EHS Seniors Have Sights Set High
Opinion: Open Mike
Michael Ashford
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
For the seniors on this year’s Emporia High football team, the 2008 season will mark the culmination of their years playing football together.
In that way, they are no different than any other senior class that has donned the red and black for the Spartans.
But this year’s seniors have their sights set on becoming something much more than just another class that comes and goes with the changing of the calendar. They want to leave an imprint on the Emporia High football program, one that will resonate with the team for years to come.
“When we leave, we want the bar to be as high as possible,” senior Corey Bacon said. “We don’t want to hold anything back.”
There’s no reason to mince words here. The EHS football team — and especially its seniors — has winning a State title on the “to-do” list for the 2008 season. It’s about as cut and dry as it comes. The Spartan seniors want a title, and they believe they can get one.
“We’ve got to be perfect,” senior defensive end Cord Stanley said. “It’s our last year. We’re seniors. We want to do well, and we’re going to do well. We’re expecting big things out of ourselves.”
In talking with these seniors, it’s hard not to get swept up in their enthusiasm. They are convinced they have what it takes to make a run toward the Class 5A title this fall.
From an athletic standpoint, these seniors are a talented bunch. Bacon is a speedster who is projected to line up at halfback and defensive back. Stanley is a fantastic pass-rushing defensive end. Taylor Euler is back for his third season as the starting quarterback in coach Bill Lowe’s option offense. Josh Maguire was one of the most improved players on last year’s squad at defensive back.
Sheldon Patton is back to help anchor the linebacking corps. T.J. Heins is a stalwart on the offensive line. The list goes on, and when grouped with younger players like running back Mark Kolmer, offensive lineman Danny Goodman and defensive tackle Chris Williams, this is easily Lowe’s most talented team in his time at EHS.
Then, also consider that these seniors have had a hand in helping the Emporia High football program grow by leaps and bounds ever since they entered the program as freshmen in Lowe’s first season in 2005, and there’s hope that the 2008 season can be another jumping-off point.
But these seniors are a special group in a much more intangible way.
They know they can win, and win big.
They helped prove it in the biggest game of the year last season when EHS beat Junction City in District play.
It has been well documented, but just to jog the memory, Emporia High went on the road and knocked off previously unbeaten and third-ranked Junction City to earn a State playoff berth. It was one of the best football games of the year in the state, no question about it.
Few believed Emporia High could beat the Blue Jays.
But the Spartans knew better.
“Inside this locker room, we always knew we could do that,” Euler said. “It was just everybody outside this locker room doubting us. So yeah, we did prove something there, but ever since we were freshmen, we knew we could play with those kinds of teams. We’ve had that attitude all along.”
Just like the days leading up to the Junction City game a year ago, the Emporia High football team has doubters — those who don’t believe the Spartans can duplicate last year’s run to the playoffs and build on it.
After all, EHS must cope with the graduation of All-State running back Edd Noonan. They must fill holes on the defensive line and at wide receiver. And depth across the board could be a concern.
Then there’s the schedule.
The Spartans face five teams that made it to the postseason a year ago, including matchups with perennial Centennial League bullies Hayden and Seaman.
But instead of seeing a tougher schedule, the Spartan seniors again turn it into a positive, as they see nine chances to prove they are legitimate each Friday this fall.
“That’s exactly what pushes us the most. Having the toughest schedule we’ve ever had, that’s only going to cause us to pick it up even more,” Maguire said. “If you only look at the next game, you don’t see that the schedule is hard. You just see that the next game is tough, and you’ve got to go out and win it. Then, you can worry about the next game after that.”
Perhaps the most important thing this senior class can contribute to the 2008 football season is leadership. These seniors have readily accepted the challenge of putting this year’s squad on their backs, and the accountability they bring to the team will pay dividends in practice — which begin at 6:30 a.m. Monday — and on gamedays.
It all could add up to a fantastic year for the 2008 Emporia High football team and its group of seniors as they make their final quest to leave a distinct impression on the EHS football program.
And if you listen to seniors like Stanley, Bacon, Maguire and Euler, you know that they expect nothing less than to have a piece of hardware at the end of the season to show for what they hope will be the best and final chapter of their high school football careers.