ELLINWOOD
HIGH SCHOOL
EAGLES
Classification: Eight-Man Division-I
District: 5 (Canton-Galva, Central Plains, Goessel, Little River, Solomon)
League: Central Prairie League
Head coach: Dusty Beam (entering fourth season)
Assistant coach(es): Andy Wesner, Kyle Kreigh, James Caspers
Base offense: Multiple
Base defense: Multiple
Roster
Alex Robl, TE/DB, Jr.; Kaleb Schartz, RB/LB, Jr.; Layton Brown, RB/LB, Soph.; Tyson Martinez, QB/DB, Soph.; Connor Ewing, TE/LB, Jr.; Marc Waite, QB/DB, Sr.; Tate Fisher, TE/DB, Soph.; Nathan Monday, TE/DL, Fr.; Eric Jones, RB/LB, Soph.; Jordan Duvall, RB/LB, Jr.; Adrian Sanchez, QB/DB, Jr.; Destin Baker, RB/LB, Fr.; Theron Sjogren, RB/LB, Jr.; Drew Blake, RB/LB, Fr.; Chance Baker, TE/LB, Jr.; Gavin Vink, RB/DB, Sr.; Todd Hamby, TE/LB, Fr.; Levi Martin, RB/LB, Jr.; Dylan Elsen, OL/LB, Jr.; Joel Standlee, OL/DL, Jr.; Jacob Herrman, OL/DL, Fr.; Taylor Combs, OL/DL, Jr.; Josiah Caspers, OL/DL, Jr.; Doug Stout, OL/DL, Jr.; Cody Wondra, OL/DL, Jr.; Colby Prescott, OL/DL, Fr.; Keaton Goering, OL/DL, Sr.; DJ Gowdy, OL/DL, Jr.; Joe Hernandez, OL/DL, Jr.; Steven Cortez, OL/DL, Jr.; Micah Winget, manager, Fr.
Schedule
Sept. 5 — ST. JOHN-HUDSON
Sept. 12 — At Victoria
Sept. 19 — At Kinsley
Sept. 26 — MACKSVILLE
Oct. 3 — SOLOMON*
Oct. 10 — At Goessel*
Oct. 17 — CENTRAL PLAINS*
Oct. 24 — At Little River*
Oct. 30 — CANTON-GALVA*
* — District games
All games at 7 p.m.
HOME GAMES IN ALL CAPS
ELLINWOOD — There is a brand new outlook for the Ellinwood High School football team.
New classification.
The Eagles, which have spent the last several years competing in Class 2A, will make the jump to Eight-Man Division-I football this year.
“The transition went well,” said Dusty Beam. “Leading up to it, we thought it would be a piece of cake. Then we went to clinic and we came away thinking we need to change a lot of what we do.
“I’m excited for it. I think the kids are excited for it. We get to start playing schools that are our size.”
New league.
Ellinwood was part of the final four schools that were holding on the to the Mid-Central Activities Association, which was in tatters after most of its schools jumped to other leagues.
Now that league is defunct and Ellinwood, along with its former league rivals Hoisington, Larned and Thomas More Prep Marian, needs to join another league.
Enter the Central Prairie League.
The Eagles join Central Plains, Kinsley, La Crosse, Macksville, Ness City, Otis-Bison, St. John-Hudson and Victoria.
This will be some stiff competition from teams that are used to eight-man football.
Beam said he thinks his team will measure up.
“We went to a camp in July in Winfield,” Beam said. “We didn’t know what to expect. The kids played pretty well. We stood up to the other teams that had been doing this longer.
“Before that, we didn’t have a measuring stick. We didn’t know what to expect.”
One thing is for sure.
Fewer players on the field at one time means more depth for Ellinwood, something it has desperately needed in years past.
“We’re doing really well,” Beam said. “I think the move to eight-man is working really well.
“For the first time ever, we have depth. We no longer have one kid starting here and being the backup for three other positions.
“Our scout team is competitive. We’re able to really work on things in practice the way we want to.”
