CKL Football Predictions

The inaugural season of the Central Kansas League will be very similar to the old MCAA, but with a couple new faces in Pratt and Kingman. The departure of the defending 3A-champion Wichita Collegiate will leave the balance of power at the top wide open with teams scrambling to establish dominance early. Here are my picks for the first year of the CKL.

1. Pratt

Pratt is a somewhat mysterious addition for a lot of the coaches around the league. Coming from the Mid-State league, the old MCAA teams haven’t had a ton of experience with the Greenbacks, possibly giving the team an element of surprise. However this team can play and missed a trip to the playoffs by a narrow 14-12 loss to Ulysses in districts last year. This year, Pratt returns five all-league seniors in running back Jake Siroky, offensive tackle Steele Flemming, guard Lawson Short, running back Brady Seidel, and tight end Taylor Baird. This multiple wing offense will put points on the board.
One interesting thing to look for this year will be how Pratt’s base nickel defense shakes out in the CKL. The five defensive back formation gives Pratt a blitz that could be coming from anywhere on the field. It will be interesting to see how opposing offenses combat an unorthodox base defense.
The Greenbacks start the season with a big test against Hesston. Both of these teams like the amount of speed featured on their respective rosters. This game will be a track meet.

2. Hesston

Under head coach Nate Wollenberg, the Swathers were always in the mix, if not the best team in the MCAA. This year, Wollenberg is out, but Hesston snagged Marc Marinelli from Andale, where he was 50-3 in his four years as an assistant with the Indians.
Hesston has been able to run the ball for years, but if the Swathers can put together a consistent passing game to keep defenses honest, look out. Running back Kyle Perry gives Hesston a big play threat in both the running and passing game. Lucas Petrocci also figures to have a big year for the Swathers.
Like Pratt, Hesston has speed to burn. Defensively, they will be tough to beat on the outside. Linebackers Brandon Harmony and Cody Lowery will probably sandwich their share of ball carriers this year.
Hesston will be running a new system under a new coach this year. If the team can buy in and make it work, they can win the league. But until they prove it, the Swathers are No. 2 on my list.

3. Hillsboro

Hillsboro is another team with a ton of tradition in the MCAA. Second-year head coach and principal Max Heinrichs set the groundwork to bring the Trojans back to their glory years after a 7-4 season and a playoff win last year.
With a pair of competing quarterbacks in Luke Moore and Lucas Sinclair, combined with a triumvirate of 6-foot receivers in Ben Bebermeyer, Derek Kelsey and Tyler Proffit, Hillsboro may capture some of the passing magic that Collegiate rode to a state championship last year.
Making the Trojans even more dangerous are senior running backs Chance Reece and Caleb Hilliard. Hillsboro also has some size on the offensive line setting the table for the Trojans choice of offensive firepower.
Hillsboro’s front seven defensively will be tough to get through. Ethan Franz and Daniel Kenney are two 250-pound bruisers taking on blocks at the line of scrimmage and second-team all-league linebacker Hilliard with Reece give Hillsboro a formidable corps of linebackers.
The Trojans open the year with Halstead, and play hated rival Hesston in the fourth game.

4. Halstead

Halstead takes fourth on my list, but really, it’s a coin flip when any of these “H-Towns,” get together. Halstead opens the year with Hillsboro, and gets Hesston in week two leaving little time to iron out the kinks before these three rivals get at each others’ throats.
The Dragons have plenty of weapons offensively, with Simon McKee taking the snaps. Last season, McKee threw for 832 yards and 9 touchdowns. Dakota Becker gives McKee a big receiver to go to as a tight end who averaged 18.6 yards per catch last year.
In the running game, Tanner Strohl is a Darren Sproles type who rushed for 936 yards last year, averaging nearly 5 yards per carry. Strohl, at 5-foot-4, is a compressed ball of bad news for any defense.
Like Pratt, Halstead will use a base nickel defense. Twin brothers Devon and Ryan Bibb will be a key part of the Halstead secondary, as will Becker.
Ethan Rodenberg will lead the linebackers but will have plenty of help from Jon Stepanek.
If things come together for Halstead, the Dragons could find themselves as one of the early elite teams in the CKL.

5. Smoky Valley

The Vikings are another team who have a tradition of excellence in the MCAA, but have had a little hiccup in the past few years. Smoky Valley finished 3-6 last year, but those types of seasons are the exception, not the rule in Lindsborg. Coach Chris Hattabaugh is entering his second season as the head coach at Smoky Valley and football success is on the rise.
Nick Deterding is a tall quarterback who can see the field with ease at 6-foot-1. Smoky Valley has five 6-foot receivers who will torment CKL defensive backs in Greyson Pihl, Stephen DeWitt, Seth Nelson, Cody Bowers and Raymond Dauer.
The Vikings’ defense will have to prove itself, starting with the defensive line. Alex Peterson is the only returning player at the line of scrimmage. But Smoky Valley’s linebackers with Weston VanRanken, DeWitt and Bowers may make up for the defensive line’s lack of experience.

6. Lyons

Lyons is a dark horse in the CKL. I have the Lions at the No. 6 spot, but don’t be surprised if this team comes out from under the radar in the CKL. Like a lion, Lyons has done a lot of damage under head coach Matt Sandbo without really making a lot of noise in the process. Last season, Lyons was 6-4 and made a second-straight playoff appearance in Sandbo’s second year.
Lyons starts a sophomore quarterback, which will probably lead to some growing pains. However, Lyons returns players who all started in all five of the offensive line positions. James Weston, Tyler Carlson, Kinsly Kroetsch and Seth Bowles will be there to protect sophomore quarterback Mathew Vincent.
The strength on the offensive line translates to the defensive side for this team as well. Luis Rascon and Bowles are returning starters at linebacker and Lyons has a warrior in the secondary with Taylor Stonebraker. Stonebraker finished the year playing with a broken hand last season.

7. Sterling

The good news for Sterling is they return eight starters, both on its offense, and defense. The bad news is that they are starters from a 3-7 team.
The Black Bears returners will be a year older and wiser however. Junior quarterback Seth Humphreys will lead the offense, but Sterling loses some key players from the offensive line. Mike Dow and Guy Oden will need to step up on the line for Sterling to score points. The Black Bears do have depth in the backfield with Bryant Patterson, Aryn Walton and Chad Bennett.
Sterling’s secondary will be a strength with Bennett at the cornerback position. Linebackers will be a question mark with the loss of Heath Hewitt and Dylan Flickinger from last year.

8. Nickerson

Nickerson had a rough 1-8 season last year. But head coach Max Heinlein is happy with the work he has seen with his team over the summer. Nickerson has some talent to work with on the offensive line with Austin Schweizer, Lupe Ramirez and Kyle Cokely holding down the right side for the Panthers. Hector Rodriguez and Keelan Jackson will get a bunch of opportunities to carry the ball in Nickerson’s flex-bone offense.
The offensive line transfers over to the defensive line, giving Nickerson a chance to control the line of scrimmage, and maybe the game.

9. Kingman

Kingman has had a rough end to the decade, going 2-35 dating back to the end of the 2005 season. Third-year head coach Darby Jones has yet to win a game with the Eagles.
But in Kingman’s defense, up until this year, the Eagles have had the murderer’s row of the AVCTL Div. IV to deal with. With the likes of Andale, Rose Hill and Wellington in your league, wins are going to be tough to come by.
This year, Kingman has a new league to deal with, a group of kids who have been with the program long enough to get the system, and an optimistic outlook.
Mikabe Erdman is a returning quarterback for the Eagles who threw for 1,113 yards last year as a sophomore. Running Back Stephen Gutierrez can hurt teams on the ground, or by catching passes.
Defensively, Stone Hageman and Scott Osner give Kingman a good group of linebackers. Blake Bergkamp is a force in the secondary.
The years of playing brutal Div. IV competition could have Kingman playing at a different level than some of the teams in the league are used to playing.

10. Haven

The Wildcats have had a tough time on the gridiron in recent years. In its last 47 games, Haven has gone 1-46.
This season, Haven does have Ridge Foster at quarterback, Kevin Borntrager at receiver, Trae Regier running the ball, and a gamer on the line of scrimmage in James Leiker.
Although the wins have been tough to come by, Haven starts the year with Kingman and Belle Plaine, giving the Wildcats a golden opportunity to pick up at least 1 win if not 2.

These are my CKL predictions. What do you think? Did I get it right or miss the boat completely? How would you rank the league? Leave a comment and share your CKL predictions.