Although many area teams were left with plenty of question marks following graduation, Leavenworth County is still booming with gridiron talent.
Lansing’s Parker Gibson enters his senior season after earning All-Kaw Valley League honors in three positions last year. Gibson shined as a wide receiver, earning a All-KVL first team nod. He racked up 1,038 yards on 58 catches including 15 touchdowns. His other first-team All-KVL honor came as a defensive back. Gibson finished his junior campaign with 84 tackles, including a game-high 16 against Mill Valley, to go along with three pass deflections, one interception and one caused fumble. The all-conference honorable mention punter was called upon for his foot 21 times, punting for a total of 546 yards.
Will Ryan returns to the Pleasant Ridge Rams as a double first-team All-Delaware Valley League selection. The senior was a first-team running back and first-team linebacker last season for PR. Ryan carried the ball 151 times for 1,351 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. In seven games Ryan rushed for more than 100 yards, including a season-high 256 yards against Jefferson County North. He also had five receptions for 40 yards. On the other side of the ball Ryan racked up 102 tackles. He had more than 10 tackles six times, including 19 tackles against Oskaloosa.
The 2009 KVL champion Basehor-Linwood Bobcats may have lost their star quarterback to graduation, but his two favorite targets. —Colin and Ryan Murphy— return. Each was a first-team All-KVL selection, Ryan as a tight end and Colin as a wide receiver, although Colin will move to quarterback this season. Colin had 33 catches for a total of 574 yards in 2009 and Ryan added 33 catches of his own for 601 yards. Each brought in nine touchdown passes.
The Bobcats also return Chandler King, who was a first-team All-KVL linebacker in 2009. King totaled 109 tackles, including posting double-digit tackles in eight games. His game-high of 18 tackles came against Mill Valley, and he also caused two fumbles and had one interception.
Pleasant Ridge returns some size with first-team All-DVL center John Ernzen and first-team All-DVL guard Dylan Brown. Brown was also honorable mention as a linebacker with 86 tackles on the season, including a game-high 16 against Oskaloosa. He had two sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery and one pass deflection. Ernzen totaled 46 tackles, including 10 for his game-high against Council Grove. Ernzen had three sacks, one fumble recovery and one caused fumble.
The Pioneers’ only returning all-league selection is tight end/defensive lineman Devyn McPhaull. McPhaull was an honorable mention selection in the Sunflower League after posting 22 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. Defensive back Alex Waugh returns to the Pioneers after average 3.9 tackles per game in 2009 and linebackers Miquel Powell and Jacob Decker are back after posting 1.9 and 2.8 tackles per game, respectively.
Tonganoxie returns Jeff Sims, a second-team All-KVL defensive back, for 2010. Sims had 82 tackles, including one sack, in 2009. He also had one interception and two fumble recoveries. Quarterback Jeremy Carlisle also returns to the Chieftains lineup after rushing for 1,105 yards and passing for 586 yards last season.
On the defensive side of the ball, Lansing brings back second-team All-KVL linebacker Nick Pfrimmer. Pfrimmer had 87 tackles on the year, including 20 against Bonner Springs. He had one sack, one interception, one caused fumble and two fumble recoveries.
OTHERS TO WATCH
Leavenworth — QB Mark Dabeck, OT Nathan Butler
Lansing — RB Spencer Blew, DB Nick Hughes
Pleasant Ridge — K Gary Flack, DB Andrew Heim, DT Jacob Bass
Immaculata — QB Corey Leintz, RB Brad Holcomb, OL Sam Metivier, OL Cole Cannon, OL John Lednicky, OL James Morley
Basehor-Linwood — RB Steyr Stubenrauch, OL Caleb Johnson, DB Nathan Quigley, LB Jesse Hiss
Tonganoxie — DB Dylan Scates, OL Jonas Myers, NG Ryan Lynch
