Why instant 11-man success of Moundridge is so rare in Kansas high school football

Something unusual is happening in Moundridge, even if it doesn’t feel out of the ordinary to anyone on the high school football team.

The Wildcats are 5-0 and ranked No. 6 in Class 1A entering Friday’s highly-anticipated home showdown with fellow unbeaten Sedgwick, ranked No. 2 in Class 1A.

On the surface, it looks like the ideal small-town Kansas high school football game on a Friday night. But what Moundridge is doing is fairly unprecedented, at least in recent history.

What makes Moundridge so unique is that the football program is in its first season playing 11-man football since 2017 after spending the previous six seasons at the 8-man level. It’s almost unheard of for a program to experience this level of success right away when adjusting to 11-man football.

For example, there were six other schools that joined Moundridge in bumping up to 11-man football — they have a combined record of 4-32. In the last KSHSAA classification update, three schools went from 8-man to 11-man football and produced a combined 6-21 record in their first year in the 11-man game.

“It’s been a fun challenge for this group,” Moundridge coach Tyler O’Connor said. “We have a good group of juniors and seniors who we relied on heavily during that transition and probably made things a little easier than what it typically is. They’re just competitors and they’re used to having success in more than one sport. So they’ve made this season really fun and easy.”

The current core group has helped turn Moundridge into an athletics powerhouse.

Before last season’s 9-1 record in football, Moundridge had posted just one winning record since 2008. Many of the same players have also helped the Wildcats win back-to-back Class 2A championships in basketball and the Class 2A state title in track and field this past spring.

So while other schools have struggled in their first year playing 11-man football, winning right away was expected in Moundridge.

“I think our tradition is a huge thing because we want to be great in all sports,” Moundridge senior Bear Moddelmog said. “We knew we had to buy in and put in the work and I think we’ve proven that we were ready for it.”

“Regardless of what arena they’re stepping in, these guys just expect to win,” O’Connor added. “When you have kids who understand the preparation it takes to be successful, that makes it a lot easier.”

O’Connor led Moundridge to immediate success last year in his first season on the sidelines, but admitted he was unsure how the transition to 11-man football would go this summer.

It turned into a seamless transition, as O’Connor made sure to keep the schemes as close as possible to what the Wildcats won with the previous season. Adding three players on the field changed some positions, but Moundridge still plays the same way.

In fact, the defense has thrived in the 11-man game. Moundridge has allowed just 35 points total during its 5-0 start, helped by seniors Henry Hecox, Braden DenHartog, Moddelmog, Kaden Elmore, juniors Paul Grill, Fynn Burge, Thomas Jenkins, Brayden Elmore, Kaizer Kanitz, and sophomores Logan Greenwalt and Logan Wulf.

“We take a lot of pride in our defense,” Moddelmog said. “We know we have to play physical and try to fly around and have fun and just get all 11 guys to the ball. We’re just having fun out there.”

It’s been decades since the last time Moundridge advanced past the second round of the state playoffs, a trend the Wildcats are looking to buck later this fall.

Wins over Sterling and Marion have been quality, but Friday’s test against Sedgwick is the first chance Moundridge has to show what it can do against a title contender.

“I think their success in other sports helps with everything,” O’Connor said. “From the competition to the pregame jitters to knowing how to close out a game, all of those things come from experience and I feel like this group is used to being on those big stages and it has translated to whatever sport they’re playing. It’s a fun group to coach.”