The Topeka High Trojans are undefeated after cruising through their first four games.
However, Topeka coach Walt Alexander knows the toughest part of his team’s schedule is ahead.
“I think we’re improving,” Alexander said. “We need to keep getting better, because our schedule is getting tougher each week.
“Our early-season schedule was not as tough. It’s getting tougher each week. I don’t think you’ll find a tougher district in the state. It’s going to be a dogfight just to get into the playoffs.”
Class 6A’s third-ranked Trojans will continue Centennial League action as they will be at Topeka Seaman (1-3) in this week’s installment of Friday Night Live.
The game between the two city rivals will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday. It will be televised statewide on Cox Channel Kansas and then re-televised at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 and 7 p.m. Oct. 7. Mark Ewing, Mike Manns and Leon Liebl will serve as the broadcast team.
Topeka High has cruised through its first four games of the season, defeating KC Schlagle 69-0, Topeka West 76-6, Topeka Highland Park 62-12 and Emporia 63-21. As a team, the Trojans are averaging 542 yards of offense and 67.5 points per game. The Topeka High defense is yielding only 180 yards and less than 10 points per game.
The Trojans will look for continued improvement this week against Seaman as they work to prepare for a district that includes 4-0 Manhattan, Washburn Rural and Lawrence Free State.
“Seaman’s all that matters right now,” Alexander said.
Topeka High is led by senior dual-threat quarterback Alec Beatty. He leads the city in total offense with 1,163 yards – 453 rushing and 710 passing. Beatty passed for three touchdowns and rushed for three more during this past week’s victory against Emporia. Five of Beatty’s touchdowns came in the first half as he helped the Trojans take a 49-21 lead. Beatty completed 12 of 15 passes for 225 yards, and he rushed for 188 yards on 13 attempts.
“He’s a tremendously smart individual,” Alexander said. “He’s a great athlete who can run it and throw it. But he also has tremendous leadership.”
Despite Beatty’s accomplishments, he’s certainly not the only star for Topeka High.
Running back Mike McCoy has rushed for 414 yards, gaining more than 10 yards per carry. Khalil Austin leads the city in receiving with 15 catches for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker Jeron Caraway is considered a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.
Seaman opened the season with losses to Topeka Hayden (56-7) and Manhattan (41-13) before defeating Washburn Rural 21-14 in Week 3. The Vikings fell 56-7 this past Friday to Junction City.
Vikings sophomore quarterback Dalton Cowan has passed for 411 yards and three touchdowns. He seems to improve each week, completing 20 of 27 passes for 183 yards during last week’s loss to Junction City.
“They’ve got a lot of kids who have played for a long time who are seniors now,” Alexander said. “They are solid. They have a young quarterback who is just getting better. They have really good running backs. They run hard. They have good size up front.”
Seaman senior Joe Reagan is one of the fastest athletes in the state. Last week, he caught eight passes for 47 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown.
“He’s been on our scouting report for four years,” Alexander said. “We’ve always done a decent job of containing him, but it takes only one play with him. You have to account for him on every play.”
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