East Look to Be One of Top 6A Teams ... Again
When a fourth-year coach at a school touts his offense as the best its been in his tenure, it can be taken with a grain of salt.
But when the coach has only four losses in three seasons, with two trips to the state title game and one championship, well, what Dustin Delaney touts is worth heeding.
Shawnee Mission (33-4 in Delaney's three seasons) looks to boast one of the top offenses in the area, with nine returning starters from its 9-2 team in 2015.
"I feel offensively, with our skill kids, this the best offense we've had while I've been at East," stated Delaney. "This is the best set of backs since I've been here."
Among those backs are senior Carl Young, junior Milton Braasch (and senior Nigil Houston, a transfer from rival Shawnee Mission West, where he ran for 603 yards and eight touchdowns in 2015.
"Braasch is a freak athlete, and Nigel's speed is by far faster than any kid I've had at East - by a long way," Delaney said.
Returning at quarterback will be senior Luke Kaiser, who passed in 2015 for 803 yards and 10 TDs along with 565 rushing yards and four scores, with a 6.98 yard per carry average. On the outside will be Sky Tate, who caught 17 balls for 480 yards and nine touchdowns, along with senior Trevor Thompson (6-foot-2) at receiver.
"With Kaiser in his second year as starter, that's so big in our system with all the reads involved," Delaney said of the flexbone spread option. "We're going to throw the ball more with our receivers and speed of our backs."
Up front, four offensive linemen return in senior Parker Shiling, Peter Haynes (6-0, 240), Zac Medley (6-3, 275) and junior Justin Finningan (6-2, 255). Senior Charlie Kephart (6-2, 250) also will see time in the offensive trenches.
But the key for the Lancers will be on defense. East does return seven starters, with seniors Ryan Kahle and Calvin Ball on the defensive line, along with sophomores Ashton Andino and PJ Spencer. At linebacker, seniors Eli McDonald and Simon Bradley join Carter Trippel in the 3-4. Seniors Jake Randa, Carl Young and Thompson, along with junior Zach Yeo, comprise the secondary.
"Our biggest question is on defense," Delaney said. "We're younger up front. We're better in the secondary and linebackers, and this is the best set of inside linebackers I've had her. But our past defensive lines have had that big playmaker.
"Our offense will score some points, but usually who wins the state title is who plays the best defense."
