September - Kansas City Sports & Fitness Magazine

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T here is a lot to see on local high school football fields this fall, but following are three teams, games, and players you will definitely want to check out. Three Must See Teams Lee’s Summit – New head coaches usually infuse a fresh level of excitement into a program that results in increased numbers and often more success on the field. However, new coaches do not usually have the luxury of a three-year starting quarterback who has committed to play at Missouri. That’s the situation Eric Thomas inherits at Lee’s Summit. Thomas comes from Columbia Hickman, where he was offensive coordinator, but prior to that he won a state title in 2005 as the Cameron head coach. He’s bringing a no-huddle spread offense to Lee’s Summit. The triggerman will be Corbin Berkstresser who has pledged to run a similar offense at Missouri. The Tigers already had momentum from their first playoff appearance since 1987 last year. Add in a drop to Class 5 and Lee’s Summit just might be on the cusp of a special season. 14 SEPTEMBER 2010 KANSAS CITY SPORTS & FITNESS “Three To See” on high school level Liberty North/Blue Valley Southwest – Yes, that’s two teams in one, but they are the two brand new programs in the metro and it’s always fascinating to see how those squads progress. The Liberty North Eagles got an experienced head coach from Winnetonka’s Ken Clemens. He led the Griffins to arguably the best two seasons in school history the past two years. Now he’s building a program literally from scratch without any seniors and virtually no experience. However, numbers are good with more than 100 kids out, an exceptional total in the 500-student school. Blue Valley Southwest also got an experienced head coach in Emporia’s Bill Lowe, a Blue Valley grad. The Timberwolves have a handful of seniors and a bit more experience than Liberty North, but just like the Eagles have to establish a unique identity. On KCXL 1140 AM & KCTO 1160 AM Monday thru Friday 6:00-9:00pm Anatomy of Sport with Dr. Jim Krause and Steve Nash Forward Progress with Dr. Don Oyao and Mark Graves Good Sports the KC Sports & Fitness Show with Steve Fisch and Jim Potoski Pettit Said It with Rusty Pettit and Steve Nash Both teams will be interesting to watch because recent history has seen new schools in the area establish a winning culture very quickly. Staley, which was the newest school in the area, went 9-3 and 11-1 in their first two years. Blue Valley West won a state title in the school’s seventh season. Can these two schools match that level of success? It will be fun to find out. Olathe South – The Falcons stood at 4-3 seven games into last season, but their three defeats were by a total of 10 points. Their final two games were lopsided losses to the two state semi-finalists from the east half of Kansas 6-A and Olathe South finished 4-5, but optimism abounds for Jeff Gourley’s third Falcons squad. South returns 15 starters from last year, including what looks to be on paper the Sunflower League’s best offensive line. Running back Nick Sands may be poised for a big year as the Falcons complete the transition from Mark Littrell’s pass-happy spread to Gourley’s run-first offense. Olathe North is king of the Sunflower until dethroned, and SM West, Olathe East, and Lawrence Free State have been consistently good the past five years. But watch for Olathe South, a team that has a good tradition of their own, to once again challenge for a conference title. Three Must-See Games Staley at Kearney – September 24 This has exploded into perhaps the northland’s best rivalry. The teams split two games last year, but Kearney won in the playoffs when it mattered most and went on to a Class 4 state title. The teams are in different classes now with Staley moving up to 5. Even though they definitely will not have a playoff rematch, expect both teams to pour everything into this bragging rights contest. Fort Osage at Raytown South – September 24 Two ought to see games, unfortunately, fall on the same dates. These two have squared off four times in the last two years, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs. The rivalry has become like the Rockhurst vs. Blue Springs of Class 5 with nothing but great games in that span. Last year Fort Osage won both meetings by seven points. In 2008 they split, with Fort Osage winning by seven in the regular season and Ray South winning by six in the playoffs. This season, both teams replace Nick McCabe Contributing Writer numerous players from those games but the rivalry should be as intense as ever. St. Thomas Aquinas at Gardner- Edgerton – October 22 This game is so big it will be nationally telecast on ESPNU. Aquinas was GE’s nemesis the past several years until the Trailblazers turned it around last season with a two-point regular season win and a 49-7 blowout in the playoffs. The bad blood boiled over in the playoff game as the score got out of hand. The two EKL rivals went 22-1 against outside competition, with the lone loss by Gardner- Edgerton to the Hutchinson machine in the Kansas 5-A state title game and both are once again pre-season favorites to challenge for 5-A supremacy. Three Must-See Players Bubba Starling, Quarterback Gardner-Edgerton Starling is one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the country. Last year he ran and threw for about 1,400 yards each and totaled 38 touchdowns. This may be the last year we get to see him play football. He’s committed to Nebraska for next season, but he is a highly regarded baseball prospect as well, both as a hitter and pitcher. There is more and more chatter that Starling could be a first-round pick next summer and opt to sign a lucrative pro baseball contract instead of going to Lincoln. Darrian Miller, Running Back Blue Springs Miller is one of the most exciting running backs ever in the metro. He ran for almost 2,800 yards last year and has a chance to become the leading big-class rusher in Missouri history. He is expected to duel with Starling for the Simone Award this season, which goes to the top player in the city. A rebuilt offensive line and a new quarterback could slow his incredible production from last year, but he’s still the CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
No. 1 Rockhurst – The Hawklets have five returning starters on each side of the ball, a huge number for a program that annually has to find ways to reload. Quarterback Frank Arbanas threw for 12 touchdowns and more than 1,200 yards as a junior. RB Noah Pearl returns after leading the Hawklets rushing attack with 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns. TE/DE Dan Tapko is one of the top three recruits in the city and has committed to Oklahoma . He was the leading receiver for the 2009 Hawklets with just more than 500 yards. Junior LB Michael Rose, who has committed to Nebraska as part of the Class of 2012, but will be ineligible the first six games of 2010. No. 2 Blue Springs – The Wildcats return just one player who started the 2009 Class 6 state title game on offense. That player is Darrian Miller, rated by some as the top college football prospect in Missouri after rushing for an 2,800 yards last year. Jordan Nubine has developed into one of the top receiver prospects in the state. At quarterback, three-year-starter Jared Lanpher will be replaced by Kyle Brown, a 6’2 junior with a strong arm who is also an All-American wrestler at Blue Springs. The leading returning tacklers are linebackers Jon Trocosso and Lewis Foutz, but perhaps their most talented defensive returner is cornerback Bernard Thomas, a three-star recruit who holds offers from Arkansas, KU, and K-State. No. 3 Gardner-Edgerton – It is not a coincidence the top three recruits in the metro play for the top three teams, and Trailblazers quarterback Bubba Starling might be the best of the bunch. Starling is 6-5 and 200 pounds, runs a 4.5 40, and is the third-best dual threat quarterback in the country according to Rivals.com. He is committed to play football and baseball at Nebraska, but is such a highly regarded pitcher he could be an early pick in the Major League Baseball draft next summer and forego college. Starling is the backbone of a Trailblazers team that finished runner-up to Hutchinson last year in Class 5-A and will try to stop the Salthawks run of state titles this year. He threw and ran for about 1,400 yards each with 38 total touchdowns. Running back Brett Jensen also returns after piling up 700 yards and THREE TO SEE| FROM PAGE 14 most talented back in the area with offers from Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Dan Tapko, Tight End/Defensive End Rockhurst Already committed to play at Oklahoma Rockhurst, Blue Springs top High School Poll 11 touchdowns. Overall GE has six starters back on each side of the ball from last year’s 12-1 team. No. 4 Olathe North – The Eagles have perhaps the biggest hole to plug in the entire city with the graduation of RB James Franklin, who departed as the leading rusher in the school’s illustrious history with 5,900 career yards, including 2,800 and the Simone Award as the city’s top player last year. But the cupboard is not bare. Quarterback Victor Simmons rushed for 1,000 yards last year, while splitting time at the position. He’s also projected to start at safety, the position he recently committed to play at KU. Adonis Saunders and Dominick Wilson should capably step in at running back. Both have tremendous speed. Saunders won the Class 6-A 100 and 200 meter sprints as a sophomore in 2008 (a pulled hamstring prevented him from defending his titles last spring). Saunders, Wilson and Simmons form perhaps the best secondary in the city. No. 5 Staley – The Falcons went 11-1 in the school’s second year of existence, losing in the playoffs to eventual champ Kearney. The offensive backfield returns intact. Evan Campbell is one of the top running backs in the city after amassing almost 3,000 yards in two seasons. Quarterback Michael Rich threw for 1,852 yards and 20 touchdowns in year two at the helm. Staley moves up to Class 5 this year and will compete in a rugged district. The regular season has a couple of interesting measuring-stick match ups with Blue Springs Week 2 and Kearney Week 4. No. 6 Kearney – The Bulldogs rode a 10-game winning streak to the Class 4 state title last year. Kearney must replace five first-team All State performers, but they do return about half their 2009 starters, including quarterback Shane Hartzler, who next year, Tapko has been a difference maker on the field for Rockhurst the past two seasons. Last year he was the team’s leading receiver and led the defense in sacks. He was recruited to play tight end for OU, but projects as an elite defensive end as well and could end up in either position. threw for more than 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns. Kearney graduated their top four rushers from 2009, so running back is a question mark entering the season, but offensive line should be a strength creating holes for whoever carries the ball. Defensively, senior linebacker Colton Michael is the leading returning tackler. No. 7 Bishop Miege – The Stags graduated a bunch of stars from their 2009 Class 4-A state title team, but they also have as many D1 recruits coming back as about any team in the city. Max Shortell is rated by Rivals as one of the top 20 pro-style quarterbacks in the country. Standing 6-6 and weighing 215 pounds, he committed to Minnesota in June after throwing for nearly 2,200 yards as a junior. The offensive line will rebuild around 6-6, 340-pound KU-commit Phil Ford. The defensive line will feature a game-changer with Missouricommit Shane Ray. Like Staley, Miege will have the extra challenge of moving up in class, competing in 5-A this year. No. 8 Lee’s Summit West – The Titans return seven starters on each side of the ball. Undoubtedly their most talented returner is junior offensive lineman Evan Boehm, a 6-3 290-pound tackle who holds offers from MU, KU, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Luke Knott will be the quarterback as a junior after splitting time with senior Zach Harris a year ago. Safety Ryan Hiller anchors the defense. Nick McCabe Contributing Writer No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas – The Saints went 10-2 in 2009 with both losses to Gardner- Edgerton. Richard Davila returns at quarterback after a U.S. Army and KC Sports & Fitness team up to honor High School Football Coaches Beginning in the October issue, Kansas City Sports and Fitness Magazine, will announce the winners of the U.S. Army High School Football Coach of the Week. Each week during the football season an Army representative will present a trophy to a coach deserving of recognition for his team’s accomplishments in their previous game. To submit a nomination for the U.S. Army High School Football Coach of the Week, e-mail feedback@kcsportspaper.com Nominations must be received by Monday at noon for the previous week’s games. Look for our first set of honorees in next month’s issue! very solid junior season that included two 300-yard passing games. One of the top recruits in the city, Dagan Reed, returns for a third season as the starting Saints running back. Defensively there will be a lot of new faces for the second straight season as nine All-EKL performers for the Saints were graduated. No. 10 Shawnee Mission West – RBs Will Livingston and Cordi Pascal were a nice 1-2 punch at running back for SM West last year with almost 1,400 combined yards. Add returning FB Danny Dowling and SM West has perhaps the most experienced backfield in the Sunflower League. SMW returns eight offensive starters, but not QB D.J. Balazs. Senior Drew Humphreys is expected to get the quarterback job. He’s started in the secondary since his sophomore season, so he does have varsity experience. KANSAS CITY SPORTS & FITNESS SEPTEMBER 2010 15
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Page 6 and 7: 7 QUESTIONS with PRIEST HOLMES “B
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Page 12 and 13: Gill-era begins by picking Pick as
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Page 18 and 19: T THE WIZARDS REPORT Wizards signin
Page 20: I have By MARK MERRELL, Contributin
Page 23 and 24: presents THE SHOTGUNNERS’ REPORT
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Page 27 and 28: T THE HEALTH & FITNESS REPORT When
Page 29 and 30: F presents THE GOLF REPORT all is h

September - Kansas City Sports & Fitness Magazine

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