The Larned High School football team had an amazing season this year. The coaching staff for the team was almost completely new this season. Mr. Antwome Topps coached the offensive line; Mr. Kerby Westerman coached the wide receivers and linebackers, and Mr. Adam Appley coached the offensive line. Mr. Brady Keith assumed the new role of head coach, and Mr. Keenan Rasmussen resumed coaching the defensive line. These new coaches really turned things around for the Indians, and they ended their season with six wins and three losses!
This season, many fans thought that the team looked more athletic than they did in past years. Coach Keith told me on the topic, “We worked really hard in the weight room this summer, and we changed up our weights program as well; we focused on conditioning during our practice time, and that really helped.” It was clear to see that the hard work that the team put in this summer really paid off. Last year, the team ended the 2022 season with just three wins and six losses, so this year was a complete turnaround; the numbers speak for the team’s hard work and dedication. Luke Fischer informed us that “There was an energy change this year, and I think we were held to a higher standard; we worked harder and everything felt better because we were more successful, and we were rewarded with more wins, which always feels good.”
Last football season, there were about 40 boys out for football. This season, there were 48 kids out, which is amazing news for the football team and their future! Coach Brady Keith told me, “Any time a new coach comes in, there are a lot of new changes based on what they want to do, we wanted to run the ball, play stout defense, and put our kids in a position to be successful, and I feel that we accomplished that.” The morality of the team has been greatly improved this season, which has in turn improved the morality of the student body. There was more engagement in the student section this season, and the community was very supportive.
To top it off, the football team had less than ⅓ the turnovers that they had last year, which is a great accomplishment! Luke Fischer had 1,190 rushing yards in this season alone; Luke also had 19 touchdowns to end his senior season. Ty Smith had three touchdowns this season and 453 rushing yards, which is amazing considering this was the first season that Ty was the running back. The team as a whole had 2,359 rushing yards compared to last year’s 1,801 yards. Carson Shaver had six touchdowns this year and 397 rushing yards. Coach Brady Keith told me, “The senior class was huge this year; they allowed us to lay a solid foundation for years to come, we appreciated that they bought into the new ideas so quickly, and they sold it to the other players as well.” The entire team had a great season, and they will surely get better and better going into next year.
