shartz is feels good about this years prospects. "There will be some young, untested and inexperienced players on the field. This squad will have to grow up fast considering the strength of our schedule, but I have no doubt they will be up to the challenge. Our kids are taught to play hard and when they make mistakes they make them at full speed and I don't see that changing. One thing is for certain, when people play the Fort they will never question our work ethic, enthusiasm and toughness".
Fort returns 4 starters each on offense and defense in 2009. The strength of the offense should be the offensive line led by returning all-state guard Juan Saucedo 5'10 255(sr), Shayne Parsons 6'3 245(sr), Dillon Taff 6'0 225(jr), Lucas Stevenson 5'10 255(jr) and Rueben Sia 6'3 275(jr). Handling the QB duties will be Steven McBee 6'1 175(so). Newcomers at the RB spot are Jaleel Gordon 5'10 200(jr) and Ian Bailey 5'9 205(sr). Also watch for freshman RB Ezra Vaoifi 5'10 185(fr).
Anchoring the defense will be all-state NT Tony Tunamai 5'10 255(jr). Three HM all-conference starters return at LB. Jesse Peery 6'1 185(sr), Ryan Stick 5'9 185(jr) and Zach Wharton 5'10 190(sr). Second team all-conference DB Spencer Gearheart 5'9 165(sr) will lead the secondary.
The Indians play in Class 5, District 11 with Winnetonka, Park Hill South and North Kansas City. They open at home Friday night against Lees Summit North.
William Chrisman Bears
Head Coach John Crutcher will try to bring the winning tradition along with his intense demeanor as he moves from his defensive coordinator position at Raytown South to William Chrisman. After playing his college ball at UTEP, Crutcher spent several years as a college assistant at schools such as Western New Mexico and Eastern Kentucky before his days at Ray South.
With three starters returning on offense and four on defense as many as five sophomores and one freshman will see significant playing time.
Crutcher is installing a spread offense that will be led by QB Nick Richardson(sr) and speedy RB Scott Cates(sr). Talented freshman WR Alex Ball is also expected to contribute.
On defense Crutcher is installing an attacking 3-4 scheme. That will feature Cates at LB.
The Bears play in Class 5, District 10 with Raytown, Raytown South and Truman and will open the 2010 season Friday night at home vs. Lees Summit.
Truman Patriots
Yet another new coach looking to turn around a program is Head Coach Jeff Floyd at Truman High School. The Patriots are coming off a 2-8 record in 2009 and haven't had a plus .500 record since 2004. Coach Floyd has an impressive coaching resume including a stint as the offensive coordinator at the University of Central Missouri.
The Pats will run a multiple set offense and a 4-3 defense led by QB David Franklin(jr), RB Blake Lopez(sr), WR/DB Eric Humble(sr) and WR Austin Ford.
The Patriots play in Class 5 District 10 with Raytown, Raytown South and William Chrisman. They open the 2010 season Friday night at Ruskin.
Blues Springs Wildcats
On the public school side, no team in the KC Metro has won as big and consistently as Blue Springs under Head Coach Kelly Donohoe. And even though with the graduation of Keeston Terry and Jared Lanpher they lose two-thirds of the famed "three headed monster" from 2009, it's hard to feel much sympathy when the one-third that returns is RB Darrian Miller(sr). Miller is the second ranked player in the state of Missouri according to Rivals.com and is 2,002 yards away from breaking the state's big class all-time rushing yardage mark of 6,346 yards set by former Fort Osage standout Dalton Krysa. Miller rushed for 39 yards his freshman year, 1,508 as a sophomore and 2,798 as a junior.
At least two other D1 prospects join Miller in WR Jordan Nubine 6'3 205(sr) and DB Bernard Thomas 5'11 180(sr)
Other returnees include LB Jon Trocosso 6-1 205(sr), LB Aaron Peola 5-11 185(sr), and Lewis Foutz 6-2 215(sr). On the line Justin Middleton 6-1 220(sr) and senior Myles Hicks 5-11 205(sr) return.
The Wildcats play in Class 6, District 7 with Blue Springs South, Liberty and Columbia Rock Bridge. They open the season Friday night on the road in their annual classic against Rockhurst.
Blue Springs South Jaguars
Only in existence since 1992, Blue Springs South has quickly built a proud tradition in high school football. After finishing 1-9 in 1992 they had not experienced a sub .500 record since..until last season when they finished 4-6. Don't bet on Head Coach Greg Oder letting that happen again.
On offense QB Calvin Jacobson 6'2 195(sr) returns after throwing for 1800 yards and 13tds in 2009. Cat quick RB Chris Gilyard 5'8 180(sr) and transfer Donnell Alexander 5'11 200 will form a potent rushing attack. The offensive line will be very solid led by Logan Adkinson 6'3 240(sr) and Jacob Moore 6'1 260(sr).
Leading the defense will be LB Jake King 6'1 190(jr).
The Jags play in Class 6, District 7 with Blue Springs, Liberty and Columbia Rock Bridge. They open the 2010 season Friday night at Raytown South.
Lees Summit Tigers
With only two winning seasons since 1998 Lees Summit it somewhat of a sleeping giant in KC area high school football. In new Head Coach Eric Thomas and QB Corbin Berkstresser they may have the perfect combination to wake that giant. Thomas most recently was an assistant coach at Columbia Hickman. Prior to that he was the Head Coach at Cameron where he led the Dragons to a Missouri Class 2 title in 2005.
Coach Thomas has a reputation for fielding fast paced, no-huddle offenses which would seem to be a perfect fit for senior QB and University of Missouri commitment Corbin Berkstresser 6'4 225. Berkstresser is the third ranked Senior player in the state by Rivals.com
All-Conference WR/DB Sam Sealer(sr) returns to haul in passes from Berkstresser and lead the secondary on defense. The improving offensive and defensive lines will be manned by Seniors Montrae Strickland, Tyler Wigger, Adam Madaris and Alex Howdeshell.
The Tigers step down from Class 6 to Class 5, District 9 which includes Belton, Lees Summit West and Ruskin. The Tigers open 2010 play Friday night at William Chrisman.
Lees Summit North Broncos
The Broncos look for their second winning season since 2004 under second year Head Coach Ty Kohl as they try to improve on a 3-7 2009 record.
The offense will center around returning All Suburban Conference Big Seven RB Montereal Robinson 5'7 170(sr). In 2009 Robinson rushed for 1,023 yards on only 145 carries and scored 6 tds. The Broncos have a new QB under center but whoever wins that job has a reliable target in WR T.J. Semke 6'2 220(sr) who hauled in 26 passes for 268 yards in 2009.
Defensively look for LB Christopher Mershon 6'0 205 to lead the way.
The Broncos compete in Class 6, District 8 with Joplin, Raymore Peculiar and Rockhurst. Lees Summit North opens the 2010 season Friday night on the road at Fort Osage.
Lees Summit West Titans
The Lees Summit West Titans have only been playing football since 2004 but in those six seasons they have made the play-offs every season. That's right..they have never failed to make it out of district play. Don't look for that to stop this season. In fact, they have the talent to go deep into the play-offs this season.
The Titans return every starter on their offensive line led by the coaches son and D1 recruit OL Evan Boehm 6'4 300(jr). Boehm already has offers from schools such as Mizzou and OU among many others. Other offensive returnees include OL Caleb Foster 6'2 250(jr), WR Brandon Smith 6'2 185(jr) and QB Luke Knott 6'1 190(jr).
On defense a strong line-backing corp is led by Ryan Hillier 6'1 215 who missed most of last season due to injury, Spence Brown 6'0 190(jr) and Nick Ramirez 6'3 215(so). Other defensive returnees include DL Chris Wiseman 6'4 220(jr) and DB Demarcus Edwards 5'10 185(sr).
Lees Summit West plays in Class 5, District 9 with Lees Summit, Ruskin and Belton. The Titans open 2009 Friday night at home vs Ray Pec.
Grain Valley High School
The bad news for Head Coach Forrest Rovello is that record setting QB Austin Gouldsmith graduated and is now at the Air Force Academy. It's almost impossible to replace Gouldsmiths level of production. The good news is Grain Valley returns eight starters on defense and should be greatly improved in that area.
Leading the Eagles 4-3 defense will be the duo of DE Dallas Welch 6'0 210(sr) and DT Colby Lyons 6'3 255(sr). Other defensive returnees include DT Mitch Buck, LB Tucker Pauley, LB Austin Earley, LB Tyler Fuhrman, DB DeAndre Davis, DB Tyler Hedric and DB Joey Lierman.
On offense a pair of backs return in Riley Williams(sr) and Ryan Nace(jr). Directing the Cincinnati triple option offense will be QB Jeramey Maynard 6'3 185(jr). Other offensive returnees are OL Kole Vittetoe and Zach Hoover WR.
The Eagles play in Class 4, District 14 with Grandview, Harrisonville and Center. They open 2010 play Friday night at Platte County.
Harrisonville Wildcats
Another year, another state contender for Coach Chuck Lliteras Wildcats. Coming off an 11-2, sectional championship season Harrisonville returns 14 starters.
Offensive returnees are OT Dustin Young 6'3 265, OG Justin Strong 6'1 236(sr), C Coltin Saunders 6'1 225(jr), QB Landon Teal 5'11 175(sr), RB Derek Haug 6'1 195 (sr). Haug rushed for 579 yards and 7 td's in 2009.
On defense DE Travis Britz 6'5 265(jr) LB Kyle Livingston 6'3 215(sr), DB Zach Wright 6'1170(sr), DB Caleb Roberts 6'1 175(sr), LB Colby Branstine 6'0 200(sr), LB Chance Alexander 6'2 195(sr) and DB Alex Bartlett 6'0175(sr).
Rockhurst Hawklets
Just plug in the new names from year to year and you put the Hawklets in the top five rankings.if not the top spot.again. Head Coach Tony Severino's Hawklets are loaded .again. At least four sure-fire D1 prospects on the roster and probably more then that when it's all said and done.
The Hawklets are experienced and deep at every position. Running the offense will be QB Frank Arbanas 6'5 188(sr). At the running back spots are Noah Pearl 6'0 186(sr), Cameron Turner 5'9 150(sr) and Jordan Walker 5'11 181(jr). At TE/DE is Dan Tapko 6'4 220(sr) who has given a verbal commitment to OU. The OL is anchored by Cooper Kerns 6'4 328(sr) and Christian Eatherly 6'6 245(jr).
On Defense along with Tapko is LB Michael Rose 6'0 210(jr) who has verbally committed to the Nebraska and Ryan Karlin 6'1 219(sr).
Rockhurst plays their typically tough independent schedule and includes games with Hutchison KS, Columbia Rock Bridge, Columbia Hickman and Jeff City. The Hawklet play in Class 6, District 8 with Joplin, Lees Summit North and Ray Pec. The Hawklets open the season Friday night when they host Blue Springs in their annual blood match.
