Sunflower League 10-Year Report Cards: Part II

Free State Player Face
of the Decade.
Ryan Murphy. Rivals.

Lawrence Free State
Record: 69-38 
League Titles: 2006
State Titles: None
Coaches:
Bob Lisher (2003-2012): 69-38

Best Teams
1.) 2006, 11-1, Sub-State
Perhaps the most talented skill-position team the Sunflower League has ever seen, the Brian Murphy led Firebirds blazed to an 11-0 record before falling to undefeated SM West in Sub-State.

2.) 2008, 9-4, State Runner-Up
This team came out of nowhere after an 0-2 start.  The spark was 5-6, 170-pound dynamo quarterback Camren Torneden who was nearly untouchable in open field.

3.) 2012, 10-2, Sub-State
A seasoned group with speed to burn at nearly every position, this team gave Free State its third Sub-State berth in six years.

"What If ?" Moment
What if Free State hadn't begun the 2008 season 0-2, mandating a switch at the quarterback position from the hobbled Cameron Schmidt to the quarterback in waiting, Camren Torneden?  The rest, as they say, is history.  Torneden helped carry the Firebirds on his shoulders for two seasons, going 17-5 as a starter including a state championship appearance in 2008. He proved to be one of the league's most dynamic athletes over the past decade and none of that would have happened had Free State not had such a rough start in 2008.

"What was that?" Moment
This is a recent one.  In this year's Sub-State game against SM West, Free State opened with a walloping 16-play, 89-yard drive that ended in a touchdown and successful PAT.  The crazy thing was that all 16 plays were runs.  SM West answered with a touchdown.  When Free State got the ball back common sense would tell you they stuck with the running game.  But that's quite the opposite.  The Firebirds seemed to go into a panic mode, throwing the football time after time despite limited success.  And they never went back to the run game.  SM West cashed in, scoring 17 straight points to go to halftime up 24-7.  All told, the Firebirds completed just 4-of-18 passes on the night.

Olathe North Player Face
of the Decade
James Franklin

Olathe North
Record: 82-32
League Titles: 2004, '09, 2010
State Titles: 2003, '09
Coaches:
John McCall (2003-2004): 22-4
Dave Bassore (2005): 6-5
Pete Flood (2006-2011): 51-16
Gene Wier (2012): 3-7

Best Teams
1.) 2004, 12-1, State Runner-Up
 I still haven't seen a team who was as physically imposing or athletically gifted as this group of Eagles who fell in overtime in the 5A state title game.

2.) 2009, 13-0, State Champions
Led by Simone-winner James Franklin, this unit had no trouble capturing the 6A state title and closing out an impressive 31-5 three-year stretch.

3.) 2003, 10-3, State Champions
After a less-than-impressive 4-3 beginning the season, this gritty bunch rolled off six straight victories to claim a fourth-straight 6A title.

"What If ?" Moment
What if John McCall had stayed on as head coach following the 2004 season? Certainly he showed he could carry on the Olathe North tradition that had been established by his predecessor, Gene Wier, by going 22-4 with a state title in 2003 and a runner-up trophy in 2004.  Instead the program endured what I would call a tumultuous couple of years, all but killing the momentum of their dynasty years.

"What was that?" Moment
Olathe North's 2011 season is shrouded in mystery.  Let's take a look at the facts: a 5-0 start to 2011 gave the Eagles a 29-2 record over their previous 31 games.  The program was rolling.  Then out of nowhere the wheels came off.  The team finished the year with four straight losses, including a major upset to Olathe Northwest.  What's more, their roster was loaded with talent and experience and they didn't suffer any major injuries.  Players like Orange Mooney, Treshawn Root and Tanner Gentry were some of the best in the league.  Even more befuddling was head coach Pete Flood's resignation immediately following the close of week nine.  Flood  had more or less resurrected the program, taking over in 2006 and doing extremely well in his six-year tenure.

SM North Player Face
of the Decade
Mack Brown. Rivals.

SM North
Record: 24-68 
League Titles: None
State Titles: None
Coaches:
Sam Brown (2003-2004): 11-8
Ryan Majors (2005-2009): 9-36
Dennis Grayless (2010-2012): 4-24 

Best Teams
1.) 2003, 6-4, Regionals
The Indians might have been able to advance deep into the playoffs had they not run into the previously mentioned red-hot Blue Valley North team that made it to Sub-State.

2.) 2004, 5-4, no playoffs
Led by quarterback Mack Brown, the Indians fell short of the playoffs after losing to Blue Valley Northwest (7-3) and SM West (9-3) in district play.

3.) 2008, 3-6, no playoffs
Some thought this was going to be the prelude to a turnaround of the program under Ryan Majors. Instead they slipped and only won two games in 2009.

"What If ?" Moment
What if then head coach and current SM East athletic director Sam Brown hadn't stepped down as head coach of the Indians following the graduation of his son Mack after the 2004 season? My guess: SM North would still be a pretty competitive ballclub in the Sunflower League.  The Indians had gone a very respectable 30-19 under Brown from 2000 through 2004, including a 9-2 Sub-State berth in 2000.  It's interesting to think about how different things would be if SM North was actually a decent squad year in and year out, unlike their current status, coming off an 0-9 season.

"What was that?" Moment 
For SM North it's not such much a moment as a period of time.  For those who followed the league in the early 2000s, SM North was always a quality team with good athletes. When I entered high school in 2004 it was still like this, and the freshman class the school inherited that year was a talented group.  But things went sour after Brown's departure.  Perhaps the first bad omen was when James McFadden transferred to Rockhurst after his dominant freshman year at SM North.  McFadden went on to lead the Hawklets to a Missouri state title as a senior, garnering all-metro honors and in the process claiming an offer to attend FCS Southern Illinois.  Who knows what kind of impact he could have had with the right coaching in place at SM North.

SM Northwest Player
 Face of the Decade
Mike Rivera. Rivals.

SM Northwest
Record: 49-49
League Titles: 2007
State Titles: None
Coaches:
Scott Diebold (2003-2005): 12-17
Aaron Barnett (2006-2011): 35-25
Linn Hibbs (2012): 2-7

Best Teams
1.) 2003, 9-2, Sectionals
Led by current New England Patriots linebacker Mike Rivera and former Washington Redskins running back Ryan Torain, this team was loaded.

2.) 2007, 9-2, Sectionals
The combination of talents like Alex Carder, Bryce Atagi, Mark Fancher and Alex Murray made for the school's best run during the Aaron Barnett years.

3.) 2010, 6-5, Sectionals
Players like Drew Goodger and Kenny Mings helped the Cougars to a late-season run where they almost knocked off Olathe East in a rainy Sectional matchup.

"What If ?" Moment
What if stud running back and defender Bryce Atagi hadn't been dismissed from the program in week nine of 2008?  The Cougars had been impressive that year, sitting at 6-2 when he was dismissed and finishing the regular season at 7-2.  They went on to lose in Regionals to Lawrence Free State (who put together a nice run to the state title game) but the outcome could have been drastically different had Atagi still been on the roster.

"What was that?" Moment
The supposed forced resignation of former head coach Scott Diebold following the 2005 season is still laced with controversy.  What my sources have told me over the years is that the then parents of the SM Northwest sophomore class basically forced an in-house mutiny.  There appeared to be quite a bit of pressure on the athletic director to force the resignation.  How else do you justify firing a coach with 20 years of coaching experience at the school, two seasons removed from a 9-2 campaign, whose son was going to be a senior the following year? You don't.  The story is briefly outlined in this article. Diebold has served as the varsity linebackers coach at SM West since his resignation.

Sunflower League 10-Year Report Cards: Part I

Here's a three-part segment looking back on the last 10 years of football in the Sunflower League.  This report stretches from the 2003 season through this past season.  The next installment will include Free State, Olathe North, SM North and SM Northwest.  The final installment will include Olathe Northwest, Olathe South, SM South and SM West.

Leavenworth Player Face
of the Decade.
Adam Booth. Rivals.

Leavenworth

Record: 15-76

League Titles: None

State Titles: None

Coaches:

Eddie Minor (2003): 1-8

Tom Young (2004-2005): 4-14
Rick Pollard (2006): 0-9
Chad Speer (2007-2009): 3-24
Kevin Kopecky (2010-2012): 7-21

Best Teams

1.) 2004, 4-5, no playoffs

Led by quarterback/linebacker Adam Booth, the Pioneers managed their best season in decades and played some top teams pretty close.

2.) 2012, 4-5, no playoffs
Year-three of Kevin Kopecky's tenure displayed a well-rounded, fast and physical team that missed a playoff berth because of a tough district.

3.) 2011, 2-8, Regionals
The Pioneers' only playoff berth of the past decade came on the heels of an easy district set up.

"What If ?" Moment
What if Kopeky had never left St. Thomas Aquinas? In his three years at the helm the former STA coach has given Leavenworth a new identity, and facing the Pioneers is no longer an easy victory.  The program is definitely on the rise thanks to Kopecky's efforts.

"What was that?" Moment
In week five of the 2007 season, Leavenworth hosted SM West for its homecoming game.  The Pioneers unveiled two new defensive lineman who looked to be around 6-foot-2, 280-pounds a pop.  And they were good.  Really good.  Neither player had appeared on Leavenworth's game film from earlier in the season, and neither made a blip on any film footage for the rest of the year.  It remains a mystery in my circle of friends to this day.

Lawrence Player Face
of the Decade.
Brad Strauss.

Lawrence

Record: 53-49

League Titles: None

State Titles: None
Coaches:
Dirk Wedd (2003-2012): 53-49

Best Teams
1.) 2005, 10-2, Sub-State
Tough, hard-nosed and physical, this LHS team punched you in the mouth and played great defense.  A late Sub-State comeback kept them out of the state game.

2.) 2012, 8-3, Sectionals
The Chesty Lions' heralded class of 2013, led by do everything quarterback Brad Strauss, featured one of the most prominent spread attacks in league history.

3.) 2011, 6-4, Regionals
An injury late in the season to Strauss kept LHS from reaching their full potential come playoff time, but they still did well for the year.

"What If ?" Moment
What if the Chesty Lions had beat Olathe East in the 2005 Sub-State game and faced Hutchinson in the title game?  If you haven't followed the Sunflower League for very long here's a quick history lesson: LHS used to run an unblanced line, featuring a center, two guards, three tackles and a tight end, in front of an I-Formation.  Basically the definition of smash-mouth football.  Personally, I think they would have matched up much better with Hutchinson than the Pro-Style Olathe East.

"What was that?" Moment
Up until the 2006 season, LHS players weren't allowed to wear football gloves.  And they certainly weren't allowed to wear wristbands or any other flare.  The Chesty Lions have come a long way since then, with players now wearing gloves, visors and sleeves and they even added a triple-stripe to their pants design this year.  Not to mention an offense that is a complete 180 from what they used to run.

Olathe East Player Face
 of the Decade.
Derek Miller. Rivals.

Olathe East

Record: 88-34

League Titles: 2003, '05, '08, 2010

State Titles: None

Coaches:
Jeff Meyers (2003-2012): 88-34

Best Teams
1.) 2005, 12-1, State Runner-Up
Fate seemed to be on the Hawks' side as they made their way to the title game undefeated. When Derek Miller tossed four first half interceptions in the title game I knew that fate was over.

2.) 2003, 10-1, Sectionals
Led by Miller, Andre Jones, Anthony Parks and Todd Haselhorst, the Hawks' loss in Sectionals to a 5-5 Blue Valley North team is arguably the biggest league upset of the last decade.

3.) 2010, 10-2, Sub-State
A two-headed rushing attack led by Brandon Willingham and Austin Fulson wasn't enough to earn a shot at game No. 13.

"What If ?" Moment
What if Olathe East had taken care of business and defeated Blue Valley North in Sectionals in 2003? The win would have created a matchup with Olathe North in Sub-State, a team Olathe East had beaten 28-27 earlier that year.  It would have also been a rematch of the 2002 Sub-State game that Olathe East lost on a botched field goal snap late in the game.  You can't tell me Olathe East wouldn't have been fired up and ready to go in the same situation a year later.

"What was that?" Moment
Miller managed to go 31-4 as the starting quarterback from 2003-2005.  How Olathe East didn't win a state title in one of those three years remains an unknown. Upset playoff losses to Blue Valley North in 2003 and SM West in 2004 didn't help.

SM East Player Face
of the Decade.
John Schrock. Rivals.

SM East

Record: 47-51
League Titles: 2010
State Titles: None
Coaches:
John Stonner (2003-2008): 22-35
Chip Sherman (2009-2012): 25-16

Best Teams
1.) 2010, 8-2, Regionals
Had quarterback John Schrock not broken his collar bone late in the season the Lancers might have been the favorite to represent East Class 6A in the title game.

2.) 2012, 7-3, Regionals
The Lancers boasted a physical defense with a solid core of skill position players on offense. A late-season funk saw them lose three of five.

3.) 2005, 6-4, Regionals
A solid core led by players like the Condie Twins, Brett and Bryant, and Kelly Zumbehl came up just short of beating Olathe South in Regionals.

"What If ?" Moment
What if Schrock hadn't busted up his collar bone against SM West in week eight of the 2010 regular season?  There's no guarantee the Lancers would have advanced past Olathe South in Regionals, but Schrock was a dominant quarterback and it would have been nice to see him play in that game.

"What was that?" Moment
One name.  Terrance Thomas.  One of the best athletes to go through the Shawnee Mission School District--he ran a 10.4 in the 100 meters in 2006 to claim the invidual 6A title as a sophomore--Thomas was more myth than anything.  The unsubstantiated claim was that he was two years older than the class of 2008 and that he turned 20 a week after his senior football season ended.  He never dominated in football (or basketball) in high school the way you would have expected him to.  He will forever remain an unsolved puzzle in Sunflower League lore.

2012 Sunflower League Wrap Up

Will Thompson. LJWorld.

Surprise Teams

SM East: I slotted the Lancers at seventh in my Preseason Power Rankings. It wasn't that I thought they'd be bad, it's just that the league looked stockpiled ahead of them and they didn't return a ton of experience.  The Lancers proved to be the league's darling (no pun intended) for the first half of the season and finished at a very respectable 7-3.

SM West: I had the Vikings slotted at fifth overall to begin the season, but they improved steadily and exceeded my preseason expectations.  Exceeded is probably an understatement as they came away with the 6A title.

Surprise Players

Brett Sterbach, SM West: Sterbach was solid a junior, rushing for just 1,059 yards and eight touchdowns.  But it's hard to say anyone saw his 2,228-yard, 22-touchdown season coming this year.

Will Thompson, Lawrence: There wasn't much talk of Thompson in the preseason and it's fair to say he came out of nowhere to have an extraordinary year.  All told he caught 43 passes for 829 yards and six touchdowns in addition to making 43 tackles.
 
Highest Scoring Output: Leavenworth dropped 62 points on the Wyandotte Bulldogs in week nine.

How the Top Storylines Played Out

Jordan Darling's transfer to SM East: The Kansas commit played solid in his first and only season with the Lancers.  He completed 62% of his passes for 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns in helping lead SM East to its third winning season in as many years.  On the flip side he didn't exactly dominate on a weekly basis they way it was thought he might be able to.

Gene Wier's return to Olathe North: There were highs (beating Olathe South to make the playoffs) and there were lows (opening with four straight losses) but all in all Wier's return to Olathe North went about as expected.  What's more, the team really developed its young talent which should pay dividends starting next season.

Olathe South's bid to repeat as 6A state champs: Let's be honest--the Falcons had a Texas-sized target on their backs every time they laced 'em up.  They were "rewarded" for their state title with one of the most tumultuous schedules in the league which included trips to Lawrence Free State, SM East and Lawrence in successive weeks, not to mention a road game at Gardner-Edgerton in week seven.  They finished at 5-4 with no playoff bid.  The inability to find replacements for their top speed players from 2011 (Jordan Ward, Teddy Colbert and Drew Johnson) and a tough schedule proved to be too much to overcome.

Top Storylines for 2013

The best crop of lineman talent the league has ever seen?: Olathe South's Braden Smith is being courted by virtually every college football program in America.  SM West's Austin Chambers has an offer from Kansas and probably several more on the way.  Free State's Fred Wyatt has an offer from Northwestern, and like Chambers will probably see his offer list grow this offseason.  Meanwhile, two other First Team All-Sunflower League picks in SM East's Dominique Atkinson and SM West's Lee Spight return along the defensive lines and Lawrence's Kyle Wittman, a Second Team pick, returns on the offensive side of the ball.  We'll have some tremendous battles in the trenches to look forward to.

SM West's bid to repeat as 6A state champs: The Vikings have a ton of returning talent but so did Olathe South this year and we saw how that turned out.  The Vikes will experience what it's like to be the biggest game on every team's schedule.  And then there's the million-dollar question: who steps in to replace Brett Sterbach?

How Lawrence responds to losing their talented senior class: Names like Brad Strauss, Erick Mayo, Kharon Brown, Drake Hofer and Will Thompson, among others, will be gone with graduation.  We'll quickly find out how well the Chesty Lions are prepared for football without their talented class of 2013.

Way-Too-Early Top Three for 2013

1. SM West: The Vikings return three First Team All-Sunflower League selections in Austin Chambers, Andre Maloney and Lee Spight, in addition to the rest of a roster which is loaded with talent and experience from the 2012 state championship run.  

2. Lawrence Free State: First Team All-Sunflower League pick Joe Dineen will take over the quarterbacking duties leading a team that will undoubtedly be a contender for the state title again in 2013.

3. Olathe North: Head coach Gene Wier spent 2012 honing his team's young talent.  They took some lumps early on but matured towards season's end.  They should be able to parlay the experience into a dominant squad in 2013.

Way-Too-Early Top Three Player Ratings for 2013

1. Joe Dineen, Lawrence Free State: Dineen has been waiting for three years to take the reins at the quarterback position.  He'll still be one of the league's top defensive backs, but the addition of starting at quarterback will make him a preseason Simone candidate.

2. Venus Triplett, Olathe North: A dominant running back from Olathe North? Haven't heard that one before... we'll see what kind of an impact Triplett can make in his second full season as the Eagles' top player.  Gene Wier knows running backs.

3. Andre Maloney, SM West:  If he's not the league's fastest returning player he's definitely the most exciting.  After making the All-State and All-Simone teams as a junior, Maloney is primed for a colossal senior year if he can continue to put on weight and gain strength in the offseason.

Class 6A All-State and All-Simone Selections

Braden Smith. Rivals.com

 Here's a look at the post season honors Sunflower League players have received thus far.

All-Simone Team

Brad Strauss, Lawrence, Quarterback
Brett Sterbach, SM West, Running Back
Connor Rellihan, SM East, Wide Receiver
Austin Chambers, SM West, Offensive Line
Braden Smith, Olathe South, Offensive Line
Andre Maloney, SM West, Defensive Back
Kyle McFarland, Free State, Defensive Back

Topeka Capital Journal 

Top 11 (all classes)
Braden Smith, Olathe South, Offensive Line
Cody Stanclift, Free State, Offensive Line
Brett Sterbach, SM West, Running Back
Brad Strauss, Lawrence, Quarterback

All-State Class 6A
Connor Rellihan, SM East, Wide Receiver
Austin Chambers, SM West, Offensive Line
Braden Smith, Olathe South, Offensive Line
Cody Stanclift, Free State, Offensive Line
Brad Strauss, Lawrence, Quarterback 
Gabe Guild, SM South, Running Back
Brett Sterbach, SM West, Running Back 
Kharon Brown, Lawrence, Defensive Line
Andre Maloney, SM West, Defensive Back
Kyle McFarland, Free State, Defensive Back

Wichita Eagle 

Top 11 (all classes)
Braden Smith, Olathe South, Offensive Line
Cody Stanclift, Free State, Offensive Line
Brett Sterbach, SM West, Running Back
Brad Strauss, Lawrence, Quarterback

All-State Class 6A
Connor Rellihan, SM East, Wide Receiver
Austin Chambers, SM West, Offensive Line
Braden Smith, Olathe South, Offensive Line
Cody Stanclift, Free State, Offensive Line
Brad Strauss, Lawrence, Quarterback
Brett Sterbach, SM West, Running Back
Kharon Brown, Lawrence, Defensive Tackle
Kyle McFarland, Free State, Defensive Back