League Preview 2020: Centennial League Seniors

The last time a Centennial League team won a State Championship in football was in 2008. During that 2008 campaign, Junction City won the 6A title and Hayden won the 4A championship. With several 6A and 5A schools canceling their fall seasons it will still be determined whether or not there will be state playoffs and how many teams will compete. The Centennial has multiple schools that could contend for 5A and 6A titles. Here is a look at some of the top talent for those schools in the Class of 2021. <strong>DL, [player_tooltip player_id="35348" first="Damian" last="Ilalio"], 5’11”, 176, Manhattan (Ranked No. 7)</strong> – Ilalio has already verbally committed to Kansas State University. He is an extremely talented defensive player and will lead the Indians defense in 2020. Football fans in Manhattan will be hoping to watch Ilalio’s senior season with the Indians and many seasons to come in a Wildcats jersey. <strong>QB, [player_tooltip player_id="35387" first="Dayne" last="Aschenbrenner"], 5’10”, 185, Manhattan (Ranked No. 46)</strong> – Aschenbrenner is a dual-threat quarterback.  He runs a 4.6 forty and has a big throwing arm. Depending on what programs recruit him he could play quarterback at the next level or move to defensive back or wideout<img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-35724" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/07/PRZKansasLaunch-1-300x188.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="188" />. Aschenbrenner also excels in the classroom with a 3.9 GPA. <strong>WR, [player_tooltip player_id="35392" first="Geivonnii" last="Williams"],  6’0”, 185, Topeka High (Ranked No. 51)  </strong>– Williams was an honorable mention all-state player in 2019 for Class 6A. He will be playing under a new coach in 2020. He has solid hands and runs good routes. <strong>QB, [player_tooltip player_id="35395" first="Andrew" last="Khoury"], 6’1”, 180, Junction City (Ranked No. 54) </strong> – Khoury is an explosive athlete. He can play quarterback or running back. He can throw the ball deep and is an experienced offensive leader for the Blue Jays. <strong>RB, [player_tooltip player_id="35441" first="Russell" last="Wilkey"], 5’10”, 165, Junction City (Ranked No. 101)</strong> – Wilkey had over 1,300 total yards of offense and scored 17 touchdowns in 2019. He has been a starter for his entire high school career and runs a 4.5 forty. Wilkey and Khoury combine to be a two-headed monster for the Junction City offense. Other Centennial League players to follow in 2021 include ATH, [player_tooltip player_id="35406" first="Ty’Zhaun" last="Jackson"], Manhattan (No. 65); DE/TE, [player_tooltip player_id="35442" first="Charles" last="Snyder"], Emporia (No. 102); LB, [player_tooltip player_id="35443" first="Will" last="DeVader"], Hayden (No. 103), WR, [player_tooltip player_id="35467" first="Brayden" last="Zirkle"], Shawnee Heights (No. 127); DL, [player_tooltip player_id="35470" first="Jayden" last="Rainer"], Hayden (No. 131); LB, [player_tooltip player_id="35479" first="Jordan" last="Rainer"], Hayden (No. 140); ATH, [player_tooltip player_id="35520" first="Tre’Vion" last="Pepper"], Highland Park (No. 181); DL [player_tooltip player_id="35522" first="Brett" last="Ashwill"], Washburn Rural, (No. 183); and OL, [player_tooltip player_id="35536" first="Ewan" last="Mills"], Seaman (No. 197). &nbsp; &nbsp;