The Garden City Telegram
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Lakin's Shalberg earns athlete of the week honors
Published 10/20/2009 in Sports
By BRETT MARSHALL
bmarshall@gctelegram.com
Lakin football coach Ken Waechter knew his team would be in for a tough start to the season.
The Broncs had to open against top-ranked Scott City, then followed with Hugoton. The two teams who are the Telegram's top two teams in the rankings.
But now, thanks to an improving offensive line and players adjusting to new positions, the Broncs find themselves with a 4-3 record overall, 1-0 in Class 3A district play with an encounter Friday with longtime Hi-Plains League rival Holcomb.
For now, all Waechter wants to see is continued improvement from his squad. And that's exactly what he's been seeing, especially from senior quarterback Dylan Shalberg, who has passed for just less than 700 yards and thrown 11 touchdowns, including five in last Friday's 53-8 triumph over Cimarron.
"Dylan's starting to feel more comfortable there," Waechter said. "We went to several camps last summer and I knew that he could throw the ball. He's a first-year starter and his improvement is directly related to the improvement of our offensive line."
For his 9-of-18 (218 yards, 5 touchdowns) performance against Cimarron, Shalberg is The Telegram's Area Athlete of the Week.
"His height is an advantage for him and he's a very coachable young man," Waechter said. "He can communicate with you and with the other kids and he's a quarterback that you can trust. That's a big help to a coach."
Shalberg's two favorite receivers also had a big night against Cimarron. Alex Jones caught three touchdown passes (63, 30 and 20 yards) while Zach Reed hauled in a pair (40, 20 yards). For the season, Jones has seven TD catches and Reed, five.
"Zach has really been the big key for us," Waechter said. "We started him on the offensive line then moved him into the backfield and then he volunteered to move back into the line and he's made a huge difference for us. He's developed into a big leader for us."
Waechter said the development of Jones has played a role in the Broncs' steady improvement this season.
"He's had a couple of good games after struggling some early," Waechter said. "He was hoping to play quarterback this year, but with his speed we knew we needed help in other areas. We needed somebody who could run long and catch long passes, and Alex has filled that role well. He wasn't quite as involved in the offense early, and it took a little longer for that to occur, but he's really starting to contribute."
While Waechter knows the Friday test at home against the Longhorns has postseason playoff implications, he down plays that aspect of the match-up.
"It's a big game because it's Holcomb-Lakin," Waechter said. "We just need to go out and play and do our job. Our focus is to go out and execute and then just what happens."
Other top area performances:
Austin Nairn, Stanton County -- Rushed five times for 155 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 45-6 victory over Satanta. His TD runs were 35 and 45 yards and his third came on a 60-yard punt return.
Trey De La Rosa, Holcomb -- Rushed 27 times for 129 yards and three touchdowns (35, 18 and 6 yards) in a 34-13 victory over Southwestern Heights.
Brandon Stokes, Sublette -- Completed 5-of-11 passes for 156 yards in a 14-12 loss to Elkhart.
Johnathan Miller, Greeley County -- Rushed 26 times for 127 yards, completed 13-of-25 passes for 126 yards with one interception in a 42-28 loss to unbeaten Minneola. He had two TD passes, one touchdown run and ran for two extra point conversions.
Coulter Croft, South Gray -- Rushed 21 times for 222 yards and four touchdowns in a 60-28 victory over Ingalls. His TD runs came from 7, 8 and 35 yards and he also returned a kickoff 62 yards.
Garrison Hendricks, South Gray -- Rushed 12 times for 112 yards and three touchdowns in the Rebels' 60-28 victory over Ingalls.
Cody Bernbeck, Garden City -- The junior quarterback led a furious rally that came up just short in a 24-20 loss at Maize. Bernbeck rushed 14 times for 86 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter and completed 14-of-28 passes for 229 yards. He had one TD pass and ran for another.
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Telegram Area Top 5
1 Scott City (7-0), defeated Goodland, 42-0. The Beavers notched their fourth shutout of the season in rolling past Goodland. This week...a Class 3A district match-up at home against Norton, one of two teams to have beaten the Beavers a year ago. The winner likely will be the top seed from their district.
2 Hugoton (7-0), defeated Pratt, 21-0. The Eagles relied on their defense to notch a big shutout at high-scoring Pratt. This week...a home game against Kingman in Class 4A district play. A victory by the Eagles, and a Ulysses win at Pratt, would set up the regular-season finale showdown for taking district honors.
3 Garden City (4-3), lost to Maize, 24-20. A comeback by the Buffaloes fell just short after they trailed 14-0 at halftime and 20-6 through three quarters on the road at Maize. This week...at home against Goddard in a Class 6A district game that is a must-win for their playoff hopes.
4Ulysses (4-3), defeated Kingman, 70-24. The Tigers' offense is on a roll. In their four straight victories the Tigers have averaged 53.25 points per game. This week...at Pratt in a Class 4A district match-up.
5 Greeley County (5-2), lost to unbeaten Minneola, 42-28. Down 36-28 late in the game, the Jackrabbits drove inside the Minneola 15-yard line only to run out of downs and Minneola returned an errant fumble for a TD to ice the game.
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