By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
After toiling for three seasons, the Wabaunsee rebuild bore fruit in 2021 in the form of a 7-3 campaign and a dominant 68-0 win in the opening round of the playoffs.
Now, with a bigger roster and a platoon of returning veterans, the Chargers will look to take the next step up in Class 1A under the direction of fifth-year head coach Jess Rutledge.
“We have a lot of players that have either started multiple years for us or played significant minutes and that’s our strength,” he said. “The key will be to make sure we are pushing everyone to be better than they were last year and to keep the depth chart deep to have options.”
One of the few major question marks for Wabaunsee comes in the form of a nearly 2,000-yard hole left by graduated senior Cade Oliver, who holds every single passing record in Chargers history.
Stepping up to replace Oliver is junior Wyatt Wurtz, who has impressed the Wabaunsee coaching staff and will look to fill those shoes this season.
“[Wurtz] is a very capable player,” Rutledge said. “He has filled in at times for Cade over the past two seasons and will bring his own unique dynamic to the position.”
The Chargers will also need to restock some of the weapons at Wurtz’s disposal after the graduation of Brayden Meseke, who led the team with 830 receiving yards last season.
Stepping into the role of WR1 will be senior standout Eli Oliver, who led the team with 12 touchdown catches last season. Oliver will be joined in the receiving corps by Logan Clark and Miguel Hernandez.
The O-Line will remain widely unchanged, with Jacob Meseke, Tate Deever, Alex Beggs, and Maverick Havenstein all returning for another year and Zach Frank reprising his role as the leading rusher in the backfield.
“We have a lot of talent returning from a squad that set the school records for yards per game and points per game last season,” Rutledge said. “Look for that type of play to continue.”
On defense the Chargers return all but one starter from a unit that gave opponents nightmares last year, holding their opposition to under 14 points per game throughout the regular season.
The trenches will once again be staffed by seniors Ryan Schutter and Lanson Parry at defensive end, with Maverick Havenstein and Alex Beggs plugging the middle.
In the linebacker corps, Tate Deever returns fresh off a team-leading 118-tackle season. Deever will again be joined by Zach Frank and Bryton Reves, who combined to add another 170 tackles last season.
The Chargers also bring back Eli Oliver and Logan Clark, each with two interceptions last season, to anchor the secondary alongside Wyatt Wurtz and Miguel Hernandez.
With a tough schedule ahead of them Wabaunsee will need every bit of their returning talent to take the next step but with a loaded roster of veterans and a senior-heavy locker room, the Chargers are primed to do just that.
“This season will be a big test for us,” Rutledge said. “We’re setting out to accomplish something more, something bigger than what we’ve seen here at Wabaunsee in quite some time. For now, we will put our noses to the grindstone and work on accomplishing just that.”
The Chargers will kick off their 2022 campaign on Friday, September 2nd when they travel to Troy to take on the Trojans.
For more on Wabaunsee football all season long stay tuned to the Little Apple Post.