Childhood friends turned football stars square off in Derby-Wichita East playoff game
It didn’t take much creative coaching when Aaron Bohannon Jr. and Arieus Finley Jr. shared the same backfield on the Wichita Cowboys junior football team.
“It was either Duece right or Baby Air left,” said A.J. Bohannon, their coach. “You pretty much just had to give them the ball and they took care of the rest.”
It’s still that simple sometimes with Bohannon, nicknamed “Duece,” and Finley, nicknamed “Baby Air,” who have both emerged as two of the best running backs in Kansas high school football this season. Bohannon, a junior at Wichita East, has rushed for 1,599 yards and 22 touchdowns, while Finley, a sophomore at Derby, has produced 1,263 rushing yards with 21 touchdowns.
But after playing together, the childhood friends will face each other for the first time on Friday when East (7-3) travels to take on top-ranked Derby (10-0) in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A playoffs.
“He’s on the other side of the ball, so I’m trying to beat him and he’s trying to beat me,” Duece said. “We’ve always had that bond off the field, so no matter what happens, nothing is going to change with that. Honestly, this is a blessing for us.”
It’s uncanny how many similarities the two running backs share.
They’re both named after their fathers, for starters. They’re both diminutive, as Bohannon checks in at 5-foot-6 and 170 pounds and Finley is 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds. They’ve both trained together for years and currently work with the same trainers, Brian Butler and James Tabor. And most importantly, they’re both electric with the ball in their hands.
“(Bohannon) is probably the best back we’ve seen this year and he’s very similar to Arieus,” Derby coach Brandon Clark said. “He’s a good zone runner who has speed when he needs it. They’re both very talented runners and it’s going to be exciting to watch both of them run on Friday.”
Since splitting up in high school, Bohannon and Finley have maintained a friendly rivalry.
Finley’s production has been limited this season due to Derby’s dominant victories that often see him standing on the sideline for the majority of second halves. But he keeps an eye on what his friend is doing at East and tries to one-up him.
“I’m just a competitive person,” Finley said. “I want to be number one in anything that I do. So knowing that there’s somebody out there who is such great competition, I feel like that gives me a boost and some fuel.”
“He pushes me and I push him,” Bohannon added. “We make each other better.”
The friends root for each other to succeed every game, but Friday night will be an exception. That extends to the stands, as well.
“It’s been fun seeing Baby Air introduce himself to the town because we’ve always known that kid is special,” A.J. Bohannon said. “I love Baby Air to death. I call him nephew and he calls me uncle, but it’s Team Bohannon and the East High Aces on Friday.”
The atmosphere for Friday’s game will already be charged with a City League team traveling to Derby and the running back rivalry should make for a fun story line.
“You never know if Derby will play East again, so you have to take advantage of this one,” Arieus Finley Sr. said. “They might not play again until college or they might not play again at all. So this is going to be a special game.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 5:02 AM.
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