This list was compiled with comments from Kansas High School Football Coaches. To add someone to the list please email: [email protected].
Jaylen Wilson, Andover Central
“Second year as starter at nose guard on the defensive line. Jaylen has been a dominant force for us on the line.”
Jaxson Green, Andover Central
“Has had tremendous success this year at running back and should continue to be an impact player.”
Max Bottorff, Atchison County-Effingham
“He is our leading rusher (80 yards per game), leading scorer (seven total touchdowns) and leading tackler (53 total, five tackles for loss, 13 per game). Max plays both ways for us and rarely comes off the field. He is the alpha dog on our team, captain and leader at everything we do. Very humble and team guy, more about what the team needs than what he needs. A player every coach wants on their team.”
Colton Lowe, Atchison County-Effingham
“Colton is another do-it-all type of guy and never comes off the field. Second leading tackler (41 total, four tackles for loss, 10 per game). He is also our kicker, 8/10 on PATs. Hard-working kid who has grown up a ton over the past few seasons. Sticks his nose in anywhere trying to make a play.”
Carson Dixon, Basehor-Linwood
“Carson has been a complete quarterback and the catalyst to our offense. He is not only passing well – 63 of 94 for 813 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has rushed 42 times for 288 yards and four touchdowns. He steps up biggest in our biggest gains and is the top reason for our 4-0 start.”
Nash Morrison, Basehor-Linwood
“Nash has proven to be one of the top wide receivers in the state. At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, he is a match-up problem for most opponents and has been the team’s top target this season. He has 27 catches for 402 yards and five touchdowns all in a balanced offense that has six different wide receivers who have touchdown catches on the season. Nash stepped up big in our win over DeSoto, hauling in eight catches for 154 yards and four touchdowns.
Ben Clouse, Buhler
“Ben has 91 carries for 798 yards rushing. He has nine touchdowns. He set a new school record with 379 yards rushing in a recent game.”
Treighton Hafenstein, Central-Burden
“Tre has been a big part of our overall improvement as a team this season. A shoulder injury sidelined him last year, but this season he has taken charge and is leading our offense. He has 965 yards of all-purpose yards, five touchdowns and two two-point conversions. Tre has been a great addition on defense, helping shore up our back end. He does not jump off the page as a defender, but teams thus far chose to run away from him in the run game. There are plenty of other players across the state with stats that are much more impressive through four weeks of action, but Tre has shown a tremendous ability to lead our team in all aspects of our football program, through the summer, on the field, in the classroom and in the locker room. This is impressive because Tre is still a sophomore playing his first real season of varsity football.”
Hunter Henderson, Central-Burden
“Hunter is a compliment to Tre (Hafenstein). (Hunter) is our gadget player, a kid we can put anywhere offensively and get him the ball, and like Tre, right now his stats will not jump off the page like many other nominees will offensively. Where his biggest impact for us is defensively – he leads the team in tackles (43), averaging almost 11 per game (10.8), he has one sack, five passes defended and is sound in coverage. When I say he is the complement to Tre, he is the one player who is an extension of the coaches on the field. He knows the positions, the techniques and is the one kid who translates mid-game adjustments to teammates. He is the bridge of communication between the sideline and the field. Just a sophomore, he is finding his rhythm as a defender and is only a big part of why we have only given up 26 or fewer points in three out of four of our contests this year. And in those contests, we’ve given up a combined 20 second-half points.”
Brodie Crites, Central Plains
“Brodie is a junior quarterback and has completed 42 of 70 passes for 733 yards with 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions.”
Landon Daniels, Central Plains
“Landon continues to be one of the most dominant linemen in 8-man football on both sides of the ball. He has great size and strength and good foot speed. He was first team All-State, District and League last year as a junior.”
Grayson Moody, Eudora
“Grayson has 106 carries for 544 yards and seven touchdowns through four games.”
Leland Bradshaw, Eudora
“Leland is a two-time All-League and one-time All-State defensive lineman. He is a two-way starter and the best offensive and defensive lineman in the Frontier League. He has opportunities to play at the D2 level. The offense has 1,234 yards through four games, 1,048 of that is on the ground. On defense, Bradshaw has 16 tackles, four solo, one tackle for loss and one sack.
Peyton Hare, Eureka
“Peyton is our quarterback and outside linebacker. He is an all-around competitor and leads the team in rushing as well as passing. Through four games, he has 41 rushes for 404 yards with seven touchdowns on the ground. Through the air, he is 12 for 29 for 290 yards with five touchdown passes with 2 interceptions. On defense, he has racked up 32 tackles, 26 of them being solo tackles, six tackles for loss and has caused two fumbles.”
TJ Mills, Eureka
“TJ Mills is our do-everything athlete. On offense, he will line up as a receiver or a running back. On defense, he is a safety who will play high or down in the box. He is our kicker, our punter, our kick returner and our punt returner. So far this season, he has racked up 22 rushes for 244 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He has caught four passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns. He has returned three punts for 63 yards, one of them being a touchdown. He has returned three kickoffs for 51 yards. On defense, he has racked up 27 tackles, 22 of them being solo, two tackles for loss, and has had two sacks.”
Chase Combs, Fairfield
“Chase is an outstanding student-athlete who excels on the field, in the classroom and in the community. He is one of our team captains and has been a positive role model for students of all ages in our school. Chase’s dedication and drive are second to none. Even when he has been faced with extreme adversity, he has always put the needs of others ahead of his own.”
Braeden Witt, Fairfield
“Witt is one of our most versatile players, and he is the definition of a glue guy. He is the player who takes on many of the toughest, least glorious jobs on our team, and he excels in that role. Braeden has been an excellent leader for us both on and off the field and is a positive role model for our school and community.”
Beau Hall, Flinthills
“At running back, Hall is the leading rusher in all of Butler County. Through four games, he has 710 yards rushing on 72 carries. He has 11 rushing touchdowns and 12 total. He is averaging 177 yards per game and 9.9 per carry.”
Taylor Carroll, Flinthills
“Through four weeks, Taylor has 41 total tackles with three for a loss and four quarterback sacks for a total of minus 31 yards. He also has a forced fumble. He averages 10.3 tackles per game and anchors our defensive line.”
Jhett Price, Garden City
“Price is a two-way starter excelling on both sides of the ball. At linebacker on defense, he has 41 tackles, one pass breakup and he blocked one PAT. On offense, he has six catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns.”
Culden Plankenhorn, Garden City
“Culden is a solid player on both offense and defense for Garden City. He has 41 rushes for 154 yards and one touchdown. On defense, he has 24 tackles, two tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.”
Cael Frazier, Holton
“He is the statistical leader on our defense as a linebacker. He is a big, strong fullback who is a three-year starter.”
Roman Byers Jr., KC Piper
“Roman has 78 rushes for 382 yards and five touchdowns. He has also added six receptions for 168 yards and a score. On defense, he has 24 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one interception. He also serves as team captain.”
“Chevy has been a dominant force at right tackle. Explosive off the ball and someone we can consistently run behind. He has stepped up to be a major leader for our team. He brings energy and passion as an undersized lineman. He has quickly been noticed by other UKC coaches with his ability to fly off the ball.”
Chevy Mendoza, KC Turner
Juan Pablo Jimerez, KC Wyandotte
“Juan is a running back who runs really hard and is almost rushing for 100 yards a game.”
Taden Gottschalk, Logan/Palco
“Taden is a junior and has 382 yards rushing through four games with seven touchdowns. He has also returned a kickoff for a touchdown and returned a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown.
Defensively, he has 27 tackles and leads the team with three interceptions.”
Carson Knipp, Logan/Palco
“Carson has 54 carries for 331 yards and seven touchdowns as our fullback through the first four games. He also leads the team in tackles, averaging 10 per game.”
Xander Young, Lyons
“Xander is one of the top leaders on our team. On defense, he has 35 solo tackles, 15 assisted tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, and an interception. A great kid to be around. An all-around great football player.”
Detrell Stanley, Lyons
“Detrell is having a breakout year on the defense of the ball. He has 30 solo tackles, six assisted tackles, with one tackle for loss.”
Ashton Malm, McPherson
“He is one of the best wide receivers in the state. He led all sophomores last year in receiving and is poised to have another great season for us. He has 574 yards on 24 catches and eight touchdowns. Malm also added a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.”
Carter Bengston, McPherson
“Carter has done a tremendous job all season, leading us from the quarterback position. We have not put this much on our quarterback since we had Tyler Matthews, and (Carter) has done a great job. He has completed 69% of his passes for 812 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. He also has 16 carries for 71 yards.”
Bryce Bunger, Mission Valley
“Bryce has four receiving touchdowns. He has totaled one interception and 14 tackles as a safety, as well.”
Jake Mills, Mission Valley
“Jake has passed for 373 yards with eight touchdown passes and has also rushed for four touchdowns. He has gone 24 of 45 for a 102 quarterback rating. He also has 168 yards rushing and plays outside linebacker, recording four tackles.”
Carter Hajek, Nemaha Central
“Carter has had a great start to the season at quarterback. He has thrown for 244 yards, two touchdowns, and has rushed for 890 yards and 15 touchdowns.”
Sam Krzykowski, Olathe West
“Sam is a senior wide receiver. Through our first four games, he has caught 24 passes for 555 yards and eight touchdowns. Four of his touchdown receptions have gone for 60 or more yards. He broke the Olathe West single-game receiving yards record with 218 on 10 catches against Shawnee Mission Northwest. Sam also has carried three times for 58 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown against Shawnee Mission North.”
Cash Warren, Olathe West
“Cash is a junior linebacker and is our leading tackler, averaging 9.5 tackles per game through our first four games. He is our leading kick returner, including a 98-yard touchdown in a victory over Lawrence High School. He is also a part-time running back with five carries for 105 yards.”
Logan Gaither, Oxford
“Logan is our leading tackler, averaging 11.5 tackles a game. He also has 21 carries for 224 yards with six touchdowns.”
Remington Merlau, Rose Hill
“Playing very well for us at defensive end this year. Only a sophomore and already has offers from Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas.”
Canann Mitchell, Rossville
“Canann is a dual-threat at quarterback. He has completed 46 of 76 passes for 631 yards and eight touchdowns. He also added 49 carries for 296 yards and five touchdowns.”
Andre Johnson, Rossville
“Johnson is a linebacker and has 25 solo tackles and 25 assists for 50 total tackles. He has also added one tackle for loss.”
Paxton Henery, Royal Valley
“An elite pass rusher who has stepped up at offensive guard this season to help the team. Constantly demands a double team and forces offense into scheming for him. Very twitchy edge defender who can play the pass and the run. Second team All-Defensive Lineman last season and honorable mention All-State selection as a junior.”
Manny Oliveira, Royal Valley
“Leads the team in rushing yards per game. One of the best ball carriers in the Big East League. One of the blocking backs in our league as well.”
Kole Riedy, Rural Vista Heat
“Kole has 772 yards on 70 carries and four receptions for 101 yards in four games this season. He has scored 15 rushing touchdowns and seven two-point conversions. On defense, he has three interceptions and one fumble recovery. Kole is the silent leader on our team and does a lot of things well on both sides of the ball.”
Mason Marsh, Rural Vista Heat
“Mason is our center and is the leader of our line. He leads the team in knockdown blocks and has been our Lineman of the Week for two of the four weeks of play. He is the first center I have ever coached who can pull on counters. He is a great lineman.”
Klayton Adamson, St. Marys Colgan
“Klayton is a senior running back and has been a three-year starter who has been a big part of our success. He had previously split time as a receiver and running back but has moved to running back full-time this season and has excelled in the role. He has invested a lot of time and effort into making himself better over the past four years, and it is showing in big ways. Through four games, he has 63 carries for 692 yards with 14 touchdowns.”
Cole Frank, Wabaunsee
“Cole is our leading rusher with 257 yards and four touchdowns against a very difficult part of our schedule (Council Grove, Osage City, Olpe). He has also thrown two touchdown passes. On defense, he is the team’s leading tackler with 43 tackles, 23 solo, 20 assists and two interceptions.”
Ashton Wynn, WaKeeney-Trego
“Ashton is a force on both sides of the ball. On defense, after four games, he has 72 tackles and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a score. He has forced three fumbles and recovered three fumbles. On offense, he has thrown for an average of 112 yards per game and rushed for an average of 70 yards per game.”
Kedrick Harrison, Wichita Southeast
“Kedrick already has three 100-plus yard games, including 235 yards against Heights last week. He has been a steady performer all season, averaging six yards per catch.”
Kasen Hartfield, Wichita Southeast
“Kasen is our best cornerback right now and has four interceptions on the season.”
Zac Zimmerman, Wichita Trinity Academy
“After four games this season, Zac has passed for 782 yards, rushed for 273 yards and scored nine total touchdowns.”
Yamnoel Oyola-Bernier, Wichita Trinity Academy
“Yamnoel has 48 carries for 301 yards and five touchdowns, 17 catches for 207 yards and a score. On defense, he has 37 total tackles and five tackles for loss. He has also added four kickoff returns for 117 yards and a touchdown.”
