The ninth annual print edition of Kansas Pregame Football Magazine hit the stands this week and publisher John Baetz said the new edition is the most complete version yet.
For a complete list of locations with free copies click here.
"Kansas Pregame is the only statewide high school football preview for Kansas and for the first time in our nine year history we have a preview capsule for every KSHSAA member high school football program," Baetz noted. "The 128 page full color glossy magazine is the only comprehensive preview the state has ever seen."
The magazine includes individual player features for dozens of Kansas football players while ranking the top five teams in each classification and providing player watch lists and program features.
"Kansas Pregame is a team effort with several different designers, photographers, salespeople, and freelance writers who help to pull it all together," Baetz said. "One of the things we are most proud of with this publication is helping to provide a supplemental income for so many Kansans."
Cover shoot hosted in Salina
The 2014 Kansas Pregame cover shoot was hosted at Sharp Performance headquarters in Salina and sponsored in part by the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce. The Sharp Performance facility is the largest public indoor field surface in Kansas and CEO Jake Sharp, a former Salina Central and KU standout running back, is training athletes of all ages at the facility, including some of the state's top high school, college, and even professional football players.
In late May, a dozen of Kansas' top football players gathered at Sharp Performance headquarters, located in a historic airplane hangar at the Salina Airport, for the cover shoot, and earlier in the day two dozen more of the Sunflower State's top players joined us for the first ever recruiting seminar and to be part of player spotlight and program features.
It's still free to pick up copies of Kansas Pregame, due to the support of dozens of Kansas advertisers. Baetz said he plans to keep the publication free as long as the advertisers are excited to utilize its ever expanding audience, and he says the popularity of the product continues to grow in spite of a somewhat smaller print run.
"Thanks to modern technology, the digital edition was available in early August and has already been viewed more than 10,000 times after about two weeks up in the digital format. The digital format is necessary," Baetz said, "as so many people look at publications on mobile devices like Kindles, iPads, and mobile phones. By getting the digital edition up as soon as possible we meet people's needs for football information in a mobile friendly format."
To view the digital format visit this link: http://issuu.com/1660publishing/docs/2014kpgde
But even so, Baetz says, people still want the print copy in their hands, and distribution time is one of his favorite times of year.
"It takes us a week to 10 days to fully distribute the print edition of Kansas Pregame, and for many people it's like Christmas. Advertisers often tell us of excited customers who come in and ask when Kansas Pregame will be available. We try to update people via our Facebook and Twitter feeds, but people still come in every day until we get the magazine on the counter."
For a complete list of locations with free copies click here.
Corrections
Any time a small company like Sixteen 60 Publishing works on a project of this scope, there's bound to be some errors, and, unfortunately, Baetz reports that three of those errors include player spotlight features on pages 90 and 99.
"Something happened with the text wrap and those spotlight feature didn't fully print," Baetz said. "We're disappointed because these players deserve to be covered on this level."
This is the complete text of the articles:
Player Spotlights: Keenan Westerman & Zack Melius, Wakefield
The Bombers could be looking for a banner season behind the dynamic duo of quarterback Keenan Westerman and running back Zack Melius, if they can overcome possibly the state’s toughest district, all classes.
Westerman, a 6-0, 200 pound senior, enters his fourth year as a starting quarterback for the Bombers. Last year he threw for 563 yards with a 7/1 TD/INT ratio. He has an 18/4 TD/INT ratio in the last two seasons.
Melius, a junior, returns after he carried 133 times for 1,205 yards and 24 scores. He is among the fastest juniors in 8-Man running an 11.9 100 meter dash, 23.49 200 meter dash, and 51.98 400 meter dash at this year’s state track meet. Those results were good enough to place sixth, fourth, and sixth, in class 2A.
If the Bombers are to post a breakout season they’ll have to do it in a district that includes a loaded Hanover team, defending champion Osborne, and semi-finalist Clifton-Clyde.
Player Spotlight: Zac Walter, Lincoln
Walter, a 6-0, 185 pound junior, was the offensive leader for the Leopards last year as a sophomore, accounting for 2,386 total yards and 36 touchdowns from his quarterback position. Walter passed for 841 yards with 12 TDs, but really tore things up on the ground rushing for 1,545 yards with 24 more scores.
But as explosive a player Walter is on offense, defense may be his strength.
As a freshman in 2012 he was the team leader with 102 tackles and he backed it up with 140 total tackles, including 85 solo, last fall. For his two season high school football career he has tallied 244 total tackles with four sacks, two tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery, and he still has two seasons left.
Player Spotlight: Joel Broeckelman, Rock Hills
The diminutive Broeckelman who stands 5-8, 160 pounds, is one of the best running backs in 8-Man football. He played in just two games because of injury last season and finished with 328 total yards. He burst on the scene in 2012 as a sophomore with 2,099 all-purpose yards, including 1,343 yards rushing, 207 receiving, 353 yards in kick returns, and 196 in punt returns, with 32 rushing touchdowns.
If the Grizzlies are to return to the form that delivered a state title game bid in 2012, it will be on the shoulders of a healthy Broeckelman, but it won’t be easy, district opponents included a loaded Hanover squad, defending state champion Osborne, and semifinalist Clifton-Clyde.
The Grizz do return five other players with starting experience.
Other corrections and updates include:
• Thunder Ridge running back Trent Rietzke, who was featured in a Sharp Spotlight on page five, reported immediately after publication that his 40 yard dash and vertical jump results were not accurate in the magazine. Rietzke still runs a 4.69 40 and has a 31 inch vertical jump, both impressive stats. The information was gathered from an inaccurate source and the incorrect reporting was Kansas Pregame's error. Also, Thunder Ridge is not hyphenated as it is with Rietzke's spotlight.
• Immediately after publication, Wayne Carter, father of Hodgeman County junior running back/linebacker Robby Carter, reported his son had transferred to Dodge City. Carter would've been the Longhorns leading returning tackler, and tells us he anticipates starting on defense at linebacker or strong safety for the Red Demons.
• VarsityKansas.com's Joanna Chadwick reported that South Haven's David Hughes is no longer head coach after a very long and successful career coaching the Cardinals.
• In Buhler quarterback/defensive back Jace Williams' Player Spotlight on page 41 it is reported that he earned All-AVCTL honors for his play at shortsop. He was, in fact, a shortstop.
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