<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0hcHfr_0vGtVpdz00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0hcHfr_0vGtVpdz00" width="1600" height="900" ><figcaption>Wichita County Indians #13 Tadyn West and #8 Wyatt Gardner try to sack St. John Tiger #7 Braxton Alpers. The Wichita County Indians defeated the St. John Tigers 52-2 in an eight-man football game held at Tiger Field in St. John, Kansas on September 22, 2023. (Photo: Joey Bahr, www.joeybahr.com) (Joey Bahr | (Photo: Joey Bahr, www.joeybahr.)</figcaption></figure>WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The stars aligned for the Lyndon football program in 2023. After a successful 8-3 showing in 2022, the Tigers picked up transfer Tannel Heckel, one of the premiere athletes in all of Kansas. His move happened to coincide with the senior seasons of all-staters Kaedin Massey, Jalen Massey, and Casten Wirth. The result was a complete domination of the 8-man, Div. I rank. The Tigers scored at least 48 points in 11 of their 13 wins and held seven opponents to one touchdown or fewer, including the previous favorite, Wichita County, 34-6 in the state championship game.Lyndon put up video game numbers, but the star power meant limited reps for some of the players suiting up in 2024. Heckel rushed for more than 2,300 yards and threw for 1,062 more, combining for 69 touchdowns. Jalen Massey amassed 1,373 rushing yards and 19 scores before graduating in May. The power dynamic will likely swing back to some of the other perennial powers in 2024. Wichita County won the Div. I title in 2022 and was sitting at 12-0 before the championship loss to Lyndon last year. The Indians also lost a marquee name in quarterback Wyatt Gardner, who rushed for nearly 1,600 yards and threw for nearly 1,000 more in his senior season.“I believe our team deeply understands the program they have built and the challenges we face every week,” said Wichita County coach Brant Douglas. “Our players put in a lot of hard work throughout the year, both in the weight room and during camps, to ensure they are ready to face the best effort from every team each week.”The Indians do return some firepower via senior Khris Hermosillo, who rushed for 1,219 yards and 25 scores, and junior Cashton Young, who added more than 1,000 yards of total offense. Young and senior linebacker Max Whitham return as the two leading tacklers from a year ago. The Indians blanked seven of their first nine opponents in 2023.“I am confident that our defense will be our strength again this season,” Douglas said. “Our defensive coordinator, Haydon Parks, does a great job of preparing our players each week to defend against the various looks we will encounter. Our players also fully embrace the ‘landshark’ mentality that we promote.”Hoxie has been good at just about everything in recent years, finishing last year at 9-2 with a loss to Wichita County and a state quarterfinal loss to Ell-Saline. Unlike Wichita County and Lyndon, Hoxie does return its quarterback, and it’s a good one in senior Duncan Bell. Last fall, Bell completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,545 yards with 22 touchdowns and just one interception. He rushed for nearly 500 yards and 14 more scores. Senior Braydon Scheetz also returns after running for more than 700 yards and 17 scores. Senior Samuel Watkins returns as the leading receiver last year, trailed closely by Scheetz and senior Braxton Munk. Hoxie has a nice defensive tradition and should again be stout this year. All-state linebacker Jonathan Mader has graduated, but Watkins earned all-state honors on the line with 67 tackles. Senior Easton Nickelson returns after a team-high 92 tackles, and Bell, Scheetz, and Munk were all major contributors in 2023, combining for ten interceptions. After a week-one loss to Moundridge last year, Brookeville’s Ell-Saline rattled off ten straight wins, including a playoff win against Hoxie, before losing in the state semifinals against Wichita County. Four all-leaguers have graduated, but the Cardinals will have a unique weapon in 6-5, 215-pound senior quarterback Reese Krone. Junior Kas Kramer returns as a favorite target last year and as the leading tackler on the defensive side of the ball. He also picked off six passes. Krone was effective on the line with 13 sacks. The Cardinals also return experience on the line behind seniors Victor Ruiz-Torres and Jacob Tillberg, both tipping the scales at 210 or beyond. Little River Coach Kevin Ayers has earned his respect with a 208-49 showing over 25 years, including a 50-10 record at Little River. The Redskins played in three consecutive title games, winning in 2020, before bowing out early last year with a 7-3 record. The team was again hit hard by graduation with the loss of quarterback Andrew Smith, who threw for 1,927 yards and ran for 500 more. Carter Stansbury graduated after rushing for 497 yards. Ayers does get back his top three receivers from a year ago, and senior Kyler Bergkamp showed promise with 231 rushing yards on 47 attempts. Howard’s West Elk has quietly been plugging along with at least eight wins in each of the last three seasons. The Patriots finished last year at 9-2, including a playoff loss to Lyndon. Expectations are again high if West Elk can fill some big shoes on the offensive line. Senior Creyo Koop rushed for nearly 1,600 yards and 37 touchdowns last year. Senior Maddex Moreno added 398 yards on 58 carries, and senior Trent Haag put up more than 1,000 yards of total offense at quarterback. All four of his favorite targets are back, led by Koop and his 364 receiving yards last year. The Patriot defense held seven of its first nine opponents under 22 points last fall and lost Evan Coble and his 95 tackles. Koop, Moreno, and Haag were all big contributors last year, and junior Garett Usry had a big sophomore season with seven interceptions.Rawlins County remains one of the top programs in the classification after losing just four games over the past two seasons. The Buffs threw for just 104 yards last year but did plenty of damage on the ground with nearly 3,000 rushing yards. Senior Ryan Sramek accounted for most of those yards, with 1,982 yards and 32 touchdowns on 265 carries. Senior Dorian Culwell added nearly 600 yards on 99 carries. In all, Rawlins County averaged 6.6 yards a carry last season. Senior Daylan Fairchild returns up front to help lead the way for the ground game.Three teams with a combined 24-6 record last year will have first-year coaches in 2024. Burden-Central led that charge at 9-1 but suffered among the most significant losses in the graduation, including standout quarterback Jace Wunderlich. Likewise, Shelby Hoppes departs Canton-Galva after posting a 64-13 win over the last seven seasons. Just two starters return for former assistant coach Ted Regehr. Former powerhouse Central Plains made it back to 7-3 last year under JD Klima. J.D. Johnson takes over the Oiler program with one of the top quarterback prospects in the class in sophomore Brodie Crites, who threw for nearly 1,000 yards last fall as a freshman. Senior Eli Hurley rushed for more than 700 yards, and senior Paxton Dody caught 14 passes for 313 yards and nine scores. Lakeside, in Downs, will also have a new coach in Caleb Howland. The squad will be without all-state running back Ian Kresin but does return seniors Kaden McCoy and Gabe Smith. McCoy just missed 1,000 total yards of offense at quarterback, and Smith earned all-state honors at linebacker.The Twin Valley League has dominated Div. II for nearly a decade. Clifton-Clyde finished last year at 7-3 in the league and returned a healthy set of starters for longtime coach Russ Steinbrock.South Central and Kinsley both had big seasons in Div. II last year and make the move to the larger classification this season. South Central made it all the way to the state championship game before losing to juggernaut Axtell. Timberwolf senior JT Prusa returns at quarterback after stringing together more than 2,200 yards of total offense last year. The South Central defense should be stout with Prusa at linebacker, senior Jase Rutherford up front after recording 15 tackles for loss in 2023, and senior Jamie Sarminento in the secondary with nine picks a year ago. Junior linebacker Jack Herd racked up more than 100 tackles, and sophomore Coda Lindsey had three defensive scores.Kinsley used to scrap for one or two wins a season. The Coyotes have turned the page under sixth-year coach Corey Dunlap, who reached 23-22 overall at the school with a 7-2 showing last season. Kinsley was hit hard by graduation and moved up to the larger classification in 2024, giving Dunlap one of his best tests in a while. Staying in the Central Prairie League, LaCrosse finished last year at 6-4. Always relevant, the Leopards must replace quarterback Caden Morgan, who put up 2,000 yards of total offense as a senior. Gage Burk added more than 1,000 total yards as a running back who led the team in receiving. Junior Lee Holopirek caught 23 balls for 358 yards last fall.A little further north, Lincoln returns most of its team that finished last year at 5-4. Sophomore Jeremiah Miller made a big splash at quarterback last year with 1,100 total yards. Sophomores Xavier Miller and Ben Bell are also expected to be big-impact players over the next three seasons. Senior Deagan Walters will be a key piece for the Leopards defensively.Out west, Meade continues to stay relevant under Clint Kuhns, who has posted a 17-4 record over the last three seasons. The Buffaloes return plenty of experience in the lines but lost five starters, including many of the skill positions.Sylvan-Lucas finished at 7-2 last season despite a rare move up to the Div. I class. The Mustangs graduated their quarterback and top running back, who also doubled as defensive leaders. Sylvan does have experience up front ahead of returning running back sophomore Zayne Maupin, who finished with 310 yards last year.Wakeeney’s Trego Community ended 2023 at 7-3 and returns almost all of its offense from a year ago. Junior Ashton Wynn put up better than 1,800 yards of offense last season as an underclassman quarterback. The talented class also includes wideouts Jaryn Windholz and Aaron Samson, who led the team in receiving yards last year. The Golden Eagles also return plenty of experience up front.Chase County finished at 7-4 last year and gets back its quarterback in junior Wyatt Griffin, who mostly passed his way to 1,700 yards of total offense. Senior Luke Budke added 600 yards of total offense out of the backfield.Copyright 2024 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com</div></body>

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8-man, Div. I: Wichita County, Hoxie ready to pounce after Lyndon’s magical season

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The stars aligned for the Lyndon football program in 2023. After a successful 8-3 showing in 2022, the Tigers picked up transfer Tannel Heckel, one of the premiere athletes in all of Kansas. His move happened to coincide with the senior seasons of all-staters Kaedin Massey, Jalen Massey, and Casten Wirth. The result was a complete domination of the 8-man, Div. I rank. The Tigers scored at least 48 points in 11 of their 13 wins and held seven opponents to one touchdown or fewer, including the previous favorite, Wichita County, 34-6 in the state championship game.

8-man, Div. I: Wichita County, Hoxie ready to pounce after Lyndon’s magical season

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