Program Profiles: Jr. Blues Return Boatloads of Talent

Two important components of a championship caliber team include experience and depth. Experienced players help hold a team together, and can handle pressure because they’ve dealt with certain situations. Depth can be the backbone of a team, and provides a next man up mentality. These are two components that Washburn Rural’s 2022 squad has, which makes them a dangerous team in a very competitive Class 6A Division.    The Jr. Blues head into the ’22 campaign coming off one of their best finishes in years. Their 2021 squad ended the season with an impressive 8-2 record and won a share of the Centennial League title; picking up signature wins against league rivals Seaman High School and Manhattan High. They would however hit a bump in the road during Regionals against Lawrence Free State.    This year’s team is looking to grow from that experience and advance further into the playoffs, with hopes of securing a Class 6A state title. The Jr. Blues have a nice blend of returning starters and underclassmen that could help get the job done. Here are some of their prospects to keep an eye on this fall.    Offense:   [player_tooltip player_id=’145519’ first=’Branton’ last=’DeWeese’], QB, Class of ’24   DeWeese really impressed during his first full year as a starter in 2021. He’d complete 66% of his passes while throwing for over 1,600 yards with 21 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Now as the junior heads into year two as the full-time starter, he should play with much more confidence, and he’s likely to be more involved with the offense.    [player_tooltip player_id=’166969’ first=’Ma’Kenttis’ last=’Adams’], RB, Class of ’23   The Jr. Blues have a few options to choose from out of their backfield, but the feature back is likely to be three-year starter, [player_tooltip player_id=’166969’ first=’Ma’Kenttis’ last=’Adams’]. The 5-foot-10 halfback comes into the ’22 season as one of the most experienced offensive players on Rural’s roster. With the emergence of DeWeese, Adams may not see a heavy workload this year. However, he is still very much a dual-threat out of the backfield.    [player_tooltip player_id=’87660’ first=’Amr’ last=’Sabbarini’] & [player_tooltip player_id=’169612’ first=’Lukas’ last=’Hanks’], Class of ’23   Sabbarini and Hanks are sure to be two of the top pass catchers for the Jr. Blues this season. With Robby Bolin now graduated, Sabbarini is looking to take over the role as the No. 1 option in the passing game. He’s a very reliable target that can run a variety routes and has great chemistry with DeWeese. If Sabbarini isn’t open, then DeWeese has a huge target underneath with [player_tooltip player_id=’169612’ first=’Lukas’ last=’Hanks’]. He is a sure handed tight end in the intermediate passing game, and has the physicality to rack up yards after contact.    [player_tooltip player_id=’285567’ first=’Caden’ last=’Estrada’] & [player_tooltip player_id=’285568’ first=’Jacob’ last=’Hawks’], OL, Class of ’25   Washburn Rural has a few returning starters on their offensive line, but these are two underclassmen that could play pivotal roles as sophomores. Estrada had the opportunity to earn his stripes as a freshman and made an impact with his versatile play. Hawks is a prospect that showed a lot of promise at the freshman level and is sure to anchor one of the tackle positions with his 6-foot-8, 280-pound frame.     Defense:   [player_tooltip player_id=’35664’ first=’Ty’ last=’Weber’], LB, Class of ’23   This year’s Washburn Rural squad is undoubtably headlined by the top ranked linebacker in the Class of ’23. Weber is one of the main leaders for the Jr. Blues, and his presence on defense means so much to his team. He broke Rural’s school record for career tackles during his junior year, and finished with 106 total on the season. Weber’s standout play will be crucial for the Jr. Blues’ state title chances.    [player_tooltip player_id=’145518’ first=’JC’ last=’Heim’] & [player_tooltip player_id=’145517’ first=’Jaren’ last=’Heim’], Class of ’24   The development of the Heim brothers will be huge for Rural this year. Their play has gotten noticeably better each season, and their frames are starting to fill out. JC was a breakout two-way player for the Jr. Blues last season; rushing for over 300 yards and piling up 74 total tackles. While Jaren made plays in the secondary, as he racked up 54 total tackles and four pass breakups at safety. Expect these two to be key contributors yet again.    [player_tooltip player_id=’259743’ first=’Packson’ last=’Bettis’] & [player_tooltip player_id=’335816’ first=’Jamond’ last=’Lane’], DL, Class of ’24   Having a good pass rush can be a huge difference maker for a team with state title aspirations. Rural returns this duo that is sure to wreak havoc on opposing offenses all season long. Bettis is one of the premiere edge rushers in our Class of ’24 rankings, and he is capable of accumulating double-digit tackles for loss. [player_tooltip player_id=’335816’ first=’Jamond’ last=’Lane’]’s versatility paired with his strength and quick first step makes him difficult to block as well.

Two important components of a championship caliber team include experience and depth. Experienced players help hold a team together, and can handle pressure because they’ve dealt with certain situations. Depth can be the backbone of a team, and provides a next man up mentality. These are two components that Washburn Rural’s 2022 squad has, which makes them a dangerous team in a very competitive Class 6A Division.