Continuing with the turnarounds:

Last year, Quinter made headlines when they had the state’s biggest turnaround under 6th-year coach Greg Woolf. Quinter was 8-37 in Woolf’s first six seasons in the Class 2-1A 11-man ranks, including a 3-6 record in 2007. Last year, though, Quinter dropped down to eight-man football. The team, led by OL/DL Zach Nemechek and RB Jordan Hargitt, rolled through the competition, finishing 10-1 and losing to Macksville in the state playoffs,

The +7 change was the biggest in the state, regardless of classification. Among eight-man teams, Baileyville B&B went 7-4 to 13-0 and won the Eight-Man, Division I state championship. This season, Hargitt is the area’s leading rusher with over 1,200 yards, but Quinter has suffered through tragedy. Woolf was diagnosed with cancer and told his players after a Week 2 win against Palco. Woolf, a strong religious man and well-liked by his players and community, has since turned the reins over to assistant coach Brian Roesch. Quinter is 6-1 and ranked No. 5 in the state, but will face a critical test tonight against Hill City (5-2).

The winner will earn the district championship and will have a first round home playoff game against likely Lincoln or Mankato-Rock Hills. The loser will have to travel to Clifton-Clyde, the defending Eight-Man, Division I state runner-up and ranked No. 2 in the state.

2009: Otis-Bison, currently +5, from 2-7 to 7-0

The Cougars have not had a coaching change, but have seen a drastic change in healthy personnel. Last year, QB/S Kevin Wissman, the team’s leader and best player, missed the first three games because of a shoulder injury, just played wideout in Week 4 and then played QB the final five games. Wissman didn’t play defense until Week 9. Without Wissman, the team was 0-4, once Wissman returned the offense improved from 10 points a game to 32 points  a game, yet Otis-Bison’s defense struggled.

In addition, OL/DL Josh Krom missed nearly all of 2008 with a back injury. Those two players have helped fuel the turnaround. Wissman is healthy and has been one of the area’s top players with  718 rushing yards, 253 passing yards and 399 returning yards. Wissman has scored 29 total TDs. He also leads the Cougars  with 34 tackles. Otis-Bison will reach the playoffs for the first time  since a 10-1 season in 2003 and  the third time since 1995.

Krom, a 235-pound force, has a team-high five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. His play has helped an improved offensive and defensive front and continued a turnaround for the Cougars.

The HDN  will  head to Victoria this week for a key eight-man matchup between Otis-Bison and Victoria, both 7-0 in Eight-Man, Division II. Victoria is ranked No. 1 in the state in the statewide media poll, while Otis-Bison stands fifth. The Cougars have enjoyed one of the biggest turnarounds in the state this season under head coach Travis Starr. In Starr’s first four years, Otis-Bison finished 12-24, including 2-7 last year. This season, the Cougars have outscored teams 406-110 and have the state’s highest-scoring offense.

Among the 36 Kansas teams that remain undefeated heading into Friday, Otis-Bison has the biggest turnaround. They are +5 in the win column, while Eight-Man, Division I Lebo has moved from 3-6 to 7-0. In the 11-man ranks, Class 5A Hays High School is 7-0 after a 4-5 finish last season under head coach Ryan Cornelsen.

Otis-Bison is the fourth straight area school or team that plays area schools to experience a big turnaround in the eight-man ranks. However, the Cougars are the lone ones to do it without a coaching change or a change in classifications. Truly an incredible season in Otis-Bison.

The turnarounds:

Sharon Springs Wildcats (2005-2006): Sharon Springs went 7-3 and 5-3 in 2003 and 2004 before they slipped to 3-5 in 2005 under former coach Jim Howard. Then, Kevin Ayers, a former Winona-Triplains player who turned Jetmore into a state power, moved back home to be near family and took over the Wildcats. Sharon Springs instantly changed, seeing a +8 improvement in 2006 with an 11-1 record. The next year, they went 13-0 and won the Eight-Man, Division II state championship. Sharon Springs was 7-3 last season and Ayers, hurt by injuries to his top two players, is 5-2 this year.

Ayers is the fastest coach in Kansas history to 100 wins, breaking Holton head coach Brooks Barta’s record. Ayers has won three straight championships at two schools. Former LB/FB Tyler O’Connor called Ayers “the mastermind” while WR/S/KR/PR and Shrine Bowl pick Taylor Elder, currently starting for Garden City Community College, said the team never would have won state without Ayers. Many coaches consider Ayers the gold standard in eight-man coaching.

Bushton-Quivira Heights (2006-2007): The Thunderbirds also had a coaching change when Jeff Savage, one of the smartest minds in high school football, came to QH. Savage, who was the head coach of the Kansas vs. Nebraska All-Star Game this past summer, had coached at the collegiate level and multiple high schools. In 2006, QH was 1-8 and was outscored 413-118.

The next season, under Savage, the Thunderbirds had a +8 and finished 9-3, outscoring opponents 546-222. That season, they defeated Victoria twice, the last team to beat the Knights in the regular season. Victoria head coach Doug Oberle has often said his players have to outplay QH’s because Savage will outcoach Oberle.  The turnaround made QH one of the top teams in eight-man, a perch they have left since.  In 2008, QH went 9-2 and outscored opponents 492-186. QB Garrett Siemsen earned all-state honors as  the Thunderbirds lost 56-50 to Victoria in the postseason in one of the greatest games some have ever seen.

Savage left in the off-season for Central Burden and has quickly turned them into a strong team (QH has started 5-2 under John Phelan, a former Thunderbird coach). Central Burden, which hasn’t reached the postseason since the mid-90s, has been one of eight-man football’s worst teams. Then, Savage has arrived. The change, just like at QH, has been dramatic:

Central-Burden:

2006: 2-7, outscored 232-384

2007: 0-9, outscored 64-421

2008: 2-7, outscored 191-353

2009: 5-2, outscoring opponents 343-145

This year, Savage has mainly had the turnaround behind his son, sophomore QB Bo Savage, who has completed 110-of-179 passes for 1,555 yards and 28 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Savage threw for 7 TDs in a 70-20 Week 7 win against Oxford.

On Friday night, in front of an estimated crowd of 5,000 people at Lewis Field Stadium, Hays High School defeated Great Bend,  20-14. The Indians moved to 7-0 under first-year head coach Ryan Cornelsen, beat rival Great Bend for the first time since 2000, ended a 9-game losing streak in district games and continued to be the state’s surprise among Kansas 11-man teams.Hays High forced five Great Bend turnovers in the win and were +4 in turnover margin. That margin has been crucial in the Indians’ strong scoring defense that has allowed just 97 points, one of the top 5 marks in Class 5A, according to preppowerindex.com.The Indians overall are +8 in turnover margin with 12 turnovers and 20 turnovers forced.Hays High has won the turnover margin in every game except for the Week 4 victory against Garden City, a 17-16 win marked by a last second field goal. The Indians, which picked off 10 passes all last season, already have 13 INTs this season, including three Friday night against Great Bend from Tyler Lacy, Josh Balman and Casey Sedbrook.Lacy, all-Western Athletic Conference last season, paces the Indians with 4 INTs. He had two picks last season. Without the turnovers, the Indians may have anywhere from 3-6 victories.Turnovers are often considered one or two of the most important statistics in the game (ESPN had a study a few years ago on NFL games that showed the stats that most directly related to winning were yards per play and turnover margin). On ESPN.com, SEC football writer Chris Low writes this passage on Friday about No. 2 Alabama and head coach Nick Saban:I do ask him about some of the defensive numbers the Alabama staff charts and which ones he thinks are the most revealing. Saban’s answer is a long and detailed one. No coach I deal with explains the game better than Saban, and somewhere along the way after reminding everybody that the only role he plays on the defense is serving as defensive coordinator Kirby Smart’s graduate assistant, he says that explosive plays and points allowed are what matter most. The Alabama staff also does a detailed analysis on the impact turnovers have in a game, and Saban says the Tide’s analysis has shown that each turnover is worth 3.5 to 4 points in a game.  Take out 4 points every game for HHS and the season changes dramatically: they beat Ulysses 13-9, Liberal 21-17 and Garden City 17-16. Turnovers were crucial when Cornelsen finished 53-13 at La Crosse, including a 32-3 record from 2006-08. Turnover numbers are unavailable for Cornelsen’s first four years, but stats are at MaxPreps.com for the last two years, seasons where the Leopards went 10-1 and 11-1 and finished No. 2 in Class 2-1A in the state wide media poll last fall.In 2008, LaCrosse was +11 with 28 turnovers forced (18 INTs and 10 fumbles) versus 17 turnovers (8 fumbles lost,  9 INTs).In 2007, LaCrosse was +20 with five INTs and five fumbles lost versus 17 INTs and 13 fumbles picked up. 

Friday’s Week 7 Game of the Week between Kensington-Thunder Ridge (4-2) and Hill City (5-1) features two of Eight-Man, Division I’s top teams. The winner will likely head to the postseason. Not only have both teams played exceptionally well since Week 1 (an 8-1 record, all eight wins by at least 40 points), but both teams have two very different — yet very successful — quarterbacks.
For Hill City, junior Reggie Jordan has collected 1,324 total yards, including 1,121 passing, rushing and receiving yards. In his second year as a starter, the scrambler ranks 11th on MaxPreps.com state-wide Eight-Man list for total offense and fourth in points per game (22). He has excelled in the Ringnecks’ play action game.
“Last year was my first year playing quarterback and I was getting in the flow, but now I have a year under my belt and I trust my receivers,” Jordan said earlier this fall. “…A lot of our plays is a roll-out play, so it depends on whether the D-lineman get free towards me. If the D-line doesn’t get free, I am looking downfield to pass.”
His efforts have helped Hill City outscore its last five opponents 248-12 and put the Ringnecks, ranked in the top 10 in the statewide media poll, on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in school history.
“They put up some  big points, but I would say we are a pretty well-rounded team,” Thunder Ridge sophomore end/linebacker Blane Hrabe said. “If we stop Reggie, that would be pretty good. He makes just so many good plays right on the spot, it’s just instinct. Just has such good instincts, what do to with the ball.”
For Thunder Ridge, senior quarterback Cade Rietzke is not considered a running quarterback. Instead, he will sit in the pocket and look for receivers in the Longhorns’ two-wide, one-tight end set. Rietzke has completed 33 of 54 passes for 809 yards (all since Week 2) with 16 TDs and 1 INT. He has already bettered his 13/2 TD/INT ratio from last season and is less than 100 yards shy of last season’s passing total.
However, Rietzke has rushed just 30 times for 128 yards. Jordan has 76 carries for 724 yards. Rietzke ranks third in eight-man in TD passes.
“He has done a really good job and of course, our offensive line has done a good job to give him time to throw the ball to the guys and then the guys do a good job catching it. It’s an all-around deal, but we have got a lot of confidence in  Cade,” Thunder Ridge head coach Jerry Voorhees said.

4. University of Nebraska-Omaha vs. FHSU, 2 p.m. Saturday at Lewis Field Stadium: Perhaps no team in the conference or nation has seen as much change in offensive philosophy as UNO (5-2, 4-1 MIAA). UNO, ranked 10th in Super Region 4, has always been a running team under head coach Pat Behrns. Last year, UNO reached the postseason and ranked 114th in NCAA Division II in passing offense, 4th in rushing offense (249.2 yards/game) and tied for 38th in scoring offense (30.0 points/game).
This season, though, led by new quarterback Greg Wunderlich, the Mavericks rank 24th in the nation in passing offense, 12th in passing efficiency, 51st in rushing offense. It’s produced an uptick in scoring- they stand 17th in scoring offense at 35.7 points per game.

3. Hays High starts district play: The 6-0 Indians one of their biggest games in years when they host rival Great Bend (4-2) at Lewis Field Stadium on Friday night. If HHS wins, they’ll beat Great Bend for the first time in 9 years and win the WAC title for the first time since 2001, third time in school history (1990 was the first crown). To other streaks to watch, though: HHS has lost 9 straight games in district play. Last year, the Indians were outscored 153-7 in three district losses to Great Bend, Hutchinson and McPherson. While head coach Ryan Cornelsen has done a terrific job of turning around the Indian program and a win Friday would be monumental, even staying close in district play would represent significant progress.

2. Oakley’s strength: Oakley is back and rolling after a 7-3 season last season. The Plainsmen are 6-0 with just 20 points allowed and have a bye this week. The biggest strength is on the defensive line. Last year, OL/DL Ethan Jirak missed the first four games with a knee injury and Oakley started 2-2. Jirak returned in Week 5 and Oakley finished 5-1. Overall, Jirak, who often plays nose guard, had one sack as Oakley had 18 all season.
This fall, Oakley already has 18 sacks, including four from Jirak and Nate Cox. In a Week 2 shutout of  Ellis, Jirak had 2 1/2 tackles for loss and two sacks. That pressure has helped the Plainsmen pick off 11 passes and recover nine fumbles. In the last three seasons, Oakley is 22-2 when Jirak plays, 2-2 when he doesn’t. Helped by Jirak, Oakley will be a formidable opponent for any team in the postseason.

1. Redmen defense strong: Smith Center stretched its Kansas  record and nation’s best 73-game winning streak with a 24-12 victory against Colby. It’s the biggest margin of victory for the Redmen in a month after beating Norton 20-14, Phillipsburg 14-12 and Ellis 16-10, the closest stretch in Smith Center’s run. The Redmen haven’t beaten anybody with authority since blanking winless Plainville and Trego 59-0 in Weeks 1 and 2. The Redmen, though, should keep the winning streak for several more weeks - and possibly another state title. The Redmen’s schedule is much easier in the next month with district games against Washington County and Osborne, a bye, then a first round playoff game versus either Plainville or Trego. Secondly, while the offense has been hurt by injuries to halfback Dereck McNary (knee, out for the season) and quarterback Shawn Stansbury (collarbone), the Redmen defense is outstanding. With the hard part of the regular season behind them, Smith Center has allowed just 48 points, fourth-best in 2-1A behind Olpe (12), Oswego (19), and Oakley (20), according to preppowerindex.com. The defense looks even better when strength of schedule is taken into account. At masseyratings.com, a site that takes into account several variables,  including SOS, Smith Center ranks as the No. 3 defense with  a 9.03 ranking. Oakley stands first with a 12.77 mark and Pittsburg-St. Marys-Colgan is second at 9.74. After 6 games last season, Smith Center had allowed 50 points en route to a 13-0 record and their fifth straight title.

After a long hiatus, ConorCorner is back in full swing. We’ll look to post about everyday- and never take too long of a break.

Thanks,

Conor

I have stories in Monday’s paper about the first day of practice for Hays High and Thomas More Prep-Marian football, but wanted to post more of the interviews here.

TMP-Marian head coach Gene Flax on the schedule that features 2-1A opponents Kinsley and Ness-Dighton in Week 1 and 2. In past years, TMP-Marian often played 4A Abilene and Concordia.

“We have not had a great deal of success in the past several years, consequently everybody wants to play us and Abilene didn’t want to lose us and I told them that if we could find someone that would be closer, we were going to take them.”

On the first day of camp: “We got 10 or 11 seniors out there and we will give them a few days here to see what they can do for sure. We have got an abundance of receivers and we are short on running backs and we are going to have to move some kids around to get some reps there.”

On seniors Nolan McNeil and Drew Thomas not playing football: “I let them know that I invested three years in them and I guess the thing that I tried to relay to them and not being mean, the kids that want to play are going to be out here, but the thing that is disheartening is the fact that they were forced into varsity ball early in their careers because of a lack of upper classmen.

And to put the freshman here again, the younger classmen in that kind of predicament – although we do have more upperclassmen this year than we have had in the past several years – but to turnaround and do that to them after what they had to go through, I didn’t think was fair.

Football is not for everybody. Because I love it doesn’t mean everybody is going to love it and I certainly wish them all the best.”

On Ryan Post, who tore his ACL for the second time at the end of baseball season and is out for football: “Post would love to be out here. He asked if he could be a manager and that is the love of the game and we certainly are glad to have him along for the ride. I think when it is all said and done, they are going to regret not being out here because I think this team is truly going to have some real success this year.”