Sunflower Slate

GAGE MCKINNIS

All-American football teams are starting to roll in. Two NCAA D-II teams are in with the Daktronics and AFCA both putting out their squads. The NJCAA team is in, too, with three Hutchinson players receiving first-team status. That’s impressive.

One question: How is it possible that Northwest Missouri safety Myles Burnsides is a first-team All-American and the defensive player of the year on the Daktronics team and then doesn’t make the AFCA team? And how is it that the AFCA puts out just one All-American team? No second team? No honorable mentions? What a joke.

I digress.

NCAA DIVISION II

Kiowa product and Pittsburg State senior offensive lineman Kendall Molz made the second team on Daktronics — and he deserved it. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Molz redshirted then started every game but one for the Gorillas over the last four years. Impressive. No other PIttsburg State player made a team

NJCAA

The NJCAA does it right. First team, second team, honorable mention. Simple, right?

And your Jayhawk Conference sure cleaned up — Butler won the national title and was No. 1 in the final poll, Fort Scott upset Blinn in its bowl and finished No. 6 and Hutch finished out No. 19. And each team’s individual players got massive props in the process. Here’s the All-Americans out of the Jayhawk:

FIRST TEAMERS: RB La’Darrian Page, So., 5-9, 170, Hutch; C Erik Dahl, So., 6-2, 285, Butler; OL James Carpenter, So., 6-5, 310, Coffeyville; RS Gage McKinnis, Fr., 5-8, 174, Hutch; DL Eugene Kinlaw, So., 6-2, 294, Hutch; LB Jacquian Williams, So., 6-4, 230, Fort Scott; DB Coryell Judie, So., 6-0, 190, Fort Scott. SECOND TEAMERS: WR Tyrece Gaines, So., 6-3, 217, Butler; DL Jason Pierre-Paul, So., 6-5, 280, Fort Scott. HONORABLE MENTION: QB Eugene Smith, So., 6-3, 205, Garden City; DL Jonathan Massaquoi, So., 6-4, 238, Butler; DB Rudell Crim, So., 5-10, 195, Butler.

Here’s my thoughts: Wow. Wow that Hutch put three on the first team. That is pretty incredible. Page and Kinlaw I thought might be first-teamers, but I didn’t see the McKinnis pick coming. Good for him. Gotta love it when those Kansas kids get this sort of recognition. And that Fort Scott put two players on the first-team defense … no kidding? That’s what happens when you pitch five straight shutouts. And it was nice to see Coryell Judie get put on the first team. I’ve been in love with his game since watching him play last year. He’s going to make the people in College Station pretty happy next year.

CORYELL JUDIE