By Joanna Chadwick
When Covid-19 hit in 2020, high school sports were affected as the number of participating athletes dropped in many sports.
The City League definitely felt it, largely because Wichita schools had major Covid protocols in place, including a mix of onsite and remote learning through the end of the 2020-2021 school year.
“With us not being in school for almost a year and a half, at one time canceling the (2020) season, our numbers dropped,” Northwest football coach Steve Martin said. “We saw a trend in low numbers in youth sports.
“… Basically in Wichita, things stopped that year. What happened was a lot of kids found something else to do or got disinterested in the sport.”
Northwest football’s 2024 team had seven seniors.
“That’s never happened here,” Martin said. “But every year since Covid, our numbers have steadily increased. We feel that we’re definitely out of that cycle.”
This senior class is special.
“We knew this 2026 class was going to be extremely gifted during their high school career,” Martin said.
“Five or six started as freshmen. Twelve started as sophomores.”
They had to play because the classes before them were so small.
“We feel our roster has flipped where our upperclassmen will be on the field now. Playing 6A football in Kansas, with schools like Manhattan and Derby that have senior-heavy rosters, it’s tough,” Martin said.
“But this class has worked extremely hard.”
Nine players have Division I offers.
Quarterback Jaylen Mason, a Kansas commit, is a three-year starter. Offensive linemen Deongelo Williams and Dustin Cochran both committed to South Dakota last week.
Also playing in front of Mason is Maddox McGinnis, who has an offer from Iowa State. The line is huge — four returning starters are all over 6-foot-3, 275 pounds.
Northwest’s top receivers are Ryder Campbell and Griffin Baker, who have both been offered by Drake. Northwest’s running back is Augie Fast, who had more than 2,100 all-purpose yards.
“Johnmichael Fountain, a linebacker/running back who 15-16 offers, leads a very energetic defense,” Martin said. “There’s Bishop Smith on the defensive line and a big-time kid who will make some noise in Dallas Gray, an incoming sophomore.
“This team has been built for this year. We’re excited to see where we go.”
The summer is an exciting time for any football team. After months of working out in the weight room, summer is when coaches figure out where to put everyone.
“We’re making sure we have the right puzzle pieces,” Martin said. “Lot of evaluation and film. We’re getting as many repetitions as possible.
“There’s padded camps, 7 on 7, practice, strength and condition. For us, it’s seeing what we have. Seeing how they’ve changed their bodies and performance from winter and spring workouts. Now it’s putting them in the right places.”
