Welcome to the Eighth Annual Kpreps Potential Breakout Team List. Last year, our list included 6A Wichita East, 2A Haven and 1A Oakley. East had its best season in 37 years, and Haven and Oakley delivered the best year in school history.
The 2020 Kpreps Potential Breakout Teams featured Class 5A Topeka Seaman (plus-five win improvement) and Southeast of Saline, which bumped by two victories to 9-1 and the second-best scoring defense in Class 3A. Overall, all the Potential Breakout Teams finished a combined 73-38 (66 percent). The year prior, those teams were a collective 50-64 (44 percent).
Of the 12 teams, 10 improved its record, one stayed the same and one had a worse record. Those are in line with Kpreps history.
From ’14-20, 53 teams have been named a Potential Breakout Team – 41 of those improved, eight stayed the same and four had a worse record. For the several years, at one Potential Breakout Team has played for a state title. Last year, Oakley jumped by seven wins, went 10-3 and was the 1A state runner-up.
In 2019, the Potential Breakout Teams collectively improved from 58-62 (48 percent) to 90-46 (66 percent).
The 2021 list features 20 squads, at least one for each class, from 6-Man to 6A.
See 2020 Breakout Teams Story Here: http://kpreps.com/kansas/news/?id=12287&t=
Six-Man: Natoma
Natoma finished 3-2 last season in a fall shortened by COVID-19 and cancellations. The Tigers opened 3-0 with three straight shutouts. Natoma gave eventual champion Bird City-Cheylin its closest game all year. The Tigers are 8-5 in the last two seasons, though 0-2 against Cheylin.
Natoma returns its top-two players with Kayden Martinez and Derek George from a team that finished fourth in six-man scoring defense at 24.4 points allowed. The Tigers were seventh with 36 points tallied a contest.
Martinez, George and Weskan’s Dalton Mackley are the lone first team six-man players back. Martinez delivered 88 carries for 832 yards and 16 rushing scores. George recorded 32 tackles for loss.
This year, Natoma has six regular season games and is considered a strong Six-Man North contender. The Tigers’ last season with more than six wins was a 7-3 year in 2007, which is the school’s best record in more than 20 years. This season could be a special fall for the Tigers.
Eight-Man, Division II: Osborne, Thunder Ridge, Norwich, Marais des Cygnes Valley
Last year, Osborne went 4-5, Thunder Ridge was 5-4. MdCV and Norwich were both 4-5. All four teams are expected to return its starting quarterback – as well as other elite players.
Osborne and Thunder Ridge are both in competitive District 4. Kpreps has the duo as the No. 3 and No. 4 teams in the preseason Eight-Man, Division II poll, respectively.
Osborne is known for significant one-season turnarounds and has three state titles with a runner-up from ’13-20. In ’15, Osborne went 4-5 and then posted a 13-0 mark and state championship the following year as a KPreps Potential Breakout Team.
Osborne returns all of its offensive production, paced by 143 carries for 1,057 yards and 15 touchdowns from senior Mason Schurr. Plus, coach Steve Tiernan, who has won state crowns with Baileyville B&B and Osborne, also had a big one-year jump with Solomon that yielded a state runner-up finish.
Thunder Ridge returns seven defensive starters for alumnus Joel Struckhoff. That includes junior quarterback Dylan Bice, his twin brother, Dalton Bice, and junior wide receiver Kaleb Wagenblast. Dylan, a prototypical quarterback with a howitzer arm, passed for 1,394 yards with 15 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.
The Longhorns committed 16 turnovers and improvement with miscues should lead to more victories. In three of the four losses, Thunder Ridge outgained the opponent in total yards. In the other defeat, Thunder Ridge still put up 451 yards of total offense.
Thunder Ridge played in four games decided by one score or fewer last year, most in Division II. They led Axtell by 20 at halftime and lost, 42-40, in the playoffs. Thunder Ridge has lost one-score games to Osborne in back-to-back years in games that essentially came down to the final play.
Norwich sophomore quarterback Tray Schroeder is a known player, but the Eagles have two of eight-man’s best with seniors Jace Gosch and Chance Hilger. They play in all three phases. Gosch was a first team all-league tight end, and Hilger was first team defensive line. Gosch also helps in the return game. They were second team all-district in ’19.
MdCV has quarterback Cole Lacey, who accounted for 34 touchdowns. This could mark the Trojans’ first winning season since a 6-4 record in 2015.
Eight-Man, Division I: Hill City, Ness City, Meade
Three teams that had its 2020 season wrecked by COVID-19 and/or injuries were Hill City, Ness City and Meade. All three return a bevy of talent. Hill City starts the season No. 5 in Eight-Man, Division I, while Ness City and Meade are part of a deep group of contenders.
Hill City finished 4-4, Ness City was 3-5 and Meade was 4-3.
Hill City and Ness City play in Week 2. Ness and Meade are in the same district. Hill City was completely healthy for just a few minutes in 2020. Nearly every key player was hurt at one point. Sophomore Aidan Amrein is expected to take over at QB/LB. Senior Cody Presley has an Ottawa offer and won state powerlifting in the spring. Junior Conner Dinkel recorded 103 tackles. Five of the top-six tacklers are back.
Both Hill City and Ness City still ranked in the top-14 in the classification for scoring defense. NC has quarterback Jose Guzman and end Taylor Cable back, though Cable is still recovering from a shoulder injury. Jackson Seib is an impressive defensive back. Meade returns its top five tacklers and senior quarterback Korben Clawson for its second year of eight-man football.
Class 1A: Jackson Heights, Plainville
Jackson Heights and Plainville finished 4-5 and 5-5, respectively, and have multiple upward trends. Coach Caleb Wick told Kpreps this summer that the Cobras went through “some bad luck” in ’20. The Cobras started the season in quarantine and had to cancel the first two games. Jackson Heights had just one game all year where the offensive line was intact. Defensively, the Cobras had just one game where the players were at the same position.
Wick said the return of QB/DB Jason Bosley will “help us tremendously.” He fractured his foot in the Troy game and never came back to full strength. Jude Williams will be a key player at slot and defensive back. He is returning from a torn ACL. Four of the five offensive line starters return with senior anchors Ryan Schumann and Brantley Dohl. Wyatt Bacon is back after he missed his sophomore year with a broken leg.
Plainville, paced by coach Grant Stephenson, was still sixth in 1A with just 12.6 points allowed a game. The Cardinals lost games by three, seven, 12 and seven points. Plainville has significant experience, led by QB Ethan Hamilton, RB Kyle Werner, TE Ben Hansen, lineman Dakota Yost and all-purpose back Anders Dewey, the ’20 state leader in punt return yards. Plus, quarterbacks such as Hayden Friend and Jordan Finnesy have historically made big strides in the second year as a starter with Stephenson. That could occur again with Hamilton in ’21.
Class 2A: Beloit, Kingman
Maybe the easiest pick on this list is Beloit, which turned a 2-6 regular season into a 5-7 finish and surprise state semifinal berth. Beloit opens the year No. 4 in 2A. The Trojans return its entire offensive line, paced by Grady Seyfert and Brennan Walker, along with QB Owen Eilert and RB Benson Berndt.
Kingman quietly finished 6-3, including a last-second loss to Garden Plain and allowed 14 points or fewer in seven of nine games. QB Nolan Freund and OL/LB Colby Schreiner are back after big years for coach Tanner Hageman, a former Fort Hays standout wide receiver. Freund accounted for more than 1,800 yards of total offense and 21 offensive scores. Schreiner, a two-time top-three state wrestler, collected 81 tackles.
Class 3A: Frontenac, Rock Creek
Frontenac had multiple schedule changes because of COVID-19 and had to play a pair of out-of-state contests. The Raiders still went three rounds deep in the playoffs. Frontenac finished 6-5 and opens the year No. 3 in 3A. The Raiders return quarterback Collin McCartney, who is part of the well-publicized defensive line. TE/DE Landon Dean has committed to Oklahoma State.
A key improvement for Frontenac should come on defense. Last year, Frontenac allowed 19 points a game. Two years ago, it was 7.7 and the third-best scoring defense in 3A. In ’18, the Raiders permitted 14.3 points a contest.
Rock Creek is receiving virtually no preseason attention after a two-win improvement to 5-3 under coach Shane Sieben. The longtime baseball coach, Seiben has enjoyed great success on the diamond, including a 122-20 record and two state titles. The 3A baseball coach of the year this spring, Seiben has helped Rock Creek climb from 0-9 to 3-6 to 5-3.
Rock Creek only lost, 58-57, to Rossville, 41-21 to Holton and 35-22 to Perry-Lecompton. Rossville was the 2A champion, Holton finished 9-2 and Perry-Lecompton the 3A runner-up. Rock Creek will be very young in some spots, but junior defensive back Yanci Spiller is one of the state’s best at his position. The Mustangs get Silver Lake and Rossville to start.
Class 4A: Andover Central, Buhler
Andover Central has typically flown under the radar in recent seasons, years that have yielded a pair of state runner-up finishes in ’15 and ’19 and a 7-2 mark last winter. The two losses came by a combined seven points.
The Jaguars open No. 3 in 4A and are among the favorites in a deep West that includes Ark City, McPherson, Buhler and Wamego. The Jaguars’ strength comes with RB/LB Ashton Barkdull and its line with Drew Daniels, Isaac Sheeran, among others. The 6-2, 270-pound Daniels picked up an Emporia State offer in mid-July.
Daniels was a first team all-league selection. Andover Central is top-six in 4A scoring defense the last two years.
The Jaguars should have its best running game in at least a decade. Andover Central had an attack that averaged 2.6, 3.0, 2.5 and 3.4 yards per carry before 5.7 last year. The Jaguars had its best yards per carry since 2010. The offense averaged 6.7 yards per play, tops in the last five years and third-best in the previous 11. Andover Central was sixth in scoring offense with 31.1 points a game.
Plus, QB Kai Kunz transfers from Kapaun after a big summer on the camp circuit. Andover Central has averaged 1,741 passing yards and 18 passing touchdowns a season in the last 11 years. Andover Central has exceeded 2,000 passing yards three times in the last seven years. Kunz could put up a big year.
Buhler was top-three in 4A scoring defense the last two seasons. Buhler finished 6-4 with all the losses by two scores or fewer. Running back Sam Elliott returns after nearly 2,000 rushing yards and conference offensive MVP honors. Multiple seniors, including quarterback Bradley Neill and TE/DE Bo Van Bruggen also return for coach Steve Warner. Andover Central and Buhler are scheduled to meet in Week 2.
Class 5A: Wichita Heights, Andover
Wichita Heights was 5-3, and Andover finished 5-4. Heights defeated Andover, 28-22, in a Week 9 bracket game.
Heights, like all City League teams, dealt with pronounced COVID issues. Heights will switch to the spread offense. All of its passing, rushing and receiving production came from non-seniors. Junior John Randle rushed 102 times for 1,009 yards with 10 scores. He has multiple Power 5 offers. The Falcons have not won more than five contests in a year since 2017.
Andover is well-known for its terrific defenses. The Trojans have ranked in the top-five in scoring defense each of the past two years. Linebacker Chandler Goodnight is an elite player with 25 career sacks. Running back Max Middleton rushed over 1,000 yards. Quarterback Brady Strausz (6-foot-3) is back after an injury-plagued season. Coach Ken Dusenbury was known for powerful offenses at Garden Plain, and Andover should significantly bump up its offense from 15.3 and 12 points scored a game the last two years.
Class 6A: Dodge City, Olathe Northwest
Both of these teams quietly posted statistically strong defenses – and have talented defensive linemen back. Dodge City has posted back-to-back top-10 defenses and has first-year coach Glenn O’Neil, a defensive mastermind. Olathe Northwest improved from 1-8 in 2019 to 3-4 last season. In ’19, the Ravens allowed 40.7 points a contest. Last year, ONW cut to 20.4 points allowed a game. That included two losses to Olathe North, which starts this season No. 2 in 6A.
Olathe Northwest could post its first winning season since a 6-3 mark in 2015.
On the defensive line, Olathe Northwest brings back Jayden Oquendo, while Dodge City has 5-10, 250-pound Christian Erives (76 tackles). Oquendo has FCS offers, and Erives was a first team all-league selection. The 6-foot-2, 295-pound Oquendo finished with 31 tackles, 3.5 sacks.
Dodge City finished 4-6 with a pair of one-score losses. The Red Demons have a manageable first three games and could be 3-0 entering a four-week stretch that includes home games versus Bishop Carroll and Hays High, probably the two toughest teams on Dodge City’s schedule.
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