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Prep parade: Experienced Wildcats looking to complete Class 3A title quest
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news will post preview stories for all 10 Shawnee County high school football programs over the coming days, leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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A lot of Kansas high school football programs -- actually the vast majority of them -- would be downright giddy if they were able to play for state championships in back-to-back seasons.
But there's no giddiness in the Hayden camp ... only determination.
Veteran Hayden football coach Bill Arnold talks to his team during Monday's season-opening practice. {Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Wildcats won a pair of undefeated Class 4A titles under Tom Stringer in 1998 and 2004 and have continued to be a perennial state power in Bill Arnold's 18 years (19th season this fall) at the Hayden helm, including a 4A crown in 2008.
But there have also been numerous near-misses, including losses to Cheney and Andale in the past two 3A title games, and those are the games that stick in the crawl of Arnold, who has a 222-68 career coaching record,
"You watch on ESPN and you see the Buffalo Bills going to the Super Bowl all the time and never winning it,'' Arnold said. "Well, we have won it before, but we've only won it once (the 2008 title) and we've got five kissing your sister trophies in my office and I'm tired of looking at them,'' he said. "But everything's got to fall into place.''
Hayden went 11-2 last season, including a 36-19 loss to Andale in the state final, and returns a wealth of experience to build around this fall.
"We have experience,'' Arnold said. "This senior class has been playing since they were sophomores, most of them, and they should know what to expect. Athletically, they're very talented, but it's like I told them, they can't do it by themselves. It takes a whole squad.''
"We lost a three-year starter at quarterback (Jett Wahlmeier). We lost a four-year starter at corner and wide receiver and probably one of the most prolific kids that we've had since I've been here in (Jensen) Schrickel. But at the same time I think we've got guys that we can fill the spots in and go with it.''
Headlining the list of Wildcat returners are senior running back/defensive back Kade Mitchell (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) and senior fullback/linebacker Jude Krentz (5-10, 200), who were both TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors last season.
Prep parade: Cair Paravel's focus on improvement in second season in 11-man ranks
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news will post preview stories for all 10 Shawnee County high school football programs over the coming days, leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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After posting a 9-3 record and advancing to the Eight-Man Division I state semifinals in 2023, Doug Bonura's Cair Paravel Latin football team had to, in many ways, learn a whole new game last fall as the young Lions began the transition into the 11-man ranks.
Doug Bonura's Cair Paravel Latin Lions will be looking to make big strides this fall in the Lions second season of 11-man football. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And for a team that graduated nine seniors from '23 and had only 19 total players last season, it wasn't a big shock that the Lions struggled to a 2-7 record.
But Bonura said the Lions gained a ton of experience from playing a schedule chock full of traditional small-school powers and are ready to make strides this fall.
"It was a big change coming into that and playing good teams is helpful in that because it exposes your weaknesses really quickly, especially having such a young team,'' Bonura said. "Last year we had three returning starters and a total of four returning lettermen.
"This year I have eight returning starters per side, which is really helpful. They're young, but they've had a year of experience and learning, 'Oh, that's what it is,' and this year I think they'll be like, "Oh, that's not so bad.' ''
Even though making the switch to 11-man football has been a challenge, Bonura said his team has embraced the change.
"I think they love 11-man because there's some things about 11-man that are nice compared to 8-man,'' Bonura said. "There's just more things you can do, but you also have more bodies to deal with and that's a challenge for a small school.''
Top senior returners for the Lions include fullback/linebacker Tobias Bonura, wide receiver/defensive back Luke Budden, offensive lineman/linebacker Caleb Cleverdon, tight end/defensive end Oliver Ellis and wide receiver/defensive back Lucas Marichal.
Bonura received TopSports.news All-Shawnee County honorable mention in 2024.
Work ethic carries Washburn quarterback Justin Lewis to success on and off the football field
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University quarterback Justin Lewis has achieved considerable success on the football field, with the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Kennesaw, Ga. native winning a state championship in high school and earning the opportunity to play Division I football at Merrimack College.
Justin Lewis is expected to vie for Washburn's starting quarterback job this fall after transferring from Division I Merrimack College. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
But Lewis has been just as successful, maybe more so, in the classroom, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in business administration from Merrimack, located in North Andover, Mass., before opting to finish his college career at Washburn.
And Lewis, who is in line to be the Ichabods' starting quarterback this fall, said the key to his success both on and off the football field is making both sports and academics major priorities.
"You always have to have a balance of both because football just doesn't last forever, you know,'' said Lewis, who is pursuing his Masters of Business Administration degree at Washburn. "So having that degree to fall back on and those things, you've got to be the same way you are on the field in the classroom.
"You've got to be the same person you have always been and stay true to that. I think you'll inherit success on the field, but also off the field when you have that same mentality.''
After making the decision to transfer following the 2024 season, Lewis considered several other schools before ending up in Topeka for the spring semester.
"I knew after I was done with my fourth year and graduated that I would want to explore another opportunity, so I hit the portal,'' Lewis said. "I had a lot of opportunities and Washburn was actually my last visit. I ended coming on the visit and meeting coach Wat (Zach Watkins), coach Dane Simoneau (offensive coordinator) and the whole staff.
"They've done an unbelievable job with their vision. They told me their vision and everything they were expecting from me and it immediately felt like home for me, so out of all the schools that I talked to and that offered me in the portal, Washburn was the one that stood out to me.
"And it wasn't just from the football aspect, it was from the family aspect and the aspect of what coach Wat wanted from this program. Him being in his first year, too, that's something new and that's awesome to me and I wanted to be a part of that.''
