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: Goodland (Conor Nicholl -- Kpreps)
Goodland opened 0-4 with all losses by at least 20 points. The Cowboys scored 52 total points. That included a 45-20 loss to Lakin in Week 3. Per nationally known Massey Ratings, Goodland was a seven-point favorite entering the game. However, Lakin ground out a big win on the ground and had a sizable advantage at halftime.
After a 25-0 loss to Holcomb, Goodland faced two key games: against Norton and rival Colby. Norton was ranked No. 4 in 2A at the time of meeting.
Goodland has pulled back-to-back upsets. The Cowboys defeated Norton (28-25 in OT) and beat rival Colby (34-8). Goodland was a 10-point underdog to Norton and a three-point underdog to Colby, per Massey Ratings.
Goodland has typically played Norton close, including a 33-27 three-overtime loss in ’21 and a 37-34 defeat to open 2017. Goodland had not defeated Norton since 2013, a stretch of three losses. Goodland had lost eight in a row to Colby dating back to 2013. The Cowboys have taken advantage of key non-offensive TDs.
Against Norton, Goodland’s Manny Gonzalez returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a TD.
Goodland led 8-7 after the first quarter, though trailed 22-8 entering the second half. Senior Mason Hernandez threw a TD pass and delivered 24 carries for 162 yards and two scores. Sophomore Linkon Cure caught the game-winning TD pass.
Overall, Hernandez has 138 carries for 567 yards and eight scores, along with a pair of passing touchdowns.
Goodland is in strong position for its first postseason berth since ’13. The Cowboys have won back-to-back games for the first time since ’16. Against Colby, Cure had a pick-six. Goodland had all its yards on the ground. Per Goodland broadcaster Ross Volkmer, the Cowboys kept Colby under 100 total yards of offense.
Helmet sticker: Oakley (Conor Nicholl -- Kpreps)
In 2020, Oakley enjoyed a 10-3 mark and the best season in school history with a remarkable 1A state runner-up run. Oakley didn’t win its own district after losses to Smith Center and Inman. The Plainsmen came back to upset SC and Inman in the playoffs. Last season, the Plainsmen opened 0-5, including an 0-3 mark in the Mid-Continent League. Oakley lost by 18 to Thomas More Prep-Marian and 31 to Plainville. Oakley eventually finished 4-6.
This year, Oakley is part of 1A, District 8 where no team was the clear favorite. Oakley, Plainville and Ellis, all Mid-Continent League teams, were considered a closely packed top-three teams. In Week 2, Oakley won at conference foe Phillipsburg, 35-20, in a non-district game. Oakley had never beaten Phillipsburg and had an 0-9 record in the series, per Kansas Football History.
Two weeks later, the Plainsmen trailed early, though came back to control Plainville in a 22-7 win. On Friday, Oakley delivered a one-score home win in a 36-28 victory against Ellis.
Oakley had lost five of six against Plainville entering this fall. Oakley had dropped four in a row to Ellis since ’15. Oakley has battled some health issues and has played five freshmen and sophomores on each side of the ball.
Against Ellis, Oakley ran a trick play when tight end Brayden Cunningham threw to running back Landyn Plummer for a touchdown. Oakley’s top well-known returning players are OL/DL Josiah Annis, Cunningham and QB Will Schmidt. Cunningham and Annis are both returning first team all-conference selections.
Other key players have been Mason Jackson, Craig Kuhlman and brothers Landyn and Ace Plummer. Jackson and Kuhlman are offensive linemen, and the Plummer brothers are in the backfield.
Schmidt completed 3 of 8 passes for 65 yards and a score, including a 46-yard completion. Oakley rushed 51 times for 247 yards, including 25 carries for 100 yards and two scores from Schmidt. He also added 55 return yards. Schmidt has 961 offensive yards and accounted for 11 scores.
Oakley stands at 3-3, 2-0 in district play and is significantly in the driver’s seat for the district title. The Plainsmen have struggling Syracuse and Stanton County in the next two weeks. Oakley is in strong position for its first district title since 2015 under former coach Ty Pfannenstiel. That team, similar to this year, had a one-score win against Ellis and a quality victory versus Plainville to earn the district crown.
Coach Jeff Hennick, who had great success as a player and coach at Sharon Springs, took over Oakley in 2017. He is 27-32 with the Plainsmen and has excellent support and backing in the community. Hennick led a seven-win improvement from ’19 to ’20 and should have another bump this fall. This should mark Oakley’s second winning season since ’15.
Helmet sticker: Olathe South (Matt Gilmore -- Kpreps)
After six weeks, Olathe South sits among the top four teams on the eastern half of Class 6A. It may be a bit of a surprise to many given the Falcons entered the 2022 season with only a handful of starters returning on both sides of the ball.
Olathe South also has a new coach in Ron Litchfield, who joined the Falcons from a school in Bettendorf, Iowa. Litchfield took over the program for Craig Lewis who served as the Falcons’ head coach from 2016-2021 and posted a 21-34 record.
The Falcons opened the season with an impressive Thursday night win 36-32 at Lawrence. Olathe South then fell 28-21 to Shawnee Mission North before consecutive wins against Olathe Northwest (35-7) and Shawnee Mission West (52-15).
Last week, the Falcons rebounded from a loss to 5A No. 1 Mill Valley (45-14) with a 25-18 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest. In that game, quarterback Bryce Noernberg rushed for 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns and added 111 yards through the air.
The Falcon defense had the challenge of containing Shawnee Mission Northwest star Malik O’Atis, who again shined in rushing for 237 yards and two touchdowns. But the Falcon defense did enough to get the victory.
On the season, Olathe South is led by senior linebacker Aiden Blum who averages nine tackles per game. Kansas State commit Jordan Allen (6-4, 240) is a force a defensive end and has 42 stops including three for loss. Zane Hall has a team-high three interception.
On offense, Noernberg has the benefit of playing behind 6-foot-4, 280-pound lineman Jack Bauer. Noernberg has completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 756 yards and eight touchdowns and added 640 yards rushing and 12 scores. Max Armstrong has contributed more than 350 rush yards and two scores for the Falcon run game. Hall has been Noernberg’s leading receiver with 16 catches for 320 yards and four scores, while Allen has 11 catches for 262 yards and three scores.
Olathe South will host Shawnee Mission South (1-5) this week with a chance to pick up their fifth win – a total that they’ve reached just twice in the past seven seasons. The Falcons close out the regular season hosting current 6A No. 5 Gardner-Edgerton (4-2). Olathe South hasn’t won six games in a season since posting a 7-3 mark back in 2014.
Helmet sticker: Valley Center (Matt Gilmore – Kpreps)
Valley Center earns a helmet sticker this week after picking up a fourth consecutive win by holding off Andover in overtime, 19-12.
The Hornets are off to their best start since 2016 when the won six consecutive games to open the season on their way to a 9-2 mark. Valley Center registered playoff wins over Newton and Maize that season before falling to Great Bend in the state quarterfinals.
In Friday’s win, Hank Welu tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Easton Boone on the first play in overtime to give the Hornets the lead. Brayden Boyd then came up with his second interception of the game to seal the victory. Welu passed for 179 yards and two scores, including 101 yards to Ashton Molello. Dai’Mont Mucker rushed for 49 yards and a score.
Mucker (5-10, 185) is a big reason for the Hornets success on offense this season. The junior running back has rushed for 932 yards and 10 touchdowns through the first six weeks – an average of 155 yards per game on the ground.
Welu has passed for 439 yards and eight touchdowns on the season. With Welu and Mucker as classmates, the Hornets should have some stability for next season as well.
Senior Cameron Bowyer paces the Hornet defense with 63 tackles including 10.5 for loss through six games.
Valley Center currently sits tied among four teams at 5-1 – the second best record on the west side of Class 5A. The Hornets will host Ark City (2-4) before closing out the regular season with a trip to Andover Central (3-3).
Helmet Stickers (2022 Season)
Week 1 – Atwood-Rawlins County, Coffeyville, Ellsworth, Ingalls, Topeka Highland Park
Week 2 – Abilene, Baxter Springs, Inman, Oswego, Shawnee Mission North
Week 3 – Deerfield, Great Bend, Meade, Valley Falls
Week 4 – Chanute, Shawnee Heights, Stafford, West Franklin, Wichita Independent
Week 5 – Goddard, Goessel, Jayhawk-Linn, La Crosse
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.
