BY BRETT MARSHALL

It hasn’t been since the 2016-17 football seasons that a Western Athletic Conference team has won consecutive football championships. That was when the Garden City Buffaloes captured two straight crowns.

Since then, Great Bend captured the 2018 title, Dodge City in 2019 and it was Hays High Indians’ turn in 2020 by going through the four-game conference slate unblemished. The WAC teams, though, struggled in the postseason with Dodge City garnering the only playoff win in Class 6A.

As the 2021 season prepares for its Sept. 3 kickoff, it is clear from the coaches of the five schools that Hays will be the team to beat and defend its title from last year. Tony Crough, 2020 WAC Coach of the Year, welcomes back Offensive Player of the Year Jordan Dale as well as nine defensive and eight offensive returning starters.

Garden City, Liberal and Dodge City all went 2-2 in the league chase to tie for second and the Buffaloes return 17 starters from a 3-6 team that won two of its final three games, losing only to Manhattan by a 21-20 count in the Week 9 Play-In game of the 6A postseason.

Dodge City, meanwhile, had the biggest news of the spring when it announced the hiring of Glenn O’Neil to become its new head coach, replacing Dave Foster, who left after 11 seasons. O’Neil comes from Topeka Seaman High School, where his teams were 26-22, but he is more noted for his tenure at Class 3A powerhouse Scott City, where his teams compiled a glossy 97-14 record including a 2012 state championship and a 2014 state runner-up finish in Class 3A. The 2020 edition of the Demons finished 4-6, winning its play-in game before dropping its opening round playoff game to Junction City.

Hays was tabbed as the WAC favorite by the league’s coaches with Garden City second, Dodge City third, Liberal fourth and Great Bend fifth.

DODGE CITY RED DEMONS

Coach: Glenn O’Neil (1st season; 97-14 at Scott City from 2007-2015; overall 123-36); Won 3A state championship in 2012 and finished second in 2014. Coached last five seasons at Topeka Seaman (26-22 including 7-2 in 2020 and 8-3 in 2016). 6A

Offense: Spread Wing-T; Defense: 4-4.
Season in Review: Went 4-6, finishing 2-2 in the WAC, tying for second with Garden City and Liberal behind league champion Hays.

Returning Starters – Offense (6): Dylan Smith, 5-10, 160, Sr., WR; Tucker Smith, 6-0, 160, Sr., QB; Chance Kerr, 6-1, 205, Jr., FB; Roman Loya, 6-1, 210, Jr., G; Alejandro Chairez, 5-8, 245, Sr., C; Zane Coon, 6-2, 245, So., G. Defense (6): Santonio Turner, 6-0, 225, E; Chance Kerr, 6-1, 205, Jr., ILB; Christian Erives, 5-10, 250, Sr., T; Tyler Cox, 6-3, 195, Sr., OLB; Luke Barker, 5-10, 175, Jr., E; Dylan Smith, 5-10, 160, Sr., B; Special Teams: Emanuel Aguilera, 6-1, 175, Sr., PK.

Coach’s Comments: “The key to our offensive success will be a young offensive line that had multiple starters in 2020.  Three different sophomores and a junior received playing time during their previous season.  Our offensive philosophy is to establish the running game and use ball control to keep the opposition’s offense off of the field.  We are blessed with depth at the skill positions and have a couple of athletes that are out for the first time. We will use our Base 4-4 Defense to use our athletic quickness and get as many athletes on the field as possible.  To be successful, our returning starters will need to be able to switch from a 3-4 defense that was played to the 4-4.  A number of players received playing time last year which will add to our depth as we find the right mix of personal.  We have multiple starters that will be asked to change positions.  A good summer of volunteer field time has sped up the process. Outlook:  We believe that we have the opportunity to be competitive with the mixture of players that we have coming back.  Boosted by some newcomers we are looking forward to the start of the season.  The effort in the weight room this summer has been very positive and the willingness to be coached is always a blessing.  Early success will be a key to our buy-in.”

GARDEN CITY BUFFALOES

Coach: Brian Hill (12th season, 60-46) 6A

2020 in Review: Buffs dropped two games by a single point and were plagued by a -10 turnover margin for the season. They did, though, win two of their final three games, before falling 21-20 to Manhattan in the Week 9 Class 6A Play-In Game, finishing 3-6 overall and 2-2 in the WAC, tying for second place with Dodge City and Liberal. They reclaimed the Hatchet Game from Dodge City with a 14-8 road win. In eight of their nine games, the Buffs’ defense yielded just 13.2 points per game.

Returning Lettermen (30); Returning Starters – Offense (8): Kelvin Rico, 5-9, 275, Sr., Line; Kaden Whitehurst, 6-1, 230, Sr., Line; Michael Camarena, 5-9, 265, Sr., Line; Caleb Wiese, 6-4, 200, Jr., QB; Colin Kleystueber, 5-10, 170, Jr., RB; Cooper Ramsey, 6-4, 205, Sr., WR; Caleb Metzen, 6-2, 185, Sr., WR; Jerry Arteaga, 6-2, 180, Jr., RB. Whitehurst was second team all-WAC; Wiese led the WAC in passing with 831 yards for 5 touchdowns and 6 interceptions (47-of-109 passes); Ramsey caught 10 passes for 157 yards, 1 TD; Arteaga played WR in 2020 and caught 7 passes for 315 yards (45-yd. avg.) and 3 TDs; Metzen had 15 receptions for 224 yards and 1 TD.

Defensive Returners (9): Terrell Elliott, 6-1, 275, Sr., Line (2nd team All-WAC), 34 tackles; Xavier Soriano, 6-1, 210, Line (44 tackles, 7 for loss); Saul Perez, 5-10, 250, Line (48 tackles, 3 for loss); Sergio Garcia, 5-8, 180, Sr., LB (24 tackles); Joel Bellows, 5-11, 185, Sr., LB (99 tackles, led WAC, 10 for loss, 2 int., 1 blocked punt); Micah Perez, 5-8, 170, DB (31 tackles); Ryan Heiman, 5-8, 150, DB (35 tackles, 3 INT); Cooper Ramsey, 6-4, 205, Sr., DB (35 tackles, 10 for loss, 1st team all-WAC); Caleb Wiese, 6-4, 200, Jr., DB (68 tackles, 2 INT, 1st team all-WAC). Specialists: Collin Smith, 5-8, 175, Sr., Long snapper; Issac Rivera, 5-9, 150, Jr., PK; Ryan Heiman, 5-8, 150, Jr., P/PR/KR.

Coach’s Comments: “The biggest keys to our success this season will be to stay healthy,” Hill said. “We’ve got more experience across the board on both offense and defense than we have in several years. We need to create more explosive plays on offense and take care of the ball better. We need to take the next step of dominating a game on defense and creating more turnovers. Our kicking game needs to be more consistent as well, considering we lost two games by just one point due to mistakes in the kicking game.”

GREAT BEND PANTHERS

Coach: Erin Beck, 6th season, 28-21 4A

2020 in Review: Panthers struggled to an 0-7 overall record and 0-4 in the WAC. Lost to Andover Central in the Week 9 Play-In Game in Class 4A. Two regular-season games were cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Beck returns 7 offensive and 7 defensive starters.
Top Returners: Rushing (Joseph Moeder, 231 yds., 2 TDS); Passing (Joseph Moeder, 681 yards, 81-of-174, 3TDs, 8 INT); Receiving (Paco Hernandez, 37 catches, 258 yds., 2 TDs, moving to free safety in 2021). Defense: Paco Hernandez, 32 tackles, 2 INT, 1 defensive TD.
Other Players of Note: Brad Beck, Sr., S; Braylon Council, Jr., CB; Chayse Gruber, Sr., LB; Evan Wedel, Sr., LB; Mathew Moeder, Jr., LB; Johnathan Randall, Sr., LB; Jade Poe, Sr., DL; Scott Heilman, Sr., DL; Jason Scott, Sr., C; Anthony Paez, Sr., OT; DJ Lamb, Sr., OT; Matthew Johnson, So., OG; Gavin Haberman, Sr., RB; Cody Miller, So., RB; Stefan Spray, Sr., WR; Braydon Council, Sr., WR

Coach’s Comment: “We return a strong number of seniors that bring experience. We will have a lot of competition in key positions that will create solid depth on both sides of the ball. Developing our underclassmen’s ability to step in will be key to our team’s success. Our secondary returns the most experience of any section of the team.”

HAYS HIGH INDIANS
Coach: Tony Crough, 4th season (12-15, 28-28 career) 5A

2020 in Review: Hays swept the WAC with a 4-0 record. After having won their first 5 games, the Indians lost their final three, two to Maize South in the regular season and in the Week 9 Play-In Game along with a loss to Wichita-Kapaun Mt. Carmel. The Indians had the Defensive Player of the Year in Gaven Haselhorst and Offensive Player of the Year in Jordan Dale along with Coach of the Year Tony Crough.

Top Returners: Offense (8): Derrik Riggs, 5-10, 230 Line; Karson Russell, 6-2, 270, Sr., Line; Gavin Nutting, 6-0, 240, Sr., Line; Carson Kieffer, 6-1, 190, WR; Jordan Dale, 6-2, 170, Sr., WR; Bryce Salmans, 6-2, 220, HB/TE; Roy Moroni, 5-11, 200, Sr., RB; Jaren Kanak, 6-0, 195, Sr., QB. Of Note: Dale subbed in at quarterback and rushed for 482 yards and 7 TDs, passed for 472 yards and 3 TDs, and caught 6 passes with 1 TD; Kanak had 379 rushing yards and 203 receiving yards; Moroni 313 rushing yards; Kieffer 21 catches, 288 yards, 2 TDs.

Defense: Grayson Walburn, 6-2, 230, Jr., DE; Gaving Nutting, 6-0, 240, Sr., DT; Carson Spray, 6-0, 255, Jr., DT; Ashton Thomas, 6-1, 215, Sr., DE; Gavin Meyers, 6-2, 215, Sr., LB; Dalton Dale, 5-9, 175, Jr., LB; Jaren Kanak, 6-2, 210, Sr., LB; Remy Stull, 6-2, 190, Jr., SS; Wyatt Crain, 5-11, 185, Sr., FS. Meyers, an all-state selection in 2020, had 87 tackles, 17 for loss, 2 INT, 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery; Dalton Dale had 75 tackles, 2 INT and 2 fumble recoveries.

Offense: Spread/Multiple; Defense: 4-2-5/3-3-5).

Coach’s Comments: “This will be the most experienced team in recent Hays High history. Most of the starters have played two years, some three. The team will rely a little heavier on the offense than the previous two years as we have graduated a big part of the defense. The offense (in 2020) was nearly all juniors last season and also were significant contributors as sophomores. This team is going to be led by an extremely talented senior class, but the junior class adds much needed support as a stabilizing program-winning class as well. We have seen the kids developed over the four years and hopefully is ready to take the next step to be able to compete with the 5A West juggernauts.”

LIBERAL REDSKINS
Coach: Jason Dunlap, 5th season (11-24) 5A

2020 in Review: Redskins went 2-2 in the WAC, tying Garden City and Dodge City for second behind Hays. Went 2-6 overall, having one game cancelled due to COVID and another with a week off in the schedule. They lost to Maize in the Week 9 Play-In Game.

Returning Starters: Aldo Avalos, 5-11, 230, Sr., OL-DL; Hunter Huskey, 5-11, 180, Sr., DL; Trystian Juarez, 5-10, 175, Jr., LB; Erick Jimenez, 6-0, 320, Sr., OL; Jim Bang, 5-9, 205, Jr., DL; Shay Kerr, 6-3, 175, Sr., Athlete; Easton Zapien, 5-8, 170, Sr., RB-LB.

Coach’s Comments: “We are looking forward to having a successful season on and off the field. Our second-place finish in the WAC is something we can build on and plan to stay in the top half of the conference. We will be the youngest team in the WAC, but we should also be exciting to watch.”