Season Preview: 3A Football

Diplomas have long been distributed to a group of Andale football players who completed their high school careers in 2020 with 48 victories in 50 games, a 25-game winning streak and two consecutive Class 3A championships.
Yet as it always seems, expectations remain high for the Indians.
Andale dominated last fall with all-state performers Cayden Winter on the offensive line, running back Eli Rowland, linebacker Caden Parthemer and defensive back Noah Meyer. The quartet was part of a senior class that led the Indians to a 12-0 record, outscored opponents 613-78 and didn’t yield a point in four November victories, including a 20-0 win over Perry-Lecompton in the 3A final.
“We lost some really special kids,” Andale coach Dylan Schmidt said, listing off Winter’s Kansas Shrine Bowl appearance, a 3A player of the year award for Rowland, and the dynamic abilities of other veterans who were three-year starters. “With all that said, there were guys behind them who are doing things now that make you say, ‘Hey, he’s pretty good.’ They just didn’t get the opportunities.”
There’s no shortage of players eager to be the next man up at Andale. The Indians started preseason practices with 81 players, a number that would be the envy of many larger schools.
“We’re unique in that sense,” said Schmidt, who took over as head coach for the perennial power when Gary O’Hair retired after the 2016 season. “I don’t know what 4A program has the most kids, but I bet we’re close. We’re going to compete with lots of 5A teams in terms of numbers.”
Despite the key losses, Andale returns six offensive starters from a unit that averaged more than 51 points and five defensive starters from a group that surrendered 6.5 points per contest. Junior quarterback Wyatt Spexarth, who passed for 394 yards in Andale’s run-heavy offense, is back along with running back Riley Marx, who is part of a group looking to replace Rowland’s 2020 production of 1,566 yards and 23 touchdowns. Senior Beau Kerschen and junior Jack Kraus provide good size to Andale’s line at 240 pounds.
Defensively, all-league linebacker Logan Spexarth returns after recording 70 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions as a junior. Junior Noah Bruce has started on the defensive line along with linebacker Ivan Lies and defensive backs Cody Parthemer and Nathan Nemechek.
“I’m high on the guys that we have coming in,” Schmidt said. “We have absolutely relied on program guys here. By that I mean they buy into whatever we ask them to do, and they’re tough, disciplined kids. But my biggest fear is injuries. If we lose a couple guys who I think are pretty good in certain spots, it could certainly affect things for us.”
Andale, which opens the season at home Sept. 3 against Rose Hill, hasn’t lost a regular-season game under Schmidt. The Indians’ large roster plays a part in that. It can even create quandaries in which Schmidt knows opponents have little empathy.
“We have a lot of depth this year in places,” Schmidt said. “We’ve been looking at seven, eight and nine running backs, and the question is how do we get them enough reps in practice so they’re ready to do what they need to do in games?
“But when you get numbers, you create competition, and when you have competition, the cream rises to the top and you get better competition. That’s definitely been one reason for our success.”
Wichita Collegiate, one of Andale’s Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division IV and district foes, hopes to close the gap on the Indians this season. The Spartans were 10-2 a year ago, with both losses to Andale. Collegiate returns seven starters on offense and defense, including junior quarterback Wesley Fair, who ran for 1,771 yards and 27 touchdowns and passed for 944 yards and seven TDs a year ago.
Frontenac, which finished 6-5 a year ago, features an imposing defensive line that includes Oklahoma State commit Landon Dean. The Raiders’ offense is led by senior quarterback Collin McCartney, who passed for 1,175 yards and ran for 637 last season.
Other possible 3A contenders include Cheney, which has posted back-to-back nine-win seasons and returns 2,300-yard passer Harrison Voth, and Holton, which returns an experienced offensive line and defensive unit for coach Brooks Barta’s 25^th season after reaching the 3A semifinals a year ago.