Top Sunflower League Linebackers since 2000

Mike Rivera.  Photo courtesy
Rivals.com

1. Mike Rivera, SM Northwest, 2001-2003

I am considering changing my annual Defensive Player of the Year Award to the "Rivera Award," to honor Rivera, who is arguably one of the best defensive players to ever play in the league.  As a junior Rivera tallied 125 tackles and took home first team all-state honors.  He improved as a senior collecting 149 tackles and once again taking home first team all-state honors.  To this day I haven't seen as good of a linebacker in the league, or state for that matter, as what I witnessed from Rivera in 2003.  Check out his highlights from his days at SM Northwest if you aren't convinced.

2. Royal Whitaker, Olathe North, 1999-2001

Whitaker is sometimes overlooked when the legends from Olathe North are brought up, but that won't happen here.  The heart and soul of the Eagles defense in 2001, Whitaker totaled 125 tackles (63 solo) for a defensive unit that gave up a mere 5.4 points a game and recorded five shutouts en route to winning the 6A state championship.

3. Justin Dyer, Olathe South, 1999-2001

Dyer was a physical freak to say the least.  On the wrestling mat he was a three-time state champion and he went on to wrestle in college at Oklahoma.  On the football field he was one of the best linebackers in the league's history and he put up incredible numbers.  As a sophomore he racked up 173 tackles, then he followed that up by making 117 tackles as a junior.  He added 62 tackles as a senior, but much of the drop off was because he was promoted to quarterback midway through the season and it took away from his time on defense.

4. Blake Lawrence, SM West, 2004-2006

Lawrence made quite a name for himself with his torpedo-like hits that he dished out in his two primary seasons as a starter (2005-2006).  In those two years he accumulated 150 tackles, six sacks, four forced fumbles and three interceptions.  He was also a stellar quarterback and he was a Simone Award finalist in 2006.  Lawrence went on to play linebacker at Nebraska, but his collegiate career was cut short after a series of concussions.  In his senior year at SM West he was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" with this accompanying highlight video.

5. Brandon McAnderson, Lawrence, 2000-2002

While McAnderson went on to be a solid running back at the University of Kansas, many figured he'd play linebacker at the collegiate level following an outstanding high school career as a middle linebacker.  McAnderson was a First Team All-Sunflower League performer as a linebacker and a running back in both his junior and senior seasons.  As a senior he also garnered first team all-state honors as a linebacker after posting 132 tackles and leading Lawrence to a 8-3 record.


Tony Ritzman.  Photo courtesy the
Shawnee Disptach.

6. Tony Ritzman, SM West, 2005-2007

Ritzman was one of the few players since 2000 to have accumulated over 300 tackles during his high school career.  He earned a starting spot as SM West's "Mike" linebacker in the early part of the 2005 season and he held the title for the rest of his career with the Vikings.  During that time period he helped SM West to a 26-7 record.  All told he racked up 324 tackles, caused four fumbles, made three sacks and snagged three interceptions in his three seasons as a starter.

7. Scott Penny, Lawrence, 2003-2005

Quite a few members of Lawrence High's class of 2006 football team are remembered following the team's 10-2 campaign, but it is Penny who is most remembered as the standout on the defensive side of the football.  During the Chesty Lions' 12-game 2005 season, Penny recorded 144 tackles to lead the league.  His efforts earned him first team all-state honors.

8. Kyle Swartz, Olathe North, 2008-2010

Swartz helped lead Olathe North to state title appearances in 2009 and 2010.  As a senior in 2010 he totaled 148 tackles with three fumble recoveries, two sacks and an interception from his middle linebacker position.  His interception came against Olathe South in the Sectional Round of the playoffs and it enabled Olathe North to score a quick touchdown and advance to the Sub-State game that year.  He was named first team all-state following the conclusion of the season.

Tre Walker.

9. Tre Walker, Olathe North, 2007-2009

Walker is developing into one of the best linebacker in the Big XII at Kansas State, but before his time as a Wildcat he was a great linebacker for Olathe North.  As a senior he teamed up with Kyle Swartz to create one of the most formidable linebacker units in the state.  Walker used his size and speed in coverage where he recorded five interceptions while also supporting the run from his outside linebacker position.  He was a first team all-state selection as a senior.

10. Justin Scott, SM West, 2006-2008

Scott was a three-year starter for SM West, spending his first two seasons at the "Will" position before moving over to the "Mike" slot as a senior to fill the void left by Ritzman.  In his final two seasons as a starter he posted 153 tackles, five sacks and one interception.  His efforts as a senior were good enough to earn him first team all-state honors and offers from several of the FBS service academies.

Sunflower League All-Decade Team: Royal Whitaker

Name: Royal Whitaker
School: Olathe North
Graduated: 2002
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 220lbs.
Position: Linebacker

Royal Whitaker may easily be the most overlooked player of the Olathe North dynasty of the late 90s and early 2000s. Most people seem to forget that it was Whitaker who opened holes from the fullback position for Simone Award winners Darren Sproles and Maurice Mack. Or the fact that Whitaker was a two way starter who helped his team win two state titles.

Following a somewhat under appreciated junior season, Whitaker rose to become one of the best players in Kansas as a senior. Offensively as a fullback, he cleared the way for Mack’s 2,089 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns. Whitaker himself added 422 rushing yards along with five rushing touchdowns. He also caught eight passes, four of which resulted in touchdowns.

Defensively Whitaker also dominated as a senior. He made 125 tackles during the 2001 season, 63 of which were solo tackles, including a team leading 6 solo tackles for loss. For his efforts, Whitaker was named First Team All-State Class 6A in 2001, in addition to earning a spot on the Kansas Top 11 team. He was also named a First-Team linebacker by KC Metro Sports. Whitaker went on to play at D-1AA Southern Illinois, where he was an All-Conference performer at the linebacker position.

Top Sunflower League Prospects by Year

I did a little research into the Rivals.com prospect database to see the Sunflower League players that have been considered "Division-One Caliber" over the past decade. Unfortunately, Rivals.com did not start ranking prospects nationally until 2002, so the Division-One players from the early 2000s and before do not appear. Here is what I came up with on a year-by-year basis since the class of 2002. Another thing to keep in mind is that "Division-One Prospects" are not necessarily the best players in the Sunflower League. Rivals rankings are based on potential, and not always production.

*Players listed in bold received Division-One offers in high school.

2002

Maurice Mack, Olathe North

Royal Whitaker, Olathe North

Jonathan Lamb, Olathe North

Whittaker Potts, SM East

Mack was ranked by Rivals.com as the 30th best cornerback in the nation, although he went on to play linebacker at Kansas State...Whitaker (right) had a Big Ten offer from Minnesota, but elected to play D1-AA football at Southern Illinois...John Lamb had a successful career as a safety and receiver at Kansas after he earned a spot as a walk on.

2003

Jim Bouknight, Olathe North

Roy Loren, SM East

Andy Schumm, SM South

Derrick Newman, Lawrence

Adam Venegas, Olathe North

Brandon McAnderson, Lawrence

Beau Gadwood, SM Northwest

Venegas went on to have a dominant career on the offensive line at North Texas...McAnderson starred as a running back for Kansas, and helped the Jayhawks to win the 2007 Orange Bowl...despite rushing for 2,793 yards and winning the Simone Award as a senior, Bouknight did not go on to play Division-One football.

2004

Ryan Torain, SM Northwest

Josh Lawrence, Lawrence

Todd Haselhorst, Olathe East

Mike Rivera, SM Northwest

Dain Dillingham, Lawrence Free State

Haselhorst was one of the most highly recruited offensive lineman in the Midwest as a senior, and he went on to play at Kansas...Rivera enjoyed a dominant career at SM Northwest before moving on to player linebacker at Kansas, and now the NFL, where he plays for the Chicago Bears...Dillingham had several offers for football, but elected to attend Drake University to player both football and basketball...Torain didn't receive an offer out of high school, but eventually made it to Arizona State after a couple JUCO seasons at Butler C.C...Torain is now in the NFL as a running back for the Denver Broncos.

2005

Mack Brown, SM North

Connor McKay, SM South

Andre Jones, Olathe East

Adam Booth, Leavenworth

Ian Handshy, Lawrence

Brown attended Colorado for a year before head coach Gary Barnett was fired...Brown is now the starting quarterback at Baker University...Jones was probably one of the best players I have seen in the Sunflower League that didn't go Divison One...Handshy (right) eventually made the Kansas roster and has contributed sparingly over the past few seasons.

2006

Tyler Lawrence, SM West

Derek Miller, Olathe East

Brady Croucher, Olathe South

Anthony Hill, SM South

Justin Pessetto, SM Northwest

Scott Penny, Lawrence

Nathan Hickey, Lawrence

Brandon Lassiter, Lawrence

Hickey and Lassiter both went on to play at the Air Force Academy...Lawrence backed up Todd Reesing at Kansas for three years before completing his degree a year early, and leaving the team as a junior...Hill missed out on his entire senior season due to a knee injury, but he now plays receiver for Oklahoma State...Miller has been a dominate safety for D1-AA Missouri State for several years now...Pessetto is an offensive lineman for Kansas after walking on several years ago.

2007

Dee Bell, Olathe East

Brian Murphy, Lawrence Free State

Ryan Murphy, Lawrence Free State

Christian Ballard, Lawrence Free State

Mike Ruder, Lawrence Free State

Jervon Graves, Olathe South

Victor Butler, Leavenworth

Blake Lawrence, SM West

Dorian Williams, Olathe East

David Leonard, SM West

The class of 2007 was as loaded in terms of talent as any class over the decade...Ballard went on to play defensive end and Iowa, and was a starter there last season...Ryan Murphy (right) plays cornerback at Kansas, while his twin Brian Murphy transferred from Kansas to Emporia State to receive more playing time...Lawrence has received quite a bit of playing time at Nebraska and is penciled in to start in 2009...Leonard has been a focal wide receiver for Wyoming for several seasons now...Jervon Graves has started at defensive end at Utah State since his freshman season...Bell plays running back at Kansas State but still hasn't cracked the top of the depth chart...Ruder had an offer to Wyoming during his senior season before he tore his ACL in a pick up basketball game...Ruder now plays defense at D1-AA Missouri State.

2008

Alex Carder, SM Northwest

Will Brown, Leavenworth

Travis Tannahill, Olathe East

Nick Williams, Olathe Northwest

Terrence Thomas, SM East

Aaron Sawyer, SM North

Jarard Milo, Olathe Northwest

Although deep in talent, the class of 2008 lacked alot of Division-One offers...Milo had an early offer to Minnesota, but he never ended up accepting it and he is now playing at Butler C.C...Tannahill is currently a tight end at Kansas State...Carder plays quarterback at Western Michigan.

2009

Jake Byrd, Olathe South

Justin Scott, SM West

Kevin Young, Olathe North

Grahm Saunders, Lawrence Free State

Darron Harvey, SM West

Mark Fancher, SM Northwest

Fancher (right) received a late offer to play at Air Force where he will be a receiver this upcoming fall...Scott and Harvey both had offers from Army, but Scott elected to play at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and Harvey at Butler C.C...Kevin Young had offers from all over the nation and ultimately decided on Kansas after decomitting from Nebraska.

2010

Michael Lisher, Lawrence Free State

Lucas Vincent, Olathe North

Tre Walker, Olathe North

Dallas Buck, SM North

So far, the class of 2010 only has four players listed as potential prospects, although that list is sure to grow during the season...Vincent committed to Missouri in April to play defensive line...Walker has committed to Kansas State.