Central Burden coach Jeff Savage has faced West Elk several times in his career. He noted the Patriots’ multiple strengths. Junior running back Creyo Koop is among the state’s most well-known players with more than 2,500 career rushing yards. He paces the Patriots with 19 carries for 339 yards and nine scores, along with 17 tackles. Junior Trent Haag, the head coach’s son, is a solid quarterback and shown immense improvement.
West Elk finished 8-1 in 2022, the fourth perfect regular season in school annals. Coach Chris Haag stands at 115-96 in 23 years with the Patriots. As well, Savage observed overall team quickness that is “off the charts.”
Savage said senior Tyler Moore (5-11, 190) is “really quick” on the line. Junior Maddex Moreno has nine tackles, second to Koop’s 17. Moreno is an excellent all-purpose player. Seniors Holton McLean, Christian Winter, Uriah Tillapaugh and Evan Coble are key.
“They have got kids that are mobile,” Savage said. “They are the kind of kids you want for eight-man football.”
In the preseason, the state has agreed with Savage. West Elk opened fifth in Eight-Man, Division I and is currently fourth, the highest ranking in at least 10 years. Savage offered an opinion that others have shared.
“They may be the best team West Elk has had,” Savage said. “Definitely in eight-man football for sure.”
On Friday, Central Burden (2-0) plays host to West Elk (2-0) in a key South Central Border League matchup. The contest will have significant ramifications for the SCBL title and the pecking order in Eight-Man, Division I East. Both teams have won its games by the 45-point mercy rule. West Elk has won three straight in the series, including 28-6 last fall. The Patriots led Division I in scoring defense in 2022.
“We have a lot of guys that have played a lot of football for us returning,” Haag said. “I appreciate the amount of stuff that they have been able to grasp, the amount of things we have been able to put on both sides of the ball, offensively, defensively, schematic-wise.
“We are very fortunate,” he added. “We have got a lot of kids that understand the game of football, has spent a lot of time in our system and working hard at the game of football, and that allows us to do multiple things. I’m impressed with their execution offensively, and just overall team defense I think has been tremendous. We need to continue to grow in those areas.”
Savage believes his team is strong, too. Savage, long-known for turning around struggling programs, first led the Raiders from 2009-11. Central Burden went 7-3, 7-4 and 9-2 with Savage’s son, Bo, a record-breaking quarterback.
The last of those years still marks the most victories for the Raiders since 1987, per Kansas Football History. He returned last season and posted a 5-4 mark in an injury-plagued year. Savage notably led a 2007 Quivira Heights to a No. 2 final ranking in Eight-Man, Division II.
Savage was set to retire after 2021 after he coached in Quinter. He lives in Burlingame. However, Central Burden administration reached out and asked Savage to coach and train a young assistant to take over the program. Savage travels two-plus hours south on Monday morning and goes home after the game Friday. A 44-year coaching veteran, Savage expects to retire after this fall, and Tyler Lampert will take over.
Savage is long known for passing. Central Burden threw on 47 percent of snaps in 2022, fourth-highest in Division I, per the Sunflower Sports Solutions database. West Elk threw on 25 percent of snaps. Central senior quarterback Jace Wunderlich passed for 1,700 yards, rushed for 625 and accounted for 39 touchdowns in 2022.
In Week 1 this year, Wunderlich accounted for 260 yards of total offense and five scores. He starts on safety in the Raiders’ new 4-3 defense. Senior Miles Easley, one of Central Burden’s better players, is expected to miss Friday’s game with injury. He was out for the West Elk game in ’22 and played just three contests because of injury.
Senior Boston Norris (5-10, 165) is a top player on both sides of the ball and led the Raiders with 10 tackles in Week 1. Broc Wilson hauled in a 68-yard touchdown catch. Seniors Xander Woods and Hunter O’Neil are both at least 220 pounds for a line that brought back its entire line. Wilson significantly developed this offseason in the weight room. Savage said the 6-foot-2 Wilson added 15-20 pounds. Wilson is starting at cornerback. Senior Russ Smith had a receiving TD, too.
“As far at the eight-man level, I would say that this year’s team ranks right up there with the best eight-man teams I have ever had,” Savage said. “…Quivira Heights was a pretty good team. When I was here ’09-11, we had three good years. I think we have more quality players now than we have in ’09 through ’11. When my son was here, we had three or four pretty talented kids, and then basically the rest were role players, so we have got more higher end kids than what we had.”
West Elk has allowed just 14 points in two contests, top-10 in Eight-Man, Division I. The Patriots rolled over Udall (70-8) and Oxford (55-6). The junior and senior group has played in WE youth and junior high program, which implements the high school terminology and system.
“I think we are beginning to trust each other,” Haag said. “That the guy beside us will do their job and execute and if we are able to do that, hopefully we will continue to be successful.”
Haag labeled the senior class “tremendous” leaders and football players. Moore is a three-year starting guard. McLean is at center. He played extensively as a sophomore and started last fall. Winter was at left guard. He played a lot at defensive end in ’22 and is known for his physicality. Tillapaugh starts at tight end and can play a variety of positions, including all offensive line. Coble is a strong defensive back and is known for his blocking in the slot. Senior Martin Shipley is a big play threat at receiver.
“Those guys have had a solid foundation and up front – we talk about how good we are in the back end – but everybody knows the game of football, know you have got to win the line of scrimmage,” Haag said. “And we need to continue to grow in that area, the communication level.”
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