2026 Western Kansas Prospects to Watch

As we head into spring time I would love to showcase some of the smaller school prospects out in Western Kansas for the 2026 class. These prospects will be coming from such leagues as the Mid Continent, Northwest Kansas, North Central Activities Association and Central Prairie. All five of these players play predominantly along the offensive or defensive lines.   Majority of these student-athletes in this write-up just participated at State Wrestling in Hays this past weekend. It is always a thrill to watch those that get down and dirty in the trenches getting after it on the wrestling mat. Wrestling is always a great sport that translates very well to the football field.   Once again profiles for each of these athletes have been created on Prep Redzone and can be claimed by using the following link.   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/prospects-index/#claim-profile-anchor">https://prepredzone.com/prospects-index/#claim-profile-anchor</a>    Two way All-Conference performer. Defense is where he is best suited but that takes nothing away from his effectiveness on the offensive side of the ball. He uses his wrestling abilities to dominate in the trenches and plays very well out in space. Defensively he is a physical middle linebacker who shows a strong base, good hand usage and able to play sideline to sideline. Due to his good hand usage, he is able to disengage from blocks quite easily.    Ellsworth may not have had the season they have come accustomed to the last couple of seasons before but look for the Bearcats to rebound nicely with a very strong to be senior class returning. One of those returnees is the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Galvan who will be joined by the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='1403638' first='Cooper' last='McGowan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1325120' first='Tucker' last='Goss'] among others.   He was a All-Conference performer on both side of the ball with a First-Team All-North Central Activities Association offensive lineman and Second Team honors as a linebacker. Even though he had a higher honor on the offensive side of the ball, it is his work on defense that stands out the most in my opinion. Also a very good student in the classroom and carries a 3.9 GPA.   This past season on defense he had 65 tackles (41 solo and 24 assisted), nine tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery from his middle linebacker spot.   Galvan was just placed 5th in the 175 weight class at the 3A-2A-1A State Wrestling in Hays. Finishing with a 34-9 overall record in the always loaded 175 is pretty impressive. Also a standout on the baseball diamond, he is definitely a just a very good three sport standout to keep an eye on this next school year.    Strongly built interior lineman that is known for his road grading abilities in Smith Center's Barta Bone offense but also excels as a defensive tackle. Really quick for his size, strong as a ox and described as very coachable. Also one of the top heavyweight wrestlers in the State of Kansas.    Smith Center has always been known for their lineman and namely lineman that can really get after it and maul people. Montgomery is no different than those that came before him for the Redmen. He may not be blessed with the ideal height many colleges look for but his strength and athletic ability can not be denied. In the weight room he has a max of 300-pounds on the bench, 500-pounds on the squat and cleans 285-pounds.   The 5-foot-11, 290-pounder just placed second at the 285 weight class at the 3A-2A-1A State Wrestling. On the football field he was honored as a First-Team All-Mid Continent offensive lineman, Second Team performer at defensive tackle and was a 1A All-State Honorable Mention offensive lineman. Also a quality student, where he carries a 3.8 GPA.   This past fall he had 32 tackles (22 solo and 16 assisted) and three tackles for loss from his nose guard position. Overall Montgomery's best football days are still ahead of him and should be one of the top smaller school lineman in the state. Look for Smith Center to be a much improved team this coming fall since they return majority of their top players from a solid playoff team.    Dominated on both side of the ball as a center and defensive tackle. Strong but nimble lineman that also plays basketball for the Knights. High motor lineman that brings a nasty edge on the football field. Definite college prospect due to his size, frame, strength and athletic ability.    The Knights of Victoria had a tremendous season this past year where their lone loss of the season came to the hands of arguably the best 8-Man team in the country in the Axtell Eagles. That loss came in the 8-Man II state title game. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Huser is a big reason for their success since he controlled both side of the line of scrimmage.   One doesn't see lineman win most valuable player type awards very often but Huser was named the Central Prairie League Offensive Player of the Year this past season due to his dominant play. Honors wise, he was First Team as a center and was also Second Team as a defensive tackle.   An absolutely a beast along the offensive line due to his size, strength and quickness off the snap, he was just as effective on the defensive side of the ball. This past fall he had 42 tackles (17 solo and 25 assisted), five sacks, nine tackles for loss, one safety and one forced fumble.   Keep an eye on not only Huser as a prospect, as he and his teammates hope to make it back to the state title game. The Knights return a fair amount of their top end talent from this past season squad.    An ever developing lineman who shows very good strength and athletic ability. Plays both ways for the Monarchs where he stars at both center and defensive tackle. Quick and explosive off the ball where he is able to get into his opponent very quickly with good pad level and everage on either side of the ball. Will only become more dominant as he gets bigger and stronger.      Thomas More Prep-Marian returns much of their talent from this past seasons 5-4 team and should make a fair amount of noise in the Mid Continent League and in 1A in general. A big reason for their rise is Gilmore, who is a 6-foot-0, 250-pound trench monster who excels on both sides of the ball. Also a very good student, where he owns a 4.0 GPA in the classroom.   This past season he was honored as a Honorable Mention All-Mid Continent League as a offensive lineman. He had 49 pancakes blocks from his center position. On the defensive side of the ball, he contributed with 16 tackles (5 solo and 11 assisted), two tackles for loss, one sack and one fumble recovery.   Not only is he quick and agile for his size but also takes care of business in the weight room where he possesses very good strength. He owns a 315-pound bench, 455-pound squat and a 265-pound clean. Definitely a small school lineman to keep an eye on for this coming season.    If you are looking for a small school lineman that is athletic, explosive and lives in the backfield, look no further than Fairchild. May be considered a tweener as a defensive lineman currently but could project as a defensive end at the next level. Excels on both sides of the ball for the Buffaloes. Also a quality wrestler, it shows on the football field come fall. Sideline to sideline type of lineman that could catch colleges attention with further development.    Rawlins County is always considered one of the better 8-Man I programs in Western Kansas and look for Coach Sramek's Buffaloes to be in the hunt once again this coming season. A big part of that dominance is due to the 6-foot-0, 215-pound Fairchild who use his size, strength and quickness to dominate the line of scrimmage.   He was First Team All-Northwest Kansas League at both offensive line and defensive line. It is on the defensive side of the ball where he has made his name. He really stuffed the stat sheet with a staggering 75 tackles (44 solo and 31 assisted), 21 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks from his defensive tackle position.   This past weekend he participated in the 3A-2A-1A state wrestling meet where finished his season with a 30 wins. Pretty impressive for someone who is on the lighter side for the 285-pound weight class. Even though he plays defensive tackle in high school, he could project as a defensive end at the next level.   Once again be on the look-out for more ballers from the western half of the state. I always enjoy uncovering and showcasing the top small school kids in both 8-Man and 11-Man football. Even a occasional 6-Man kid is worthy of getting the proper pub. Expect more write-ups soon on other small school standouts throughout the State of Kansas. I'm always looking for the next studs to showcase and evaluate, so don't be afraid to follow and message me at @Coach_Mitchum on X.

As we head into spring time I would love to showcase some of the smaller school prospects out in Western Kansas for the 2026 class. These prospects will be coming from such leagues as the Mid Continent, Northwest Kansas, North Central Activities Association and Central Prairie. All five of these players play predominantly along the offensive or defensive lines.