Football Tab1.qxd - The Hutchinson News

28 Thursday, September 3, 2009 2009 Football Preview
The Hutchinson News
Hutch, Redmen begin quest for No. 6 at No. 1
■ Five teams that won
state titles last year open
season No. 1 in rankings.
BY GENE SCHINZEL
The Hutchinson News
gschinzel@hutchnews.com
When it comes to football
powerhouses in the state of
Kansas, the two names at
the top of the list are
Hutchinson and Smith
Center.
Both programs enter September
looking for their
sixth consecutive state
championships.
No wonder the Salthawks
and Redmen start the 2009
season atop their respective
classes in The Hutchinson
News’ preseason football
poll.
Hutchinson won four
straight Class 6A titles before
taking the 5A title last
November. The Salthawks,
who return a strong senior
class headed by offensive
playmakers Josh Smith and
Deveon Dinwiddie, start
this season at No. 1 in Class
5A.
Gardner-Edgerton, led by
former Salina Central
coach Marvin Diener, is second,
while Salina Central is
third. St. Thomas Aquinas,
which lost to Hutchinson in
CLASS 6A
1. Olathe North
2. Blue Valley
3. Wichita Heights
4. Junction City
5. Wichita Northwest
Others to watch: Dodge City, Free
State, Manhattan, Olathe East, SM
West.
CLASS 5A
1. Hutchinson
2. Gardner-Edgerton
3. Salina Central
4. McPherson
5. St. Thomas Aquinas
Others to watch: Great Bend,
Emporia, Carroll, Seaman, Salina
South.
Travis Morisse/The Hutchinson News
Conway Springs won the Class 3A state championship last year at Hutchinson’s Gowans Stadium. The Cardinals open the 2009 season
ranked No. 1 in The Hutchinson News’ preseason poll.
last year’s final, begins the
year at No. 5.
Smith Center has been
the dominant team in Class
2-1A – its 67-game winning
streak is testimony to that
fact. Coach Roger Barta,
who has 289 career wins, returns
five starters on both
sides of the ball as the Redmen
will be led by 12 seniors.
Olpe, which was unbeat-
CLASS 4A
1. Topeka Hayden
2. Andale
3. Andover
4. Paola
5. Louisburg
6. Buhler
7. Bishop Miege
8. Ulysses
9. Holton
10. Andover Central
Others to watch: Abilene,
Columbus, Mulvane, Perry-
Lecompton, Wellington.
en last year before losing to
Smith Center in the state final,
is No. 2 as it returns
five starters on both sides of
the ball.
In Class 6A, Olathe North
gets the preseason No. 1
nod. The Eagles return senior
running back James
Franklin, who rushed for
1,971 yards last season, and
junior Kyle Swartz, who led
the team in tackles as a
sophomore.
Class 4A once again will
be one of the most balanced
classes. Topeka Hayden, the
defending state champion,
returns five defensive
starters, while Andale will
have a strong, experienced
line to anchor its team.
Hayden beat Andale 20-12 in
the state semifinals last
year.
Andover returns six
THE HUTCHINSON NEWS’ PRESEASON RANKINGS
CLASS 3A
1. Conway Springs
2. Garden Plain
3. Silver Lake
4. Wichita Collegiate
5. Marysville
6. Scott City
7. Norton
8. Beloit
9. Riverton
10. Trinity Catholic
Others to watch: Galena, Lyons,
Pleasant Ridge, Rossville,
Sabetha.
CLASS 2-1A
1. Smith Center
2. St. Marys
3. Olpe
4. Pittsburg Colgan
5. Centralia
6. Ell-Saline
7. St. Francis
8. Ellis
9. La Crosse
10. Oakley
Others to watch: Meade,
Minneapolis, Moundridge, Sacred
Heart, Valley Falls.
starters on both sides of the
ball, while Paola and Louisburg
both won eight games
a year ago.
Conway Springs graduated
a Division I player in Jaydan
Bird, but the Cardinals
also return six offensive
and five defensive starters.
The Cardinals hope to add
to their trophy case as they
have won six state titles
since 1998.
EIGHT-MAN I
1. Baileyville
2. Clifton-Clyde
3. Claflin
4. Madison
5. Macksville
6. Goessel
7. Quinter
8. Thunder Ridge
9. Pretty Prairie
10. Minneola
Others to watch: Colony-Crest,
St. John, South Gray, Tribune,
Udall.
Two other perennial powers
- Silver Lake and Garden
Plain - are second and
third, respectively. Garden
Plain returns seven starters
on both sides of the ball as
the Owls’ only loss last year
came in the semifinals to
Conway Springs.
Wichita Collegiate, which
went unbeaten during the
regular season, returns
nine starters on both sides
of the ball.
Clifton-Clyde starts at
No. 1 in Eight-Man I with
five offensive starters
back. Clifton-Clyde lost 24-
16 in last year’s final to
Baileyville, which graduated
seven defensive
starters.
Madison (No. 3) and
Macksville (No. 5) were
semifinalists a year ago,
while No. 4 Claflin returns
seven starters on both sides
of the ball.
Hanover and Victoria
start the season at the top in
Eight-Man II – Hanover defeated
the Knights in last
year’s final.
Sharon Springs, at No. 3,
returns three all-league
players, but must rebuild itsline.
Ashland (No. 5) has
plenty of experience returning
on both sides of the
ball.
EIGHT-MAN II
1. Hanover
2. Victoria
3. Sharon Springs
4. Axtell
5. Ashland
6. Quivira Heights
7. South Haven
8. Haviland
9. St. Paul
10. St. John’s-Tipton
Others to watch: Cunningham,
Hope, Moscow, Norwich, Pawnee
Heights.