By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
When Jess Rutledge took the head coaching job at Wabaunsee in 2018, the program was not known for its success on the football field.
In the decade prior the Chargers posted nine losing seasons, with the high watermark coming in a 5-5 2013 campaign.
Two years into the Rutledge era, it appeared as though not much had changed, but within the walls of Wabaunsee High School, the Chargers were laying the foundation for something special.
“The support from our community has been huge,” Rutledge said. “In my first two seasons here we went 2-16 and there were so many people that told our kids and that told me that they were behind us and that they weren’t going anywhere and to keep at it. To have that kind of belief means a lot to our players and it meant a lot to me as well.”
In 2020, the Chargers began their ascent, winning four games, including one of the first postseason victories in program history.
In 2021 Wabaunsee ripped off their first winning season in over 15 years, posting seven wins and advancing to the second round of the playoffs, where they were stopped just short of their first-ever quarterfinal berth.
This year, the Chargers put all the pieces together, stampeding through a 7-1 regular season, steamrolling Belle Plaine in the opening round, and finally punching an elusive round of eight ticket with a hard-fought 22-14 victory over Marion on Friday night.
“This win meant everything to our guys and to our program,” Rutledge said. “When our seniors were freshmen we went 1-8, we’re 9-1 now. The buy-in and dedication that we’ve seen from those guys has been astonishing and all of those classes behind them are buying in and seeing what it takes to make history and to get things done like this.”
These wins under the Friday night lights are the product of hard work and dedication the likes of which the Wabaunsee community has never seen before.
“The offseason is where all of this happens for us,” he said. “Everyone has summer weights programs and we really felt like that was important. We had 28 guys who had 100% attendance through 36 weights sessions and that shows how much this matters to them and how much they’re willing to invest in this.”
Like everything else Wabaunsee has accomplished in this span, a trip to their first quarterfinal came far from easy as the Warriors and Chargers entered the halftime locker room in an 8-8 deadlock.
“Marion is an unbelievably talented football team but we couldn’t get out of our way with silly turnovers and penalties,” Rutledge said. “We knew this was going to be a dogfight but I told them ‘this is our field this is your opportunity to make history, you have to go take it.’ You could see that relit that fire and they wanted to go out and finish this thing.”
With their second wind and a renewed focus, the Chargers retook the field and seized their destiny, outscoring the Warriors 14-6 in 24 gritty minutes of football.
“In the second half, we cleaned things up and really just executed better,” he said. “We’ve been down or tied so many times this season and the resilience of these kids was on full display. This team has no quit and they don’t flinch.”
This victory, along with all those that came before it, hasn’t just changed the landscape of the 1A bracket, it’s begun to change the landscape of Class 1A altogether, as a new player emerges from the depths of long-suffering.
“I couldn’t be happier for our kids,” Rutledge said. “For the longest time, Wabaunsee football was not considered to be a serious program or one that people associated with winning. For them to go out and totally change that culture and how this program is viewed is incredible.”
The Chargers will now turn their attention to a quarterfinal contest with Conway Springs as the 1A field is whittled down from eight to four next week.
Wabaunsee took Friday night to revel in their groundbreaking achievement, but amidst the celebration, there wasn’t a hint of contentment in the Charger locker room.
“We’re absolutely not satisfied,” he said. “After the game, I told them, ‘I’m proud of you all, I love you all, this is an amazing accomplishment but we’re not done.’ We have another step to take and another battle ahead with an unbelievably talented Conway Springs team next week.”
The Chargers will hit the road to battle the Cardinals next Friday at 7 pm as Wabaunsee looks to continue raising their high watermark, inching one step closer to postseason glory.
For continuing coverage of the Charger’s playoff run stay tuned to the Little Apple Post.