All-Metro football: Introducing the Wichita area’s top high school players of 2019

Every year, 24 players are added to what has become an elite fraternity of Kansas high school football.

The Eagle’s All-Metro football team features the top players from Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties.

Here are the 2019 selections.

OFFENSE

Reagan Jones - Wichita Northwest, Quarterback

Senior, 6-1, 185

Since Jones arrived at Wichita Northwest, the Grizzlies are 24-2 with two Class 5A state championship game appearances.

Jones makes his second straight All-Metro team after landing his first Top 11 selection earlier this week. He was one of only three players in Kansas to run and pass for at least 1,300 yards, and he is the only to do it higher than Class 1A.

Jones finished his senior season with 1,683 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 1,728 rushing yards with 20 scores.

College: Missouri Western

Lem Wash - Derby, Utility

Junior, 5-11, 185

Last year, Derby’s Hunter Igo stepped into seemingly any position on the field and ended up on the Top 11 team.

In 2019, Wash was pushed into a similar role, and he is one of four juniors on the Eagle’s All-Metro team. He finished the season as Derby’s second-leading passer and rusher with 2,059 combined yards.

In Derby’s 63-point state championship performance alone, Wash led the Panthers with 112 passing yards, 177 on the ground and five total touchdowns.

College: Undecided

Eli Rowland - Andale, Running Back

Junior, 5-10, 160

Andale placed four players on this year’s All-Metro team, but Rowland shined brightest on offense.

Rowland split carries as five Indians got at least 40 touches this season. He still finished with 1,273 yards, 22 touchdowns and an average of 10.3 yards per carry.

He averaged more than a first down every time he touched the ball on a state championship team, and he isn’t even a senior.

College: Undecided

Tre Washington - Derby, Running Back

Senior, 5-10, 195

Washington is one of three players on the All-Metro team to also earn Top 11 honors, joining Northwest’s Reagan Jones and his teammate, Tyler Dorsey. And Washington’s honors are well-earned.

Having played only about half a season because of Derby’s weekly lopsided wins, Washington finished with 1,609 yards on just 185 carries. He reached the end zone 28 times, and, again, he was often taken out at halftime.

College: Undecided

Xavier Bell - Andover Central, Receiver

Senior, 6-3, 180

When Andover Central needed a big play, the Jaguars dialed up No. 7.

Bell most recently became known for helping Andover Central to its first boys basketball state championship and earning All-Metro and Top 5 honors. He is now a two-sport All-Metro selection.

Bell finished his final high school football season as a state runner-up in Class 4A with 71 catches, 975 yards and 12 touchdowns. He had five catches of at least 49 yards.

College: Undecided

Preven Christon - Maize, Receiver

Senior, 6-1, 180

There was no question about it; Christon brought the flair.

On an offense that featured some of the top athletes in the Wichita area, Christon was the most electric over the past two season, earning a pair of All-Metro honors.

Christon finished his senior season with 57 catches, 997 yards and 19 touchdowns, including four in Maize’s Class 5A semifinal game against Wichita Northwest.

College: Undecided

Alex Conn - Derby, Offensive Lineman

Senior, 6-6, 280

Before the season, Conn’s name blew up on the recruiting trail. He showed everyone why this fall.

Conn was a leader on the best offensive line in Kansas, one that paved the way for an average of 53.9 points per game and was often out of the game by halftime.

Conn is verbally pledged to Nebraska. He finishes his Derby career as a three-time Class 6A champion with four trips to the title game.

College: Nebraska

Cody Fayette - Maize South, Offensive Lineman

Senior, 6-6, 290

Fayette made his second straight All-Metro team after making history at Maize South this season.

The Mavericks finished 8-0 for the first time in school history. Then they went up 10-0 before falling to rival Maize in the Class 5A quarterfinals.

Fayette was one of the emotional leaders for Maize South this season and is verbally pledged to South Dakota.

College: South Dakota

Ethan McMillan - Bishop Carroll, Offensive Lineman

Senior, 6-4, 260

McMillan was the best player on arguably one of the best offensive lines in Kansas.

Bishop Carroll brought back four of five starters to protect quarterback Aiden Niedens, and McMillan’s ability to take over a game up front was apparent.

Bishop Carroll went 35-11 when McMillan played. He was part of the Golden Eagles’ Class 5A title team in 2017, too, but he said an All-Metro nod was something he’d been chasing.

College: Undecided

Kevin Washington - Derby, Offensive Lineman

Senior, 5-11, 315

Derby coach Brandon Clark called Washington the best offensive lineman he has ever coached. High praise from a five-time state champion coach.

But Washington earned it. He was the organizer of the Derby offense and picked out blitzes before they happened.

Washington is a three-time 6A champion with four championship game appearances. He was also a Top 11 selection by The Topeka Capital-Journal.

College: Undecided

Javon Wheeler - Wichita Northwest, Offensive Lineman

Senior, 5-10, 240

Last year, Wheeler didn’t expect an All-Metro nod. He said he was shocked to be honored again in 2019.

Without question, Wheeler’s motor up front is among the tops in Kansas. He is one of the only offensive linemen in the state’s upper classifications to cover kickoffs.

Wheeler finishes his Northwest career with a pair of state title-game trips, three All-City League selections and a pair of All-Metro awards.

College: Bethel

David Kemp - Andover, Kicker

Junior, 5-9, 190

Kemp isn’t just one of the top kickers in Kansas. He is one of the best in the country.

Kohl’s kicker rankings place Kemp at No. 6 in the Class of 2021, and No. 1 in Kansas. He was 18-of-19 on PATs and 13-of-21 on field-goal attempts.

Kemp’s long in 2019 was 54 yards and hit from even farther out in warm-ups. He scored 57 points this season.

College: Undecided

DEFENSE

Tyler Dorsey - Derby, Defensive Lineman

Senior, 6-2, 260

There is an argument to be made that Dorsey was the best defensive player in Kansas this season.

With 89 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and seven sacks against constant double-teams, he was a brick in the middle of the Derby defense.

Dorsey also had 41 solo tackles, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and even a defensive touchdown from the middle of the D-line.

College: Undecided

Carson Fair - Andale, Defensive Lineman

Senior, 5-10, 180

Fair is a classic Andale Indian.

Undersized on the offensive and defensive lines, Fair brought an unrivaled effort to every play. His motor was a key cog in Andale’s record-setting defense that helped bring home this year’s Class 3A state title.

Fair said earning an All-Metro selection never crossed his mind throughout the season; he was just focused on winning games (he won 44 of them while at Andale).

College: Undecided

Kyle Haas - Maize, Defensive Lineman

Junior, 6-2, 230

An elite heavyweight wrestling prospect for the Class of 2021 who has committed to Oklahoma State, Haas took a massive step in football this season.

Recruiters have tried to get him to stick with football. Whatever he chooses, he’ll no doubt succeed.

Haas worked alongside fellow state champion wrestler Duwayne Villalpando and finished with 71 tackles, eight for loss.

College: Oklahoma State (wrestling)

Mac Brand - Andale, Linebacker

Senior, 5-11, 200

Brand was one of the most efficient linebackers in Kansas’ lower classifications.

He rarely missed tackles and finished his senior season with 63, including nine for loss. He added 740 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns as the Indians’ No. 2 rusher behind All-Metro pick Eli Rowland.

College: Undecided

Dhimani Butler - Goddard, Linebacker

Senior, 6-0, 200

Butler is one of the most ferocious middle linebackers in Kansas.

Making his second straight All-Metro football appearance, he held the defense together this season through obstacles that pushed Goddard to six losses.

Butler finished his senior season with 84 solo tackles, including nine for loss. He had 199 solo tackles in his Goddard career.

College: Undecided

Trey Degarmo - Andover Central, Linebacker

Senior, 6-1, 195

Degarmo might be the last player in the Wichita area you’d want to have hit you.

Known for big collisions and emotion on the field, Degarmo was a leader on an Andover Central team that reached the second state championship game in school history. The Jaguars finished 12-1 in his final season.

Degarmo had well over 100 tackles in 2019 and more than 200 in his final two years of high school.

College: Cowley County (baseball)

Jack Wiens - Wichita Northwest, Linebacker

Senior, 6-1, 200

Wiens made the most of his one season at Wichita Northwest.

After transferring from Andover Central, he jumped into the starting lineup immediately and replaced All-Metro predecessor Josh Carter. Wiens’ motor and toughness were the two attributes that stood out the most. He was Northwest’s leading tackler this fall.

College: Undecided

Easton Hunter - Andale, Safety

Senior, 6-3, 190

For a three-year starter at Andale, Hunter went through almost everything imaginable.

In 2017, he helped take the Indians to the state-title game and the Indians lost by 40 to Bishop Miege. In 2018, Andale failed to get past the semifinals. And in his final high school game, he was a captain of Andale’s first state-title team since 2014.

Hunter was a two-way starter on Andale’s greatest statistical defense in history and the Indians quarterback who threw for 1,054 yards and 11 touchdowns while missing several weeks because of an injury.

College: Undecided

Chance Omli - Eisenhower, Safety

Senior, 6-1, 175

Eisenhower went through a coaching change ahead of his senior season, and Omli didn’t blink.

He watched more tape, practiced harder and became Eisenhower’s first All-Metro selection since Drake Damon in 2015. He and Damon are the only two non-specialists to earn All-Metro honors out of Eisenhower.

Omli finished his senior season with 52 tackles and eight interceptions.

College: Undecided

Scotti Easter - Andale, Cornerback

Senior, 6-0, 170

Finishing with your team’s lead in tackles as a cornerback usually means your team isn’t very good. Easter defied that logic.

He was the No. 1 tackler on the No. 1 team in Class 3A this season, recording 99 tackles and a pair of interceptions in his senior season to earn back-to-back All-Metro honors.

Easter finished his Andale career with a 44-4 record.

College: Undecided

Trevion Mitchell - Maize South, Cornerback

Senior, 5-10, 170

As far as technical ability, there is no more pure cornerback in the Wichita area.

Mitchell’s footwork, eye discipline and closing speed on balls thrown his way is up there with anyone in Kansas. He effectively shut down half the field most nights, and that’s why he’s an All-Metro selection.

Mitchell finished his senior season with 58 tackles, three interceptions, two defensive touchdowns and 11 Division II offers.

College: Undecided

Blake Robison - Andover Central, Punter

Senior, 6-3, 180

When Andover Central needed to pin an opponent deep or put three points on the scoreboard, Robison was aces.

He went 6-of-13 on field-goal attempts this season, tying a school record. He was 42-of-45 on PATs and scored 60 points. He also averaged 34.4 yards per punt and had a long of 67.

Robison helped Andover Central to a runner-up spot in Class 4A while contributing to the school’s boys soccer team, too.

College: Undecided

Shelby Wehrman - Cheney, Coach of the Year

No team in the Wichita area had a more dramatic turnaround.

Last season, Cheney went 2-7. The Cardinals lost their first five games and were bounced in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs. In 2019, Cheney reached the state semifinals for the first time in school history with a 38-7 road win over Scott City.

Wehrman’s Cardinals went 9-3, with two losses to 3A champion Andale.

Hayden Barber

The Wichita Eagle

316-269-6760

Wichita Eagle preps reporter Hayden Barber brings the area updates on all high school sports while adding those hard-to-find human-interest stories on Wichita’s student-athletes.