Back to Kpreps this fall, our contributors will hand out helmet stickers to a team or individual that delivered the most important performance of the week in their opinion. Check back each Wednesday to see that week’s helmet stickers, and follow @Kpreps on Twitter and Facebook to watch as the Kpreps helmet fills up with stickers as the season goes on.
Helmet sticker: Garden Plain (Matt Gilmore -- Kpreps)
Garden Plain gets my sticker this week. The Owls picked up their fourth consecutive victory by making the long trip to Centralia and dominating the Class 1A second-ranked Panthers, 35-6.
Senior back Gage Lee rushed for 243 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries to lead the Owl offense. Garden Plain rushed for 291 yards in the game with junior quarterback Brady Brack and classmate Cooper Scheer each adding scoring runs. Brack also completed all four of his passes for 70 yards including a touchdown to Pete McGregor.
It was the first game for Centralia without standout junior quarterback/spinner-back Jacob Flentie who reportedly suffered a season-ending injury late in the Week 5 win over Jackson Heights.
Lee has an incredible couple of weeks. The week prior, Lee set the Garden Plain school single-game rushing record with a 316-yard effort in a 41-19 district win over Haven. For the season, Lee has rushed for 1,023 yards and seven touchdowns on 93 attempts – an average of 11.0 yards per carry.
Brack has provided some balance to the Owl offense in passing for 384 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior Seth Dugan leads the team with five catches for 212 yards and four touchdowns, while Scheer has six catches for 122 yards and two scores.
Garden Plain has won four straight since its lone loss of the season, 41-14, to Class 3A No. 2 Cheney back in Week 2. The Owls also own a win over a ranked Conway Springs team and solid victories over Medicine Lodge and Haven. Five of Garden Plain’s six opponents have at least four wins thus far this season.
The Owls will be heavy favorites at Douglass (0-6) this week before a showdown against defending Class 2A state runner-up Kingman (5-1) to close out the regular season. That game with the Eagles will likely decide the Class 2A, District 6 championship.
Helmet sticker: La Crosse (Conor Nicholl -- Kpreps)
La Crosse slumped to 4-5 in 2022, a rare losing season under coach Jon Webster, who has cleared 100 wins at his alma mater. The Leopards averaged 33 points per game and permitted 37 points a contest. The Leopards dealt with significant injuries and obstacles.
This year, La Crosse is No. 13 in Division I with 19.3 points allowed per contest. The Leopards have delivered 36 points a game. La Crosse has won three straight, including the key win versus Pratt-Skyline. That win had a huge game from senior Caden Morgan, a key four-year player. Morgan, also a standout basketball and baseball player, completed 15 of 29 passes for 131 yards with three scores against no interceptions. He rushed 22 times for 180 yards and a TD. Senior Gage Burk had 10 catches for 79 yards.
Last year, La Crosse led Division I in percentage of snaps that were a pass at 59 percent. This year, the Leopards have thrown on 40 percent of snaps. Morgan has enjoyed a huge year with 75 of 137 passing for 770 yards with 18 scores against five interceptions. Morgan has 91 carries for 541 yards and four scores. Burk and sophomore Alexander Hiemstra are the top rushers. La Crosse had no player with more than 183 yards in 2022. The Leopards upped from 76 rushing yards and five yards a rush to 180 rushing yards and 5.3 yards a carry.
Three experienced seniors: Morgan, Burk and Conner Barriger lead the defense with 40, 39 and 38 tackles. Morgan has also picked off four passes. Morgan could clear 5,000 yards in total offense Friday.
Helmet sticker: Norton (Conor Nicholl -- Kpreps)
Class 2A has six undefeated teams left. Five are ranked: Nemaha Central, Sabetha, Southeast of Saline, Hoisington and Ellsworth. Norton is just outside the top-five with an impressive first six weeks, including a shutout win against run-heavy Beloit last week. Norton is third in 2A scoring defense with 7.5 points allowed per game. Norton won 26-0 at Beloit and will travel to Hays-TMP on Friday. A win would give the Bluejays a major leg up for the Mid-Continent League and district crown.
Norton lost 28-6 in Beloit in the 2021 regular season, along with 28-6 in the regular season last year and 50-14 in the playoffs. Last Friday, Norton held Beloit to 40 plays for 115 yards. That included 29 carries for 94 yards. Beloit had averaged 229 rushing yards a contest entering the contest. Norton leads District 8, a close district where the five teams went a combined 12-6 in non-district games.
Earlier in the season, Norton won 37-18 versus Plainville, at rival Smith Center (12-8) in Week 2 and versus rival Phillipsburg (14-6) in Week 3. Smith Center is currently fifth in 1A. Norton has matched last season’s victories in a 6-4 season.
Under longtime coach Lucas Melvin, Norton has its best start since a 10-1 season in 2014.
Junior Eli Jones has completed 55 of 97 passes for 986 yards with seven scores against three interceptions. He has 56 carries for 291 yards with five scores. Sophomore Tyler Backman has 63 rushes for 396 yards and eight TDs, along with 10 catches for 128 yards and a score. Junior Tyce Melvin has enjoyed a big year with 27 catches for 474 yards and four TDs.
Senior Roman Hauser is among 2A’s top defenders and two-way players. Hauser had 14 catches for 304 yards and three scores this year. He has 42 tackles, eight for loss and six sacks. Junior Trevin Enfield has three sacks. Junior Brennan Pfannenstiel paces with 49 stops, and senior Logan Pfannenstiel has 37 tackles.
Helmet sticker: WaKeeney-Trego (Conor Nicholl -- Kpreps)
Kpreps wanted to shine a light on Eight-Man, Division I, District 7 and a key matchup Friday in Trego County. WaKeeney-Trego and La Crosse are both 4-2, 3-0. Pratt-Skyline remains in the mix for the district title, especially if WaKeeney wins. If La Crosse wins Friday, the Leopards will win the district. La Crosse won 38-32 at Pratt-Skyline in Week 5.
Both teams have quietly had major statistical improvements.
Last year, the Golden Eagles finished 6-4 with an average score of 46-32. WaKeeney was a top-10 offense in 2022, though No. 18 in defense. WaKeeney-Trego is eighth in Division I with 14.2 points allowed a game. WaKeeney has delivered another strong contest with 35 points a contest.
Under longtime coach Pat Haxton, the Golden Eagles have a strong opportunity for its third straight winning season and a rare district title. Trego has not posted three straight winning seasons since ’05-07. WaKeeney has not won a district title since it played 11-man football 20 years ago, per Kansas Football History.
Trego won four straight games, including three consecutive shutouts. The Golden Eagles have had to replace significant offensive players, including QB Owen Day, WR Gunner Wilson and ATH Nolan Kinderknecht. No returning player has thrown, rushed or passed for more than 110 yards. However, four of the top-five tacklers returned with sophomore Ashton Wynn, junior Kaiden Bliss, sophomore Aaron Samson and senior Quintin Walt.
Sophomore Cass Smith has enjoyed a breakout season with 51 tackles and 14 for loss. Then, Wynn, Bliss, Samson and Walt all have between 39 and 25 stops. Trego has 36 tackles for loss and forced eight turnovers.
Helmet Stickers (2023 Season)
Week 1 – Clay Center, Labette County, Riverton, Sedgwick, Thomas More Prep
Week 2 – Chetopa, Deerfield, Ellinwood, Goddard-Eisenhower, Pratt
Week 3 – KC Washington, Liberal, Mulvane, Sublette
Week 4 – Herington, Lawrence Free State, Ottawa, Oxford
Week 5 – Maize South, Medicine Lodge, Mill Valley, Plainville
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