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.

Top Sunflower League Wide Receivers since 2000

David Leonard.  Photo courtesy
Nick Allen (2006).

*Disclaimer: No current Sunflower League players were eligible in the selection process.

1. David Leonard, SM West, 2004-2006

Leonard was basically an ATM (automatic touchdown machine) for SM West whenever they reached the redzone territory.  His fades routes to the corners of the endzones became legendary, as did his talents across Kansas.  In SM West's run-heavy offense Leonard combined to catch 53 passes for 930 yards and 19 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons, helping SM West to win 21 games in that time frame.  He went on to play at Wyoming where he became one of the top receivers in the history of the school.

2. Anthony Parks, Olathe East, 2001-2003

Parks was a star-performer on both sides of the ball and on special teams for Olathe East during his career.  As a senior he caught 42 passes for 750 yards and 11 touchdowns helping Olathe East to an undefeated regular season and Sectional Round playoff appearance.  He went on to player receiver at Oklahoma State after a stop at Butler County C.C., but his career was cut short when a visit to the hospital revealed that Parks only had one kidney, and continuing to play would risk injury to the kidney and possible death. 

3. Nathan Winslow, SM North, 1999-2001

I don't have any season stats for Winslow, but he was easily one of the top receivers the league over the past decade or so.  A good portion of John Martin's 4,000 career passing yards were to Winslow, and Winslow was an Class 6A All-State performer in his junior and senior seasons, helping SM North a Sub-State appearance in 2000.

4. Adam Parks, Olathe East, 2003-2005

Parks teamed up with Anthony Riley (who narrowly missed this list) to make one of the top receiver tandems in in the city in 2005.  Parks was the favorite target of quarterback Derek Miller in 2004 and 2005, as he used his small stature (5-foot-10, 165 lbs.) to find openings in opponents' secondaries.  He was arguably the top receiver in the metro in 2005, catching 41 passes for 652 yards and eight touchdowns.

5. David Lewis, SM South, 2000-2002

Lewis would have received alot more publicity had the SM South teams he was on done a little better during his time as a Raider.  As a senior he led the state of Kansas in receiving yardage with 1,141 yards on 65 catches in nine games.  His efforts helped SM South to a near defeat of Olathe North (who carried a 27-game winning streak when the two teams met that season) in week four.

Bryce Morris. Photo
courtesy the Lawrence
Journal World.

6. Bryce Morris, Olathe South, 2002-2004

Morris was a dominant possession receiver and he had a tremendous ability to go up and snag a ball over defenders--this ability likely carried over from his prowess on the basketball court.  As a senior he caught 40 passes for 659 yards and 11 touchdowns in helping Olathe South to a state championship game appearance. 

7. Elliot Faerber, SM East, 2009-2011

Over the course of his two seasons as a starter Faerber combined to catch 103 passes for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns despite battling several injuries as a senior.  He was an essential piece of the Lancers' playoff berths in 2010 and 2011 and next fall he'll be taking his talents to the University of Illinois to play receiver.

8. Willie Cauley, Olathe Northwest, 2011

Cauley used his extraordinarily tall 6-foot-10 frame to hover above SL defensive backs for his lone season of football at the high school level.  He caught 64 passes for 1,265 yards and 15 touchdowns this past year, and in doing so he helped Olathe Northwest to a 5-5 record and playoff berth.

9. Brett Woods, SM North, 2002-2004

Woods was Mack Brown's go-to receiver in 2004 as he caught 46 passes for 769 yards in the Indians' nine game season. Despite predecessors like Winslow, Drew Murrell and Brooks Faddis, Woods has gone down statistically as one of the best receivers in SM North school history.

10. LaDrew Murrell, SM North, 2000-2002

Murrell was another great SM North receiver in the early 2000s.  He capped off his career by catching 50 passes for just over 900 yards during the 2002 season, helping SM North to a Regional Round playoff berth.

2010 Player Spotlights: Nick Bandy

Nick Bandy
Olathe Northwest

Position: Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 165lbs.
Class: Senior

Stat to Note
In his career at Olathe Northwest, Bandy has caught 24 passes for 387 yards and five touchdowns, which equates to a wowing 16.1 yards per catch. He's also recorded 33 tackles and an interception defensively, in addition to manning the punting duties.

Scouting Report
What really stands out about Bandy is his ability to get yardage after the catch. He has tremendous speed to burn--he's been one of the fastest players in the league the past few seasons--and he seems to have a knack for alluding defenders.

The interesting thing is that Bandy is the type of kid who is faster in pads. While Rivals.com lists his forty time at a decent 4.69, he certainly looks like he possesses 4.5 speed with pads on. This phenomena was much the same with former SM West All-Decade receiver David Leonard, who ran an okay 4.75 forty, but outran most defenders with ease.

Bandy holds the preseason title as the top receiver in the Sunflower League for good reason. He certainly has the ability to keep that title if Olathe Northwest is able to get the ball in his hands enough in 2010. It will also be interesting to see how much Bandy develops his skills at the cornerback position.

Sunflower League All-Decade Team: David Leonard

Name: David Leonard
School: Shawnee Mission West
Graduated: 2007
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 175lbs.
Position: Wide Receiver


As a junior, David Leonard returned punts and kicks for SM West, in addition to being a starting receiver and cornerback. Leonard caught 12 touchdown passes on offense, while also picking off several passes from his defensive back position and returning several kicks for touchdowns. Leonard was developing a name as one of the biggest scoring threats in the Sunflower Conference, but he was overshadowed that season by the fact that he didn’t play for one of the pass happy teams in the conference. Despite this, Leonard’s contributions helped SM West to a 9-2 record, with the Vikings losing in the Sectional Round of the playoffs to Olathe East.

Leonard and SM West came back in 2006 with high expectations after having been named the pre-season pick for the top team in the conference. Leonard and company did not fail to live up to those expectations. SM West went 12-0 and advanced to face Hutchinson in the 6A State Championship game.

In the title game Leonard had a stellar performance, intercepting a pass, recording several tackles, catching six passes for 49 yards, and returning a kick to the Hutchinson 13 yard line in the fourth quarter, which led to the eventual tie of the score. SM West came up short, 21-14, but Leonard’s performance left a mark. Shortly after the game he was offered scholarships to play at Air Force and Wyoming. Leonard ultimately chose to play at Wyoming.

When the final stats were totaled on his senior year, Leonard’s statistics were eye popping. Defensively he came away with 35 tackles, five pass break ups, and six interceptions of which he compiled 144 return yards and one touchdown. Offensively Leonard had 563 yards receiving and 13 touchdown catches. In the special teams game he returned 24 punts for 300 yards and two touchdowns. Kick return wise Leonard averaged 26.3 yards per return and totaled 289 yards. For his efforts Leonard was named First-Team All-Class 6A, in addition to being named the KC Metro Sports Multi-Purpose player of the year. At Wyoming Leonard has been a starter at receiver since his freshman season, and recently made the game winning touchdown catch for the Cowboys in the New Mexico Bowl.

David Leonard Comes up Big

Former SM West star David Leonard caught what proved to be the game winning touchdown pass in overtime in Wyoming's 35-28 win over Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. Leonard has been Wyoming's most steady receiver throughout the season and he showed it in the bowl game with his seven catches for 60 yards and two touchdowns, including several big fourth down grabs. On the season Leonard caught 77 passes for 705 yards and three touchdowns. Congratulations to David.