By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The renaissance of Highland Park football has been the Capital City’s feel-good story of the past three years.
The Scots ended an eight-year, 65 game losing streak at the beginning of the 2022 school year and have been one of the most entertaining teams in Shawnee County ever since. Highland Park followed up that 6-3 season – which produced college standout Tre Richardson, currently at Vanderbilt – with seasons of 7-3 and 6-3.
Highland Park interim athletic director Brad Snyder said he has no doubt that Scots football coach Jermaine Monroe (pictured) and his team will be able to turn recent negative events into a long-term positive for the program. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Highland Park began the 2025 campaign with two blowout wins and were in the midst of a third when things went awry. In the third period of a game with Kansas City-Schlagle at Hummer Sports Park on Sept. 19, a fight between a few players escalated, with members of both teams leaving the bench. Game officials and police struggled to restore order. Play was not resumed.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association determined that Highland Park would receive the victory against Schlagle, but both teams would be required to forfeit their next game. The Scots were scheduled to visit KC-Harmon on Sept. 26.
Highland Park athletic director Brad Snyder and his staff have been working hard since that night to turn a negative into a positive.
A longtime teacher and activities director at Jardine Middle School, Snyder was asked to take over the Scots’ athletic department on an interim basis at the start of the school year. He was tasked with fostering a culture within the department that emphasized character development as well as competitiveness.
The recent incident, while disappointing, is a chance to further that mission, Snyder said.
“We are taking this very serious,” Snyder said. “We are going to move forward and project a good image. We are going to be better for it. I believe in these kids and believe they are going to show the community how well we’re doing.”
The Scots will have to wait another week to demonstrate their efforts. Not only did they forfeit the Harmon game, but they decided to forego this week’s game – a Friday night home game against Wichita East – due to the number of players serving suspensions or otherwise restricted in their participation.
“As a school, we dealt out consequences that have left us not at full strength,” Snyder said. “Not making any excuses, we could have played Friday. I think we could be competitive with Wichita East, but we also need to understand that our actions cause a rippling effect. I hope these two games have given us time to think about it.”
The forfeitures to Harmon and Wichita East went into the record books as 13-0 losses.
Highland Park has built a program under fifth-year head coach Jermaine Monroe that challenges for titles in the Meadowlark Conference and victories in the postseason. That turnaround has meant a lot to the Highland Park community, Snyder said.
“You see it in the pride of the school. You see it in how the kids feel about themselves,” Snyder said. “Now that they have that taste of success, they want to take the next step.”
Snyder emphasized that the football program is in the right hands.
“Coach Monroe has nothing but the best interest of the student athletes in mind,” Snyder said. “He’s being real firm on our eligibility. He’s being real firm on discipline. And he was very proud of the student athletes who did not come onto the field (against Schlagle). Those that did, Coach Monroe dealt with. And I believe were it not for his leadership, this could have been a lot worse. I believe in him, and I believe he will take these young men further than they can even imagine.”
The Scots will next take the field on Thursday, Oct. 9, against league rival Atchison, a date that will serve as Highland Park’s Homecoming. Snyder said the football team has continued to practice and go through its normal routine. He said he hopes none of the program’s momentum will be lost during the layoff.
“The thing we will lack is that game speed, that game action,” Snyder said. “Hopefully we’re not too rusty. But we’re looking forward to Atchison on the 9th and hopefully we’ll put on a good show.”
