Here’s why the KCAC Media Day is unique — the setup. It’s held at the gothic-looking Salina Country Club, which if you haven’t seen it … is really a sight to behold. So you’re in this banquet room overlooking their golf course (which is just calling screaming your name) and eating the tortilla soup and then BOOM you’re in KCAC football overdrive with all the head coaches breaking down their teams. My only wish? That the coaches would bring a player or two with them. Thing I didn’t expect? Jason Dannelly and the College Fanz Network team live streaming the whole shebang after driving in from Nebraska. Dude’s got a full crew. And he let me bother him with a few KCAC questions and commiserated about the downfall of my alma mater’s football program afterwards. Great guy.
And oh yeah, Friends is still the team to beat. But it’s not a no-brainer anymore.
Here’s how it went down Friday, in order of how they’re picked in the coaches’ poll:
1. Friends: Monty Lewis went last, but he’s inevitably the guy everybody looks forward to listening to, because you know he’s not going to hold back, and why should he? He’s already picked his starting QB to replace KCAC offensive player of the year Alex Melugin in Andover product Tim Rozzell, and he’s retained Melugin to coach his QBs after Lewis fired last year’s QB coach, which was himself. And then there’s this: Saint Mary coach Lance Hinson had already spoken and got pretty fired up about somebody asking his players if they were still going to run “that chicken (bleep) offense” and let everybody in the room know how much it bothered him during his speech. So coach Lewis gets to the podium, turns to Hinson and says “Hey, Lance, you still gonna run that chicken (bleep) offense?” They really said “bleep,” too.
TOP DOGS: DE Jordan Highley, Sr. 6-foot-2, 250 pounds/DB Quinn Cunningham, Sr. 6-2 190/Jacob McKenzie OT 6-5, 325
ETHAN HALLER
2. Ottawa: Kent Kessinger’s dry wit was on full display when he got a turn to speak. His father is legendary KCAC coach Ted Kessinger, who always comes up at these sort of things … and he was keeping count of how many times he was referenced. The total: 9. The Braves open up at the TD Classic in Platte City, Mo., against McKendree on Aug. 29 — which means they only get 12 days of practice before the first game. I think they’ll be fine, and I also think they’re going to roll McKendree. The Braves are LOADED — including two first-team all-KCAC picks back on offense, plus the leading candidate for KCAC offensive player of the year in QB Ethan Haller, a second-team pick last year behind
TOP DOGS: QB Ethan Haller, Sr., 6-1, 200 (2,882 yards & 23 TDs in 2008)/LB Ross Diehl, Sr., 6-2 215
3. Sterling: Somehow or another, Sterling coach Andy Lambert continues to find quality players to make their way to his tiny campus, the latest in that long line being running back Rashard Colquitt, a first-team running back and kick returner last season as a sophomore, putting up 1,143 yards of total offense and scoring 11 TDs. Junior QB Kioke Burbank might have been the starter last season if academic issues hadn’t held him up, and he’ll get a shot this year. Losing stud LB Derrick Sullivan will hurt.
TOP DOGS: RB Rashard Colquitt, Jr, 5-10 190/LB Austin Kingsbury, Sr., 5-11 195
KEN MITCHELL
4. Kansas Wesleyan: I like listening to KWU coach Dave Dallas speak — I don’t know why, but the guy looks like he should be a senator or something. So maybe he can politic his way into finding a way to replace RB Preston McCorkle, who I thought was the best back in the KCAC last season. PM led the league with 1,355 yards rushing last season and averaged 147.5 yards of total offense per game. They’ve got A LOT of transfers on the roster — 44 — which could be combustible. And they’ve got first-team DB Ken Mitchell back, which is big.
TOP DOGS: DB Ken Mitchell, Jr. 5-11 175/OL Schuyler Wilson, Sr., 6-1 305
JEFF PAULSON
5. McPherson: Let me start his off by saying I don’t agree with McPherson at this spot. I think they’re going to finish third. Coach Brian Ward has laid the groundwork for the last couple of years to create competition and depth all over his roster and I think this year we’ll all get to see that. And it doesn’t hurt that they have maybe the best defensive player in the conference back in LB Jeff Paulson, who led the KCAC with 119 tackles last season. Ward told me Paulson is the heart and soul of this team, and it seems like that as he goes, so do the Bulldogs. On offense, they have QB Shane Mascarenas back starting after he got a medical redshirt last season when he broke his leg in the first game, and the guy who filled in for him when he got hurt last year — Josh White — is going to be their slot receiver. White is an incredible athlete who can do a lot of great things. As for freshman QB Jake Snodgrass? We might not see him this year, but know this: he’s McPherson’s future.
TOP DOGS: LB Jeff Paulson, Sr., 6-1 205/UTIL Josh White, Jr. 6-2, 180
JAMES McCARTNEY
6. Bethel: I feel like the Threshers really are going to fight an uphill battle this year, if only because of the uncertainty at QB, where it’s a five-way battle for the starting spot right now. Junior Garret Hiebert is the leading candidate right now, but I suppose he’s no more out front than Josh Rogers, who played in 2007 and is back after sitting out a year. But don’t feel too bad for Bethel — they’ve still got KCAC co-defensive player of the year James McCartney back on the defensive line and they’ve got Lee Voth-Gaeddert back at wide receiver, along with all of their other receivers, too. As far as LVG … what an athlete … the guy was also the first-team all-KCAC punter last year. This guy makes plays, plain and simple. If they want to win they’ve got to find a way to get the ball into his hands at least 10 times a game, in my humble opinion. And catching snaps to punt the ball does not count. Fun fact: Big Mac and LVG are both from Hesston.
TOP DOGS: DL James McCartney, Sr., 6-1 330/WR Lee Voth-Gaeddert, Soph., 6-3, 180
7. Saint Mary: So I’m sitting there listening to Lance Hinson speak, and after a few minutes he’s stunned the room into complete silence … dude was really worked up! Some sort of disrespect to his players or something in the offseason, and he’s not happy with it. Wanted to let everybody know he was putting it up on the bulletin boards. Like the fire. Like it a lot. But it also kind of freaked me out. Chill out, coach, you’ve got your QB back (and I don’t think your team is going to be that bad). These things are supposed to be relaxed.
TOP DOGS: QB James Robles, Jr. (3,001 yds, 29 Td, 21 int)/WR Glenn Walin, Sr., 6-2, 195
STEVEN BAKER (LEFT) JUST KIDDING, PEOPLE
8. Bethany: Five years ago I was scraping by as a stringer at The Eagle, trying to parlay it into a full-time gig (which I did, in Oregon) and I covered Bethany’s upset of Friends in Lindsborg just a couple of months before I left the ICT for the Pacific Northwest. And Bethany’s QB that night – a big, stocky Texan named Steven Baker — lit up the Falcons on the way to national player of the week honors. Lo and behold, he’s back. Baker played one more year after that fateful night, struggled, then hung it up for three years. Now he’s still got any left in the tank. Think Necessary Roughness in the NAIA. Seriously. Great story if it works. If it doesn’t …
TOP DOGS: QB Steven Baker, Sr., 6-3 220/DB Jamil Owens, Sr., 5-9 175
JOEL WEINS STADIUM
9. Tabor: Here’s something exciting — well at least I’m excited about it — the Bluejays open a new stadium September 19 versus Bethany, and I’m going to try and sweet-talk my way into being there that day. Joel Wiens Stadium is part of a growing trend in the KCAC for upping your digs — see Southwestern, Sterling, Saint Mary .. et. al. And Tabor isn’t going to be as bad as they were last year, I think. They’ve got a nice LB back in junior Teal Stutzman and RB Derek Washington is no joke. Let’s see how it goes.
TOP DOGS: RB Derek Washington, Soph., 5-10 170/LB Teal Stutzman, Jr., 6-1 225
10. Southwestern: Things could not have been any worse for the Moundbuilders last season as Ken Crandall’s team had the worst season in school history, going 1-9 and finishing dead last in the KCAC. Their leading candidate at QB in a 6-way battle is Ingalls product Keith VenJohn, who was playing hoops at Garden City C.C. a couple of years ago. The good news? Construction on the new stadium will begin after the home finale against Bethel on Oct. 31.
TOP DOGS: DL Blake Ridgeway, Sr., 6-2 250/LB Jess Maddox, Jr., 5-10, 185
That’s a whole lotta KCAC for you.
Out. TA.
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[...] News Sources wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptHere’s why the KCAC Media Day is unique — the setup. It’s held at the gothic-looking Salina Country Club, which if you haven’t seen it … is really a sight to behold. So you’re in this banquet room overlooking their golf course (which is just calling screaming your name) and eating the tortilla soup and then BOOM you’re in KCAC football overdrive with all the head coaches breaking down their teams. My only wish? That the coaches would bring a player or two with them. Thing I didn’t expect? J [...]