Program Review: Defending State Champ Cheney Cardinals

Kicking off the start of program reviews for the Wichita Area and Western Kansas, in this report we will take a deep-dive look into the defending 3A State Champion Cheney Cardinals.   In the next couple of weeks I will be releasing team "Program Reviews" for numerous other schools across all classifications, so keep an eye out.   For Cheney, last season was one for the ages as the Cardinals not only went undefeated, winning 13 straight games; but beat arch-rival Andale twice along the way to capture their first state crown, pounding Topeka Hayden 34-7 in a snowstorm.   The quest for a playoff run began building momentum in mid-October last year, when the Cardinals stunned Andale 28-24 in overtime to snap the nation's longest winning streak at 57 games. Falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter and then 22-8 at halftime, Cheney made the right halftime adjustments and stormed back to tie things up with 24 second-half points, before winning in OT.   One month later and now in the playoffs, Cheney had continued winning, but so had Andale, and the two faced off in a rematch in the 3A Final Four. And, like the previous game, Andale came out of the gate hard and fast and took a 16-0 first-quarter lead. They stretched that to 24-7 at halftime.   Once again, Coach Wehrman and his staff rallied the troops, as Cheney scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to cement the win 28-24 and advance to the State Championship game. In the team's biggest game of the year, they pounded an undefeated Hayden team, 34-7.   When the euphoria of the win started to fade, and stars from the state championship team, like Kason Messenger, who is now at Missouri Southern; Jackson Voth, at K-State and Drew Tolar , who is running track at Fort Hays, among numerous others, moved on to the next level; the returning leaders began an off-season of getting reloaded to defend their title.   This year's Cardinal team returns nine starters and 18 lettermen and is picked to finish among the leaders in league play as well as 3A state as a whole (see snapshot of latest rankings below).   On offense, returning All-State quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='570171' first='Josh' last='Burdick'] returns after a breakout season a year ago when he passed for 2,600+ yards and rifled 37 TD passes along the way. He will be protected by a trio of outstanding linemen: [player_tooltip player_id='1213985' first='Kolton' last='Rohloff'], [player_tooltip player_id='1115446' first='AJ' last='Quick'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1213987' first='Garren' last='Campbell'], who will give the high-flying passing attack the pocket time needed to shock and awe opponents once again.   On defense, the Cardinals will be strong in the box with the above mentioned two-way linemen as well as returning a strong linebacking crew who will be called on to slam the gate shut on the other team's running game this fall. Returning are [player_tooltip player_id='1398411' first='Hunter' last='McKinley'], Grady Ditgen, and [player_tooltip player_id='1398409' first='Levi' last='Self'] who combined for 160+ tackles last fall (see stats below).   On Special Teams, Grady Kuehn returns as kicker, coming off a season when he made 20-25 PAT's and was 1-2 on FG's, the one made being a huge 32-yard FG with time running out against Clay Center in the playoffs to keep the winning streak alive.   Classification: 3A   League: Central Plains League   District: 7   Coach: Shelby Wehrman, beginning his eighth year at Cheney and eighth overall; record at Cheney is 60 wins, 18 losses.   Coach Wehrman 8-Year Record:   2023 Record: 13-0   2022 Record: 8 - 3     2021 Record: 10 - 1     2020 Record: 9 - 1     2019 Record:  9 - 3      2018 Record:  2 - 7         2017 Record: 9 - 3   CHS notables: State Champions: 3A - 2023       State Play-offs: 1991, 94, 06, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23        League Champs: 1990, 91, 94, 99, 06   Assistant Coaches: Dustin Hague, Bill Block, Travis Self, Brandon Wise, Richard Oliver   Dustin Hague, OL/DL coach, on staff since 2019, instrumental in turning O-line into a high performance unit; youngest coach on staff, he connects with the kids and inspires them to improve.   Bill Block, WR/CB coach, also is passing game coordinator, on staff since 2018, per Coach Wehrman, "his brain never shuts off" as he is continually thinking of new wrinkles and routes to frustrate opposing defenses.   Travis Self, RB/LB coach, prior head MS coach at Cheney from 2018-2022, was assisting Coach Hague, but this year has moved to the RB/LB spot, where he appears to be a good fit.   Brandon Wise is new on the staff this year, but has considerable coaching experience. He has spent time at El Dorado, Osborne, Mara de Cyne, and Central Plains. He is joining Coach Hague on the OL/DL, but is capable of coaching any position.    2024 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE   9-6 vs. Holcomb (last year: W 37 - 8)   9-13 @ Kingman (last year: W 34 - 7)   9-20 Garden Plain: (last year: W 41 - 14)   9-27 @ Clearwater: (last year: none)   9-29 @ Hoisington: (last year: none)   10-4 Chaparral: (last year: none)   10-11 @ W. Collegiate: (last year: none)   10-18 Pratt (last year: W 49 - 0)   10-25 Cross Sectionals vs District 8     2024 FOOTBALL OUTLOOK   Strengths   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>18 Returning Lettermen including 9 returning starters</li>   <li>Good work ethic</li>   <li>Depth at skill positions</li> </ul>   Concerns   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Developing new senior leadership</li>   <li>Lack of depth at offensive and defensive  line</li> </ul>     Class 3A Picks                                                    1. Andale   2. Cheney   3. Clay Center   4. Wichita Collegiate   5. Topeka Hayden   6. Scott City      Central Plains League Picks   1. Garden Plain   2. Cheney   3. Kingman   4. Conway Springs   5. Chaparral   6. Douglass   7. Belle Plaine   8. Wichita Trinity   9. Wichita Independent     Returning Starters:   [player_tooltip player_id='570171' first='Josh' last='Burdick'] 6'0 180, QB, '25, 3-year starter; stats: 182 of 262 (69%), 2,628 yards, 37 TD's, SIK Underclassman 3A Offensive POY.   [player_tooltip player_id='1213985' first='Kolton' last='Rohloff'] 5'11 250, OL/DL, '25, 3-year starter, All-League OL & DL, SIK Honorable Mention    [player_tooltip player_id='1115446' first='AJ' last='Quick'] 5'10 240, OL/DL, '25, 3-year starter, Unanimous 1st Team All-CPL OL, Honorable Mention All-State Class 3A OL, SIK All Class 3A OL   [player_tooltip player_id='1213987' first='Garren' last='Campbell'] 6'4 255, OL, '25, 3-year starter   [player_tooltip player_id='1403530' first='Wyatt' last='Starns'] 5'8 230, OL, up and comer   [player_tooltip player_id='1398411' first='Hunter' last='McKinley'] 6'0 180, LB, '25, stats: 86 Total Tackles, 9 TFL, 0.5 Sacks   Grady Ditgen 5'11 170. LB, '25, stats: 68 Total Tackles, 10 TFL 3.5 Sacks,6 Hurries,3 PBU,1 FF   [player_tooltip player_id='1398409' first='Levi' last='Self'] 5'11 170, LB, '25, stats: FB/LB 25 carries on 155 yards   Grady Kuehn 5'8 180, Kicker, '25, stats: 20/25 /XP, 1/2 FG long 32     Other Returning Letterman:   [player_tooltip player_id='1228440' first='Jase' last='Robertson'] 6'1 165, WR/DB, '25 - look for him to get plenty of action in the Cardinal's 4-receiver look   [player_tooltip player_id='1228893' first='Deitric' last='McDaniel'] 5'11 160, WR/DB, '26 - getting ready to air it out this fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='1228897' first='Nolan' last='Durr'] 6'3 220, TE/DL, '26 - rising star on both sides of the ball. Getting ready to dominate.   Carter Peintner 6'3 180, WR/DB, '25 - another long, athletic receiver coming into his own this fall   Parker McClellan 5'9 150, WR/DB, '25 - fingers crossed his return is a positive one   Tred Grusing 6'2 174, WR/LB, '25   Cameron Eastman 5'10 140, WR/DB, '25   Maximus Miller 5'8 150, RB/LB, '26   [player_tooltip player_id='1113284' first='Ayden' last='Koehn'] 6'2, 195, DL, '27 - played a lot as a freshman, watch out this fall.     Cardinals to Watch:   [player_tooltip player_id='570171' first='Josh' last='Burdick'] '-  '25   QB A 3-year starter who is positioned to become the career leader in passing yards at Cheney.   [player_tooltip player_id='1213987' first='Garren' last='Campbell'] - '25  OL A 6' 4 260 lb 3-year starter at right tackle who looks to be a dominant blocker this fall with improved speed, strength and agility.   [player_tooltip player_id='1115446' first='AJ' last='Quick']  - '25  OL/DL A 3-year starter on OL at center and 2-year starter on DL who has improved  strength and technique.   [player_tooltip player_id='1213985' first='Kolton' last='Rohloff']  - '25  OL/DL A 3-year starter on DL and 2-year starter on OL who is recovering from an ACL injury last fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='716729' first='Brayden' last='Dibble']  - '25  Flex/DB Back after moving to Garden City last year, Brayden has hopes of playing college football and is a talented skill position player.   [player_tooltip player_id='1228897' first='Nolan' last='Durr'] - '26  TE/DE - A quality back-up last year who will likely start both ways this fall and should be an impact player   Parker McClellan - '25  WR/DB Explosive and very quick, Parker has battle injuries every year, but is a very good player     In conclusion, get this team on your watchlist and follow their quest for the defending championship. A ton of standout players who will be playing Saturdays in the very near future. They are getting ready to make some serious noise this fall.   And, as always, if anyone knows of players and/or teams flying under the radar feel free to reach out to CoolDaddyO via DM on X.

Kicking off the start of program reviews for the Wichita Area and Western Kansas, in this report we will take a deep-dive look into the defending 3A State Champion Cheney Cardinals.