28 August 2023
MAIZE, Kan. (KSNW) — Maize High School’s football team is the two-time defending 5A sub-state champion. This year, they are looking to reach those same heights of success.
In order to do that, the Eagles are going to need everyone to buy into the winning mindset.
“The next group of players, whether they are returning starters or guys that are new to the position, whatever it may be, we expect them to step up and get the job done. It’s our job as coaches to put them in the best position to win and also to coach them up,” said Maize head football coach Gary Guzman.
The team lost a lot of kids to graduation in the spring. They say there are just five seniors and eight returners this fall. One key player who graduated was star quarterback Avery Johnson, who is playing this upcoming season at K-State. Junior quarterback Drew Kemp is expected to start this year.
“You don’t replace a guy like Avery, but we take the next quarterback, and we try to get him ready, and right now, he’s doing a good job. Right now, it’s Drew Kemp, and he’s doing a very good job for us, and he’s very positive and has some good skills. So we’re looking for him to step up and get it done for us,” said Guzman.
Kemp played backup last fall and has gained valuable experience on varsity. He, along with other upperclassmen, are applying the leadership qualities they’ve learned from previous classes to help guide this young team to another championship appearance.
“This year especially, I mean, you kind of got to bring the energy because knows that we lost a lot of key factors and a lot of key guys, and so we kind of got to build up that energy to get everyone going,” said senior offensive lineman Cole Chalashtari.
“We accept everybody from every grade. We try to bring them all up, get them strong, get them fast, get them to know everything that’s going on. We don’t leave anybody behind,” added senior defensive lineman Keaton Crockett.
While the expectations are high, Coach Guzman says the key to success will be focusing on the game ahead of them each week.
“To get to the state championship, it’s not an easy task. You know, and we just have to focus on one game. You know we can’t even think about the state championship right now. You know, we got to think about the first game and not get far ahead of ourselves,” said Guzman.
The Eagles open up their season on Friday, Sept. 1 against Topeka. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The rest of the season schedule is as follows:
Fri, Sept. 8 vs. Andover Central
Fri, Sept. 15 at Newton
Fri, Sept. 22 at Salina South
Fri, Sept. 29 vs. Maize South
Fri, Oct. 6 vs. Derby
Fri, Oct. 13 at Hutchinson
Fri, Oct. 20 at Haysville Campus