For the sixth straight season, Kpreps has named its Potential Breakout Teams. Each year, Kpreps has normally selected at least one squad in every class that is expected to improve its record. From ’14-18, there have been 40 teams named.
Thirty-one teams have improved its record, six have decreased their wins and three have stayed the same. Last season, of the 11 teams picked, nine improved and two stayed the same. The 11 teams collectively finished 36-64 (36 percent) in ’17 and 66-44 (60 percent) in ’18.
Last year, Kpreps’ picks included Solomon, which went from 5-4 to 11-2 and the best finish in school history, a runner-up showing in Eight-Man, Division I. As well, Class 2A Southeast of Saline moved from 4-5 to 8-2. In Class 6A, Gardner-Edgerton had the biggest one-season turnaround in Sunflower League history from 0-9 to 10-1.
CLICK HERE to review last season’s story!
Here are the 2019 Potential Breakout Teams:
Eight-Man, Division II: Bucklin
Coach Brad Estes has led the Red Aces after a long losing streak. Bucklin didn’t win a game from ’09-13. Since then, Bucklin has posted records of 1-8, 2-5, 2-7, 1-7 and 4-5. This year, Bucklin is in strong position for its first winning season and best record since a 6-2 mark in ’07. Bucklin has not made the playoffs since a 6-5 mark in ’06.
Last season, Bucklin averaged 22.7 points per game and permitted 36.3. However, the Red Aces had an offensive improvement of plus-12.7 points per game from ’17, No. 13 best in eight-man football. Bucklin again plays in manageable District 8.
Otis-Bison and Stafford were a combined 11-1 in district, but both teams took big graduation losses. Ingalls, Minneola, Satanta and Chase all finished with losing records, though Ingalls and Minneola return multiple key players.
Bucklin, though, was much better defensively than Minneola (44.4 points/allowed) and Ingalls (50.7), and similar to Stafford (30.2). The Red Aces, which is at Coldwater-South Central to open the year and then face Otis-Bison at home in Week 2, will be tested immediately.
Bucklin returns six offensive and five defensive starters, including senior quarterback Talon Estes. He, along with seniors Gabe Ellis and Ryan Durr and junior Josh Stout have all started at least three seasons. Estes and Ellis are four-year starters. Trever Powell, a former 2,000-yard rusher at Kiowa County, is on his first season on staff as an assistant coach.
Eight-Man, Division I: Hill City, Cedar Vale-Dexter
Both squads finished 5-4 in ‘18. This year, both teams have the opportunity to enjoy the best record in many falls. HC coach Travis Desbien, a former Palco standout, has led the Ringnecks to back-to-back 5-4 seasons.
Hill City has two playoff appearances in school history and has not won more than five games since an 11-2 mark and Eight-Man, Division I state runner-up – the top finish in Ringneck annals – in 2010.
Hill City, though, was much more offensively prolific in ’17 than ’18. The Ringnecks averaged 46.7 points per game, No. 15 best in eight-man, and a points per game improvement of 14.8 per contest. Hill City lost games by 12, one and 10 points and had all of its victories by at least 26 points.
Hill City graduated standout quarterback Conner Born, who passed for 843 yards and rushed for 1,316 with 36 TDs accounted for. However, HC returns junior Jayce Hamel and senior all-purpose threat Dalen Journigan.
Hamel averaged 9.2 yards per rush with seven scores. Journigan delivered 9.8 yards per rush with 11 touchdowns. Ayden Nickelson and Derek Keith saw spot time as freshmen. Journigan, one of eight-man’s top returners the last two years, had 1,053 all-purpose yards in ’18. Three of the top-five tacklers return, paced by junior Brody McDowell with a team-best 110 stops.
Hill City has tossed 11 interceptions in each of the last two seasons and permitted 35.3 and 32.9 points per game in ’17 and ’18, respectively. Improvement in those two areas could occur this fall, too.
As well, Hill City will still play a tough schedule, though two of the losses came to Hoxie and Clifton-Clyde, whom each took big graduation hits. HC lost, 42-41, to Victoria in ’18.
CVD finished 5-4, 3-2 in District 1 and lost its final three contests. The Spartans made a huge defensive improvement from 46 points allowed in ’17 to 23.8 last season, the fifth-biggest defensive change in eight-man. CVD opened 5-1, and beat Sedan, 64-32, an eventual seven-win team.
Junior Brogan Myers was leading the state in rushing, though was banged up in the final 3.5 games. He finished with 1,422 yards and 28 scores. Since Cedar Vale and Dexter started playing football together in ’10, the Spartans’ high-water mark is 6-4 in ’14.
In addition to Myers, senior quarterback Clayton Henderson returns and 72 percent of the tackles came via non-seniors. Two of the losses, 22-16 at Oswego and 32-20 versus Central-Burden, were close defeats at season’s end.
Class 1A: La Crosse
In the last season of La Crosse’s storied 11-man football tenure, the Leopards should be much improved over a 3-6 mark in ’18. After this fall, La Crosse will shift down to eight-man football after years as one of 11-man’s smallest schools.
Coach Jon Webster might be in his last year as head coach after he accepted the Leopard principal job. The Leopards dressed just 13 players the last two games of ’18 and return virtually everyone this year.
Former La Crosse standout quarterback Jack Garcia is the new QB coach for third-year starter Hunter Morgan, a senior. Speedy sophomore running back Colby Stull is back and has gained weight without losing speed.
Seniors Blake Herrman and Keldon Day are solid skill players after missing some of last year. Seniors Michael Showalter, Kalen Thielenhaus and Brock Brown are key players up front.
Junior Lucas Webster is a matchup problem at 6-foot-6, and junior C.J. Patterson starts at center. Coach Webster said La Crosse’s camp has reminded him of the ones when the team was consistently winning double-digit victories. La Crosse went 10-2 in ’14, the eighth time in nine years they had 10 wins.
The schedule is also manageable as the only team that had a winning record in 2018 is rival Plainville, which La Crosse plays in Week 6.
Class 2A: Norton
It’s very rare for Norton to not to finish with a winning record. In the first season after quarterback Jace Ruder (North Carolina signing) graduated, the Bluejays dropped from 7-3 to 4-5. It marked Norton’s second losing mark since the ‘90s.
All five of the Bluejays’ losses came by at least 17 points, but Norton received fine quarterback play from Kade Melvin. He rushed for 569 yards and passed for 1,419 yards as a junior.
Senior Judson Wiltfong was defensive MVP of the Fort Hays camp this summer and has earned a FHSU offer. Norton returns more than 80 percent of its rushing yards, 65 percent of its receptions and five of the top-six tacklers for coach Lucas Melvin.
Norton scored 22.1 points per contest, No. 24 in the classification, and allowed 29.8, No. 29 in the 48-team Class 2A.
Class 3A: Holton, Wamego, Wichita Collegiate
Last season, Holton finished 3-6, Wamego was 5-4, and Wichita Collegiate finished 6-3. All three teams could see sizable jumps, and both Wamego and Collegiate are ranked in the top-12 of the 3A preseason poll.
Holton had the worst season since the first year under coach Brooks Barta, who is 219-51 at the school. However, junior Konnor Tannahill and senior Trey Wright combined for more than 1,200 rushing yards last season.
Holton finished 1-3 in games decided by seven points or fewer, generally a statistic that fluctuates from year to year. Four of the top-five tacklers return, led by 73 stops from senior Kolby Roush.
Holton was No. 26 in the 48-team classification with 25.2 points allowed a game despite forcing just nine total turnovers, a very low number. Two years ago, Holton forced 16 in a 7-4 year, and in ’16, it was 24 forced in a 7-5 season.
Holton has a key 3A litmus test at Jefferson West to start ‘19.
Wamego was No. 19 in scoring defense at 21.1 points per game, and scored 27.9 points per contest, 18th best. The Red Raiders have not won more than five games since an 8-3 mark in ’14. Wamego returns two-state all-state returner Taybor Vetter and running back Isiah Childs, an Akron commit and transfer from Manhattan. Vetter and Childs should be an explosive combination behind a line that features Austin Tebbutt and Alex Stutzman.
Collegiate posted the No. 10 offense at 30.1 points a game last year. This year, the Spartans return virtually everybody and add offensive coordinator Bill Messamore, the former Collegiate head coach when the Spartans won state in ’09. Running back Aidan Walsh and lineman Conner Allen and Nate Egan are key returners. Collegiate also had a sizable jump in roster numbers.
Class 4A: Andover Central, Buhler
Buhler returned zero starters in ’18, though still finished 5-5 under longtime coach Steve Warner (237 career wins). The Crusaders went 1-3 in games decided by 10 points or fewer, including a 34-26 loss to Newton in the season opener, an eventual three-win team. In the season finale, Buhler narrowly fell, 14-7, to Wellington, an 8-3 squad.
Buhler has a veteran line with Cole Ely and Jacob Frederickson, while RB/LB Jaron Kaufman transferred in from Nickerson, and QB Myles Thompson came from Valley Center. Overall, five starters are back on both sides. Even with the youth, Buhler was solid defensively with just 20.7 points allowed a contest.
Andover Central finished 5-5 as new coach Derek Tuttle replaces longtime coach Tom Audley. AC averaged just 15.7 points per game, but had one of 4A’s better defenses at 16.8 points permitted a contest. Two years ago, the Jaguars finished 5-6 with 22.2 points scored a game and 23.3 points allowed. AC could have another stingy defense and an improved offense.
Quarterbacks Shomari Parnell and Chase White were both non-seniors last year and combined for 45 percent completion, 1,420 passing yards and an 11/7 TD/INT ratio. All but six rushing yards came from non-seniors.
Senior Xavier Bell, one of the state’s best basketball players, is back after 22 catches for 404 yards and five TDs. The defense returns its top-three and four of the five leading tacklers. Senior Jack Wiens led with 135 stops.
Class 5A: Maize South, Andover
Maize South opened 0-3 and then won six straight contests, including a victory versus Goddard, the eventual Class 4A state runner-up. Maize South (6-4) had another top-10 scoring defense, the third straight season the Mavericks delivered a top-10 defense in its classification. New offensive coordinator Justin Burke should improve a unit that scored 21.3 points per contest (just 12 points/game in the first three weeks).
Burke averaged 38 points per contest from ’12-18 as Chaparral’s head coach. The Mavericks bring back a bevy of talent, including junior quarterback Colin Shields and three seniors: offensive lineman Cody Fayette, defensive lineman Zach Saville and defensive back Trevion Mitchell. Fayette has committed to South Dakota.
Andover (3-6), like Andover Central, took a dip offensively and improved defensively in ’18. Andover scored 19.3 points per game and allowed 20.2. Two years ago, Andover finished 5-5 with 23.9 scored and 23.1 allowed.
Junior Eli Fahnestock is back for his third season at quarterback after 53 percent completion, 1,079 yards and a 6/5 TD/INT ratio. Senior running back Peyton Henry was limited by injuries and finished with 100 carries for 475 yards in six games. Henry has flashed great speed on the combine circuit, and has posted 4.48 in the 40-yard dash. He has an offer from FCS Butler.
Junior kicker David Kemp led Kansas with 13 field goals, long of 54, and has significant FBS interest. The top-four tacklers return, led by 88 stops from junior Ashton Ngo. Andover gets two marquee matchups to start the year with at Great Bend and versus Maize South. Andover was 1-4 in games decided by eight points or fewer in ’18.
Class 6A: Blue Valley
One of the state’s premier programs took a rare downturn last year. BV was 8-4 in 2017 and went to 4-5 last year.
The Tigers play in the Eastern Kansas League, Kansas’ best conference, and start the season with versus Aquinas and at Blue Valley North, a pair of ranked teams. Still, BV defeated Blue Valley North, 31-20, but lost four other games by 16 points or fewer.
Blue Valley returns senior lineman Mason Richman, an Iowa commit, and junior quarterback Jake Wolff, the new signal caller, has earned some college attention. BV was still solid defensively with 22.7 points allowed, though scored only 26.1 points a game. Dorian Stephens is a strong wide out, and Beau Palmer is back at linebacker.
Blue Valley has several other arrows pointing up.
Five of the top-seven tacklers in ‘17 were juniors.
In ’17, Blue Valley scored 37.3 points per game with 6.6 yards per play. Last year, BV’s offensive scoring significantly dropped, but the Tigers moved the ball at a similar rate (6.5 yards per play). BV averaged 10.7 yards per point in ’17, and 15.3 yards per point last year, an inefficient offense.
BV had 10.8 yards per point in ’16.
A major issue was turnovers, which should improve this season. BV had 18 turnovers and was just plus-1 in turnover margin in nine games. Two years ago, in 12 contests, the Tigers committed 19 turnovers and was minus-1 in turnover margin.
BV should improve in the kicking game, too. Two years ago, Jackson Likens helped BV go 56 of 56 on extra points and was 12 of 13 on field goals. Last year, two non-seniors shared kicking duties and were 29 of 30 on extra points went 2 of 5 on field goals.
The Tigers had one defensive/special teams score in ’18 and three in ’17.
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