WATCH HERE - Kpreps Fan's Choice Game of the Week - Burlington at Prairie View
(courtesy of Prairie View Activities YouTube)
By CONOR NICHOLL
Burlington coach John Petrie has served as head coach for 15 seasons at multiple schools, including Otis-Bison, Hoxie, Plainville and WaKeeney-Trego. He was previously a Meade assistant for six years prior to Burlington. Petrie has led the Wildcats to four straight winning falls, including a 7-4 mark and district title in ’17.
Once COVID-19 quarantine started in March, Petrie elected for a new tactic since Burlington had little practice time in the spring and summer. The team started with leadership training through Zoom calls as Petrie wished to improve his team’s mental game.
“We want them to be great people when they leave our program,” Petrie said.
Petrie gathered from several books, including well-known author Jon Gordon’s “You Win in the Locker Room First,” and “Culture Defeats Strategy: 7 Lessons on Leadership from a Texas High School Football Coach.” Burlington discussed leadership roles, core team values and long-ranging effects of choices. Petrie said “most of the kids” have already set goals for post-high school.
In addition to potential four-year college students, Petrie said two or three have interest in the military, and some have interest in technical training. Another wants to be a barber. Petrie has supported all the choices.
“How can we help these young boys turn out to be … great husbands and fathers after football?,” Petrie said. “And that’s something that we have been preaching on. It doesn’t matter what we do on the field. It matters what you do outside of the field. When we are done with football, what is your life going to look like?”
This year, Burlington lists 16 seniors, including six captains: running back/linebackers Braden Sloyer and Gavin Price, running back/defensive lineman Shalonn Wright, running back/defensive back Brady Rand, lineman Karson Allen, and tight end/defensive lineman Caedon Berkenmeier.
Petrie said the learning has yielded great chemistry. The team, especially the seniors, wants to be a part of each other’s lives. On Thursday, they ate dinner together. The cohesiveness has yielded a 3-0 start entering Class 3A, District 2 play.
“They have come together as a team better,” Petrie said. “And that has been the difference.”
On Friday, Burlington travels to Prairie View (3-0) in a critical district and Pioneer League contest. Burlington and Prairie View’s opponents are a combined 1-17. They have collectively played just one full game. That was a 13-0 season-opening win by Prairie View against Santa Fe Trail. Santa Fe Trail ran a defense coach Kyle Littrell wasn’t sure he’d ever seen in 24 years of coaching.
Prairie View has won the last two in the series. Three of the last four meetings have had a collective 28 points or fewer.
The district also includes 3-0 Anderson County, along with 2-1 Iola and 1-2 Frontenac and Girard. Frontenac, a top-10 3A team in the preseason, has dealt with COVID-19 issues throughout the fall.
Prairie View, known for its physical play and defense, went 10-1 last year, its best showing since 1970.
“They have out physicaled the rest of us in the league,” Petrie said.
Littrell, a Louisburg graduate and Army veteran who served in the Persian Gulf, came back home to coach at his alma mater. He served as an assistant for 11 falls for Gary Griffin, who had a 32-year run with football and track at Louisburg, including a ’10 state football title and a runner-up. Littrell has never recalled his teams being bigger than opponents. He was the head coach at Louisburg for six seasons, and in his fourth year at Prairie View with a career record of 62-32.
“It’s just a mindset, but you have got to develop it, and you ram into the kids’ head, because there’s going to be bumps and bruises along the way,” Littrell said of the physical style. “And kids aren’t going to feel great. And it’s just one of those things where you taught them: is it injury or is it pain? Because if it’s pain, you can play. If it’s injury, we need to get somebody else in here, and you need to decide right now which one it is.”
From Day 1, Littrell has always had his players in pads every single day. He does not allow just shorts, shoulder pads and helmets.
“Because when you start taking equipment off, you start taking focus away,” he said.
The Buffalos graduated two Kpreps first team all-state players with running back Hunter Boone (1,386 rushing yards, 77 tackles) and defensive lineman Chase Bloodgood (seven sacks). Prairie View has just five seniors on the roster, two who play: center Noah Nordgren and running back Otis Jacobs, the team’s leading rusher. The program has 22 juniors and six sophomores.
In a 41-14 win against Parsons last week, Jacobs recorded 10 carries for 107 yards and two TDs. Jacobs rushed for 686 yards as a junior.
Junior Bodi Isenhower finished with 17 carries for 114 yards and a score. Those two hardly ever leave the field. Last year, Isenhower had 17 carries for 229 yards and four scores all season.
“Bodi, he’s quick, he’s shifty, and he gets lost behind linemen,” Littrell said. “And his vision is coming around. I would say his vision was probably a weakness during the summer and even the first game or two, but his vision is getting a little bit better and learning to put his foot in the ground and go north and south instead of trying to beat everything to the sideline.
“And if we are going to be a power, physical team, then that’s what we has got to learn to do,” he added. “It’s OK to put your foot in the ground and go get two. I’m fine with that. Just be physical, lower the shoulder.”
Junior Colton McCammon, a key player as a sophomore, and junior Andrew Reynolds have graded out as the top-two linemen. They are the guards.
Prairie View’s run defense has held teams to 72 rushing yards and 2.4 yards per carry. The Buffalos’ depth comes at defensive line.
“The style of football that we play, I need my linemen to move,” Littrell said. “And they have turned out to be two smart kids that you can put a kid in next to them that might not have a ton of experience, and they are going to communicate with that kid and make sure that they know what’s going on on the line. They are just two hard-nosed, tough kids.”
Burlington’s single wing has yielded 61 carries for 505 rushing yards and five touchdowns for Sloyer. He has served as the primary quarterback for a team that has completed 13 of 27 passes for 265 yards with four touchdowns against two interceptions.
Petrie said the offensive line has “improved quite a bit.” Notably, 6-foot, 250-pound senior outside tackle Jordyn Abendroth has anchored front after he played JV the last three years. Abendroth was not expected to start, though beat out another player. Seniors Jaren Garland, Sam Griffin, Gavin Finnery and Allen have been among those up front.
“He’s surprised a lot of us,” Petrie said of Abendroth.
Burlington has passed on 19 percent of snaps after 14 percent in ’19. Price has caught five passes for 148 yards and three TDs, along with two interceptions, all team-bests. Junior Max Kuhlmann paces with 37 tackles, the second straight year he has led the Wildcats in stops.
Kuhlmann’s father, Bart, kicked the game-winning field goal for Olpe in a 10-8 victory versus Colgan in the 1976 Class 1A state semifinals. Kuhlmann, a running back/linebacker, enjoyed a fine career at Emporia State. Father and son have watched film at home. Kuhlmann and Sloyer have each played linebacker.
“He is learning how to read the plays a lot better,” Petrie said.
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