Abilene
Last Season: 5-4
Abilene High enters 2026 looking to turn a solid winning season into something more, leaning on a strong culture and veteran leadership to steady an otherwise inexperienced roster. The Cowboys are guided by seventh-year head coach Brad Nicks, who believes the foundation built over the past six seasons will keep Abilene competitive as new faces step into bigger roles.
“I am excited to see what this team can do this year. We will rely on our leadership and culture that we have built the previous six years to help us be successful this season. This group will be inexperienced at the start but have worked very hard in the off-season and they are looking to make 2026 special,” Nicks said.
Senior Ethan Evans is the centerpiece after three varsity seasons, sliding from tight end to quarterback while remaining a tone-setter on defense at Sam linebacker. Evans brings production and versatility after an 81-tackle year that earned him All-NCKL honorable mention, and his move under center gives Abilene a smart, physical leader on both sides of the ball.
Running back/safety Dayvan Cuba and two-way lineman Cael Casteel join Evans as key returners who can anchor all three phases. Cuba made 88 tackles and was an All-NCKL honorable mention safety, while Casteel stacked 51 tackles and five tackles for loss on his way to second-team All-NCKL honors in the trenches. Together, that experienced core gives Abilene a proven defensive backbone and enough playmaking on offense to chase another winning season in 2026.
Augusta
Last Season: 5-6
Augusta heads into Dawson Elliott’s second season looking to build on a 5-6 year that the staff described as a foundation-setting season marked by growth, resilience and a regional playoff push. The Orioles believe their defensive returners, team chemistry and veteran leadership can help carry momentum forward even as they replace major offensive production from a strong senior class.
Roman Bridwell, Jadyn Harris, Jackson Ingram, Mason Pringle, Daltin Apel, Jett Highfill and Cale Wills headline the key returners. Pringle and Apel give Augusta proven linebacker production after 60 and 55 tackles respectively, while Ingram brings two-way value with 10 catches, four total touchdowns and three sacks.
The team lists skill positions, chemistry and leadership as strengths, which should help younger players settle into bigger offensive roles. With games against McPherson, Independence, Circle, Winfield, Rose Hill, Abilene, Mulvane and Buhler, Augusta should get a clear early read on whether that growth is arriving quickly enough.
Arkansas City
Last Season: 2-7
Arkansas City enters 2026 after a 2-7 season with Chet Pobolish in his third year and a roster that returns five starters on each side of the ball. The Bulldogs will continue to operate from a multiple spread offense and a 4-2-5 defense, with the schedule again featuring tough league tests like Newton, Andover, Andover Central and Goddard.
Trevin Miller is the top returning offensive producer after posting 36 catches for 680 yards and six touchdowns. Dray Camp and Stratton Bruce give Ark City size in the trenches, while Noah Parr anchors the defense after recording 68 tackles and six tackles for loss last season.
The file gives a shorter personnel snapshot than some others, but the returning pieces suggest Ark City’s clearest path forward is through Miller’s playmaking and Parr’s presence in the middle of the defense. If the Bulldogs improve up front and get more complementary production around those two, they should be more competitive than last year’s record.
Buhler
Last Season: 6-4
Buhler comes off a 6-4 season and first place in league play, and Steve Warner believes the Crusaders should be very good offensively despite a demanding 2026 schedule. Warner said the program’s goal every year is to win a state championship, but that staying healthy will be critical given early matchups with Maize South, Mulvane, Great Bend, McPherson and Wellington.
The offense returns a strong group around quarterback Asher Zachary, including Nixon Standlee, John Aldrich, Jax Pratt, Asher McConnaughy, Landon Martinez, Kolbi McCarty and Gabe Edmund. Warner specifically pointed to the offense as a likely strength, and the roster includes multiple returning linemen with all-league or all-state recognition plus experienced skill talent.
Defensively, the file is slightly inconsistent about the total number of returning starters, but it clearly identifies Jacob Burklow, Noah Hays, Layne Burkhart, Jax Pratt, Dylan Scripsick and Garrett Gleason among the returning pieces. Buhler appears to have enough talent to contend again, especially if it quickly finds the right defensive combinations around an offense that should already be ahead.
Circle
Last season: 1-8
Circle heads into 2026 with a new voice and a clear developmental focus under first-year head coach Travis Rauh, who inherits a young team that he says is “improving every day” and learning what it takes to be successful consistently. The Thunderbirds are intent on finishing the summer strong and carrying that growth into a schedule that includes Pratt, Winfield, Augusta, McPherson, Buhler, El Dorado, Abilene and Mulvane.
Offensively, Circle returns five starters and will operate out of a spread scheme designed to force defenses to defend the entire field while still maintaining a physical running game. Junior running backs Jason Smith (669 rushing yards, 7 TDs) and Aymon Oliver (669 rushing yards, 6 TDs) give the Thunderbirds a potent one-two punch on the ground, while junior quarterback Cole Wilbur (650 rushing yards, 4 TDs) adds another dynamic runner from under center. Senior receiver Rocky Cosby (197 receiving yards) and sophomore linemen Weston Johnson and Carter Jenkins help balance the attack with perimeter and interior strength.
Defensively, Circle also brings back five starters and will use multiple looks, primarily a 4-2-5 and 3-3-5. Smith returns at strong safety after recording 27 tackles, with Aiden Frischenmeyer (DT), Boston Avery (DE, 28 tackles), Oliver (LB, 63 tackles), Trevor Stewert (LB) and Luke Owens (CB) forming the core of a unit coaches want playing “fast and physical” with everyone on the same page. The defensive emphasis remains simple: get a lot of bodies to the ball and tackle well.
Smith is the team’s MVP nominee after posting 1,000 all-purpose yards as a sophomore and earning second-team all-conference honors, and he’ll again be a two-way engine. Underclassman tackle Weston Johnson, who started the back half of last season as a freshman, is tabbed as a key young piece up front. If Circle’s leadership core continues to grow and the spread run game clicks, this young roster has a chance to turn last year’s struggles into a more competitive 2026.
El Dorado
Last Season: 0-9
The El Dorado workbook reads more like a roster sheet than a full season preview, but it still shows a strong amount of returning experience for a 4A team under head coach Dan Adelhardt. The Wildcats have returning starters spread across both senior and junior classes, which suggests a solid nucleus on each side of the ball even though the file does not include a full outlook or team record.
Daniel Bowlin, Kael Morrison, Maddix Soper and Peyton Wight headline the senior returners, while Landon Bright, Hunter Conrad, Kingston Klein, Cooper Meese, Jackson Remsberg, Britton Wescott, Nellieon Williams and Brailin Wright form a strong junior core. Bowlin earned honorable mention all-league honors at quarterback, Conrad was honorable mention all-league at running back, Bright earned honorable mention all-league on the offensive line, and Williams earned honorable mention recognition on special teams.
From the returning-starter markers in the sheet, El Dorado appears to have a broad base of experienced skill players and linemen to work with in 2026. If you want, I can turn the spreadsheet into a cleaner capsule too, but based on this file alone, the Wildcats look deeper than a typical roster-only upload would suggest.
McPherson
Last Season: 5-4
McPherson heads into 2026 with one of the more experienced rosters in this batch, returning nine offensive starters, 10 defensive starters and 24 total lettermen from last year’s 5-4 team. Jace Pavlovich said the Bullpups are process-driven and believe this group has the pieces for a postseason run, especially if it improves basic alignment and tackling on defense.
Offensively, McPherson brings back a loaded core led by quarterback Carter Bengston, running backs Dane Becker and Brody Milleson, receiver Ashton Malm and multiple experienced linemen and skill players. Bengston threw for 1,900 yards and 17 touchdowns, Malm had 58 catches for 1,134 yards and 13 scores, and Becker plus Milleson combined for 1,247 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
The Bullpups describe their offense as deep with gamebreakers across the board, while Dylan Hall returns as a defensive anchor after at least 55 tackles and two sacks. With Augusta, Great Bend, Buhler, Circle, El Dorado, Mulvane, Tonganoxie and Winfield on the schedule, McPherson should be tested enough to prove whether it is ready to move from solid to dangerous.
Mulvane
Last Season: 8-2
Mulvane enters 2026 coming off an 8-2 season, and Daniel Myears said the key challenge will be replacing the offensive line that helped power last year’s success. Even so, the Wildcats are optimistic because they expect the classes of 2027 and 2028 to step into major roles around an experienced senior core.
The offense returns five starters and will continue to work from a spread look. Grady Myers is the headliner after rushing 149 times for 1,194 yards and 19 touchdowns, while Hays Ensley adds major versatility with 184 rushing yards, 263 receiving yards and six total touchdowns.
Hudson Myers, Colter Light and Tanner Hargrove round out the top returning offensive group, giving Mulvane veteran pieces at receiver, tight end and up front. Defensively, the Wildcats return eight starters led by Damien Nicholson, Ensley, Myers, Hargrove, Caleb Holle and Cooper Brown.
The schedule includes Chanute, Buhler, Winfield, Wamego, Wellington, McPherson, Augusta and Circle, so Mulvane should get tested quickly. If the rebuilt line comes together fast enough, the returning skill talent gives the Wildcats a real chance to build on last year’s strong record.
Rose Hill
Last Season: 6-4
Rose Hill heads into Reece Petty’s second season after a 6-4 year, and the Rockets believe their senior-heavy roster can keep them competitive despite losing 10 seniors from last season. Petty pointed to the return of all five starting offensive linemen and a strong defensive line as the foundation of the team.
The offense returns eight starters and will again lean heavily on 12 and 20 personnel, which means plenty of two-tight-end and two-back looks with a run-first mindset. Kai Kirchoff-Jones, Luke Nottingham, Remington Merlau, Zander Ford, Caleb Williams and Myles Easley headline the returning group, and Petty said the Rockets also have skill players they want to feature more this year.
Defensively, Rose Hill returns six starters in a 4-2-5 built on tackling and pursuit. Merlau, Kirchoff-Jones, Nick Jones and Nottingham form the core of that unit, while Williams is the underclassman to watch as a gritty OL/DL player expected to help immediately.
Wellington
Last Season: 8-3
Wellington comes off an 8-3 season and returns a strong offensive nucleus under Jeremiah Meeks, especially at quarterback, along the line and in the skill group. Meeks said the Crusaders lost important defensive pieces and an all-state running back, but young players gained enough experience last year to be ready for bigger roles now.
The offense will operate from a spread system and should be led by junior quarterback Colton Elmore, who threw for 1,760 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding 460 rushing yards and five more scores. Jackson Curry, Cole Zeka, Jonathan Armstrong, Boston Bernd, Goran Djurovic and Cameron Rosenberg give Wellington proven production at receiver, tight end, running back and across the offensive front.
Defensively, the Crusaders will play a 3-4 and may still be dangerous because of their speed and athleticism even while replacing several departures. Easton Lynnes, Fisher Elder, Djurovic, Curry, Ethan Boyd and Zeka give Wellington a strong defensive core, highlighted by Elder’s 113 tackles and Lynnes’ 97 tackles.
Winfield
Last Season: 1-8
Winfield sees 2026 as a rebound opportunity, with Monty Lewis saying the Vikings must re-establish the physical, competitive identity that defined the program over the previous four years. With eight returning offensive starters and seven returning defensive starters, the experience is there for a better season than last year’s 1-8 finish.
Offensively, Winfield will stay multiple, ranging from two-tight-end sets to five-wide looks, but Lewis said running the football effectively will remain the top priority. Dane Chattam, Rafael Ecot, Carson Meeker, Elijah Bergesen, Eli Tagg and Cason Reams form the main returning offensive group, with Chattam serving as the team’s MVP nominee because of his leadership, athleticism and speed.
Defensively, the Vikings base out of a 4-2-5 with some 3-3 stack looks and want to play a bend-but-don’t-break style. Elias Moon, Jerimiah Lange, Carver Muxlow, Tayquan Brown, Bergesen and Ecot headline that side of the ball, giving Winfield a chance to be more rugged and consistent if the team regains its edge.
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