For the past four seasons, Kpreps has highlighted at least one player from each classification poised for a breakout year. Here’s our 2017 list:
Class 8M-II: Luke Johnson, Jr., Wallace County
Coach Kevin Ayers noted in late August that Sharon Springs’ four captains were the Wildcats’ three seniors and Johnson, a junior. Johnson has delivered a strong summer and fall camp, and Ayers has been impressed.
Class 8M-I: Bailey Sites, Spearville
Spearville coach Matt Fowler has long believed Bailey Sites would be one of the greatest football players in Lancer history. On a per-touch basis, that’s occurred.
However, Sites shared carries and worked behind standouts Nathan Stein, Brandon Davis and Luke Heskamp earlier in this career. He missed most of ’16 with injury as Heskamp enjoyed a big senior season and Kolby Stein took over under center.
This year, Kolby Stein returns and Sites is expected to be the feature back in the Lancers’ prolific single-wing offense. In the last three seasons, Spearville has lost just twice and averaged 52.4, 55.4 and 54.7 points per contest. The three-year average of 54.2 points per game sits third among eight-man teams, just trailing Argonia-Attica (54.8) and Hanover (54.3).
Last year, Sites, in six games, rushed 16 times for 200 yards and two scores, and caught five passes for 118 yards and a pair of TDs. In his career, the senior has 23 offensive scores on 99 touches for 1,283 offensive yards. His 4.3 touches per touchdown is remarkably high.
Thunder Ridge’s Joel Struckhoff, eight-man’s all-time leading rusher and scorer who graduated in 2011, averaged a TD every 15.7 offensive touches.
Spearville has to replace its entire offensive line but has done well with all personnel groupings up front. In the last five seasons, the Lancers have averaged between 266 and 298 rushing yards a contest.
In the past four years, Spearville has delivered between 8.2 and 9.8 yards a carry. The Lancers have several players expected to step in, namely seniors Levi Stein, Nate Heeke, Wyatt Stimpert and junior Albert Evins.
Class 2-1A: Chandler Cellmer, Plainville
Plainville enjoyed a surprising run to the Class 2-1A state championship game in 2016. While much of the line remains intact, the Cardinals have to replace a variety of electrifying skill players, namely dual-threat quarterback Hayden Friend, running back Riley Nyp and wide receivers Ryan Buresh and Justin Reif.
Chandler Cellmer, a senior, started at defensive back last year and recorded an interception and a pass defended.
Cellmer, a wide receiver, is expected to play a much bigger role for a Cardinal offense that averaged 32.2 and 38.2 points per game in Grant Stephenson’s first two seasons as coach. Plainville should still have a standout defense after allowing 11.5 points per contest.
In addition to Cellmer, sophomore Jordan Finnesy should step in at quarterback and should enjoy a strong year with Stephenson, who transformed Friend into an all-state signal caller after he had previously been a running back.
Senior Blake Crawford should provide more depth to the line after he missed all of last fall with injury. Plainville should again be the favorite out of District 7 and an expected big year from Cellmer is a key reason.
Class 3A: Dalton Kellum, Perry-Lecompton
Among Kansas 11-man players, junior Dalton Kellum has by far the most returning special teams yards (631), according to MaxPreps. Perry-Lecompton averaged 239 rushing yards a game but returns no player who had more than 100 yards from 2016.
The Kaws (4-6) have just one returning starter on both sides with senior tackle Kyle Bonham and Kellum, a starter at defensive back who recorded 38 tackles in addition to his special teams duties.
This season, Kellum is expected to step in as the starting quarterback. Perry-Lecompton has posted five straight sub-.500 seasons, though is often competitive against top teams. Last year, the Kaws fell 25-22 to Troy, the eventual Class 2-1A champion, and 21-19 versus Silver Lake.
Perry-Lecompton has averaged 33.1, 27.3 and 25.8 points per game the last three years and longtime coach Mike Paramore has typically produced standout dual threat quarterbacks. This season, Kellum could enjoy a big year.
Class 4A-II: Andrew Morss/Chance Rodriguez/Carter Blackburn, Holcomb
Holcomb has enjoyed terrific passing numbers with Trey Teeter from ’14-15, and Trey Gilbert last fall. Gilbert completed 54 percent of passes for 1,888 yards with a 24/8 TD/INT ratio.
He graduated his top-two receivers with Conner VanCleave and Brandon Stegman (57 catches, 11 receiving TDs).
Senior Andrew Morss showed big-play potential and should step into a leading role along with seniors Chance Rodriguez and Carter Blackburn.
Morss had 11 catches for 219 yards and a score, while Rodriguez delivered 13 catches for 198 yards and four TDs. Blackburn had 14 catches for 155 yards and three scores.
Blackburn led the squad with 18 returns for 217 yards, and Morss had six returns for 101 yards.
Morss’ 19.9 yards per catch ranked better than several all-state 2016 receivers, including Rossville’s Cole Schumacher (19.0) and Hesston’s Zach Vogt (18.7).
Class 4A-I: Fort Scott offensive line
Fort Scott finished 3-6 in 2016 for just the second-losing season in 21 years under Bob Campbell. The Tigers, hurt by injuries, averaged just 20.2 points per contest.
Fort Scott had produced 37.5, 34.8, 28.4, 26 and 28.9 points per game from ’11-15. Still, the Tigers’ offensive yardage production wasn’t that different from the previous years. The Tigers averaged 293 yards a game, including 211 on the ground.
From ’11-15, Fort Scott always averaged between 300 and 363 yards a game, including 313 in 2015. Campbell typically shares the carries in the backfield and averages around 80-100 passing yards a contest. In the last five years, Fort Scott has thrown for either eight or six TD passes a season.
Zarek Fewell rushed for 1,014 yards last year, the Tigers’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Jason Thorpe in 2011. He shouldn’t have to shoulder such a high load because of improved depth in the backfield.
Senior Jesse Jones is back at quarterback, along with the top-three rushers and two of the top-three receivers. Fort Scott returns experience up front with seniors Andrew Callahan (all-state) and Colby Page, Ben Daniels and Elijah Wright.
Fort Scott, which was picked to win the Southeast Kansas League by the coaches’ preseason poll, likely won’t have any massive individual offensive numbers.
Collectively, the offensive line should help the Tigers see a marked improvement in points per game and a rise in yardage.
Class 5A: Koy Brack/Dalton Miller, Great Bend
Erin Beck delivered a surprising 10-2 record in his first year as Panther head coach. Great Bend spent part of the year ranked No. 1 in Class 5A and lost in the semifinals to Goddard.
Sophomore Dalton Miller enjoyed a standout freshman year with 111 tackles, third-most on the squad, as a defensive back. Miller, a remarkable athlete, will likely see time at free safety and slot back.
Junior Koy Brack tacks over for all-stater Jacob Murray under center (49 TDs accounted for).
Brack is the son of veteran Panther assistant coach Kelly Brack, and brother of Jayce Brack, a standout thrower who competes for Kansas State.
Brack has four of the five offensive line starters back. Last year, he finished second with 42 catches and third with 471 receiving yards and three receiving TDs.
Class 6A: Breece Hall and Marcus Hicks, Wichita Northwest
Last year, Grizzly quarterback Austin Anderson was named a Kpreps Breakout Player and finished with 2,221 passing yards with a 26/10 TD/INT ratio.
While Northwest’s passing has received acclaim the last couple of years, the Grizzlies have had great tailbacks with Deron Thompson, Keshaun McGaugh, and Jahlyl Rounds (1,524 rush last year).
Junior Breece Hall played in five games with 21 carries for 307 yards for 14.6 yards per carry. He had seven rushing scores. Coach Steve Martin believes Hall could put up big numbers for the Grizzlies.
Hicks, a junior, has received multiple Division I offers because of his strength, speed and measurables. In seven games, he recorded 23 tackles, 3.5 for loss. Northwest went 6-4 but allowed 39.2 points per contest, well above the 27 a game allowed in 2016.
Martin’s defensive focus is stopping the run. While Hicks might not put mammoth individual numbers, his play and presence should reduce opponents’ scoring and rushing offense.
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