The excitement surrounding the 2026 football season starts with the unknown for Chanute’s Braddox Bancroft.
Chanute’s schedule features several new opponents, including Mulvane, Rose Hill and Louisburg, giving the Blue Comets a fresh set of challenges after competing against familiar foes in recent years. Bancroft is eager to see how his team stacks up against the new competition.
“I’m most excited about the new schedule,” Bancroft said. “Mulvane, Rose Hill, and Louisburg have all been added to our schedule this year. This will be a new look for us and I’m looking forward to competing with them.”
The anticipation comes after an offseason built around consistency and accountability. Chanute’s players committed to early-morning team lifting sessions while also organizing player-led 7-on-7 workouts in the evenings. Bancroft said those extra sessions, along with competing in 7-on-7 tournaments and attending a padded team camp, helped lay the foundation for the upcoming season.
Rather than relying solely on coaches, the players took ownership of their development throughout the summer.
Bancroft also spent considerable time refining one of the most important aspects of his game — his footwork. Whether playing in the trenches or pursuing ball carriers on defense, he understands that proper technique often determines the outcome of each snap.
“Footwork,” Bancroft said when asked about his biggest area of improvement. “On the offensive line, footwork is what makes or breaks your performance. My offensive line coach, Nolan Werner, constantly stresses that my footwork needs to be good. I work on it at practice every day and I watch film on where my footwork needs to be fixed.”
That attention to detail has already paid dividends. Bancroft earned first-team All-Southeast Kansas League honors last season after recording 59 tackles, two sacks, eight tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
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