The Interscholastic League is getting closer to being a football league again. Last season the Kansas City Missouri School District only fielded three teams but this year they are back to the five that have played for the last decade.
Lincoln College Prep, Northeast and Southeast played last season with East only playing junior varsity and Kansas City Central players Co-Oped with Southeast. This year both Central and East have their own programs.
There are also new coaches at East, Central and Northeast so there is a lot of change all throughout the district.
Another big change is numbers are up to the point where all five programs look viable and competitive after a few years struggling to fill out teams.
Below are previews and the Virtual Media Day for the Interscholastic League.
Head coach: Ke’Von Smith, 1st year
2023 record: Played JV Schedule
Returning starters (Off/Def): 8/1
Biggest challenge: "For the majority of the players only playing a junior varsity schedule in 2023 means there is little to no experience playing under the Friday night lights. Those first few games will be a big test to see if this team is ready to step back to the varsity stage.
Outlook: For a program that needed to recharge with a JV only schedule it looks like East has succeeded to reach that goal. With more than 40 players out for football the numbers are good, and it should help the team compete this season.
Coach’s thoughts: “When spring football started, I was in the school every day, so we found time to get out and get out in the building. We let kids know hey we're doing spring football if you plan on playing summer. We just brought it all the way through and the core guys I had they I don't think I had a guy missed a day at practice. We had around roughly about 25 kids coming out. We did tons of 7-on-7 and tons of scrimmages. They got to see what football felt like and see what it felt like to be a part of the program. Also, the summer was awesome. I got no complaints from the way we handled business for sure.”
2024 Schedule:
8/30 Van Horn
9/6 Summit Christian Academy
9/13 Winnetonka
9/20 @ Lincoln College Prep
9/27 Northeast
10/4 Southeast
10/11 Ruskin
10/17 @ Topeka Highland Park
10/26 @ Kansas City Central
Head coach: Michael Klyce, 1st year
2023 record: Co-Oped with Southeast
Returning starters: NA
Biggest challenge: "Just starting from scratch is a challenge for any program. Even though some players were at Southeast last year this is a new coaching staff so there is a lot of learning on both sides.
Outlook: The biggest positive is Central has its own program and the numbers make it sustainable. With more than 40 players currently out the Blue Eagles have enough to get better each week and start to complete along the way.
Coach’s thoughts: “It's exciting especially when you're starting from the ground up. The first day I think we had about seven kids. In the first couple weeks it was less than 20 kids working all offseason from February to about April. Then numbers slowly start picking up may we got to about 20 for the first time and coaches I was like oh here we go. Then the summer goes around and 7-on-7 our numbers we got about 22 to 23. Now that school has started everybody's interested in playing and it's exciting.”
2024 Schedule:
8/31 East Buchanan
9/7 St. Mary’s Academy
9/13 @ Ruskin
9/20 @ Pleasant Hope
9/27 @ Washington
10/4 Open
10/11 @ Oak Grove
10/18 @ McDonald County
10/26 East
Head coach: Marcus Crosdale, 2nd year
2023 record: 2-8
Returning starters: 5/5
Biggest challenge: The Blue Tigers bring some experience back on both sides of the ball but there are a lot of young players filling starting spots. The offensive line will be a group to watch as Lincoln Prep will be starting a sophomore at one tackle and a freshman at the other. How that group progresses will determine a lot as the season progresses.
Outlook: It’s the second year for Coach Crosdale and his staff. The learning curve has smoothed out and players are becoming accustomed to the coaching staff’s expectations. The schedule isn’t easy so the Blue Tigers will be challenged almost every week to get ready for the postseason.
Coach’s thoughts: “I got hired on last year and wasn't able to really put my system in. I hired a few of my a few more coaches that I coached with previously at other schools and it just it made a big difference. We were able to get in the weight room really get the young guys acclimated to a real offseason and how it looks under my program. We got a lot of buy in so we're looking good in the future. We're young but I'm looking to the future.”
2024 schedule:
8/30 University Academy
9/6 @ St. Mary’s
9/13 Shawnee Mission West
9/20 East
9/27 @ Van Horn
10/4 @ Winnetonka
10/11 @ Southeast
10/18 @ Raytown South
10/25 Sumner
Head coach: Gideon Lockett, 1st year
2023 record: 1-9
Returning starters: 3/4
Biggest Challenge: With a new coach leading the way there are lots of changes at Northeast. Coach Lockett was on staff but there are plenty of new concepts and attitudes. How well the team adjusts will be a big part of its success in 2024.
Outlook: With increased numbers in the offseason and in the first few weeks of fall practice there are lots of opportunities for the Vikings. For a team that has struggled to find more than one or two wins over the last five seasons this could be a year for a big step forward.
Coach’s thoughts: “I am very excited. It's been a long time coming these boys deserve a great opportunity under a new tutelage and the off season has been totally different. There are big changes going on here at Northeast. We had a great summer so maybe the first time in a while that we've had over 15 students at a time. I know that those numbers don't sound very spectacular but, in our organization, our area that's big time so I'll take that. We had a great preseason this past couple weeks of getting more and more athletes involved. I'm at currently 34 on my roster so we are clicking, figuring things out, the boys are meshing very well great communication great camaraderie so yes, it's been absolutely amazing.”
2024 Schedule:
8/30 @ St. Joseph Benton
9/6 Carrollton
9/14 @ University Academy
9/20 @ Knob Noster
9/27 @ East
10/4 St. Mary’s Academy
10/11 Sumner
10/18 Southeast
10/25 @ Harmon
Southeast
Head coach: William Williams, 2nd year
2023 record: 1-8
Returning starters: 3/2
Biggest challenge: There was a loss of some players to Kansas City Central so there are lots of starting positions available. The Knights will need to find spots for everyone and prepare for a season as its own program.
Outlook: The counter point to Kansas City Central restarting its program was Southeast becoming a one school team. The numbers are down but several players who weren’t able to play last season are back in the program. Southeast had good participation in the summer so the transition should go well.
Coach’s thoughts: “The guys are fired up man. Like I said the mindset of the guys is changed their level of self-control has changed their level of respect their level of discipline and sportsmanship was changing. That's one of some of the things one the tools that we worked on this summer to be able to be successful.”
2024 Schedule:
8/30 Pembroke Hill
9/6 @ Van Horn
9/13 Washington
9/20 Carrollton
9/27 Open
10/4 @ East
10/11 Lincoln College Prep
10/18 @ Northeast
10/25 @ Camdenton
