Before accepting the head football coaching position at
Jetmore, Matt Housman had heard of Longhorn running back Evan Kreger. Friday was Housman's first opportunity to witness his new weapon in action.
Kreger didn't disappoint.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound running back pounded Housman's former team,
Pawnee Heights (Rozel), for 10 touchdowns, breaking the Kansas individual single game touchdown record and tying the national mark, in a 74-8 win that was called at halftime.
Housman, who is in his first season with the Longhorns, was elated that Kreger was on his side.
"Evan is at full speed in two steps," Housman said. "He's a track guy. He can run physically, and break tackles, or he can juke and get outside and out of trouble."
The 2009 first team All-Southern Plains Iroquois League running back scored on runs of 40, 40 and 9 yards and on a 35-yard punt return in the opening quarter. Kreger added touchdown runs of 19, 14, 41, 42 and 42 yards before ending the game's scoring with a 25-yard interception return, giving the senior a score in all three phases of the game.
Following the game, Kreger was still thinking team first.
"I knew he was having a great game," Housman said of Kreger's performance during which he rushed for 361 yards. "But I had no idea. It wasn't until our stat guy informed me (of his numbers) that I realized what kind of night he had.
"I approached Evan in the end zone after the game to tell him what he had done. He told me that he really didn't care about that. He just wanted to win the football game. That's what his focus was on."
After dazzling all in attendance Friday, Kreger bypassed Bryan Kendall (Haviland), who originally set the record in 1974, and Brandon Major (Wilson).
According to the National High School Record Book put out by the National Federation of State High School Activities Associations, Kreger climbed atop the National 8-Man Football record chart in that category. He is tied with the original record holder Mike Cutler (Phillipsburg, Mont.), who set the mark in 1987, and four other players.
Willy Westberry (Melcher-Dallas, Iowa) was the last player to tie the mark in 2005.
"This is one of those things that we will look back on at the end of the season," Housman said of Kreger's season-opening performance. "Right now we're focusing on our next game. Right now we're preparing for
Trego (WaKeeney).”
LOSING SKIDS HALTEDWith its 46-34 win over
Northern Valley (Almena) Friday,
Weskan snapped a 20-game losing skid that dates back to the 2007 season. After losing their final three contests in 2007, the Coyotes went 0-9 and 0-8 in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Ironically, Weskan knocked off Northern Valley 42-20 on Oct. 5, 2007 just before the streak began.
Immaculata (Leavenworth) snapped its 19-game losing string by doubling up the score on
Horton,14-7, last weekend. The Raiders defeated Jackson Heights 27-13 on Oct. 25, 2007 before their string began. Both teams are 1-0.
JUST ANOTHER HO-HUM SEASON OPENERCentral (Salina) was true to form in Friday's 42-27 win over Class 6A preseason No. 4
Derby. The win marked the 17th straight season in which the Class 5A eighth-ranked Mustangs earned a win to begin the year.
LAST WEEKEND'S TOP PERFORMANCES
RushingMorgan Burns of
Trinity Academy (Wichita) rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries in a 58-15 win over
Douglass … Tanner Fisher of
Buhler ran the ball for 224 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries in a 34-10 win over
Rose Hill … Mark Thorson of
Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission) rushed for 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 carries in a 54-7 win over
Blue Valley Southwest (Overland Park) …
Council Grove's Derron Reddick ran the ball 10 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns in a 54-13 win over
Chase County (Cottonwood Falls) …
Cole McGee of
Wakefield rushed for 192 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries in a 66-28 win over
Goessel … Wakefield's
Brandon Draper ran for 187 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries in a 66-28 win over Goessel …
Isaac Miller of
Washington County (Washington) rushed for 187 yards on 14 carries in a 36-6 win over
Republic County (Belleville) …
Garden Plain's Joey Capul ran for 184 yards and five touchdowns on 13 carries in a 62-0 blanking of
Bluestem (Leon).
PassingD.J. Bronson Northern Heights (Allen) completed 29 of 39 passes for 475 yards and six touchdowns in a 56-36 win over
Mission Valley (Eskridge) …
Remington (Whitewater) quarterback Caleb Cherryholmes connected on 27 of 43 passes for 336 yards and five touchdowns in a 38-6 win over
Sterling …
Tyler Harrison of Derby completed 21 of 36 aerials for 306 yards and a pair of scores in a 42-27 loss to Central (Salina) …
McPherson's Tyler Matthews connected on 17 of 20 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns in a 52-27 win over
Andover … Bo Savage of
Central (Burden) threw for 275 yards in a 52-6 win over
Flinthills (Rosalia) …
Sumner Academy (Kansas City, Kan.) quarterback Armond Brisbane completed 16 of 23 passes for 262 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 40-37 win over
Jefferson West (Meriden) …
Jordan Lewis of Mission Valley threw for 261 yards in a 56-36 loss to Northern Heights …
St. Marys' Mitch Baumchen connected on 16 of 28 passes for 246 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 27-20 loss to
Rossville.
ReceivingDarius Moore of Central (Salina) caught five passes for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 42-27 win over Derby …
Lansing's Parker Gibson ran under eight passes for 213 yards and a score in a 28-27 win over
Mill Valley (Shawnee) … Grayson George of
Minneapolis latched on to nine passes for 206 yards in a 20-18 loss to
Sacred Heart (Salina) … Northern Heights’
Casey Atchison caught 204 yards in passes in a 56-36 win over Mission Valley …
Nick Mendez of Northern Heights contributed 161 receiving yards in a 56-36 win over Mission Valley … Derby's
Keenan Sparks caught nine passes for 142 yards in a 42-27 loss to Central (Salina) …
Nate Scott of
Veritas Christian (Lawrence) caught four passes for 137 yards and four scores in a 60-22 win over
Flint Hills Christian (Manhattan) … Sumner Academy's Benny Parker latched on to five aerials for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 40-37 win over Jefferson West.
KANSAS FOOTBALL RANKINGS
TOP 10CLASS 6A
| Team | Record | Points scored
| Points allowed
| Last week
|
1. North (Olathe)
| 1-0 | 29 | 22 | 1 |
2. Heights (Wichita)
| 1-0 | 21 | 0 | 2 |
3. Manhattan
| 1-0 | 7
| 6
| 3 |
4. Junction City
| 1-0 | 14 | 7 | 5 |
5. East (Olathe)
| 1-0 | 42 | 7 | 9 |
6. West (Shawnee Mission)
| 0-1 | 22 | 29 | 6 |
7. Derby
| 0-1 | 27 | 42 | 4 |
8. Blue Valley North (Overland Park)
| 1-0
| 17 | 14 | - |
9. Topeka
| 1-0
| 33 | 22 | 10 |
10. Dodge City
| 1-0 | 40 | 7 | - |
CLASS 5A
Team
| Record | Points scored
| Points allowed
| Last week
|
| 1. Gardner-Edgerton (Gardner) | 1-0 | 49 | 7 | 2 |
2. Hutchinson
| 0-1 | 28 | 29
| 1 |
3. Blue Valley (Stilwell)
| 1-0 | 56 | 7 | 3 |
4. Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission)
| 1-0
| 54 | 7 | 5 |
5. Aquinas (Overland Park)
| 1-0 | 52 | 28 | 6 |
6. Carroll (Wichita)
| 0-1 | 0 | 21 | 4 |
7. McPherson
| 1-0 | 52
| 27 | 7 |
8. Central (Salina)
| 1-0 | 42 | 27 | 10 |
9. Seaman (Topeka)
| 1-0 | 42 | 7 | 8 |
10. Emporia
| 1-0 | 34 | 0 | 9 |
CLASS 4A
CLASS 3A
CLASS 2A-1A
