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: Atwood-Rawlins Co. (Conor Nicholl – Kpreps)
Atwood-Rawlins County opened the Aaron Sramek era with a 46-0 road win versus Northwest Kansas League rival St. Francis in the Yoke Bowl. This is one of the state’s longest running rivalries and is played for an oxen yoke trophy. The trophy has an inscription that reads in part: “An oxen yoke is a symbol of the tradition that has grown between these two communities, communities tied together by strong agricultural roots, an unbridled work ethic and a profound sense of history and fair play.â€
Atwood won this contest, 47-0, in Week 2 last season en route to a 4-5 record that ended with a playoff loss against eventual state champion Meade. Veteran coach Matt Smith took an administrative position at WaKeeney-Trego. Before Friday’s win, Rawlins County had lost four straight season openers, along with three straight Yoke Bowls. The teams have faced each other every year since ’14, and 17 times since ’04, per Kansas Football history. St. Francis is 8-7 in the last 15 meetings.
Friday also marked Rawlins County’s first football game since legendary Atwood coach John Terry passed away. Terry, 77, passed away on Aug. 12. He coached at Atwood from ’72-14, mainly as the line coach for football, head girls’ basketball and head track coach. Terry was part of many state championships for Atwood.
In Friday’s victory, senior quarterback Drew Withington completed seven of 10 passes for 96 yards with two scores against no interceptions. Three players tallied a rushing touchdown: Withington, sophomore Ryan Sramek, and senior Jayden Reed. Two seniors, Brandon Chvatal and Brady Beckman, caught a scoring pass. Senior Will Brudenell delivered a pancake block. Chvatal paced the defense with eight tackles.
Helmet sticker:Â Coffeyville-Field Kindley (Matt Gilmore -- Kpreps)
Coffeyville-Field Kindley and Mulvane played four quarters dominated by defense on Friday night before heading into overtime tied, 0-0. The Golden Tornado got the ball first in overtime and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore Aaron Tunstall. Tunstall then took the snap from center and raced around the right side to add the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
The ‘Nado defense then held Mulvane out of the end zone on four consecutive plays to preserve the win. The key play being a 10-yard sack by senior De’Andre Shobe on second down that gave the Wildcats 3rd-and-goal from the 15-yard line. The third down pass was lofted into the end zone and nearly intercepted. On fourth down, the Coffeyville defense forced the Mulvane quarterback to scramble and cut him down at the 10-yard line.
Tunstall led the Golden Tornado with 130 yards rushing on 19 carries, while classmate Shobe added 53 yards on ten attempts. Coach Deonta Wade has a young team at Coffeyville. All five players that carried the ball on Friday night are sophomores.
The win was just the second (2020) for Field Kindley to open the season since the Golden Tornado finished as state runners-up in 2013.
Mulvane had defeated the Golden Tornado in each of the past four seasons, including 51-6 last season, 25-20 in 2020, 47-12 in 2019, and 28-20 in 2018.
Helmet sticker: Ellsworth (Conor Nicholl – Kpreps)
Ellsworth delivered one of the biggest Week 1 upsets with a 14-6 home victory against Beloit, then ranked fourth in 2A. Beloit had been state semifinalist and state runner-up in 2A the last two seasons.
Ellsworth was a combined 4-13 the last two years under veteran coach Josh Homolka, including two losses to the Trojans by a combined score of 86-27. In 2017, Ellsworth also delivered an upset against Beloit in a 28-22 overtime Week 2 win en route to a 6-3 record. That is tied for the most Ellsworth wins since ’07.
Since ’04, Ellsworth is 3-16 against Beloit, a North Central Activities Association foe. Ellsworth returned one first team all-league offensive player: junior lineman Jordan Rodriguez. Junior Cole Webber was a second team all-league tight end. Rodriguez earned second team all-league defensive line.
Ellsworth led 7-0 after the first quarter, 7-6 at halftime and scored its last TD in the fourth quarter. Ellsworth finished with just 138 yards of total offense against a Beloit defense that features senior lineman Grady Seyfert, the reigning 2A Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Loden West delivered a rushing score. Rodriguez paced with six tackles, and Webber tied for second with five. Ellsworth picked off three passes: junior Will Cravens, Rodriguez, and Webber. Cravens returned his INT for a pick-six and kicked two extra points. Cravens had a pair of INTs last season, though Ellsworth had zero pick-sixes.
Ellsworth held Beloit without a completion, and just 54 plays for 123 yards. Beloit standout senior Benson Berndt entered this game with more than 3,000 rushing yards. He recorded 19 carries for 60 yards and a TD.
Helmet sticker: Ingalls (Conor Nicholl – Kpreps)
Ingalls opened the season with a 41-19 win against Tribune-Greeley County, a veteran six-man veteran program. Ingalls joined a notable group of teams that won their inaugural game in the first season of KSHSAA sanctioned six-man football after switching from eight-man. Those squads included Altoona-Midway, Waverly, Tescott and Triplains-Brewster.
In the summer, Ingalls was considered an intriguing breakout team moving down from eight-man football despite entering the season having lost 12 consecutive games. The Bulldogs had posted a 2-19 record in their last 21 games.
New coach Doug Dillingham returns three key seniors: quarterback Will Ast, Layton Simon and Cole Teeter. Ast has great speed, including a fifth-place finish in the 1A 110-meter hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles last spring. Ingalls will face Triplains-Brewster in Week 2.
Helmet sticker:Â Topeka Highland Park (Matt Gilmore -- Kpreps)
We had a feeling it would happen this season, but a huge congratulations to the Topeka Highland Park Scots for snapping their 65-game losing streak with a 60-47 victory over KC Wyandotte on Friday night.
Before Friday, Highland Park’s last win came on September 12, 2014 when the Scots defeated KC Harmon, 60-26.
It was evident that the Highland Park program was making progress last season under new head coach Jermaine Monroe, Sr., formally at Maur Hill-Mount Academy.
On Friday, senior standout Tre Richardson led the way for the Scots with 229 yards rushing and four touchdowns, caught a touchdown pass, and threw for another score.
The game was Highland Park’s first as a member of the Meadowlark Conference, the combination of Highland Park and the former Kansas City-Atchison League.
Highland Park will now put its win streak on the line with a trip to KC Schlagle this week.
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