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 Sunday 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: Kinsley (Conor Nicholl – Kpreps)
Kinsley earned a marquee 28-23 road win versus Pratt Skyline and improved to 4-1. The Coyotes continue to make significant strides under coach Corey Dunlap and should finish with its most wins since the early ‘90s. Last year, Kinsley posted a 5-4 mark, the top record since a 5-4 season in 2010.
Last year, Kinsley had the program’s best scoring offense in least 15 seasons. This fall, the Coyotes earned a non-district season-opening victory versus Central Plains. Kinsley was 0-6 against the Oilers, a Central Prairie League rival. Kinsley ended a five-game losing streak versus Pratt Skyline that dated back to ’12.
Last year, Kinsley lost, 90-56, to Pratt Skyline. Overall, the Coyotes have permitted 109 points against a slightly harder strength of schedule. In the first five games last year, Kinsley permitted 218 points. Skyline was 8-2 in district play the last two seasons.
Kinsley led 22-21 at halftime and the score remained the same entering the fourth quarter. Kinsley outscored Pratt-Skyline, 6-2, in the fourth quarter. Skyline took a 23-22 lead after a safety from a Kinsley punt. On Kinsley’s final drive, sophomore quarterback Peyton Schmidt found Cason Lemuz for a game-winning 20-yard touchdown. Skyline made it to midfield before the game ended.
The Coyotes improved to 4-1, 2-0 in Eight-Man, Division I, District 6. This week, Kinsley plays host to La Crosse (3-2, 2-0) in contest that will likely decide the district title. Last season, Kinsley lost, 72-26, to La Crosse, the first meeting between the two league teams since ’09. Kinsley has a chance to end another series losing streak. Since 1995, Kinsley is 0-14 versus La Crosse, per the Kansas Football History database. Kinsley last beat La Crosse, 14-0, in Week 3 of 1994.
Kinsley’s key players feature Schmidt, sophomore utility back Dylan Haselhorst, and its linemen trio of sophomore Kaden Arensman, Tysen Schmitt and sophomore Efrain Holguin. Kinsley has five seniors: receiver/defensive back Xavier Holguin, running back Alex Garcia, athlete Levi Taylor and linemen Tysen Schmitt and Anthony Kraft.
Helmet sticker: Otis-Bison (Conor Nicholl – Kpreps)
In Eight-Man, Division II, Otis-Bison beat Tescott, 72-22, last Friday and moved to 3-2 this year with 17th-year coach Travis Starr. Senior Kaden Foust delivered another big game with 221 passing yards and six touchdowns. He rushed 21 times for 146 yards and two TDs. Sophomore Eston Juno finished with six catches for 106 yards and four scores. Senior Dalton Regan delivered seven catches for 104 yards with two TDs. Foust and junior Ky Schwartz each tallied 10 tackles.
The win was notable for Starr, who has spent his entire post-collegiate career as Otis-Bison’s head coach. He is 99-65-1 in his career with the Cougars and should pick up career win No. 100 before the season ends. Starr’s record was confirmed through Kansas Pregame archives, KPreps research, correspondence with O-B on Tuesday, and the Kansas Football History database. In his last 12 years, Starr has nine winning seasons, a state runner-up and two final four showings.
It is highly rare for an eight-man coach to reach 100 career wins, especially all at one school. It’s even rarer to achieve the feat all at the Eight-Man, Division II level, which is the smallest level of KSHSAA football and generally most known for biggest fluctuations in performance and roster size.
Starr has had many great players throughout the years and is one of a few coaches to lead an eight-man classification in both scoring offense and defense – in separate years.
Foust continues a trend. Two sets of brothers, the Urbans and Fousts, have had multi-year successful stints at QB for Starr. The Higgason brothers (Sam, Luke, Nick) were all standouts, especially along the line. Brothers Kevin and Dylan Wissman were electrifying offensive players on some of Starr’s best teams. Kyle Bahr and Curtis Little have served separate longtime runs as assistants.
There are only six current eight-man coaches with at least 100 victories: Clifton-Clyde’s Russ Steinbrock, Osborne’s Steve Tiernan, Hanover’s Matt Heuer, Little River’s Kevin Ayers, Victoria’s Doug Oberle and West Elk’s Chris Haag, who picked up career win No. 100 earlier this year.
Steinbrock, Heuer, Oberle and Haag have all the wins with one school. Ayers and Tiernan have both coached at three schools.
Otis-Bison has historically had the smallest enrollment of all those schools.
Behind Starr, several coaches are close.
Ness City coach Marc Cowles has 97 wins, though won the majority at Weskan.
Hodgeman County coach Matt Housman, who coached all but one of his years with HC, has 96 victories.
Sedan’s Mick Holt is at 96 in his 16th season overall, 11th with the Blue Devils. Wilson’s Tony Brokes has 92, all with the Dragons.
Golden Plains’ coach Travis Smith, who has spent all his career with GP, has 96 career wins, according to Bulldog historian Judy Rogers. GP is now at the six-man level. La Crosse’s Jon Webster has 91, though all but eight come in 11-man. Central Plains’ Chris Steiner, Oswego’s Matt Fowler, and Sylvan-Lucas’ Ben Labertew are each in the 80s. Fowler and Labertew have won at two teams. Steiner has historically coached an Eight-Man, Division I program.
Helmet sticker: Rock Creek (Conor Nicholl – Kpreps)
Rock Creek finished 5-3 last fall, including a one-point loss to Rossville, which posted an undefeated season and won Class 2A. That marked a two-win improvement from 2019, the first under Shane Sieben, also Rock Creek’s highly successful baseball coach.
In August, despite significant graduation losses, KPreps picked Rock Creek as a 3A Potential Breakout Team. Rock Creek opened with a one-score loss to Silver Lake, and then a 42-point defeat to Rossville. Since then, RC has won three in a row, all at home: 34-20 versus Louisburg, 48-0 against Hiawatha and 34-20 versus Sabetha. Another winning record is highly possible.
Rock Creek returned just three players: well-known defensive back Yanci Spiller, Ethan Burgess and Kaiden Crain. All three have posted strong years. Running back Jaydon Winans had an impressive game Friday. Kody Howard, normally a running back, played guard because of injury and had a strong performance, too. Freshman Mason Faith has impressed at left tackle.
Dalton Whitworth, last year’s backup quarterback, completed 12 of 26 passes for 144 yards with a touchdown against three interceptions versus Sabetha. Winans had 20 carries for 149 yards and two scores. Spiller also completed a 25-yard pass and returned an INT 35 yards for a score. Rock Creek delivered a key play on 3rd and 29.
Whitworth leads 3A with 1,129 passing yards. Burgess has 428 receiving yards, and Spiller is at 318.
Before last Friday, Spiller had posted 33 tackles, along with 21 catches for 276 yards and six scores. Maddox Ibarra has also picked off three passes this season. Whitworth threw for five TDs versus Hiawatha. Rock Creek has statistically been terrific in passing defense. The five opponents are a combined 50 of 99 for 605 yards with four touchdowns versus seven interceptions.
Daegen Vinduska had a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown and a forced fumble. Sieben is 122-20 as Rock Creek’s baseball coach, including the 3A state title this spring. RC has two titles and two seconds since ’15 in baseball.
Helmet sticker: Spring Hill (Matt Gilmore -- Kpreps)
The Spring Hill Broncos earn a helmet sticker this week after an impressive 28-14 win over De Soto on Friday.
Spring Hill scored on all four first-half possession in taking a commanding 28-0 lead into halftime.
Zach Knowlton rushed for a pair of touchdowns and quarterback Fletcher Pankey tossed touchdown passes to Daniel Mitchell and Kameron Crotchett.
The victory was the Broncos’ first over De Soto since 2014.
Pankey has been exceptional this season in completing 66 percent of his passes for 851 yards and 13 touchdowns with only one interception. Three Broncos have at least 200 yards receiving including Mitchell (245 yards), Knowlton (237 yards), and Crotchett (201 yards). Carter Mead is close behind with 154 receiving yards on 13 catches. Mitchell leads the team with six touchdown receptions.
Junior Draven Pipkin has carried 70 times for 344 yards and five scores, while the all-purpose Knowlton has added 303 rushing yards and four scores.
Spring Hill is giving up a little more than 8 points per game with a defense led by senior Austin Rivers. Rivers has a team-high 65 tackles, while junior Brandon Richardson has added 50 stops.
Spring Hill is now 5-0 on the season and the lone unbeaten team on the eastern half of Class 5A. The Broncos have a chance to secure at least 6 wins in a single season for the first time since 1995 when they finished 7-3.
The Broncos travel to Tonganoxie (2-3) this week.
Helmet Stickers (2021 Season)
Week 1 – Bishop Ward, Chapman, Iola, Royal Valley
Week 2 – Natoma, Russell, Topeka West
Week 3 – Chaparral, Cimarron, Linn, Towanda-Circle
Week 4 – Axtell, Mulvane, Olathe West, Weskan
Week 5 – Kinsley, Otis-Bison, Rock Creek, Spring Hill
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