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 Wednesday 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: Herington (Conor Nicholl – Kpreps)
Herington has enjoyed a 3-1 start, its best showing in seven seasons. That included a wild 40-34 triple-overtime road win versus Goessel last week.
Before last week, the Railers beat Wakefield (54-20), lost to Division I No. 2 Lyndon (62-0) and beat Rural Vista (50-6). Against those same teams last year, Herington started 1-3 and scored just 94 points, including a 50-32 loss to Goessel.
Herington had lost five in a row to Goessel, dating back to 2018. This marked the first-ever win for Herington versus its Wheat State League rival since at least 1994. The Railers have not posted a winning record since a 7-2 season in 2016.
Senior Tyus Becker has thrown for 314 yards with five scores against two interceptions. He has rushed 57 times for 353 yards and seven TDs. Sophomore Colton Gehrke has 17 carries for 107 yards and three scores. Junior Cameron Svitak has 11 catches for 184 yards and three TDs.
Herington has averaged 4.8 yards per play, though have just two turnovers and are plus-seven in turnover margin. Becker already has three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Plus, Becker has a scoop-and-score touchdown, and Svitak has returned two kickoffs for scores.
Last season, the Railers were at 5.3 yards per play, though finished just plus-three in turnover margin. Svitak returned two kickoffs, one punt and one kickoff, for a TD.
Last Friday’s game was tied at 14 at halftime. Goessel led 28-22 after three quarters. Herington tied it in the fourth.
Helmet sticker: Lawrence Free State (Matt Gilmore -- Kpreps)
Lawrene Free State gets a helmet sticker after starting the season 4-0 for the first time since 2018.
Last Friday, Free State dominated Shawnee Mission Northwest, 41-12, by scoring 41 consecutive points after falling behind 6-0 early. Quarterback Wesley Edison rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Cougars. He also passed for 107 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown pass to Devon Hamilton.
Edison (6-3, 215) has completed 60 percent of his passes for nearly 700 yards and six touchdowns. He’s a true dual-threat having rushed for a team-high 445 yards and seven scores. Edison has visited Kansas State and Nebraska in recent weeks.
Grant Lincoln and Ryan Weishaar are also capable options in the backfield. Lincoln carried 16 times for 153 yards and a score in the win over Shawnee Mission Northwest.
Hamilton, Bralin Preston, Landon Leipold, and Liam Stramberg provide Edison a solid group of pass catchers. Hamilton has a 190 receiving yards and four touchdowns, while Preston and Leipold are close behind with 189 and 188 yards, respectively.
The story in recent weeks has been the Firebird defense. Free State has allowed only 22 total points in the past three games. Pinned deep, the Firebirds took a safety on the final play in the 17-12 win over Olathe East.
Junior linebacker Parker Moore (6-2, 210) leads the team with 28 tackles, including three for loss. Crow Bengoa is second on the team with 27 stops, while Tyler Jeffries has added 21 stops and an interception. The Firebird defense has forced seven turnovers in four games.
Free State looks to keep their momentum going with consecutive road trips over the next two weeks against Shawnee Mission South (1-3) and Shawnee Mission North (1-3).
Helmet sticker: Ottawa (Matt Gilmore – Kpreps)
The Ottawa Cyclones get one of my helmet stickers this week for their 17-14 upset win over No. 5 ranked Eudora.
Coach Walt Alexander’s Cyclones used a strong defensive effort and an opportunistic offense to spoil the Cardinals’ Homecoming.
Ottawa started the scoring in the first quarter with a short touchdown pass from Zetan Vink to Aiden McCullough. Eudora, playing without standout back Errol Siemon, tied the game at 7-7 on a touchdown pass from Kole Manley to Adrion Seals.
The Cyclones added a Josue Navarro field goal before halftime to lead 10-7. Ottawa limited Eudora to 50 yards of total offense in the first half.
Eudora took advantage of a Cyclone turnover after halftime and took a 14-10 lead on a Manley touchdown run.
The Cyclone defense later recovered a fumble deep in Eudora territory setting up the offense. Vink then scored on a 6-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to put Ottawa up 17-14.
The defense would come through big again later in the quarter, stopping the Cardinals a yard short on a fourth-down pass. Ottawa then took over and ran out the clock for the schools’ first win over Eudora since 2016.
The Cyclones are 2-2, having already matched their win total from each of the past two seasons. The last time Ottawa had more than two wins in a season came in that 2016 season when the Cyclones finished 8-3.
Ottawa will travel to Frontier League power Spring Hill this week.
Helmet sticker: Oxford (Conor Nicholl -- Kpreps)
Oxford has opened 3-1, the program’s best start in nine years. The Wildcats started with a 46-0 win against Flinthills, and then lost, 56-6, to West Elk. The Wildcats held off Cedar Vale-Dexter (58-32) and beat Wichita Independent (64-14). Against the same opponents last season, Oxford was 2-2 and scored 32 points a game.
Oxford is currently No. 13 in Eight-Man, Division I scoring at 43.5 points per contest. The Wildcats have a strong chance for its first winning season since a 5-4 mark in 2017. The last time the Oxford started 3-1 came in 2014.
In last week’s win over Independent, the Wildcats scored 36 unanswered points. Oxford has shown depth at the offensive skill positions with Cordell Jordan, Wyatt Gaither, Hunter Plummer and Connor Commerford. All four players scored against Independent. Cordell Jordan accounted for a pair of first-half TDs, and Gaither rushed for a score. Jonathan Schroeder then found Tyler Plummer for a touchdown as Oxford led 28-14 at the break. In the second half, Commerford rushed for three touchdowns, while Plummer added a rushing score.
Oxford has two big tests against undefeated South Sumner Co and No. 5 Central Burden in the next two weeks.
Helmet Stickers (2023 Season)
Week 1 – Clay Center, Labette County, Riverton, Sedgwick, Thomas More Prep
Week 2 – Chetopa, Deerfield, Ellinwood, Goddard-Eisenhower, Pratt
Week 3 – KC Washington, Liberal, Mulvane, Sublette
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