Wamego 'hungry' for return to state title game

Now, though, Moody is telling his squad there’s “a bull’s-eye on your chest every week.”

But the Red Raiders can view that as a badge of honor because it means the rest of the state is on notice. And from their perspective, that’s totally warranted. The vibes, as the kids say, are immaculate in Boom Town ahead of the 2023 campaign.

“The guys have bought in,” Moody said. “They’re happy. They’re hungry to be here. They feel like they’re in a good position to make another run at it — hopefully, this time coming out on top.”

Without a doubt, a state championship is the goal again this season, but it’s not the focus right now. Each Wamego player has the numeral one on their uniform as a reminder to stay engaged in the present, taking one practice and one game at a time. The 4A state championship game isn’t until the end of November, after all, but the season opener against Clay Center is Friday.

It’s what Moody called the “one moment at a time mentality.”

That’s an important mindset for a team dealing with a good bit of turnover from last season, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Gone are the Red Raiders’ leading rusher, leading passer and top two receivers from a year ago.

But there are several key returners too, such as Thomas McIntyre — who ran for 830 yards and seven touchdowns on 150 carries as a junior — as well as senior offensive linemen Cooper Dow, Brayden Fulton and Cody Mayer and tight end/fullback Mason King.

Those filling holes left behind by graduated seniors won’t be completely green either. Many of them had the chance to see the field last year and stand to be starters in 2023.

One of those is Pruitt Nowlin, who will slide from wide receiver to quarterback. That move wasn’t the result of a scarcity of quarterback talent. Nowlin was a receiver last year simply because he had two quality quarterbacks ahead of him, and Moody is confident in Nowlin’s ability to lead Wamego’s offense this season.

“He can sling the ball around,” Moody said. “I think he’s going to shock people this year, just how athletic he is, how tall he is and how good of an arm he has. He understands the offense. It’s not a new thing for him. … I look at him as being a guy who can really step into a big-time role and pick up where we left off last year.”

Moody said the receiving corps to which Nowlin will throw is one of the strengths of the team, with tall, fast guys like Treytan Boeckman and Brock Weeks ready to have their opportunity as starters.

Wamego has its most returning experience on defense, with three of its top five tacklers back for another year. The Red Raiders were dominant in 2022, allowing just 9.1 points per game and forcing a total of 18 turnovers.

Linebacker/safety Gannon Couture paced Wamego with 105 tackles last year, while outside linebacker Aidan Hefley had 68 and defensive end/outside linebacker Wyatt Burgess had 65. They’re all back, as are defensive end/outside linebacker Jackson Zeigler, defensive lineman Jake Meyer, linebacker Brody Oviatt, safety Logan Curtis and cornerback Drew Pettay.

Moody said his linebackers are “solid” and that several of them can flex into different positions. And, he added, even those who will start for the first time have already seen a good deal of time on the field.

On top of plenty of varsity experience from its new starters, Wamego received a boon from an additional month of practice during its journey to the state championship game last year. Moody said it may as well have been “an extra season” for his younger players to get reps and develop their abilities.

“That’s critical when you talk about trying to carry the tradition on and understanding what goes into a long grueling season,” he said. “I would say that those guys benefited greatly from being around the senior class and the rest of the guys for an entire extra season. They’re hungrier than ever to bring us back there.”