Thanks For The Memories: NEK Seniors Who Will Be Missed

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is always a treat to hop on X and see athletes posting about college visits, receiving college offers, and announcing college commitments.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After high school graduation, the doors open for so many young student-athletes, and choosing which door to walk through and which path to take is adventurous and scary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Those thoughts take me back to my younger days, when I left the hamlet of Marquette for what I felt was the big city of Pittsburg as I chose to walk my college path with young Gorillas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a shout-out to nine Northeast Kansas seniors who provided me with many football memories and who all have bright futures ahead of them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='611096' first='Aiden' last='Scott']</strong>, QB, 6'5”, 205, Shawnee Heights (Washburn)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scott threw plenty of memorable balls during his days with the Thunderbirds. He is one of the more gifted quarterbacks I have seen in the Topeka area. He is ranked No. 18 overall by Prep Redzone Kansas and plans to play ball for the Washburn Ichabods. Scott threw for more than 6,000 yards and completed 63 touchdown passes for Shawnee Heights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='986134' first='Noah' last='Kobuszewski']</strong>, TE, 6'4”, 190, Seaman</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This young man has the most difficult last name I have ever had to learn to spell. The Seaman Viking has been fun to watch evolve over the past couple of seasons. He is super athletic and has a bright future ahead of him wherever he decides to play. He is ranked No. 32 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026. Over three seasons, he made 116 receptions for more than 1,200 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1113445' first='Nate' last='Martin']</strong>, LB, 6'0”, 175, Basehor-Linwood</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Martin is one of the toughest linebackers I have seen in recent years. He just makes tackles and enjoys hitting people. He is the kind of athlete I like to scout. A lunch pail toting, brick laying, bring your game and shut your mouth type of player. He is ranked No. 98 overall by Prep Redzone Kansas. Martin had an injury-shortened senior season, but created plenty of football memories during his sophomore and junior seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1708194' first='Zion' last='Bell']</strong>, RB, 5'10”, 295, Rock Creek</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bell is a back that I have grown to admire, as is the program at Rock Creek in general. The Mustangs are a team built around guys who enjoy the grind of a high school season. Bell can make tacklers miss or run over them. He rushed for over 1,500 yards in his senior campaign and scored 21 touchdowns on the ground. Bell is ranked No. 196 overall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1261286' first='Talon' last='Conrad'],</strong> LB, 6'2”, 220, Wamego</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Typically, if I see Wamego play it's against Hayden or Rock Creek. Conrad has been among the top tacklers for the Red Raiders for multiple seasons. He had a storied career at Wamego and won a ton of football games. He is ranked No. 296 overall by Prep Redzone Kansas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1115789' first='Cael' last='Frazier']</strong>, LB, 6'2”, 215, Holton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holton is one of those communities that epitomize how key Friday Night Lights are for a town. Frazier is one of the small-town kids who loves to represent his community. He is a speedy dude and has been fun to watch play for the Wildcats the past couple of years. He is ranked No. 215 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1331128' first='Cole' last='Frank']</strong>, QB, 5'11”, 195, Wabaunsee</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Frank is a young man I did not get to see play much in person, but he will leave me with a plateful of memories. If someone needs a mentor on how to network and get noticed, this Charger is a solid mentor. He messaged me often on social media to keep me up to date on how he and his teammates were performing. Frank is ranked No. 221 overall by Prep Redzone Kansas. Frank chewed up more than 3,000 total career yards, finished with over 200 career tackles, and found the end zone 42 times for Wabaunsee.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1147087' first='Aidan' last='Flanagan']</strong>, LB, 5'10”, 190, Topeka High</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Flanagan is a grinder who has dealt with injuries the past two seasons. He is also my next-door neighbor. I didn't get to see Flanagan play as often as I would have liked, but he has shared many stories and is an unselfish player who will share how his teammates are doing. He has an offer from Bethany College. I hope he doesn't move too far away to play college ball, I need him around to do some handy work. The Trojan backer is ranked No. 278 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1264514' first='Jackson' last='McGivern']</strong>, LB, 6'0”, 205, Hayden</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maybe you have started to pick up on a theme . . . I do like linebackers. Another linebacker I have enjoyed watching the past few seasons is Hayden's McGivern. He is a tough kid from a competitive and athletic family. He understands what it takes to be a winner, and he has won his fair share of games while leading the Wildcats. He is ranked No. 348 overall by Prep Redzone Kansas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->