Top Sunflower League All-Purpose Athletes since 2000

Torneden alluding a defender.

1. Camren Torneden, Lawrence Free State, 2007-2009

Torneden started at quarterback, cornerback and acted as Free State's primary return man in his junior and senior seasons.  During that time he combined for over 5,000 yards of total offense, and just over 50 total touchdowns.

2. Brooks Faddis, SM North, 2001-2003

In his sophomore and junior seasons Faddis mixed in playing time at the quarterback, wide receiver and cornerback positions, in addition to returning punts.  He was an all-state selection in 2002 as a quarterback after combining for 25 touchdowns, then he followed that up with an all-state selection as a senior in 2003 at the wide receiver position.

3. Jason Santifer, Olathe South, 1999-2001

Santifer literally did it all for Olathe South.  Combining his junior and senior seasons, he totaled 60 catches for 754 yards and four touchdowns, 71 carries for 711 yards and six touchdowns, 84 tackles, eight interceptions and four kickoff returns for touchdowns. 

4. David Leonard, SM West, 2004-2006

Leonard's outstanding senior season really bumped him up this list.  During that year he played wide receiver, cornerback and returned kicks and punts.  He totaled 1,296 yards of total offense, 16 touchdowns (13 receiving, two on punt returns and one on an interception), 49 tackles and five interceptions.  He caught 25 touchdown passes in his junior and senior seasons combined.

5. Dustin Moomau, Olathe North, 2002-2004

With his placement on this list, Moomau found his way onto three different lists (Quarterback, Defensive Back and All-Purpose), but it's fitting.  In three years on Olathe North's varsity he totaled over 3,000 yards of total offense in addition to 19 interceptions.

6. Maurice Mack, Olathe North, 1999-2001

Mo Mack won the Simone Award because of his prowess on offense as a running back, but it's no coincidence he played linebacker at the next level.  In addition to his combined 3,068 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons, he also tallied nine career interceptions as a defensive back.
 
7. Brandon Willingham, Olathe East, 2008-2010

Willingham was primarily known for his role as a running back, but he also made huge contributions on the defensive side of the ball.  In his junior and senior seasons he combined to rush for 2,623 yards, in addition to recording 104 tackles and two interceptions.

8. Byce Atagi, SM Northwest, 2006-2008

SM Northwest head coach Aaron Barnett called Atagi the best player in the Sunflower League in 2008 and from a versatility standpoint he was dead on.  Atagi totaled 3,070 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns in his career with the Cougars, despite missing several games towards the end of his senior season.  He was also a dominant figure on the defensive side of the ball.

9. Ryan Murphy, Lawrence Free State, 2004-2006

Murphy played quarterback and cornerback during his time with the Firebirds.  In his junior and senior seasons he combined to pass for 3,518 yards, rush for 1,710 yards and score 50 touchdowns.  He also had six takeaways on defense as a senior.

10. Mark Fancher, SM Northwest, 2006-2008

Fancher was a track star who translated well onto the football field... or maybe it was the other way around?  Either way, his speed was second to none during his time in the league.  He played wide receiver, defensive back and returned kicks and punts for the Cougars in his junior and senior seasons, accumulating touchdowns at will.

Great Week One Games of the Past

Ryan Torain had a quiet junior season in
2002 at SM Northwest, but he broke out in
week one of the 2003 season and went on to
rush for over 1,900 yards.  He then starred at
Arizona State, and now he plays for the
Washington Redskins.

Sure the first week of the season doesn't hold playoff implications, but many times it is a tremendous gauge for the new star players and top teams of the Sunflower League.  Here is a look back through the decade at some of the top games and performances from week one games (this year's first Friday of play is September 2).

2003 - SM Northwest 36, Lawrence Free State 15, at SM North District Stadium

SM Northwest's Ryan Torain, currently a running back with the Washington Redskins, truly welcomed himself to the Sunflower League with a monster game in which he rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns on runs of 73, 31, eight and 25 yards.  He added a fifth touchdown on a 95-yard kickoff return.

2003 - SM North 7, Olathe North 6, at ODAC

Did this game prove to be such a bad omen for Olathe North? No, they still claimed the 2003 6A state title after battling through a three-loss season, but it certainly showed the Eagles, and the league, that things were going to be different without Gene Wier.  Olathe North added two early field goals and maintained a 6-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter.  SM North was able to put together a drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mack Brown to Brooks Faddis.  SM North added the extra point and held on to end Olathe North's 38-game winning streak.

2004 - SM West 19, SM South 14, at SM South District Stadium

To most SM West faithful this was the sort of "turning point" in the program in the mid-2000s.  SM South scored an early touchdown to jump up 7-0.  SM West responded with a touchdown of their own, but they botched the extra point.  Next, SM South's Eric Monroe scooped up a fumble (one of six SM West fumbles that day) and took it 53 yards for a touchdown midway through the game to put SM South up again, 14-6.  SM West responded with two touchdowns, one of which came in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter, to claim the lead and the victory.  SM West would reel off wins in eight of their next 11 games in 2004.

2005 - Olathe South 21, Olathe North 14, at ODAC

Olathe North had waxed the floor with Olathe South in 2004, winning 31-7 in a blowout.  Olathe North lost quite a bit of talent (and their head coach John McCall) but most felt the Eagles would reload as usual--that proved to be quite wrong.  Olathe South was able to hold off the Eagles by a touchdown, much because of senior running back Devin Cummings who had rushing scores of 47 and nine yards that day.  Olathe North went on to lose their first three games and finish a lowly 6-5 (lowly by Olathe North standards that is).  Olathe South put together a very solid 9-2 season, losing in Sectionals to Lawrence.

Olathe South got off to a good start in 2007 with their
opening game win against Free State.  The team finished
the regular season with a 6-3 record, but won three games
in the playoffs to reach the state title game.  The finished
the season with a 9-4 record as the 6A state runner-up.

2007 - Olathe South 34, Lawrence Free State 27, at Haskell Stadium

Olathe South might have generated more hype prior to the 2007 season than just about any team I've seen.  The Falcons were wizards in 7-on-7 during the summer months and they even won a national tournament hosted at the University of Nebraska.  The Falcons were the unanimous choice as the top team in the league by the coaches. 

In this game they looked the part--quarterback Mike Keese passed for 289 yards and three touchdowns and the best part was that the Falcon defense didn't even have to show up and they still won!  That turned out to be the team's achilles heel as they lost three regular season games that year, all three times allowing 20 or more points.  They got their act together in the playoffs and fought their way to the title game where they fell short against Hutchinson.  One thing's for sure--this team was an juggernaut when it came to passing the football.

2009 - Olathe North 71, Leavenworth 6, at Abeles Field

Unlike most of the previous games this one wasn't even close.  However, this game was kind of the moment where the SL collectively realized that Olathe North was going to be good... really good.  Simone Award winner James Franklin had his most modest stat line of the season in this game rushing for a mere 132 yards and two touchdowns, and current K-State linebacker Tre Walker added three rushing touchdowns of his own.  This was the start of Olathe North run to a perfect 13-0 record and 6A state championship crown.

Sunflower League All-Decade Team: Brooks Faddis

Name: Brooks Faddis
School: Shawnee Mission North
Graduated: 2004
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 170lbs.
Position: Athlete

With Brooks Faddis the question wasn’t about what position he was playing, but rather how much damage he was going to inflict on the opposition. Faddis, who possessed some of the best wheels of any player during the decade, was along with Anthony Parks only the second player on the list to gain All-State recognition in two different years at two different positions.

Everyone in the SM North program knew Faddis was a special talent, but it wasn’t until the fifth game of the 2001 season (Faddis’ sophomore year) against SM South that the KC metro really knew about him. Splitting duties at the quarterback, receiver, defensive back, and return positions, Faddis had a game for the ages. He caught five touchdown passes of 41, 20, 78, 46, and 25 yards, threw a 35 yard touchdown pass, rushed for 25 yards, returned a punt for 40 yards, and intercepted a pass. His five touchdown catches had come among nine catches for 289 yards. Faddis’ performance in the game earned him national recognition with Scout.com where he was mentioned for having had one of the best games of the 2001 season. SM North failed to make the playoffs, but Faddis received All-Sunflower League honors for his efforts.

As a junior in 2002, Faddis started at quarterback, defensive back, and returned punts. With Faddis as the signal caller SM North won their district, before losing in the Regional round of the playoffs, finishing 6-4. Faddis passed for 15 touchdowns and rushed for 10, and was named First Team All-State Class 6A at the quarterback position following the season.

As a senior in 2003 Faddis was converted back to his more natural position of receiver on offense, while young gun junior Mack Brown took over at quarterback. Faddis also started at defensive back and as a return man.

Faddis and Co. had the first game of the 2003 season circled on their calendars all offseason. The game was against Olathe North, who was coming off a third straight 6A state championship and boasting a 38 game win streak. The head coach of Olathe North’s dynasty, Gene Wier, had left to coach in Texas following the 2002 season, and long time Olathe North assistant John McCall had taken over the head coaching duties prior to the 2003 season. With the majority of the Kansas City metro rooting for an upset, SM North delivered. The game was relative stalemate throughout, but it was a 15 yard touchdown catch by Faddis that gave SM North the necessary points to win. The Indians ended Olathe North’s win streak with a 7-6 victory.

SM North once again went 6-4 and lost in the first round of the playoffs, but Faddis’ efforts were well documented. After the season he was named First Team All-State Class 6A as a receiver, his second consecutive year on the team. Faddis went on to play at Central Missouri, where he enjoyed success early on as a receiver before several knee injuries ended his playing career.