Back to Kpreps this fall, our contributors will hand out helmet stickers to a team or individual that delivered the most important performance of the week in their opinion. Check back each week to see that week’s helmet stickers, and follow @Kpreps on Twitter and Facebook to watch as the Kpreps helmet fills up with stickers as the season goes on.
Helmet sticker: Quinn Buessing of Axtell (Chet Kuplen of Sports in Kansas)
Quinn Buessing of Axtell took fourth in Saturday's 1A state cross country meet, earning all-state honors. Great year, right? Well now he continues an incredible fall sports season with football. The junior quarterback has passed for 1,977 yards (44 TD/2 INT) for the Eagles (8-1), ranked No. 2 in Eight-Man, Division II.
Buessing is that rare combo of a cross country runner and quarterback. Buessing and wide receiver Hunter Koch, a record breaking eight-man receiver, form one of the top offensive combinations in Kansas. Axtell is a serious threat in the Division II playoffs after giving Hanover its best game this year in 50-42 loss earlier this season. I love to see that Buessing doesn't specialize and giving his best efforts in both sports, and I wish we could see more of this across the landscape of Kansas.
Helmet sticker: Beloit (John Baetz – Kansas Pregame)
The Beloit Trojans made the 265-mile journey to Hugoton on Friday and came away with a 28-0 victory. The Trojan defense played spectacular in holding the Eagles to less than 75 yards of total offense. Tate Ahlvers continues to carry the load for an injury-depleted backfield tallying yet another 100-yard rushing game with three of the Trojans four touchdowns. Junior Grant Arasmith is an effective runner at quarterback playing for the injured Hudson Gray and Hudson Smith has provided explosive plays for an offense missing the services of talented senior running back Zach Meier.
The Trojans got eight total tackles for loss from the defensive trio of River Paul, Trase McQueen and Carson Cox including two sacks each from Paul and Cox. The Trojans have a seemingly insurmountable task in this week's rematch with a Scott City team that beat them 55-12 just four weeks ago, but driving four-and-a-half hours back home with a win over Hugoton extended the season and improved the Trojans' record to 6-3.
Helmet sticker: Stafford (Matt Gilmore – Kpreps)
My sticker goes to the Stafford Trojans for claiming the first playoff win in school history with a 54-28 decision over South Haven. The Trojans had lost their previous five playoff games with the latest appearances occurring in 2013 and 2014.
On Friday, The Trojans (7-2) eliminated South Haven by rushing for 364 yards and six touchdowns. Senior Caleb Hildebrand rushed for 170 yards and three scores on 14 carries, while freshman Tai Hildebrand added 12 carries for 163 yards and three scores. Senior quarterback Justice Manning passed for 85 yards and threw two touchdown passes to sophomore Kleyton Schreiber.
The Hildebrand’s, along with Manning, provide three solid rushing options out of the Trojan backfield. Caleb Hildebrand leads Stafford with 889 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. After a solid junior campaign in 2017, Caleb has now rushed for 2,272 yards and 42 touchdowns in his career. Manning has added 630 rushing yards and 17 scores, while passing for 565 yards and 11 touchdowns. Tai Hildebrand has begun his career with a 521-yard season on the ground and 11 touchdowns.
It was fitting the Trojans won the schools’ first playoff game at Lou Brock Field. Brock, a Stafford graduate back in 1936, went on to play at Purdue before being drafted in the third-round by the Green Bay Packers. Brock played six seasons with Green Bay and was inducted into the Packers’ Hall of Fame in 1982.
Stafford’s two losses this season have come to Otis-Bison (50-0) back in Week 3, and Hutchinson Central Christian (72-26) in Week 7. This Friday the Trojans step away from Brock field to take on South Barber (8-0-1). The Chieftains are ranked No. 4 in 8M-II and have beaten Central Christian (70-68, 3 OT) and tied with Otis-Bison (36-36) in a game called at halftime due to severe weather.
Helmet sticker: Sacred Heart & Victoria (Conor Nicholl -- Kpreps)
On Thursday, in the eastern end of Ellis County, Victoria freshman backup quarterback Grant Schoenrock, in his first career start, paced the Knights to a 34-28 victory in a high-profile Eight-Man, Division I contest versus Leoti-Wichita County. Victoria (7-2) will now play at least 10 games for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons.
On Friday, in the western side of Ellis County, Sacred Heart sophomore backup quarterback Mac Hemmer, pressed into duty after an injury to multi-year starter David Anderson three weeks ago, helped the Knights to a 34-7 win at Ellis in a 1A bracket game. Sacred Heart moved to 4-5, a two-win improvement from last fall.
Additionally, both Wichita County (6-3) and Ellis (3-6) had to play backup quarterbacks, though, each had more experience than Schoenrock and Hemmer. For Wichita County, sophomore Kayde Rietzke exited the game with a wrist injury. Senior Ronald Michel, a top defensive player and running back and last year’s starting quarterback, took over under center. Ellis sophomore Tegan Cain became the starter in early season after an injury to junior Zach Eck.
Schoenrock, a quarterback at the younger ranks, replaced Cooper Windholz, the starter for the last two seasons but currently out with a knee injury. Earlier this year, Victoria posted a video of Schoenrock – who weighs 160 – squatting 300 pounds. Schoenrock showed great speed and poise on the option with 15 carries for 134 yards and three long scoring runs. Victoria overcame 13 penalties and five turnovers in the win. Senior Tyler Knoles scored the winning touchdown late on fourth down, and senior Wyatt Dreiling was among the defensive playmakers with 13 tackles and a fumble recovery for a score.
Credit to coach Doug Oberle and his staff to get Schoenrock ready in a week. Victoria has dealt with multiple quarterback injuries/changes in recent seasons, including ’13, ’15, ’17 and ‘18, and the Knights continue to play at a high level. Schoenrock is the first freshman to start at quarterback for Victoria in recent history. This Friday, Victoria is at St. Francis (9-0), ranked third in Division I.
Sacred Heart’s Hemmer completed 12 of 20 passes for 215 yards and three scores. That included 129 receiving and two TDs to Trace Leners and 69 yards and a score to Charlie Skidmore.
In the first half, Hemmer completed passes on 4th-and-11 on an eventual TD drive, 3rd-and-27 for a 62-yard touchdown pass to Leners, 3rd-and-10 for a 16-yard TD to Leners. In the second half, he found Skidmore for a 35-yard pass on 2nd-and-18 to set up a TD.
Sacred Heart has tallied 174 points, 21 fewer than ’17. But the defense permitted 374 points in the first year with coach Garrett Galanski last fall and 193 this season. Seniors Leners, Anders Mikkelson and Ben Del Real have led the defense. Mikkelson posted six sacks in the first eight games after none previously in his career.
Sacred Heart gets a rematch at No. 1 Smith Center (8-1) this week.
Helmet Stickers (2018 Season)
Week 1 – Chapman, Salina Central, St. James Academy, Southeast-Cherokee, Wichita North
Week 2 – Kapaun Mt. Carmel, Russell, South Central, Washburn Rural
Week 3 – Colby, Ellinwood, Flinthills, Sylvan-Lucas Unified
Week 4 – Blue Valley North, Centralia, Gardner-Edgerton, Ness City, Smith Center
Week 5 – Bishop Miege, Newton, Olathe West, Oswego, Phillipsburg
Week 6 – Dodge City, Cimarron, Hillsboro, Jackson Heights, Junction City
Week 7 – Canton-Galva, St. Thomas Aquinas, Scott City, Wellington, Wichita Homeschool
Week 8 – Altoona-Midway, Eureka, Hugoton, Louisburg, Shawnee Mission South
Use your Facebook account to add a comment or start a discussion. Posts are subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment.
