TEUTONS LOOK FOR ANOTHER RUN AT STATE TITLE

By William

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INMAN – In 2022 the Inman football team had a near magical season where they found their road leading them all the way to the Class 1A State Championship game for the second season in a row.

Lance Sawyer begins his eighth season at the helm of the program after leading the Teutons to a sparkling 11-2 mark and a return to the Class 1A championship game only to lose by heartbreaking three points, 44-41 to St. Mary’s.

Overall, Coach Sawyr has recorded 47 wins to 30 losses in his time in Inman while holding a career head coaching record of 81-79.

The assistants helping him include Bill Garst, Greg Froese and Jess Brown.

Many key players graduated from the 2022 squad, including Eli and Harrison Brunk, Josiah Buller, Dominic Nuese-Rasmussen, Sammy Shober, Zaden Johnson, Brant Mikulecky, and Felix Farnebo. The group combined to set a school record for wins in their Teuton career while also amassing countless all-league and all-state honors plus a representation at the annual Shrine Bowl of 2023 by Eli Brunk.

One major player expected back was Tanner Heckel who led Inman in both passing and rushing while earning first team all-state honors at quarterback as a junior. Unfortunately, Heckel has transferred to a school district south of Topeka where one of his parents took a new position at another school.

The loss of one of the top returning quarterbacks in the state will hurt double with the fact that his backup was Josiah Buller, another graduated Teuton, leaving a huge hole in the offense to fill.

What the Teutons do have will be five returning starters on offense and seven on defense.

“We are excited to get back at it,” noted Coach Sawyer. “After back-to-back state runner-up finishes, our guys continue to dedicate themselves to the weight room where our growth has been outstanding. They are ready to see results on the new football field as we will have high expectations of our team this season.”

The keys to the new season will be to fill some holes on offense, though our players will be fast, athletic, and experienced. In the backfield, the coaches say they will be strong as ever while the offensive line has experience and looks to be fast. They do have experience as Inman returns a strong nucleus that played a pivotal role in the run to the state championship the past two seasons.

Among the returnees will be seniors Kellen Schrag who is a three-position starter, linebacker and tight end Zachary Martisko, Dawson McConnell on the defensive line, offensive lineman Jesse Ballard, and defensive TJ Froese. Talon Welch is another senior who missed the entire 2022 season due to an injury and will supply some much-needed speed to the offense.

Also returning with quality playing time experience are juniors Evan Klamcynski who started on both lines, Eli Gillespie and Caleb Bigler who is figured to compete for quarterback after starting for the junior varsity the past two seasons.

According to Coach Sawyer, “We return several starters but also have some holes to fill on the offensive line and will need to be able to open up what we do on both offense and defense. Staying healthy will also be important.”

Defensively, Sawyer pointed out that while last year’s was so good, the front seven should be as good as we have had. The secondary will be a bit inexperienced but does have a lot of talent.

“We were able to win games based on our physicality on both sides of the ball the past couple of seasons,” added coach Sawyer. “We will need to ramp that up even more if we want to finish that final game on top.”

The coaching staff also eyes juniors Brody Froese and Sebastian Martinez, sophomores Dylan Larson and Cooper Wiens as well as freshmen Cade Osborn and Malachi Brunk as players to keep an eye on. Malachi Brunk is the cousin to record breaking graduates Eli and Harrison Brunk.

Coach Sawyer concluded his 2023 outlook by stating, “W will need to solidify the offensive line and defensive backfield and find out who can match the physicality and quickness of our graduates. We were just one yard away from a state championship in 2022 so we plan to take a ton of confidence into the season. We realize how physical we need to be on both sides of the ball and will continue to work on that.”

The Teutons will open the 2023 season on Friday, September 1 with a road trip to Marion followed by another road game in week two at rival Sedgwick before getting to play on the new renovated home field against Remington in week three.

THE TEUTON COACHING STAFF:

Coach Lance Sawyer has been with the Teutons for eight seasons and holds an overall mark of 47-30 while his overall head coaching record is 81-79.

The assistant coaches have 15 years of experience on the sideline at Inman.

Bill Garst has been helping Coach Sawyer for all eight seasons while Greg Froese has coached for five and Jesse Brown has been on the sidelines for two.

2023 TEUTONS BY THE NAMES AND NUMBRS:

Ø Returning Offensive Starters = 5

Ø Returning Defensive Starters = 7

Ø Total Returning Starters = 12

TOP RETURNEES FOR 2023:

KELLEN SCHRAG – Sr. RB/LB/P = 1st Team All-League at RB/LB; HM All-State at RB/LB; 1st Team All-State Punter.

ZACHARY MARTISKO – Sr. TE/LB, 6’3”, 200 = HM All-State LB; 2nd Team All-League OL. Coach Sawyer says, “Zachary is a tall target that is also a great blocker. Will transition from OL to TE this season while he was also our leading tackler from last season and one of the best linebackers in Class 1A. He has excellent coverage, even better getting after the quarterback.”

TALON WELCH – Sr. RB/LB, 6’2”, 205 = Coach Sawyer says, “Talon sat out the 2022 season with an ACL injury. Should be a good running back with great speed and power. Our goal is to get him as many touches as we can. Talon is also extremely smart and will step in at a linebacker spot as well.”

DAWSON McCONNELL – Sr. RB/LB/DL, 6’0”, 180 = All-State honors as a sophomore who was injured for most of the 2022 season. Coach Sawyer says, “Dawson completes our trio of running backs and is the strongest athlete we have where he is a Class 1A State Powerlifting Champion. A fast and athletic defensive lineman who will be a key piece for us to have a successful season.”

JESSE BALLARD – Sr. OL/DL, 6’1”, 220 = All-League honorable mention at OL. Coach Sawyer says, “Jesse will be our center where he is a strong athlete who is great at snapping the ball.”

EVAN KLAMCYNSKI – Jr. OL/DL, 5’10”, 215 = Started at both right tackle and defensive end in 2022. Coach Sawyer says, “Evan is a top vocal leader on the team and is both explosive and a hard worker in the weight room.”

ELI GILLESPIE – Jr. OL/DL, 6’2”, 265 = Will start at left tackle on offense. Coach Sawyer says, “Eli is a strong offensive lineman with great footwork. He played really well as a run stopper against power running teams as he has a great nose for the ball.”

TJ FROESE – Sr. TE/DL, 6’0”, 180 = Started on the defensive line in 2022. Coach Sawyer says, “TJ has a nose for where the ball is and is a good athlete.”

CALEB BIGLER – Jr. QB/DB, 6’1”, 185 = Will compete for the starting spot at both quarterback and defensive back. Coach Sawyer says, “Caleb is a smart athlete who has been a starter for the junior varsity each of the past two seasons. He is a good runner and has a great command of our offense.”

NEWCOMERS TO WATCH FOR 2023:

(Coach Sawyer thoughts)

JAMIE MILLESON – Sr. OL/DL, 5’10”, 170 = “Will compete for a spot on the offensive line. An intelligent player that has worked hard in the weight room.”

BRODY FROESE – Jr. WR/DB, 5’11”, 165 = “Will compete for a wide receiver spot. Brody has good hands and speed while being a leader.”

SEBASTIAN MARTINEZ – Jr. RB/DB, 5’10”, 150 = “Sebastian will rotate in with the running backs while we look for him to play one of the safety positions. Not sure any player plays harder.”

DYLAN LARSON – So. OL/DL, 5’7”, 170 = “Dylan will compete for a spot on the offensive and defensive lines. On defense he has a good nose for the ball.”

COOPER WIENS – So. OL/DL, 6’2”, 175 = “Cooper will be competing for a spot on both the offensive and defensive lines. He has a good nose for the ball and is long and extremely difficult to block.”

MALACHI BRUNK – Fr. WR/DB, 5’11”, 160 = “Malachi is a cousin to graduates and Teuton stars Harrison and Eli Brunk. He is a tremendous athlete with a huge amount of potential and has good speed with a great IQ for football.”

CADE OSBORN – Fr. WR/DB, 6’0”, 155 = “Cade is a tough nose player with great potential who will find playing time because he is an athlete and will go make plays.”

TEUTONS GRADUATED:

ELI BRUNK – a three-year starter at TE/LB who played in the 2023 Kansas Shrine Bowl. Brunk earned both first-team all-state and all-league honors.

HARRISON BRUNK – He earned first-team all-league honors at both WR/DB while gaining all-state honors as a WR. Harrison set both a school record for receiving yards in a season with 1,060 yards in 2022 before setting a state record for receiving yards in a State Championship game with 243.

JOSIAH BULLER - Earned first-team all-state honors as a DB though he could play any position and was a leader at QB, RB, WR, and DB.

DOMINIC NUESE-RASMUSSEN – While starting on both the OL and DL, Nuese-Rasmussen earned first-team all-league and all-state honors for his work on the DL where he recorded 85 tackles of which 22 were solo stops. Nuese-Rasmussen also had two sacks and 18 tackles for a loss of yardage.

SAMMY SHOBER – Earned all-district honors at both RB and LB. Shober was a two-year starter at LB.

ZADEN JOHNSON – Started at both OG and DL. Johnson earned all-state honors as a DL where he broke the school record for sacks in a season with 11, he also earned credit for 20 tackles for a loss of yardage.

BRANT MIKULECKY – A good athlete who filled in well at both RB and DB.

FELIX FARNEBO – A foreign exchange student from Sweden who earned all-state honors.

2023 TEUTON FOOTBALL SCHEDULE:

Friday, September 1 > at Marion, 7:00 pm

Friday, September 8 > at Sedgwick, 7:00 pm

Friday, September 15 > Host Remington, 7:00 pm

Friday, September 22 > Host Sterling, 7:00 pm, District game

Friday, September 29 > at Hutchinson Trinity, 7:00 pm, District game

Friday, October 6 > Host Ellinwood, 7:00 pm, District game

Friday, October 13 > Host Conway Springs, 7:00 pm, District game

Friday, October 20 > at Medicine Lodge, 7:00 pm, District game

Thursday or Friday, October 26 or 27 > Cross District Bracket Game

Friday, November 3 > Regionals

Friday, November 10 > Sectional

Friday, November 17 > Sub-State

Saturday, November 25 > State Championship

2023 TEUTON STAT LEADERS:

TEAM STATS – Total Offense = 4, 484; Passing = 93-of-167, 1,793 yards, 25 Tds; Rushing = 423 atts for 2,691 yards, 6.36 avg, 40 Tds; 1st Downs = 195; Turnovers = 14; QB Sacks = 46.

Opponents Stats – Total Offense = 2, 675; Passing = 72-of-171, 1,122 yards, 6 Tds; Rushing = 469 atts for 1,553 yards, 3.31 avg, 14 Tds; 1st Downs = 142; Turnovers = 24; QB Sacks = 8.

TEUTON PASSING LEADERS (Comp/Atts/Yds/Tds) – Tanner Heckel = 53/101/1,109/13; Josiah Buller = 39/65/672/12; Caleb Bigler = 1/1/12/0.

TEUTON RUSHING LEADERS (Atts/Yds/Tds) – Tanner Heckel = 97/882/14; Kellen Schrag = 92/561/9; Samuel Shober = 110/550/11; Harrison Brunk = 18/192/3; Dawson McConnell = 26/161/0; Brant Mikulecky = 15/154/1; Josiah Buller = 49/153/1.

TEUTON RECEIVING LEADERS (Recp/Yds/Tds) – Harrison Brunk = 41/1,060/15; Eli Brunk = 29/510/7; Kellen Schrag = 6/102/2; Samuel Shober = 13/90/1.

TEUTON DEFENSIVE LEADERS (tkles/solo/asst/sacks/tfl/int) – Zachary Martisko = 136/27/109/3/12/0; Kellen Schrag = 124/41/83/9/28/1; Eli Brunk = 118/40/78/2/11/0; Samuel Shober = 105/22/83/2/11/0; Dominic Nuese-Rasmussen = 85/22/63/2/18/0; Josiah Buller = 76/29/47/0/1/4; Harrison Brunk = 70/36/34/0/3/3; Zaden Johnson = 58/15/43/11/20/0; Tanner Heckel = 47/16/31/0/1/1; Dawson McConnell = 29/7/22/4/6/0; Brant Mikulecky = 28/13/15/0/1/0; TJ Froese = 27/10/17/4/11/0. Team Totals = 954 tackles, 292 solo, 46 sacks, 145 tackles for loss, 11 interceptions.

TEUTON PUNTING LEADERS (Punts/Yds/Avg/In20) – Kellen Schrag = 20/819/40.95/10.

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