Photo by Adam Vogler
Emporia High Spartans kick off their season tonight at 7 pm at Welch Stadium. See you at the game. Mark Kolmer (9) breaks through the defense during EHS's scrimmage.
The first game of the year, in Emporia High football coach Bill Lowe’s mind, isn’t about the team you’re playing. It’s about you.
Lowe certainly knows about some of the key players on Topeka High, whom the Spartans host Friday night at Welch Stadium. He knows about D.J. Wakes, the ultra-athletic senior quarterback who will also split wide and play receiver. He knows about Lamar Mady, the 6-foot-3, 295-pound behemoth who earned second team All-Centennial League honors last season at both center and defensive tackle. And Lowe knows he’s facing a Trojan team that earned a surprise entry into the Class 6A State playoffs last year, losing to Olathe North in the first round to finish 4-6.
But in Week One of the high school ranks, the unknowns of your opponent outweigh the knowns. There are new kids on the field, new schemes in the headsets, and last year is, well, so last year.
Thus, Emporia High’s focus this week is Emporia High.
“You just never know, first game. We’ve just gotta take care of ourselves,” Lowe said. “Basically, the first game is just making sure we’re prepared and trying to eliminate our mistakes, take care of the football.”
Of course, the Spartans have some internal unknowns of their own. One in particular could play a part in Friday night’s outcome: Whether junior fullback Mark Kolmer is a go. Kolmer sprained his ankle in last Friday night’s scrimmage at Welch Stadium, and on Wednesday, Lowe said Kolmer was still 50/50 to take the field against T-High.
If Kolmer can’t play, senior linebacker Sheldon Patton will probably take his place at fullback. It would be Patton’s first career start on offense, and his inexperience would likely make him a minimal factor as a ballcarrier. That would allow the Trojans to focus more on the other key runners in Emporia High’s option attack, beginning with quarterback Taylor Euler and slotback Corey Bacon.
Topeka High third-year coach Walt Alexander said that stopping EHS’ running game is essential to the Trojans staying in the game.
“Coach Lowe does an excellent job,” Alexander said. “We know that Taylor Euler is kind of the machine that makes ’em go. We know he’s a very talented athlete and a heady young man who we have a lot of respect for. And also, Kolmer, I know he’s a very tough and talented individual as well, and they’ve got Bacon and the other kids, and T.J. (Heins) and (Cord) Stanley and all those kids.
“So, they’re getting a lot of experience back, and coach is getting their program going, so we know we’ve got our hands full.”
Filling Wakes’ hands with the football may represent the Trojans’ best chance to score points. With second team All-Centennial running back John Babb lost to graduation, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Wakes will have a greater share of the production load. A second team All-Centennial pick last year, he’ll split the quarterback duties with junior Sam Johnson, who’s more of a traditional pocket quarterback. Wakes likes to run the option and get in space to use his athletic ability, and he presents a matchup problem as a receiver.
Wakes has had to overcome personal tragedy this year after his older brother was shot to death in Topeka in April.
“D.J.’s just a one-of-a-kind type athlete, so we know we can put him in a lot of different places,” Alexander said.
Mady’s size and ability can affect the game on either side of the ball. A key will be how the Spartans’ large offensive line, including the 296-pound Heins at right guard and the 290-pound Danny Goodman at center, handles Mady’s work at defensive tackle. When Mady’s at center, he’ll likely be lined up across from 5-foot-11, 240-pound junior Christopher Williams, who steps into EHS’ starting lineup for the first time.
Topeka High may have been lucky to reach State last year, but Alexander appears to have the Trojans on the rise. They finished 2-7 in his first season in 2006 and had the same record during a dysfunctional 2005 season under one-year coach Shane Burns. Lowe admires the job Alexander has done, and despite those unknowns — like the nine new starters High will have combined on each side of the ball — Lowe knows some more things about the Trojans.
“They’re gonna be well-disciplined, and they’re gonna play hard,” he said. “And that’s something that Topeka High teams haven’t always done in the past, and it makes ’em really tough, because they have a lot of great athletes. So, it’ll be a very tough first game.”
Friday’s opponent: Topeka High
Coach: Walt Alexander
2007: 4-6, 3-4 Centennial League; lost to Olathe North 35-6 in first round of State playoffs
Offensive player to watch: D.J. Wakes, QB/WR. An athletic presence at quarterback for the past three seasons and a second-team All-Centennial pick last year, the 6-foot-2 Wakes is a good bet to make plays either under center or split wide.
Defensive player to watch: Lamar Mady, DT. At 295 pounds, Mady’s a large load for the Spartans’ offensive line to handle and was an honorable mention All-State selection last year.
X-factor: If EHS fullback Mark Kolmer’s injury keeps him out, Topeka High’s defense could key on QB Taylor Euler and RB Corey Bacon on the option and other running plays.
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