In his second-year as head coach at Tonganoxie, Al Troyer appears to have the Chieftains program headed in the right direction.
Tonganoxie won only two games combined over the 2010 and 2011 seasons but finished 5-6 and advanced to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs in Troyer’s first year as coach.
Starting this season with a 2-0 record, the Chieftains look to take another step forward.
“Our first two weeks, we’ve played well,” Troyer said. “This is my second year here, and the kids are starting to pick up the system. We have a senior class that is real motivated.”
The Chieftains face their toughest test of the season thus far with a home game against a KC Piper Pirates team that advanced to the 4A semifinals a year ago. The game is featured as the Kpreps statewide game of the week.
“It’s a big game for both programs,” Piper coach Chris Brindle said. “It’s a fun time of the year to see where you’re at. Our fans have done a great job. It’s not too far to Tonganoxie, so we expect a big crowd.”
Tonganoxie (2-0, 1-0 Kaw Valley League) has lit up the scoreboard in its first two games, beating Lansing and Atchison by scores of 58-42 and 41-14.
The Chieftains have averaged 413.5 yards rushing over those first two games.
“It’s going to be a good challenge,” Brindle said. “This is a senior class they’ve been expecting to do some good things. They have 20-some seniors out. They have some weapons.”
Senior Cole Holloway (5-7, 175) has led the Chieftains rushing attack with 356 yards and four touchdowns on 52 carries.
“Cole Holloway is a work horse,” Troyer said. “Last year, he averaged 30-some carries and never stepped off the field. He was never injured. He’s just a hard worker and a hard-nosed kid. He has a low center of gravity and is hard to find.”
But what Troyer said he likes the most is that Tonganoxie’s offense isn’t focused on one player alone. Eight players have scored touchdowns for the Chieftains in the first two games.
Quarterback Tyler Ford has rushed for 294 yards and three touchdowns, while completing 8 of 17 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns. All three passing touchdowns have gone to different receivers. Shane Levy has rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.
This week, Tonganoxie will be facing a Pirates defense that has held opponents down in the first two games.
KC Piper (1-1, 1-0 Kaw Valley League) fell 12-7 in the opener to Eudora, but bounced back with a 12-6 win over Basehor-Linwood.
With many key players lost for the Pirates from last season, they’ve started the year with the defense being ahead of the offense.
“Our strengths right now certainly have been our defense and special teams,” Brindle said. “Our punter (Colton Beebe) has had seven of his 10 punts inside the 20. We have some good return guys. We feel like those are our strengths as our offense develops.”
Beebe leads the defense at middle linebacker. The 6-3, 245-pound junior leads Piper with 25 tackles and one sack.
“He’s probably one of the best players I’ve ever coached,” Brindle said. “He’s just a junior now and he already has over 200 tackles. We expect him to be a 400 tackle guy in his career. He’s a Division I level linebacker.”
The Pirates are loaded with speed in the secondary.
“We got some guys with state track medals on our defense, so that’s a good thing to have,” Brindle said.
Offensively, Sterling Owen has rushed for 142 yards on 23 carries. Senior quarterback Tyler Eikenbary has passed for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
Piper defeated Tonganoxie 61-13 a year ago.
“They’re very quick up front,” Troyer said. They have speed in the secondary that can shut down the over the top stuff. It’s going to be a challenge."
Use your Facebook account to add a comment or start a discussion. Posts are subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment.
