LHS faces uncertain future

Now that Lawrence High’s football uniforms are in storage until next August, one question will linger.

Will the Lions slip into a rebuilding mode next season, or will they simply reload?

On paper, it would appear coach Dirk Wedd will have to rebuild because he loses a core of 19 seniors, practically all of them contributors.

“Kids like that,” Wedd said after the Lions’ heart-breaking 22-18 loss to unbeaten Olathe East in last Friday’s Class 6A state semifinals, “come along once in a great while.”

Seniors made up the entire offensive and defensive backfields, as well as most of the starting linemen.

No doubt the most difficult senior to replace will be Nolan Kellerman, who not only led the Lions with 1,488 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns but also drove the team’s emotional engine.

“He’s a very, very special young man,” Wedd said of the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Kellerman, who also is a state-champion wrestler. “He may have the biggest heart of any kid I’ve ever coached.”

Splendid finale

Kellerman concluded his prep career with a 190-yard performance against Olathe East, the top defensive team in the Sunflower League, and took none of the credit.

On the first play from scrimmage, Kellerman broke free for what appeared to be a 75-yard touchdown run, but he was hauled down from behind after gaining 48 yards.

“I was too slow,” Kellerman said afterward. “The only reason I got that far was my offensive line. I love my offensive line. I love those guys.”

On the next play, Kellerman went through another hole and raced 27 yards into the end zone.

Under Wedd, the Lions have been hidebound in tradition and will continue to run first, run second and run third, passing only when the defense is so committed to stopping the rush that a receiver can sneak behind defenders.

Late in the season, senior Matt Stiles proved to be a solid complementary running back to Kellerman. Early on, senior Nathan Hickey filled that role, but Hickey played strictly in the secondary the rest of the way, Wedd said, in order to protect a shoulder injury.

Wingback Brandon Lassiter provided a change of pace to the running game, but he, too, is a senior, meaning Wedd will have to replace his top four ground-gainers.

Promising juniors

Waiting in the wings are juniors Tony Williams and Richard Demby. Both showed promise when given an opportunity. Nathan Padia, another junior, looms as Lassiter’s replacement.

Wedd must also replace Brian Heere, a two-year starter at quarterback whose mechanics in operating the Lions’ intricate offense were nearly impeccable. Heere was also adept at throwing the bomb to either Lassiter or tight end Scott Penny.

Junior Chance Riley is Heere’s heir apparent. The 6-3, 175-pound Riley missed the first three games after undergoing an appendectomy in August, and played mostly on special teams down the stretch.

Only two juniors were full-time players – linebacker-offensive guard Nick DeBiasse and tight end Uliti Fangupo, a 290-pounder from the island of Tonga who had never played football until last year.

“He’s come a long way,” Wedd said of Fangupo, who is likely to draw interest from NCAA Div. I-A schools.

Two other juniors who logged considerable time were offensive linemen Patrick Johnson (5-10, 205) and Shawn Jimboy (6-2, 220).

Wedd also hopes lineman Paul Finch, a 5-10, 240-pound junior, will recover from knee surgery to play again in ’06. Finch, who suffered torn ligaments in the second game, was “one of our four or five best players,” Wedd said.

Who’ll replace Penny?

The defense is linebacker-oriented so having DeBiasse back is a plus, but replacing Penny, a two-year starter at the position, won’t be easy. Tyler Hunt, a precocious 6-1, 200-pound sophomore, may be the leading candidate. Hunt also figures to be in the ball-carrying picture.

Inconsistent place-kicking plagued the Lions, but Wedd will have an experienced kicker in 2006 in junior Abby Vestal, a member of the Lions’ girls soccer team who saw some varsity action, but kicked primarily for the JV team.

Only time will tell if the Lions will go as far as the 6A semifinals – or farther – in 2006, yet Wedd’s cup is clearly half-full.

“We love our juniors,” he said. “They have to grow up, but they’re very, very talented. More important, they’ve had a taste of what it’s like to play in a big game.”