Pratt coach Jamie Cruce called the return of junior quarterback Landen Studer a “domino effect” for the Greenback offense. Last season, Studer missed the second half of the season because of injury as Pratt went 4-5, 0-3 in district play and averaged 18 points a contest.
The Greenbacks greatly struggled with turnovers, especially fumbles, comitting 19 miscues and finished minus-9 in turnover margin. Travis Theis, a freshman and the starting fullback, had to move to quarterback following Studer’s injury.
Speedy Hunter Kaufman had to take on more of a load in the backfield with Theis under center. He had just 205 rushing yards and one rushing score on 3.6 yards a carry. The multi-threat Kaufman recorded 20 catches for 431 yards and three touchdowns.
Pratt averaged just 4.4 yards per play. The Greenbacks ended the season with four straight losses, including a pair of 14-7 defeats and a 15-14 overtime loss to Larned.
“Definitely three winnable games for us,” Cruce, in his fourth season, said. “We weren’t clicking. We didn’t have as many playmakers on the field with Landen out, and then Travis having to play quarterback.”
This fall, Studer is healthy, Theis is a standout fullback, and Kaufman is one of Kansas’ top playmakers as a senior. The personnel have helped Pratt enjoy a massive offensive turnaround in the flexbone offense. Pratt is 7-1 with 39.8 points a contest.
Last Friday, the Greenbacks ended Holcomb’s 16-game winning streak in a 35-28 home victory in Class 4A, Division II, District 8 play. The Longhorns are the defending state champions, were ranked No. 1, and hadn’t permitted more than 14 points in a game during the winning streak.
“It was a real exciting game,” Cruce said. “Probably one of the most enjoyable games I’ve coached in. A lot of times when you are in big games, you don’t enjoy it, even the wins, you don’t enjoy.
“You are just thinking about the things that you have got to correct,” he added. “That was a fun game. It was exciting. Both teams were playing hard and making big plays.”
Pratt vaulted to No. 2 in this week’s rankings, while Holcomb dropped two spots. In Week 7, the Greenbacks defeated Hugoton, 31-28, on a 37-yard field goal by senior Noah Myers as time expired. Pratt has clinched the district title entering this week’s home rivalry contest versus Kingman.
The Greenbacks have lost five straight first-round playoff games dating back to 2005, but this year marks the program’s most wins in more than 12 years. Cruce labeled the Holcomb victory “kind of a culmination” in his four years and said he’s received excellent weight room buy-in from the team, especially the seniors. Pratt returned eight starters with 16 seniors this year.
“Nothing good happens with any program unless you are working hard in the weight room in the summertime and throughout the school year,” Cruce said.
Cruce came from Pratt as the previous Bethany College head coach, a rare move that few Kansas coaches make, most notably Garden City coach Brian Hill. Cruce has enjoyed the added family time and called Pratt “hungry for success.” The Greenbacks have a state title in ’95 but no finish of quarterfinals or better since ’98.
“It’s fun to get to know kids, and you get to see them grow,” Cruce said. “You get to see them in middle school, and then they come into high school, and you see them develop from a scrawny freshman into a senior that’s really doing a great job for you. That’s the fun part, I think, you get to work with kids really in the developmental years.”
When Cruce came to Pratt, he installed the one-back spread offense and expected to use Drake Evert as the quarterback. However, Evert passed away August 3, 2013 in a car accident.
Pratt struggled to a 2-7 season with an offense that tallied just 12.3 points per contest. The following summer, the Greenbacks made the flexbone their base look and improved to 5-5 with 22.1 points a game. Last year, Pratt again didn’t have the expected starter at quarterback.
“We didn’t play poorly,” Cruce said. “We just didn’t score a lot of points.”
This year, Pratt has averaged 7.8 yards per play. The 5-foot-11, 150-pound Studer has completed 31 of 52 passes for 575 yards with six scores against one interception. Theis is 1 of 2 passing for a 37-yard score.
“Landen is extremely level-headed, and while he is not as physically imposing as Travis or Hunter, he is still a good athlete,” Cruce said. “If you watch him play basketball, he is very good decision-making, quick hands, quick feet, and he has got a good football mind, and he is very coachable. He makes in-game corrections and adjustments.”
Theis has 171 carries for 1,125 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. Kaufman, the defending 4A runner-up in the 200-meter dash, has 59 carries for 657 yards and 12 rushing scores. Additionally, he has 10 catches for 229 yards and three touchdowns. He has added a touchdown with a punt and kick return, too. Myers has nine catches for 138 yards and two scores.
“Hunter, statistically carrying the ball, had a down year last year,” Cruce said. “Whereas now, we are able to bang it inside quite a bit with Travis, and that opens things up, and with Hunter getting some space on the outside, there’s not a lot of people in 4A that are going to run with him.”
The offensive line is coached by Tyler Strong, a former All-American lineman at Fort Hays. Senior Traik Peltier is at right tackle, senior Robert Ford at right guard, while junior Justin Lamatsch is at center. Sophomore Raiden Kohman starts at left guard, and senior Bryce Stegman is at left tackle.
Stegman is smaller than the average left tackle at 6-foot-4, 168 pounds but athletic enough to run the 300-meter hurdles. He was out last week with a concussion. Peltier, Lamatsch and Stegman are returning starters. Peltier and seniors Cooper Doyle and Dawson Cox are the starting defensive linemen in the 3-4 front.
“We love to talk about our skill players and all the scores and yardage, but our offensive line and defensive line have been doing a great job,” Cruce said.
Additionally, Pratt has committed just six turnovers and is plus-5 in turnover margin. The main difference comes with Studer back at quarterback.
“Those mesh points in the option game are so crucial,” Cruce said.
After a 4-0 start, Pratt lost, 32-14, against Hoisington in Central Kansas League play. The Cardinals are ranked No. 1 in Class 3A.
“We didn’t play well at all,” Cruce said. “Offensively, we had a ton of penalties, just killed a bunch of drives, and some big plays that we had called back. But they took it to us.”
However, the Greenbacks bounced back with a 34-6 victory versus Halstead, a 7-1 team that has permitted just 54 points in its other contests.
“Really played well,” Cruce said.
The Holcomb win exemplified the offensive personnel. Studer completed 6 of 9 passes for 126 yards and a score with no interceptions. He also rushed 15 times for 83 yards and a pair of scores. Theis tallied 22 carries for 95 yards.
Kaufman had little offense in the first half but broke free for two long scoring runs late that tied the game and then provided the final margin.
“It was an exciting game for our community, and our kids, and just kind of validates the kids’ hard work throughout the last few years,” Cruce said.
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