Veritas Christian fall sports seniors, from left, are Ethan Scott, Jerrid Cadue, Ethan Kay, Nate Scott, Kelvin Rask, Madison Eakin and Shereen Fattaahi and cheerleader Tirzah McFarland. Veritas had its most successful fall in school history in 2010. Both the football and volleyball teams won Kansas Christian Athletic Association state championships.

Veritas Christian might only field two varsity sports during the fall — volleyball and football — but the Eagles recently captured state titles in both.

How’s that for quality over quantity?

On Nov. 6, coach Doug Bennett and his football team finished a perfect 10-0 season and won the program’s first state championship with a 46-30 victory over St. Mary’s Academy.

And Kristen Oberzan’s volleyball team already took care of that goal the Saturday before, capturing the state championship — also a first for the program — after starting the day as a No. 5 seed.

It isn’t surprising that both teams benefited from strong leadership from their senior class.

It took the volleyball team a grueling two-hour match to finish off its run toward the championship, something Oberzan said wouldn’t have been possible without her two seniors — outside hitter Shereen Fattaahi and libero Madison Eakin.

“The strongest part of (Fattaahi’s) game is her serve and quickness to the ball,” Oberzan said. “She played a key role in our match (at state), having the focus and confidence to come off the bench and serve us into victory.”

On Eakin: “She has an impressive work ethic and a way to take what is needed done and make it happen,” Oberzan said. “She was one of our captains this season, along with Teri Huslig. She played libero for us and was vital Saturday in our ability to maintain good passing and aggressive defense.”

Oberzan said she challenged her team to “run with purpose” this season, and led by Fattaahi and Eakin, the Eagles took that message to heart.

“As (legendary UCLA basketball) coach John Wooden put it, ‘Begin with the end in mind,'” Oberzan said. “We started the tournament Friday night with our name filled in on the championship line.”

Bennett’s football team, meanwhile, was carried in large part by a strong, six-member senior class.

Kelvin Rask — the Eagles’ center — hardly has what one would call ideal size for the position. He’s only 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, but that didn’t stop him.

“He makes up for that lack of size by just playing very smart,” Bennett said.

Rask, who also played linebacker, contributed 63 tackles and one interception on defense in addition to his talents as a run-blocker.

“He’s greatly improved over the years that we’ve coached him,” Bennett added. “He’s a very heady player.”

Jerrid Cadue also paved the way in the running game for the Eagles, and like Rask he also stood out at linebacker, where he finished with a team-high 103 tackles.

He may have been a linchpin on the offensive line, but it was on defense where Cadue made his impact felt the most.

“He’s the hardest-hitting, most feared guy on our team,” Bennett said.

It wouldn’t be fair to mention big hits or the Veritas pass rush without talking about Ethan Kay.

The 6-foot-3 defensive end led the team with nine sacks and generated pressure all season.

Kay, also the team’s tight end, finished with nine catches for 140 yards and two offensive touchdowns this season.

“He’s a tremendously improved player over his junior year, whose speed and strength are really showing up,” Bennett said. “I think the game has really slowed down for him. He’s been a tremendous impact player for us.”

In his first year playing at Veritas after transferring to the school, Mitch Moshiri still made quite an impact on defense as well.

The reserve defensive end had 27 tackles and one sack this season.

“He’s a strong, physical run stopper for us,” Bennett said.

Then, of course, there are the Scott twins — Ethan and Nate.

Both dangerous and shifty runners in the open field, the Scotts carried the brunt of Veritas’ offensive load this season.

Ethan Scott’s monster game lifted Veritas past Flint Hills and into the state championship game with his 173 rushing yards and three total touchdowns — two going for 60 yards.

Ethan finished the year with 60 carries for 718 yards and 12 TDs and also caught 28 passes for 598 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“He’s a tremendous athlete,” Bennett said. “He’s fast, quick and can turn on a dime.”

It’s not only his prowess as a backfield threat that makes him dangerous.

Ethan also played defensive back and racked up 65 tackles and four interceptions.

“I think most people always look at the offensive stats he puts up,” Bennett said. “But from the safety position he reads the run and pass very well, and for a guy that isn’t that big, he lays some of the biggest hits on our team.”

Perhaps no Eagle has been through more than Nate Scott, who — to put it mildly — has had an injury-plagued high school career.

In his first game as a freshman, Scott broke his arm and missed the season. Doctors found a hole in his heart over the summer, so he missed his sophomore year recovering from surgery. Then, five games into his junior year, he broke his collarbone.

Nate, who led the team with 30 touchdowns, put all that behind him to have a stellar senior campaign.

Just like his brother, Nate’s numbers are impressive: 79 carries for 893 yards and 20 TDs with 28 catches for 542 yards with 10 more TDs. He also led the team with five interceptions.

“Even though he’s been around forever, it’s like having a brand-new player in the backfield,” Bennett said. “It’s just exciting from a personal standpoint to see him back and having a great senior year.”