By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
After a brief stumble in week one, the Wabaunsee Chargers have raced out of the gates to a 4-1 start and will look to build on that momentum ahead of a highly anticipated 1A postseason.
“I’ve been impressed with this team's resilience so far this season,” Wabaunsee head coach Jess Rutledge said. “We had a tough, close loss in week one with seven turnovers and almost 100 yards of penalties but they bounced back and got a big win in week two and we’ve continued to build on that.”
In their last four matchups, the Chargers have outscored their opponents 160-52, with 38 of those points allowed coming in a hard-fought victory over a perennial power in Smith Center.
Wabaunsee has developed a reputation as a closer, outscoring their opponents in the fourth quarter by a combined margin of 46 points.
“Our mental toughness has been really good,” Rutledge said. “We’ve been down multiple scores in two games and we’ve trailed in three but we came back to win two of those games. Our guys have buckled down and battled through adversity and that’s been a big key for us.”
The Charger offense has been led by junior quarterback Wyatt Wurtz, who has completed just under 60% of his passes for 576 yards and six touchdowns through five games, adding 270 yards and eight more scores on the ground.
Much of that damage through the air has been aided by a pair of senior wideouts in Logan Clark and Eli Oliver, who have evenly split 473 yards and six touchdowns this season.
Wabaunsee’s offense has averaged over 36 points per game this season, but like many contenders, remains laser-focused on shoring up the finer details to continue pushing for their peak.
“Offensively we’ve done well in the passing and running game but we haven’t been as consistent as I would have liked,” he said. “I think we can be a really dangerous team once we start doing those things consistently.”
Defensively the Chargers have locked down their opponents, holding Northern Heights and Jefferson County North to just one score and shutting out Republic County.
Wabaunsee currently leads their district at 2-0 and will have an opportunity to be the only undefeated team left if they can knock off the Sacred Heart Knights this week.
While a Wabaunsee playoff run feels like an inevitability, the Chargers remain committed to taking things one game at a time.
“I don’t see a ceiling for this team and I think they could go as far as Thanksgiving weekend and eventually hoist a trophy,” Rutledge said. “The biggest thing that we need to focus on moving forward is keeping the things that are in front of us in front of us. People are gunning for us now and we know we’re going to get everyone’s best shot. All we can worry about is who we play this week.”
The Chargers will be back in action this week when they host the 3-2 Sacred Heart Knights.
For continuing coverage of Wabaunsee football in 2022 stay tuned to the Little Apple Post.