One for all, all for Spartans (+video)

Tucked away on a tree-enshrouded corner of Collegiate’s campus, the sign that guides the way into the home of the east-side prep football powerhouse is unassuming, and gives no indication of the great teams that have come and gone.

There is nothing that boasts of the three state titles, or the steady stream of Division I players that have defined this program — shot off to places like Notre Dame, Nebraska and Oklahoma State.

There are just big, black letters perched above some double doors — “Weight Room and Fitness Center” — and that’s it.

Just inside the entrance, assistant coaches crouch around laptops and go over practice schedules. The weight room is tidy, and players file in early for practice three days before the Class 3A championship game against defending state champion Rossville at Hutchinson’s Gowans Stadium.

There are motivational signs all around, but no markers of past glory. If you snoop, there’s a small hallway in the back of the locker room where sub-state and district trophies from the last five years lean against the wall, out of sight and undusted. But that’s about it.

In the office of coach Mike Gehrer, there are plays drawn up on a dry-erase board and a handful of pictures tacked to the wall, the largest being of a pair of Collegiate players, hand-in-hand, walking out for the opening coin toss. Nothing is framed.

“Isn’t it amazing what you can do when nobody cares who gets the credit?” Gehrer said. “When we put our egos to the side?

“None of us believe that what we do is the absolute best and it can’t be done any better. We’re always searching, always trying to get better.”

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Collegiate linebacker Cooper Root is on his way up. In the most literal sense.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior linebacker has been dominant this season — he has a team-leading 85 tackles for a defense that has racked up six shutouts, including a 21-0 win at Halstead in last Friday’s state semifinal. With one season to play, the sky is the limit for Root, who is already drawing interest from Tulsa, Kansas and Kansas State, where his older brother, Landon, is a backup quarterback.

“Coop’s gonna get a shot,” Gehrer said. “He’s been phenomenal this season. He works so hard in the offseason, and is so dedicated to the weight room that he could play at around 230 (pounds) next year.”

Root seems to be speaking for the entire team when he talks about Saturday’s championship game. Both teams are 13-0.

“Don’t get me wrong, this is something I’ve wanted my whole life,” Root said. “I’ve dreamed of this since I was a little kid, where all I wanted to do was win a state championship. I just can’t let the moment overcome me and try to play out of my mind. We’ve got to stick to business as usual.”

Which is what Gehrer and his staff preach, day-in and day-out.

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Collegiate offensive coordinator Bill Messamore grumbles for a moment, making any excuse not to talk. He’s not the head coach, he says. He’s already put his sunglasses on, he says … even though it’s a cloudy day and he’s still inside.

Gehrer walks by him.

“Did you talk?” he asks Messamore. “I talked!”

Messamore smiles.

“OK,” he says, “let’s talk.”

Messamore’s position is as unique as any you will find in high school sports. He is the former head coach at Collegiate, winning his own state title in 2009 to go with the ones Gehrer won in his first stint as coach in 1994 and 2000. After Messamore resigned, he came back as an assistant — just like Gehrer, who was an assistant on the 2009 title team.

The Spartans average 54.6 points and have scored over 60 six times. Senior running back Nathan Burgoyne has rushed for 1,756 yards and scored 43 touchdowns.

“Head coach isn’t much fun,” Messamore said. “Not in my opinion, at least.”

Four of Collegiate’s five full-time assistants have been head coaches. There’s Messamore, along with defensive coordinator Troy Black (Fredonia), linebackers coach Kyle Wallace (Bluestem, Independent) and offensive line coach Rick Lee (Pratty Skyline, Halstead).

From the outside looking in, it might seem like a case of too many cooks in the kitchen. It’s actually quite the opposite.

“I think the key is (Gehrer), he’s the one who keeps it all glued together,” Messamore said. “Troy and I have our idiosyncrasies, and he’s willing to work with us when it comes to stuff like that. There are no egos here. We’re all after the same thing.”

Indeed, it is Gehrer who works in what he calls the “CEO” position for the program. He’s out front when dealing with parents and administration and building motivation from within the program — he’s the one who keeps an eye on the big picture.

“I’m not the greatest X’s and O’s guy, but I’m a good technician. I can teach technique, I can find the proper motivation,” Gehrer said. “Bill runs the offense, and there’s not a better offensive mind in Wichita. Defensively, nobody spends more time at what they do than (Black). He’s the one who is in the weight room with the kids, he’s the one who gets the feel for the lifeblood of the team, he knows what their pulse is.

“Rick Lee is the guy Bill has confidence in, that he can go to with anything, because (Lee) has so many years’ experience. Kyle Wallace is that guy for Troy, the person he relies on.”

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Collegiate is 3-1 in championship games — the only loss came to Riverton in 1993, Gehrer’s fourth season. Ask him what he thinks Saturday will be like, and after the usual, coach-is-pining-about-the-weather spiel (it’s supposed to be cold and wet), his answer, unknown to him, seems to speak to Root’s feelings.

“I understand what these guys are going to do … but there’s no question, in my mind, how our kids are going to react,” Gehrer said. “They’ll give it everything they have, through the final minute. That’s what they’ve been doing for the last year.

“Of course, we all want to win, but I also want them to understand that this is rare air. Not everybody gets to experience this.”

This story was originally published November 26, 2015 at 5:58 PM with the headline "One for all, all for Spartans (+video)."