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With a wholesale of senior leadership returning to the gridiron, the Raiders of Shawnee Mission South are set to begin the 2024 season.

Led by fourth-year head coach Nick Foster, the Raiders return 12 overall starters, featuring six on both sides of the ball. Amongst that dozen are nine seniors, an experienced bunch who have been through thick and thin alongside Foster since his debut season in 2021, including a 1-8 campaign last fall. While the class of 2025 has three wins under their collective belt, Foster firmly believes the previous three years have sharpened his seniors, turning them into the upperclassmen captains they are today.

“I’m very excited for this season,” Foster said. “These seniors were freshmen when the staff and I were hired three years ago and have done a great job this offseason of leading this program. We’ve had a great summer and are as healthy as we’ve ever been going into the season.”

This summer saw a somewhat new quarterback take the reins of the South offense. After attempting seven passes and primarily playing tight end in 2023, senior signal-caller Carter Cox (6-foot-2, 190) will have the ball in his hands much more during his final year. One of his primary targets is wide receiver Gabe Guajardo, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior who caught nine passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns a season ago. The receiver room is rounded out by junior Traeh West (5-foot-8, 165) and senior Greg Pearl (6-foot-3, 185).

Shifting focus back to the backfield, the Raiders will rely on junior running back Marquan Washington (6-0, 215) to churn out big ground numbers after the team averaged 162 rushing yards per game in 2023. Four returning offensive linemen up front, including senior tackle Charlie Jin (6-foot-5, 280), will spearhead that effort. On the opposite end of the line is junior tackle Andre Spann (6-foot-3, 230).

The interior O-line consists of senior guards Leo Teubert (6-0, 235) and Logan Headley (6-0, 200). Snapping the ball and leading the hog charge at center is senior Bryan Dubon, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound newcomer to the starting lineup. Senior Drake DeBaun (6-foot-5, 215) will chip in on the line and catch passes at tight end.

As a team that produced 23.2 points per game in 2023, Foster expects his offense to pick up the pace and perform at a high level this season. As for fine-tuning a defensive unit that allowed 41.3 ppg last autumn, Foster will be looking for a flurry of green helmets swarming to the football and tackling at a high level every play.

Appearing to utilize a 4-2-5 base defense, South is returning three seasoned starters in the secondary: senior Ja’Mon Carpenter (5-foot-11, 170) at free safety; junior Adam Olson (5-foot-11, 175) at strong safety; and senior Jackson Kruske (6-foot-1, 190) at weakside safety. DeZavion Hollinger (5-foot-10, 175) and Cole Dyer (5-foot-9, 170) will start outside at cornerback.

Trickling down underneath, the Raiders will rally behind senior linebackers Luke Natzke (5-foot-11, 175) and Wyatt Dietzel (5-foot-11, 185).

The Raiders will roll with four defensive linemen, coming in with an average weight of 223.8 pounds. This group is anchored by senior defensive tackles Lucas McGee (6-0, 230) and Evan Colwell (6-foot-1, 225). At defensive end are seniors Antonio Rocha (5-foot-10, 220) and Sawyer Noyce (6-foot-2, 220).

“We expect to have more success on the field,” Foster said. “We have lots of returning experience that had to learn how to win last year. This year, we look to build on that experience.”

Kicking off the 2024 season with three straight away games, the Raiders look to channel their inner road warriors come Sept. 6 when they face Sunflower League foe Lawrence on the road. This year’s season opener also marks the first meeting between these two teams since Foster’s first season in 2021.

After Foster’s squad went 1-7 in league play a season ago, he’s ready for South to show they have what it takes to hang with the big dogs. To do so, South will need to tame a Lions team looking to build off of its own successful 7-3 outing. After Week 1 is done, the Raiders’ goal remains the same: rinse and repeat.

“We’ve talked a lot all summer about expecting to play well, and these kids know in order to do that, we must be prepared each week,” Foster affirmed. “The Sunflower League, in my opinion, is the toughest in the state of Kansas, and we’re looking forward to competing each week against high-quality football programs.”