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 the most recent 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: Bishop Ward (Matt Gilmore – Kpreps)
Bishop Ward snapped the state’s longest losing streak last Friday night with a 39-6 road-win at McLouth. The victory ended a string of 57 consecutive losses by the Cyclones.
Ward scored 13 points in the second quarter and added 20 more in the third quarter to take control.
Junior running back James Jarrett III rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Ward rushing attack. Quarterback Christian Stein added 71 yards rushing and a score and completed five of ten passes for 110 yards including a touchdown to Dustin Rector. Kelon Smith, Jr. also returned a punt for a touchdown in the game.
Jarrett (5-11, 235) has rushed for 318 yards and four scores in two games this season. Jarrett, who tallied 360 yards rushing and five touchdowns as a sophomore at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2019, opened the season with 182-yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in Bishop Ward’s 22-7 loss at Wright City (Mo.).
Bishop Ward’s last win came 26-21 over Atchison on October 25, 2013. That victory followed a win over KC Sumner Academy the week prior, which ended the Cyclones’ 33-game losing streak at that time.
The victory over McLouth was just the Cyclones’ third overall win since the beginning of the 2010 season.
Helmet sticker: Burrton (Matt Gilmore -- Kpreps)
Congratulations to head coach C. T. Young and the Burrton Chargers for their 71-34 victory over Fowler.
The win snapped Burrton’s 27-game losing streak. The Chargers’ in their first season in 6-Man football, picked up their first win since a 66-40 decision over Fairfield in the 2017 season-opener.
Helmet sticker: Oakley (Alex Hammeke -- Kpreps)
The Oakley Plainsmen have struggled in league play since 2015. The last time the Plainsmen defeated a Mid-Continent League foe, it was a 33-12 victory over the Plainville Cardinals on October 23rd 2015. When Oakley fell to Smith Center in the second round of the 2015 playoffs, that started a 20-game losing skid against their MCL counterparts.
When the Plainsmen took the field for the 2020 season, they started off their season by snapping their conference losing streak with a 25-13 victory at Thomas More Prep. The Plainsmen kept the momentum going with a solid 10-7 victory over Plainville, a team in consideration for the Kpreps 1A Rankings.
Oakley continues district play this week with a tough trip to Ell-Saline before returning home against another district contender in Inman. After that, the Plainsmen will travel to Smith Center for their final MCL game of the year. No matter how the chips fall for the Plainsmen, they will surely have a good season ahead of them.
Helmet sticker: Wichita Collegiate (Conor Nicholl – Kpreps)
In a tightly packed Class 3A poll, Wichita Collegiate is just outside the rankings after a 56-3 win versus Wellington. The Spartans have outscored its two opponents by a combined total of 112-3 after a 56-0 season-opening victory versus Mulvane. Even though Wellington was banged up, notably to standout defensive lineman Kenny Fehrman, the win was still very impressive when considering the Crusaders’ defense in recent years. In Week 1, Wellington lost to a quality Clearwater squad in overtime.
From ’17-19, Wellington is 15-15 but has collectively allowed just 19.8 total points per game in that span. Even last year, the Crusaders went 2-7, though was the No. 15 scoring defense out of 32 Class 4A squads. This marked easily the most points allowed by Wellington since before ’17. Collegiate led 14-0 after the first quarter and 35-0 at halftime.
Sophomore Wesley Fair, moved from WR to QB, accounted for 208 yards of offense, and junior Jacob Chugg tallied 156 rushing yards. The game finished with a running clock. Fair was the team’s leading returning receiver with 14 catches for 271 yards and four touchdowns and took over under center after quarterback Nate Voegeli elected to not play football.
Collegiate senior twin linemen Nick and Jack Herrman pace the front. Nick is 6-foot, 245 pounds and starts at offensive guard and defensive end. Coach Troy Black labeled the twins “tenacious” with a “a fantastic work ethic.” Nick is the team’s strongest player.
Nick can bench 330, squat 560 and clean 310. Nick was injured most of last year and played with a hairline fracture in his shin, though has been a breakout player this fall. Jack (6-3, 300) is at guard/nose guard. He played some in ’19 and improved as the season progressed.
They have helped the other linemen improve. Junior Drew Charbonneau played fullback last season and moved to offensive tackle. Black said he has been a big surprise with good strength and great quickness.
Charbonneau, a starter since his freshman year, is the defensive signal caller and one of the team’s top defensive players. He paced the Spartans with 64 tackles and 14 tackles for loss in ‘19. Collegiate is deep up front and expects to play 10 linemen on Friday in a home game versus Rose Hill (0-2).
After two games, Collegiate has collectively outgained foes, 775-53. Fair has 30 carries for 257 yards and six touchdowns, and Chugg is at 193 rushing yards and four scores. Charbonneau leads with 10 tackles.
Overall, Collegiate has 13 tackles for loss, five fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Last fall, Collegiate went 6-4 with 22 forced turnovers (six interceptions) with losses twice to 3A semifinalist Cheney, Clearwater and 3A titlist Andale.
ACA Sportsmanship Award (Week 2): Herington Railers
Kpreps is excited to bring back the A Class Athlete (ACA) weekly sportsmanship award for the 2020 season. We have teamed up with 'A Class Athlete' (ACA) to recognize those individuals or groups that demonstrate sportsmanship and high character during the heat of action. This award is open to students or student-athletes who goes above and beyond to demonstrate an act of kindness or sportsmanship.
This week, we are pleased to recognize the Herington Railers and new head coach Cade Albert.
The Railers opened their season with a 56-10 win at Centre-Lost Springs which snapped Herington’s nine-game losing streak.
Coach Albert praised his team on Twitter (@CoachAlbertHHS) saying:
First win since October 25th, 2018, 56-10 and left the locker room spotless. These guys get it and I’m proud of them! #WintheDay
Congratulations Railers and Coach Albert, for showing great character after a big win!
Each week during the season, we will choose an individual or group as recipient of this award. Winners will receive the Sportsmanship Excellence Award Certificate, and the unique ACA helmet sticker as part of our Kpreps Helmet Stickers feature. At the end of the season, we will choose one overall winner, for the annual Kpreps-ACA Sportsmanship Award.
Please help us by emailing your nomination stories, pictures, or videos to matt@kpreps.com and ACA@kpreps.com. You can also send to Kpreps via social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc). Please include the name of the person(s) involved and a description of the act or event that you are nominating. Nominations for the award will be accepted through Tuesday of each week, with the winners announced thereafter. We will list the weekly winners here, at kpreps.com, and also on aclassathlete.com. The overall winner will be announced after the State Championship games.
ABOUT A Class Athlete:
A Class Athlete was started in 2016 to encourage young athletes in all sports, to play hard, play to win, but also to play with class and dignity. Originally targeting youth sports, ACA quickly expanded to include middle school and high school sports, and beyond (coaches, cheerleaders, fans – everyone!). In recent years, participation in youth sports has continued to decline, and the #1 reason according to the kids: 'It's not fun anymore.' ACA is determined to bring the fun and the kids back!
Participating in sports is very beneficial in many areas. It helps build confidence and self-esteem, teaches respect, teamwork, and leadership skills, and improves communication and cooperation – all qualities needed to be successful in life. It is said that participation in sports reveals a persons’ character. But ACA believes, when sportsmanship is emphasized, it is a very important aspect in building a young person's character and integrity.
For more information, please visit www.aclassathlete.com.
Helmet Stickers (2020 Season)
Week 1 – Cunningham, Goodland, Norton, Wichita Trinity
A Class Athlete Sportsmanship Award (2020 Season)
Week 1 – Drew Schmelzle, Sabetha High School
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.
