Three teams shared top spot in crazy 2021 season
Perhaps it is fitting that there is part of the Wild West in the name of the Western Athletic Conference, a league comprised of the largest enrollment schools in western Kansas – Dodge City, Garden City, Liberal, Great Bend and Hays High.
Additionally, trying to predict a 2022 conference champion might take on some added expertise after the 2021 season produced not just co-champions, but tri-champions as Garden City, Dodge City and Hays shared the title with 3-1 records.
The unusual finish might not have been a first, but the way it played out certainly was.
In Week 4, Garden City traveled to defending champion Hays and toppled the Indians 27-21 in what was believed to be a surprising upset. Two weeks later in Week 6, the Indians hit the road to Dodge City and took home a commanding 39-17 win over the Red Demons. One week later, in the 84th Hatchet Game in Garden City, it was the Red Demons’ turn as they rallied from a 21-3 second-quarter deficit to prevail 36-29 in double overtime.
That summed up the wild and wacky 2021 WAC football race.
Now, it’s another season and the page has been turned. Will the WAC be as competitive as it seemingly always is? Liberal only won one conference game while Great Bend was winless in all games.
The top players who return from 2021 include first-team all-WAC picks Zack Keosengphet and Caleb Wiese of Garden City; Bryce Salmans and Remy Stull of Hays; and Matthew Moeder of Great Bend. Second team all-WAC returners are Jerry Arteaga and Ryan Heiman of Garden City; Kyreese Green and Connor Dreiling of Hays; Brooks Kappelman and Trystian Juarez of Liberal and Colton Brack of Great Bend.
Former Meade coach Brian Luetters has assumed the head coaching job at Liberal in an attempt to resurrect the Redskins past glory day. Luetters guided Meade to the 8-Man Division I state championship last year.
Glenn O’Neil produced a 6-3 record in his first season at Dodge City after a hugely successful career at Scott City and then a solid five-year tenure at Topeka-Seaman. Erin Beck and Tony Crough have now entrenched themselves at Great Bend and Hays while Brian Hill begins his 13th season at the helm of Garden City.
Stability, newness and veterans cast a curious shadow over the 2022 WAC football season. The first WAC battle will take place in Week 2 (Sept. 9) when rivals Hays and Great Bend meet. In a unique one-year agreement, the 85th Hatchet Game and 125th overall meeting between Dodge City and Garden City will take place on Oct. 15 (Week 7) at Wichita’s Riverfront Stadium, a Saturday 6 p.m. kickoff.
In opening games on Sept. 2, Dodge City hosts Wichita West; Garden City is at home against Wichita Heights; Great Bend is at highly-regarded McPherson; Hays hosts perennial 6A power Junction City and Liberal hosts 3A Holcomb.
DODGE CITY
Mascot: Red Demons
Class: 6A
Head Coach: Glenn O’Neil (2nd season, 6-3; 129-39 overall; Coached Scott City to the 2012 Class 3A state championship).
2021 in Review: Finished 6-3 overall and 3-1 in the WAC to share the conference title with Garden City and Hays. Lost in Week 9 Play-In game to Gardner-Edgerton, 41-20. Other loss was to Bishop Carroll. Wins came against Wichita West, Liberal, Wichita South, Great Bend, Garden City and Wichita Southeast.
Top Returners: Defense—Easton Rohr, DE, 6-1, 205, Jr.; Chance Kerr, ILB, 6-1, 210, Sr.; Luke Barker, ILB, 5-10, 175, Sr.; Remington Miller, OLB, 5-8, 165, Jr.; Isaiah Taylor, CB, 5-9, 160, Sr.. Offense—Chance Kerr, FB, 6-1, 210, Sr.; Isaiah Taylor, WB, 5-9, 160, Sr.; Daelyn Unzueta, WB, 5-9, 160, Jr.; Edgar Hernandez, T, 6-1, 260, Jr.; Roman Loya, G, 6-1, 210, Sr.
Key Newcomers: Chris Gomez, Sr., B; Kaden Garvalena, Sr, QB; Keenan Howard, Sr., FS; Vincent Ortiz, Sr., DB/WR; Kegan Salem, Sr., C/DT; Logan Cruz, Jr., T; Tochi Okor, Jr., WR; Carter Williams, Jr., WR/FS; Dyland Sonday, So., B/LB; Juan Bermudez, So., TE/DE; Allen flores, So., QB.
Coach’s Comments: “The season outlook is promising. We return numerous players that were able to gain experience during the 2021 season. The offensive side of the ball probably has more potential players back that will need to compete for playing time if they want to see the ball in their hands. Numerous players are expected to get their opportunity in space, the question is going to be who is going to be delivering the ball to them. Expected starter Austin Schulte had spring surgery and will be blessed if he can return. That leaves Alan Flores, a sophomore that led the freshman team to a 7-1 record, battling newcomer Kaden Garvalena, a senior transfer from Maize South. Both have shown promise during summer workouts. The two lines are both facing heavy rebuilding jobs. The offensive side of the ball has Roman Loya and Edgar Hernandez returning, both players started all nine games in 2021. The remaining expected offensive linemen will all be inexperienced or underclassmen and will be learning as they move through the season. The defensive line has one part time starter back in Easton Rohr as his partner on the front Luke Barker has moved to linebacker. Barker a state champion wrestler will pair with Chance Kerr to form an athletic inside duo. Remington Miller and Isaiah Taylor are a plus in the secondary as both made numerous big plays during the 2021 season.
GARDEN CITY
Mascot: Buffaloes
Class: 6A
Head Coach: Brian Hill (13th season, 65-50)
2021 in Review: Posted a 5-4 season record, going 3-1 in the WAC to share conference championship with Dodge City and Hays. Biggest win was 27-21 victory on the road at Hays; toughest loss the 36-29 double-overtime setback at home to Dodge City. Lost 24-7 to Wichita East in Week 9 Play-In Game.
Top Returners: Overall, 15 lettermen return, including 6 offensive starters and just 2 defensive starters. Offense—Caleb Wiese, 6-4, 200, Sr., QB; Colin Kleystueber, 5-10, 170, Sr., RB/DB; Jerry Arteaga, 6-2, 180, Sr., RB; Zack Keosengphet, 5-9, 170, Sr., RB; Sebastian Lopez, 6-2, 285, Jr., OL; Garrett Messenger, 6-2, 265, Sr., OL. Defense—Ryan Heiman, 5-8, 150, Sr., DB; Caleb Wiese, 6-4, 200, Sr., DB. Returning Specialists—Ryan Heiman, 5-9, 150, Sr., Punter; Isaac Rivera, 5-9, 150, PK.
Coach’s Comments: “Replacing 9 starters on defense will be our biggest challenge, but we have a group of young men who have waited their turn to play varsity so they are motivated and working hard. We hope to take the next step in fine-tuning our Flexbone offense. We have some speed and if we can get the ball into their hands in space, we could see some potential big play capability. Defensively, we’ve just got to stay focused and stick to our reads and fly to the football. If we do that, we will be competitive. Like everyone, staying healthy will be critical.”
GREAT BEND
Mascot: Panthers
Class: 5A (4A last 2 years)
Head Coach: Erin Beck (7th season, 28-30)
2021 in Review: It was a tough year for the Panthers, going winless in nine games. But the team showed improvement late in the year, pushing Garden City to the end before falling 28-21. Lost to Wamego, 42-21, in Week 9 Play-In Game.
Top Returners: Starters Returning (8 offense/6 defense) – Cayden Scheuerman, Sr., QB/SS; Braylon Council, Sr., WB/DB; Colton Brack, Jr., TE/OLB; Mathew Moeder, Sr., OL/MLB; Matthew Johnson, Jr., OL/DL; Dee’Onn Jones, Jr., DL; Dani Nieto, Sr., OL/DL; Brantley Schaffer, Sr., OL; Cody Miller, Jr., RB; Maddox Spray, Jr., WR; Skylar McMullen, Sr., DB; Noah Jerke, Sr., DB. Potential Impact Players: Blaike Parsons, Sr., WR; Russell Cook, Sr., OL; Kamron Stude, Sr., RB; Aidan Davidson, So., LB/OL; Brody Schnoebelen, So., DL; Kaden Hoffman, Jr., DB; Jace Schartz, So., RB/OLB.
Coach’s Comments: “We return a strong number of experienced players, predominately on the offensive side of the ball. We will have a lot of competition in key positions that will create solid depth on both sides of the ball. The underclassmen’s ability to step in will bekey to our team’s success. The offense returns the most experience with QB Cayden Scheuerman (Sr.). Defensively, we will have the largest holes to fill due to graduation.”
HAYS
Mascot: Indians
Class: 5A
Head Coach: Tony Crough (20-18 at Hays; 36-31 career)
2021 in Review: The Indians had one of their best seasons in school history, finishing 8-3 and reaching the Class 5A state quarterfinals for the first time before losing to eventual state runner-up Maize, 48-36. They had defeated Goddard-Eisenhower (19-13) and Andover (18-6) in the opening two rounds. Big win was the 39-17 triumph at Dodge City. Toughest loss was the home setback to Garden City, 27-21, that resulted in the three-way tie for the WAC title. Graduated were two of the state’s best in Jaren Kanak and Gavin Meyers.
Top Returners: Offense—Derrik Riggs, 5-10, 225, Sr., OL; Henry Fitzhum, 5-10, 245, Jr., OL; Quinton McGuire, 6-2, 285, Sr., OL; Bryce Salmans, 6-2, 225, Sr., H-Back/TE; Malik Bah, 5-9, 180, Jr., RB; Kyreese Groen, 6-1, 175, Sr., QB. Defense—Grayson Walburn, 6-2, 240, Sr., DE; Carson Spray, 6-0, 265, Sr., DT; Evan Lind, 6-1, 210, LB; Remy Stull, 6-2, 190, Sr., SS; Connor Dreiling, 5-10, 165, Sr., FS; JW Perry, 5-10, 155, Sr., CB.
Coach’s Comments: “This team is looking for its own identity after being in the shadows of last year’s seniors their whole lives in terms of leadership and ability. It is a very senior-heavy group and deep, although some were not on the field last year behind a loaded class. The team has plenty of talent to win, and maybe make a run again. We have new faces on both sides, but still plenty explosive and solid, I think it’s the type of team that will evolve as the year goes along. We have a good group of players who understand winning, but now have the responsibility to lead.”
LIBERAL
Mascot: Redskins
Class: 5A
Head Coach: Bryan Luetters (1st season; Coached Meade to Kansas 8-Man Division I state championship in 2021).
2021 in Review: The Redskins struggled in the WAC, finishing 1-3, but won three games outside of the league, defeating Guymon, Okla., Wichita Southeast, Great Bend and Wichita North.
Top Returners: Offense-All-WAC first team QB Brooks Kappelman, Jr.; Trystian Juarez, Sr., LB; Izzy Garcia, Sr., WR; Zayden Martinez, Jr., WR; Erek Lira, Jr., TE; Peyton Morlen, Jr., OL; Hudson Rice, So., OL; Marcus Tilford, Jr., OL; Defense—Trystian Juarez, Sr., LB; Aidan Schwindt, Jr., DB; Ivan Moreno, DB; Adan Mata, DB.
Coach’s Comments: “Our goal is to get better every day. We want to go 1-0 each week and be playing our best football in November.”
