By Brad Hallier
Ad Astra Radio will preview area high school football teams, based on county, before the season opener Sept. 1. Here is the preview for Kingman County.
Previous previews:
Andale Indians
Coach: Dylan Schmidt, seventh season (74-2)
Classification: 3A
District: 7
2022: 13-0
Postseason: Beat Goodland 63-0; beat Pratt 45-6; beat Rock Creek 48-0; beat Clay Center 36-0; beat Holton 28-0
Best postseason finish: State champions, 2006, 2007, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Top returning players: Gage Prosser, sr., RB/LB; Henry Eck, sr., OL/DL; Cody Engelbrecht, sr., OL/DL; Ian Aouad, sr., OL/DL; Karson Butts, sr., TE/LB; Landon Harp, jr., RB/DB; Marlo Sullivan, sr., PK
Key game: Oct. 13 at Cheney. Cheney has traditionally played Andale as tough as anyone, and with 14 starters back, this could be one of the- if not the – toughest tests for Andale.
Outlook: The bad news for the Indians is they graduated a great senior class that didn’t see a single varsity loss. Incredible. That’s almost impossible to replace. But let’s be honest here. Andale is currently in the midst of one of the best dynasties Kansas has ever seen. Schmidt’s record above is not an error. His teams have lost just two games in his six years, both coming in the playoffs, one in a state championship game to Bishop Miege. The good news for the Indians is even with just a handful of starters back, four come from an offensive line that will likely overpower most opposition. Prosser has also been a top-notch running back for two seasons. And there are still 35 lettermen back, all of which saw significant minutes in the many blowouts Andale had last season. The Indians’ closest margin came in the state championship game, which was a thorough domination still. Will Andale be as good as it was last season? Probably not. Is there any reason not to think the Indians could win another state championship? Not at all. They’re still the favorite in 3A and push that winning streak way beyond 51.
Cheney Cardinals
Coach Shelby Wehrman, seventh season (47-18)
Classification: 3A
District: 7
2022: 8-3
Postseason: Beat Hugoton 28-7; beat Scott City 28-27; lost to Clay Center 24-6
Best postseason finish: Semifinals 2019
Top returning players: Jack Voth, sr., WR/LB; Kason Messenger, sr., TE/DE; Taj Thomas, sr., OL/DL; Tre Black, sr., WR/DB; Josh Burdick, jr., QB/LB; Garren Campbell, jr., OL/DL; Jack Gregory, sr., OL/DL; Ethan Hall, jr., OL/DL; Weston Hill, sr., DB/WR; Grady Kuehn, jr., K; Colter McDaniel, sr., WR/DB; AJ Quick, jr., OL/DL; Kolton Rohloff, jr., OL/DL; Drew Tolar, sr., WR/DB
Key game: Oct. 13 vs. Andale. Not many teams can look at playing Andale and say with a straight face that they can beat Andale. This year, Cheney can. And no matter who wins this game, it shouldn’t be assumed it’s the only time they’ll meet.
Outlook: With 14 starters and 27 lettermen back, Cheney has the look of a team that could have a special season. Yes, Andale is in the same district, which makes the path to Hutchinson and the state championship game even tougher, but Cheney has the look of a team that could compete with Andale. Voth is one of the best athletes in the area and is committed to New Mexico State. Burdick is an accurate passer who threw for more than 2,200 yards. There’s speed and athleticism everywhere. The one question, and it’s a big one, is will the offensive line be able to be rebuilt? Graduation took a toll there. Wehrman has show he has built a sustainable program that is probably a bit overshadowed and underrated.
Garden Plain Owls
Coach: Todd Rice, second season
Classification: 2A
District: 6
2022: 4-5
Postseason: Lost to Ellsworth 21-7
Best postseason finish: State champion 2007.
Top returning players: Jaxen Bolinger, sr., OL/DL; Mason Hoheisel, sr., OL/DL; Gage Lee, sr., RB/LB; Ty Scheer, sr., WR/DB; Aden Stuhlsatz, sr., WR/LB; Brady Black, jr., QB/LB; Blake Butterfield, jr., WR/LB; Seth Dugan, jr., RB/DB; Kaden Kasselman, jr., OL/DL; Hank Lilly, jr., OL/DL; Devin Rau, jr., OL/LB; Cooper Scheer, jr., RB/DB; Cooper Baker, so., QB/DB
Key game: Sept. 22 vs. Chaparral. The difference last year between a first-round home game was three points between these two teams. Chaparral won this last year, and this one should decide a home game, and maybe have a say in the district champion.
Outlook: A 4-5 record is never going to be good enough for Garden Plain, but if you step back and look objectively, it wasn’t a horrible season. The Owls’ five losses came to teams that finished with a 46-8 record. Of course, that means the schedule won’t get much easier this year, but Garden Plain has a good nucleus back to run Rice’s flexbone offense. Much of the offensive line is back, but there will be gaps to fill with skill positions. The next logical step for Garden Plain is a winning record and postseason advancement, and both seem like strong possibilities.
