By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
Fresh off a 9-2 2021 campaign complete with a trip to the 4A state quarterfinals, the Wamego Red Raider football team is reloaded and ready to run it back in 2022.
Weston Moody enters his fifth year as the Raider's head coach, after leading the program to four consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 1970s.
“We started with the goal of becoming a consistent program,” Moody said. “We wanted to get to the point where we believe that we can be consistent winners each year and we’ve done that.”
With newfound success comes great expectations not just from the Wamego community but from within the Red Raider locker room as well.
“Our kids have put in a lot of work and earned a lot of things but they were still disappointed that we didn’t make it to the state championship game,” he said. “That drive is good, that’s what we want.”
Each independence day, Wamego becomes “Boomtown, USA” with a fireworks display that is every bit as flashy as it is loud. The energy of this show has worked its way into the Red Raider football program and can be seen throughout the fall under the Friday night lights.
“We’ve taken on the ‘boomtown’ mantra and the kids have really bought into that,” Moody said. “We may not be a perennial state championship contender but we’re going to bring a brand of football that people are excited to see week in and week out.”
This year’s “boomtown” Raiders return a great deal of talent from last season but will have to begin the year without Army commit Hayden Oviatt under center after he suffered a broken foot in a preseason practice.
In the stead of the three-year dual-threat starter, former wideout Colin Donahue will return to his natural position at quarterback after racking up 409 yards and 5 touchdowns last season as a receiver.
“People don’t know that Colin was the starter in his class until high school,” he said. “He’s back in a role he feels comfortable with and he’s been thrown into positions like this before, we know he can lead these guys.”
Donahue will have an arsenal of weapons at his disposal with the thunder and lightning duo of Mason King and Thomas McIntyre in the backfield, and former counterparts Chase Cottom and Hagan Johnson split out wide.
In the offensive trenches, Wamego has found their line with Braden Fulton, Cody Mayer, Andrew Hildebrand, Cooper Dow, and Eli Bergmeier providing running lanes and protection.
“We’ve been a run-dominant team historically but we’ve been gaining more balance over these last few years,” Moody said. “We have two top-tier receivers and with Colin at quarterback, we might even throw the ball a little more.”
While the Red Raider offense could be electric this season, the defense has the potential to be one of the best units in their class, with stout returning talent from top to bottom.
“People have slept on our defense but that unit is going to be lights out and I think that will be the real strength of our team,” he said. “Those guys have been around and some of them have already been getting looks to play at the next level.”
Wamego will deploy Gage Woodward, Ariston Gamino, and Jake Meyer to disrupt opposing fronts, while Wyatt Burgess, Aiden Hefley, Gannon Couture, and Grant Larson back them up from the linebacking corps.
In the secondary Dawson Tajchman, Logan Curtis, and Tayke Weber will patrol the deepest parts of the field while Drew Pettay and Logan Curtis lock down the corners.
Overall the focus at Wamego remains on taking things one day at a time, one practice at a time, and one game at a time.
“Our mantra all summer and since we’ve started building this thing has been about coming to work and focusing on what we can do right now,” Moody said. “We’re only worried about Clay Center right now, everything else can come after that.”
The Raiders will kick off their 2022 campaign on September 2nd when they host Clay Center in Wamego.
For more on Red Raider football all season long stay tuned to the Little Apple Post.