It’s no secret how dominant the Hutchinson Salthawks have been over the past six seasons. Last fall, perhaps the best Hutch team yet, rolled to a record six consecutive state championship by dismantling all of their opponents. Now that the majority of players from that special team have graduated, is this finally the year that the Salthawk streak ends? One thing is for sure, Class 5A is not short on talent. The class includes two of the state’s best QBs in Kansas Pregame Magazine cover-boy Bubba Starling (Gardner-Edgerton), and Bishop Miege’s Max Shortell. Both have committed to Big Ten schools in Nebraska (Starling) and Minnesota (Shortell). Starling and his teammates will look to erase the memory of a 38-point loss to Hutchinson in the state championship game and bring a state title back to northeast Kansas. The road will be extremely difficult, however, as rival St. Thomas Aquinas is loaded for a deep playoff run, last year’s 6A runner-up Blue Valley – Stilwell has dropped down a class, and Shortell’s Miege Stags will look to repeat as state champs after winning 4A last fall. The west side of the state also features strong contenders in McPherson and Bishop Carroll. But for any of these contenders to reach the top of Class 5A, they will first have to find a way to stop Randy Dreiling and the Salthawks.
Here’s how we rank the Top 5 in Class 5A:
1. Hutchinson
Randy Dreiling's Salthawks begin the quest for their seventh consecutive state title by again opening with Missouri power Rockhurst. Hutch will look to replace seventeen total starters; ten of which continued their football career at the collegiate level. The cupboard is far from bare, however. Hutch returns four defensive starters, including standout safety Ben Heeney, who has already attracted interest from the likes of Colorado State. On the other side of the ball, Hunter Stucky returns in the backfield after contributing more than 200 yards rushing to the '09 record-setting offense. There are plenty of holes to fill, but no one has been better at doing so over the past six years than Hutch.
2. Gardner-Edgerton
While Marvin Diener's goal of turning the Trailblazers into a football power has been fast-tracked, this season may be the legendary coach's best shot to bring a state title home to Gardner-Edgerton. The state’s premier player, QB Bubba Starling, headlines a group of six returning starters on each side of the ball. The Nebraska commit contributed more than 2,800 yards (1,380 rush; 1,433 pass) last season along with 38 TDs. Brett Jensen and Ryan Weber return in the backfield along with Starling after combining for nearly 1,200 yards and 18 scores last fall. The Blazers will be tested as they enter their first season in the Eastern Kansas League as the favorite over the likes of Aquinas, Blue Valley - Stilwell, and defending 4A champ Bishop Miege.
3. Bishop Carroll
Bishop Carroll turned out to be the only team that pushed Hutchinson last fall in a three-touchdown loss in the semifinals. This year, Alan Schuckman's Golden Eagles return eight starters on each side of the ball but must find a replacement for QB Blake Bell who moved on to play at Oklahoma. Tyler Nance, a WR last season, will likely move under center. Brandon Weber returns to the Carroll backfield after rushing for more than 600 yards in 2009. The Carroll defense will return five players that received some form of Wichita City League accolades last fall, led by All-Leauge safety Max Martinez.
4. McPherson
Tom Young's Bullpups' 2009 season ended prematurely with a first-round narrow loss to Emporia. It was a disappointing loss given the Bullpups had "pushed" Hutch in the regular season before falling 55-20. This fall, McPherson returns eight starters from an offense that averaged nearly 46 points per game. Shrine Bowl selection Joel Piper is gone at QB. He will be replaced with Goddard transfer Tyler Mathews, who threw for over 1,000 yards for the Lions in a handful of games last fall. Mathews will have a great target in WR Christian Ulsaker (6-6, 190) who hauled in 52 catches for 750 yards and eight scores last season. RB Kevin O'Connor returns to the backfield after rushing for over 1,000 yards in 2009. For the Bullpups to make a deep playoff run, Tom Young must replace ten starters on the defensive side of the ball.
5. St. Thomas Aquinas
Last season, Aquinas rode a large and talented junior class to win the school's first ever outright Eastern Kansas League championship in Mike Thomas' first season as head coach. This fall as that large and talented class enters their last year, the Saints are expected to be competitive in both the loaded EKL and east side of 5A. The Saints should be explosive on offense with nine returning starters, including RB Dagan Reed who rushed for just shy of 1,000 yards last season while adding nearly 400 yards receiving. QB Richard Davila also returns after throwing for nearly 2,000 yards last season. Shane Nachbar returns as a primary receiving target for Davila. The Saints will play a brutal schedule that includes non-EKL games at Great Bend and at home against Missouri power Webb City on October 8th.
Others considered: Andover, Andover Central, Bishop Miege, Blue Valley - Stilwell, Emporia, Hays, Salina Central, Shawnee Heights, Topeka Seaman
Kpreps.com will feature detailed state rankings for each class updated every Monday throughout the season. Be sure to check out the Rankings section of our site to see who is in our Top 5 each week.
Tuesday (8/31): Class 6A Rankings
Tuesday (8/31): Class 6A Rankings
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