Top Sunflower League Defensive Backs since 2000

Dustin Moomau

1. Dustin Moomau, Olathe North, 2002-2004

Moomau holds the Olathe North record for career interceptions with 19, and that very well could be the top number among any Sunflower League school.  He helped Olathe North to three state championship appearances as the starting safety, and he was your prototypical ballhawking defensive back.

2. Kyson Ginavan, Olathe South, 2005-2007

Ginavan, also a safety, was tremendous in run support which is part of the reason he ranks so high on the list.  He combined for 200 tackles and five interceptions in his junior and senior seasons, helping Olathe South to a state championship appearance in 2007.

 3. Anthony Parks, Olathe East, 2001-2003

Parks was a great all-around athlete on the football field, but he might have had the best individual season of any defensive back as a junior in 2002.  During that season he snagged 11 interceptions, four of which came in a week five game against SM North.

4. Junior Williams, Olathe East, 2009-2011

In his junior and senior seasons, Williams combined to collect 10 interceptions.  It wasn't just the quantity of interceptions that made him special, but rather when he made big plays.  Three of his seven interceptions as a senior came while covering the 6-foot-10 Willie Cauley of Olathe Northwest in an all-important Regional Round playoff game.

5. Derahn Williams, Olathe East, 2006-2008

Despite being a bit undersized (he was generously listed at 5-foot-9) Williams proved to be yet another lockdown corner for Olathe East.  In 21 games as a junior and a senior he combined to intercept 14 passes, becoming the top shutdown corner in the league in the late 2000s.

Adam Parks

6. Adam Parks, Olathe East, 2003-2005

Much the way he did on the offensive side of the ball, Parks' shiftiness allowed him to be one of the top players in the league.  He used his agility on defense to shut down some of the league's top receivers as a senior and with Derek Miller playing behind him at safety, Parks was able to take more risks.

7. Andre Jones, Olathe East, 2002-2004

Technique wise Jones wasn't exactly the greatest cornerback in the history of the league but his freakish athletic ability made up for the lack of fundamentals.  As a senior in 2004 he intercepted eight passes including three in one game against SM East.

8. Sean Hammons, Olathe South, 1999-2001

Hammons recorded 12 career interceptions, including seven in his senior season.  His efforts as a senior earned him all-metro and all-state honors.  He was among the group of top-flight talent from Olathe South that failed to make the playoffs in 2000 and 2001 because they were in the same district as the mighty teams from Olathe North.

9. Jonathan Lamb, Olathe North, 1999-2001

Lamb is one of the more unheralded players of the Olathe North dynasty of the early 2000s, and some of that may have to do with the fact that he missed all of the 2001 playoffs with a broken hand.  Regardless, he was a stellar defensive back who on two separate occasions intercepted three passes in a single game.

10. Codi Willard, Olathe North, 2001-2003

Willard wasn't the most athletic defensive back we've ever seen but he was a solid corner and he helped Olathe North to three consecutive state championships during his time on the varsity level.  As a senior in 2003 he snagged seven interceptions, including the game sealing interception in the state championship against Hutchinson.

2010 Player Spotlights: Brandon Willingham

Brandon Willingham
Olathe East

Positions: Running Back/Defensive Back
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 180lbs.
Class: Senior

Stat to Note
Last season Willingham split time at running back with senior Hayden Groves, and still managed to come away with 909 rushing yards on 128 carries. Willingham was even more of a stud in the secondary recording 64 tackles and two interceptions to garner First Team All-Sunflower League honors as a defensive back.

Scouting Report
Willingham, a native of Boynton Beach, Fla., was one of the most consistent playmakers in the Sunflower League as a junior and there is no reason to expect any different in 2010. Willingham's game is a very unique, and when you watch him play its hard to put a finger on what it is that makes him such a talented player.

Willingham's speed is good, but he doesn't necessarily possess the "after burners" of former Olathe East greats Andre Jones or Dee Bell--and Willingham is also a bit undersized for his positions. What does jump out about him is a sort of smoothness he displays on the field.

As a running back Willingham is deceptively shifty and always seems to be one step ahead of the defense. He is a patient ballcarrier who always seems to be able to find a crease in the defense. As a defensive back Willingham isn't afraid of contact, as evidence by his 64 tackles as a junior.

After starting on both sides of the ball for a season Willingham should be primed for a huge senior campaign. Willingham's rushing (909 yards) and interception (2) totals should show significant increases in 2010.

Sunflower League All-Decade Team: Andre Jones

Name: Andre Jones
School: Olathe East
Graduated: 2005
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185lbs.
Position: Defensive Back

On October 10, 2002, KC Metro Sports was covering what appeared to be a modest matchup between SM North, 4-1, and Olathe East, 3-2. The game ended up being one for the ages with Olathe East winning 23-17. Perhaps the biggest play of the night was that of sophomore Andre Jones. Jones took a toss play to the right, made a cut across the grain, found a seam and ran over 70 yards for a touchdown that put Olathe East up for good in the fourth quarter. The run was Jones’ first major play on varsity scene, but certainly not his last.

Jones built on his success as a junior in 2003, churning out over 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns, leaving defenses dumbfounded on how to stop the athletic specimen. In addition to his offensive numbers, Jones was working on the defensive side of the ball at becoming a shut down corner. His skill set helped Olathe East to the Sectional round of the playoffs where the Hawks were upset by Blue Valley North, 21-16. The lone highlight on the upset night for the Hawks was Jones’ 73 yard touchdown run on their opening possession. Jones was selected as an All-State performer in Class 6A as a junior.

Jones came back as a senior with the goal of finally making it to a state championship. Jones was the leader for Olathe East in 2004, helping the team to cap off an 8-1 regular season. On the year Jones rushed for over 1,000 yards, and scored over 25 touchdowns via run, catch, and kickoff return. However, his prowess defensively stood out the most. Jones was the Sunflower Conference’s premier corner in 2004, leading the conference with eight interceptions, including a three interception night against SM East in week three.

Jones and Olathe East fell short in the playoffs, however, in the Sectional round once again in 2004, losing to SM West 21-0. Following the season Jones was once again voted All-State Class 6A as a defensive back, in addition to being a nominee for the Simone Award, and winning the title as KC Metro Sports Offensive Player of the Year. Following graduation Jones went on to spend a semester at Central Missouri, before transferring to Butler County Community College.

(Here is a Youtube highlight package of Jones' career at Olathe East. His big time run as a sophomore that I mentioned can be seen at the 3:33 mark of the video.)

Q and A Session

Q: Which stadium is the best in the Sunflower League?

A: The new stadiums being built in Lawrence appear to be state of the art, and the new SM North stadium is as nice of a facility as you can find in Kansas. However, I would still maintain that the charm of the Olathe District Activities Center (ODAC) is undeniable. The drive through the cornfields to the stadium adds to the mystique, and the stadium itself has housed countless All-State players and championship teams. Also, ODAC still fields a grass playing surface, something that is becoming more and more uncommon in Johnson County, and around the state of Kansas. Given all of the history, and the certain "field of dreams" aura the stadium holds, I would have to give ODAC the nod for the top stadium.

Q: Which football team is the best of the decade?

A: This isn't too tough of a question, because most all signs point to the 2000 Olathe North team as the most dominant. I could go on all day about how talented the team was, but I can sum it up much quicker with a few statistical measures:

• Olathe North's top two running backs in 2000--senior Darren Sproles (right) and junior Maurice Mack--combined to total 3,464 rushing yards and 60 rushing touchdowns that season.
  
• Olathe North scored 35 or more points in 11 of their 12 games.


• Olathe North's defense gave up, on average, 8.2 points per game.

Forget top team in the conference for the decade, that Olathe North team was the best team in the state of Kansas the past 10 years. They ended the 2000 season on a high note, beating Manhattan in the 6A title game by a score of 42-7. Sproles has five touchdown runs in that title game.

Q: What is the best rivalry?

A: I have stated this before, and I will state it again--the Lawrence vs. Lawrence Free State game is truly the biggest rivalry game in the Sunflower League. I didn't realize the magnitude of the contest until I spent my freshman year of college at KU in Lawrence, and was able to experience first hand the competitiveness between the two schools. Just in case you're interested, the two teams square off October 23.

Q: When will the 6A State crown return the Sunflower League?

A: Presumable this upcoming season. Olathe North won the title from 2000 through 2003, and since then, the league is 0-5 in the 6A title game. The good news is that there doesn't appear to be a dominate 6A team on the Central or Western part of the state in 2009. If the East side of the state (and more specifically the Sunflower League) is going to regain the title it needs to be this year. With Hutch likely returning to 6A in 2010, the title will only become more competitive next year.

Q: What game has had the biggest impact on the Sunflower League the past 10 years?

A: The game I would point to would be the 2003 match up between Olathe North and SM North. Gene Wier had departed Olathe North to become the head coach at Richland High School in Texas, and meanwhile John McCall was in his first game as the head coach of Olathe North. On the other side of the coin, SM North was coached by chiseled veteran Sam Brown. Brown was returning one of his best Indian teams in his tenure, and on that night they had Olathe North's number. The game was a rather boring contest, filled with sloppy play and uncontrolled nerves. In the end, SM North won the game 7-6, snapping Olathe North's win streak at 38 games.

What came of the game? Olathe North went 10-3 and won the 6A state championship that year, but things just didn't seem the same without Weir at the helm. The following year Olathe North looked like the best team in the state of Kansas for 12 weeks before falling the state championship game. John McCall left to join Wier's staff in Texas following the 2004 season. SM North finished 2003 with a record of 6-3, and then went 5-4 in Brown's last season at SM North in 2004. Brown returned to coach his Alma mater, Excelsior Springs High School, where he has remained the head man since 2005.

Q: What game has been the biggest upset of the decade?

A: This one is difficulty to figure for sure, but I would go with SM West's defeat of Olathe East in the 2004 Sectional Round of the playoffs. SM West had gone 2-7 in 2003, before changing things around in 2004 and completing the regular season 7-2. Olathe East on the other hand was as loaded as ever. They had gone 8-1 during the regular season, and looked primed to take the 6A title. In fact, nearly every media pundit in the area was choosing Olathe East to win the game.

What happened? Olathe East came out cold, and SM West came out on fire. SM West's Andrew Patch caught a deep touchdown pass early in the first quarter to give SM West a 7-0 lead, a lead which they would hold throughout. A couple DJ Barnett touchdowns gave the Vikings a 21-0 lead when the final whistle blew. Perhaps the craziest thing about that game was that Olathe East's do-it-all freak, Andre Jones, was held to a mere 18 yards rushing. SM West lost to Olathe South the next week in the State Semi-finals, but their shutout upset over the Hawks still ranks as my top upset of the decade.