2012 Player Spotlights: Brett Sterbach

Brett Sterbach
SM West

Position: Running Back
Height: 5-foot-8
Weight: 150 lbs.
Year: Senior 

Stat to Note
Sterbach carried the ball 148 times for 1,059 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior.

Scouting Report
Sterbach's presumed weakness is his size, which is tiny by running back standards, regardless of the level of competition.  This presumed weakness, however, may in fact be what enabled Sterbach to have such a tremendous season for the Vikings in 2011.  He's one of just two returning players in the Sunflower League who put up over 1,000 yards rushing last year.

Sterbach is extremely quick in his transition from taking a hand off to getting past the second level.  Most backs don't display this type of quickness, and when you add on the fact that Sterbach is hard to see behind the offensive line it makes his running game even more effective.  His speed in the open field is good--not great--but it's the initial burst that makes him stand out.  Sterbach has a similar build and running style to former Olathe Northwest running back Connor Middleton, who was an Elite Eleven member last year.

Sterbach will be one of SM West's key skill position players along with Joel Spiller, Andre Maloney and a handful of others who will have a chance to make the Vikings one of the better offensive ballclubs in the league in 2012.

6A East Sectional Game Previews

Olathe East's Hayden Frazier, center, is one of the Hawks'
three top running backs.  Photo courtesy the Kansas City
Star.

SM West (7-3) at Olathe East (8-2)
Where: CBAC
Spread: Olathe East +10
Last Meeting: Olathe East won 28-21 in week five

Who to Watch For

SM West
The Vikings have found that the more Joel Spiller and Brett Sterbach carry the ball, the higher chances of success they have in winning football games.  Both players have come on exceptionally strong as the season has progressed and it will take a big effort from both to pull the upset tonight.  A wildcard? While Ricco Hopkins hasn't had his numbered called in too many big situations this season, he does have as good of breakaway speed as any player in the league once he gets into open field.

Olathe East
Playing Olathe East should come with the disclaimer "DO NOT throw the football at their cornerbacks."  Their two primary corners, Junior Williams and Marcus Banks, have feasted on quarterbacks to the tune of 11 interceptions this year.  On the offensive side of the ball, the Hawks will run the football until they literally no longer can.  The only game we've seen Olathe East truly struggle with running the football was in their week one loss at Olathe North.  Without a run game, the Hawks had to rely on an average passing game and they looked lost throughout the night.  However, shutting down the Olathe East run game is easier said than done.

Historical Stat
Since Tim Callaghan took over as head coach at SM West in 2003 this has become a sort of pseudo out-of-district rivalry.  The teams have met seven times since the 2003 season, with Olathe East holding a slight 4-3 edge with wins coming in 2003, '05, '07 and this season.  SM West's wins in the rivalry have come in 2004, '06 and '09.

What to Expect
Let's see, since Olathe East beat SM West 28-21 in week five, the two teams have combined to go 9-1 overall.  For SM West it was that loss that sparked their current five-game winning streak.  Meanwhile Olathe East has only fallen once, against Olathe South.  Both teams are performing at a high level at this juncture in the season and it has the makings of a very high quality football game.  Also, an important thing to keep in mind is that SM West's fanbase travels as well as any team in the Sunflower League.  They will pack their side of CBAC and the homefield advantage will be limited for Olathe East.

Olathe South (9-1) at SM East (6-4)
Where: SM North District Stadium
Spread: Olathe South +1.7
Last Meeting: Olathe South won 29-21 in week four
Live Video Feed and Broadcast: SM East Harbinger

Who to Watch For

Olathe South
When the going gets tough Olathe South tends to focus more and more on their stable of running backs.  Their primary ballcarrier is Jordan Ward, who has gone over the century mark in rushing yards this season.  Fritz Wilbur, Teddy Colbert, and Russell White also carry the ball and all have shown the ability to be a top running back if their number is called on,.

SM East
SM East quarterback Dakota Collins is going to be looking to pass to his two primary wide receiver targets, Elliot Faerber and Connor Rellihan, all night.  Combined, those two have over 1,400 receiving yards and 14 touchdown catches.  They make up the most dynamic quarterback to receiver combo in the league and now that Faerber is healthy the trio has really taken off. 

Historical Stat
I find it interesting that these two teams have once again found a way to face off in the playoffs.  In 2005 SM East was a major underdog against the Falcons but they actually gave Olathe South a pretty game, before coming up short 16-7.  Last season SM East was the favorite over Olathe South when the teams matched up in Regionals, but Olathe South pulled a 28-24 upset.  Needless to say, SM East is probably tired of bowing out in the playoffs in close games to Olathe South.

What to Expect
Olathe South has struggled at times this season against the spread offense.  SM East primarily runs the spread offense.  While the Falcons are still favored because of their strong rushing attack (that has seemingly befuddled every opponent this season) they certainly will have their hands full trying to shut down the Lancers.  The game is being broadcast live by SM East's Harbinger staff and the video to that broadcast is linked here.  It was a close game earlier in the year when these two met up and the same should be expected tonight in this game.

Kansas 6A East Regional Recaps

The Olathe South defense made life miserable for the LHS
offense all Friday night.  Photo courtesy the Lawrence
Journal World.

Olathe South 37, Lawrence 14

It was going to take a stellar effort on the defensive side of the ball for Lawrence to win this game, but Olathe South didn't let that happen.  The Falcons came out on their first offensive possession of the game and capped off an eight-play drive with a four-yard touchdown run from Fritz Wilbur.  Lawrence sent out Tyrone Jenkins to man the quarterback position, but after they had little success with that they gave the reins to Brad Strauss.  On his first drive at quarterback, early in the second quarter, Strauss marched Lawrence 80 yards down the field capping things off with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Cleavinger.  The touchdown tied the game at 7 early in the second quarter.

Olathe South made some in game adjustments, including increased pressure on the injured Strauss, and the results were dynamite.  The Falcons reeled off three straight touchdowns on a 33-yard run from Wilbur, a 36-yard pass from quarterback Frankie Suerer to Matt Elliott and a 31-yard run from Elliott with just over a minute remaining in the first half.  Olathe South led 25-7 at halftime.

Early in the third quarter Strauss aggravated his ankle when he was tackled, effectively removing him from the game for good.  Olathe South capitalized with a 22-yard touchdown pass on their next drive from Seurer to Drew Johnson, to gain a 32-7 lead.  Early in the fourth quarter Olathe South tacked on another touchdown on a 24-yard run from Jordan Ward.  Lawrence's final touchdown of the season came on a four-yard run from Isaiah Ross in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. 

SM West 52, Leavenworth 7

SM West was clearly ready to get their playoff win drought out of the way.  Taking advantage of playing Leavenworth in the first round of the playoffs, the Vikings led 31-0 at halftime, and rolled to a 45-point victory.  The Vikings scored first when Armani Williams capped off a drive with a two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.  Joel Spiller added a 43-yard touchdown run, which was followed up with a four-yard touchdown run from Brett Sterbach.  Before the half was over Williams found Andre Maloney on a 51-yard touchdown pass to make things 28-0.  Kicker Mark Whitrock added a 33-yard field goal before halftime to make things 31-0.

In the third quarter SM West scored touchdown on runs of 42 and 54 yards from Sterbach and Ricco Hopkins, respectively.  Leavenworth's lone touchdown came in the fourth quarter when Judson Cole was able to sneak in a touchdown run from 15 yards out.  SM West closed things out with a six-yard touchdown run from Juanaye Stallings.

Olathe East 40, Olathe Northwest 23

Olathe Northwest's late-season run ended when they dug themselves into a first half hole that they weren't able to climb out of.  Olathe East struck early on a 30-yard touchdown run from John Kelsh in the first quarter to go up 6-0.  Olathe Northwest countered early in the second quarter on a 27-yard field goal from Riley Adam to make things 6-3.  That was as close as the Ravens would come in this one.  Olathe East broke open the game with three consecutive touchdowns from Kendall Kelly, Kelsh and quarterback John Blazevic, all on touchdown runs of less than 10 yards.  Cornerback Junior Williams added two first half interceptions that helped to shut down Olathe Northwest, and at halftime Olathe East led 27-3. 

Olathe Northwest played a good second quarter, scoring a touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Dalton Rook to Willie Cauley and holding Olathe East scoreless.  The Hawks still led by 17 at 27-10 entering the fourth quarter, however.  Olathe East began the fourth quarter scoring on a three-yard run from Kelly to go up 34-10, and basically put things out of reach.  Olathe Northwest's Connor Middleton scored on a five-yard touchdown run to pull the Ravens back within 17, but Olathe East's Hayden Frazier returned the ensuing onside kick 56-yards for a touchdown.  Middleton scored once more for the Ravens late in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard touchdown run, but it wasn't nearly enough.

SM East 38, SM Northwest 21

Like the other three winners, a strong first half from SM East set the tone en route to their sixth victory of the season.  A Jeff Cole touchdown run from two yards out gave SM East an early 7-0 lead.  Later on in the first quarter Dakota Collins found Logan Rose on a 35-yard touchdown pass which extended the lead to 14-0.  SM Northwest answered with an eight-yard touchdown run from Austin Vanderpool to make things 14-7, midway through the second quarter.  SM East was able to get on the board one more time before the half when Collins found receiver Connor Rellihan on an 80-yard touchdown pass.  The Lancers led 21-7 at the half.

SM East extended their lead to 28-7 in the third quarter when Cole scored on another short touchdown run.
SM Northwest made things a bit more interesting, scoring on a nine-yard touchdown run from Danny Manning which made things 28-14, but they were never able to get closer than 14.  SM East's Jake Libeer scored next on a 35-yard touchdown run to make the score 35-14.  SM Northwest's final answer came when Colton Dirks found Manning on a 21-yard touchdown pass.  SM East closed things out with a 32-yard field goal from Sean Luenz.

Regional Round Playoff Preview

Jason Randall and Leavenworth will try to pull the
upset this weekend against SM West.  Photo courtesy
the Leavenworth Times.

Leavenworth (2-7) at SM West  (6-3)
Where: SM South District Stadium
Spread: SM West +31.3
Last Meeting: SM West won 41-14 in week six

Who to Watch For

SM West
SM West's success will be largely based on how well their two best skill position players, Brett Sterbach and Joel Spiller, perform against the Pioneers.  Both players have been key to the Vikings recent four game winning streak.  At quarterback, Armani Williams has 18 starts under his belt, including 13 victories.  The more composed he is this time around in the playoffs the better the Vikings should do.

Leavenworth
The Pioneers get the majority of their offensive production from the trio of running back Jason Randall, quarterback Mark Dabeck and Judson Cole.  The Pioneers are led by second-year head coach Kevin Kopecky who experienced a good deal of success in the playoffs while he was head coach at St. Thomas Aquinas throughout the 2000s.

Historical Stat
SM West's last playoff victory came against Lawrence Free State in November of 2006, despite the fact that they've made the playoffs three times (not including this year) since 2006.  For Leavenworth, this is the first time the program has qualified for the playoffs in over 15 years.

What to Expect
A monkey off SM West's back.  No really.  SM West's early exit playoff losses the past three seasons have hampered the perception of the football program, despite the fact they they averaged eight wins during the regular season in that time frame.  With six wins this season, the Vikings should by all means be in line for win number seven against an undermatched Leavenworth unit.  A loss here by the Vikings would be an upset.

Olathe East (7-2) at Olathe Northwest (5-4)
Where: CBAC
Spread: Olathe East +17
Last Meeting: Olathe East won 44-20 in week four

Who to Watch For

Olathe Northwest
The Ravens are an offensive juggernaut, with a plethora of weapons at their disposal.  The most notable of those weapons is the 6-foot-10 wide receiver, Willie Cauley.  With over 1,100 yards receiving, Cauley leads the state of Kansas is receiving yardage.  He also has 14 touchdown receptions to boot.  Throwing the passes is quarterback Dalton Rook, who leads the league in passing yardage and touchdowns.  Running back  Connor Middleton has 19 rushing touchdowns on the season and gives the Ravens a big threat out of the backfield.

Olathe East
The Hawks have a strong enough offensive and defensive prowess to carry them to the title game, if things work in their favor.  On the offensive side of the ball the three-headed rushing attack of John Kelsh, Kendall Kelly and Hayden Frazier exists as the primary force in the Hawks offensive attack.  Defensively, bookend corners Junior Williams and Marcus Banks have combined for eight inteceptions on the season and make passing at Olathe East a nightmare.

Historical Stat
Olathe Northwest has never won a playoff game, but they have previously qualified for the playoffs twice, in 2006 and 2009.  Olathe East on the other hand has qualified for the playoffs in every season since 2002.

What to Expect
Olathe Northwest is as hot as any team in the Sunflower League right now, while Olathe East is coming off an 18-point loss at the hands of Olathe South.  This has the makings of a great game, but for Olathe Northwest to hang with the Hawks they must step it up on the defensive side of the ball.  If not, Olathe East will simply use their power rushing attack to notch win number eight on the season.

Lawrence (6-3) at Olathe South (8-1)
Where: ODAC
Spread: Olathe South +5.7
Last Meeting: Olathe South won 33-22 in week two

Who to Watch For

Olathe South
The Falcons are a hard team to place a finger on because they have so many players who contribute to the cause.  You could start with running back Jordan Ward, who's big game last week propelled Olathe South to a playoff berth.  He's joined in the backfield by fellow running backs Teddy Colbert and Fritz Wilbur who have all made big contributions.  Frankie Seurer, Matt Elliot and Drew Johnson round out the offensive playmakers.  Defensively, linebacker Remington Whitley may be the top defensive player in the league.

Lawrence
The Chesty Lions' quarterback Brad Strauss was injured last week and did not play.  If Strauss is still unable to go this Friday, the quarterback duties may rest in the hands of running back Tyrone Jenkins, who filled in at the positon last week.  Lawrence also features top-flight receivers Anthony Buffalomeat and Erick Mayo, both of whom have been known to cause opposing defenses headaches.

Historical Stat
The last time these two teams met with any real significance was in the Sectional Round of the 2005 playoffs.  Both teams were 9-1 at the time.  Olathe South had won the regular season matchup, but Lawrence took the cake in the playoffs, winning by a score of 21-10.

What to Expect
It's going to be tough for Lawrence to claim another victory running the pseudo-Wildcat formation that they installed last week.  If Strauss doesn't play, you can bet that Olathe South will load the box with eight or nine defenders on every play to shut down the one dimensional Chesty Lions.  Lawrence's defense played great last week at Free State, but Olathe South is a whole different animal when it comes to their offensive sets and how they attack you on the ground. 

SM East (5-4) at SM Northwest (4-5)
Where: SM North District Stadium
Spread: SM East +10.8
Last Meeting: SM East won 28-3 in week one

Who to Watch For

SM Northwest
The Cougars haven't showed a whole lot on the season, but they do have some decent playmakers capable of making this is a good game.  Danny Manning leads the team from the running back position and he'll be leaned on heavily in this contest.  Jake Horner is the Cougars best big-play threat, and he'll need to play a big game for SM Northwest to have a shot at the win.

SM East
A healthy SM East team has as many weapons as any team in the league.  Quarterback Dakota Collins will be passing the ball to his top two receivers, Elliot Faerber and Connor Rellihan, and handing off to the team's top two running backs, Jeff Cole and Adam Lowe.  Assuming there aren't any unreported injuries, this could be just the second week of the season in which the core of the SM East roster is healthy (by week 10 standards that is).

Historical Stat
SM East's emergence as a competitive unit in the Sunflower League is, in many ways, tied to their successes over SM Northwest.  In 2009 SM East captured a breakthrough win when they defeated a favored SM Northwest team 13-12 in district play.  The win propelled the Lancers to the playoffs.  In 2010 SM East started off their magical 8-2 run with a 24-0 shutout of the Cougars, and they began this season with a 28-3 victory over SM Northwest.  Needless to say, SM Northwest would love nothing more than to pull another first round upset the way they did last season.

What to Expect
SM East is favored to win this game, but you can't count out the Cougs.  Last year SM Northwest rounded out the regular season with three straight wins--it seemed that was simply attributable to their easy district... that was until they upset SM West in Regional play, then took Olathe East down to wire before losing in Sectionals.  SM East certainly cannot afford to overlook SM Northwest.