Football season is here, and I’ve got some thoughts about what we’re going to see in the Wichita City League this season.
I’m going to start at the bottom and work my way up to the team I think will finish on top. There are some programs trying to rebuild, some teams I think are ready to surprise people and one team I believe has a chance to not only win the City League, but make a run at a state championship.
North: Trying to Get Off the Deck
North comes into the season with a new coach and a program that has struggled to win games for quite a while.
But a new coach brings some optimism. He’s confident they can get some things done, and I think the first goal is to get one, two or maybe three victories and start building some momentum.
North isn’t going to turn everything around overnight, but you’ve got to start somewhere. This could be the beginning of getting that program back to respectability.
South: A Championship Drought I Know Something About
South has been near the bottom the last couple of years, although they’ve started winning a few more games and showing some improvement.
But here’s something I know personally about South football: the Titans haven’t won a City League championship since 1971.
I know because Barry Allen and I helped lead the Southside Titans to that 1971 City League championship.
That’s a long time to wait for another one.
I don’t know that this is the year South gets all the way back to the top, but they’re trying to work their way back into the mix. I’d like to see that program continue moving forward.
West: Trying to Get Back to What It Once Was
West is another program trying to get back up and be the best like it was a long time ago.
People who have been around Wichita football for a while remember when West had all kinds of superstars coming through that program. They could play some football.
Lately, though, West has been pretty bad.
They’re trying to change that, and I expect West to be better this year. The question is how big of a step forward they can make.
Heights: Too Much Talent to Stay Down
Heights was a state championship program just five or six years ago, and then all of a sudden they haven’t been able to win many games.
But Heights still has good football players.
I expect them to do some good things this year and start working their way back up. I think Heights has a chance to finish at least somewhere in the middle of the pack.
East: Keep an Eye on Prince Marshall
East is a school with plenty of talent, and one player in particular is going to make them interesting this season: quarterback Prince Marshall.
I know Prince.
He played for me at the Boys & Girls Club when he was in about the third or fourth grade, and I’ve watched him develop. This young man is a monster.
He’s outstanding, and I expect him to have a big junior year.
I’m telling you right now: East is going to be better than it has been because Prince Marshall is going to have something to say about it.
Remember that name.
Southeast: Don’t Forget About the Golden Buffaloes
How can we forget about those Wichita Southeast Golden Buffaloes?
Southeast finished 7-2 last year, and this is a program that’s been moving in the right direction for the last couple of years.
They’ve got an outstanding new coach and a great assistant coaching staff, and they’re doing a tremendous job rebuilding a program that hadn’t done much winning since 2011.
I’m telling you, watch out for those Golden Buffaloes.
Southeast is going to finish in the top three or four in the City League. I can guarantee it.
Bishop Carroll: Don’t Expect Them to Stay Down
Bishop Carroll has been down lately, but anybody who knows City League football knows Carroll isn’t likely to stay down forever.
I expect Bishop Carroll to bounce back and be better than they’ve been the past three or four years.
Don’t be surprised if Carroll works its way right back toward the top of the league.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel: The Champions Aren’t Going Anywhere
Then you’ve got Kapaun Mt. Carmel.
The Crusaders are the defending City League champions and won the 4A state championship last season.
Now they’re moving up to 5A, but don’t think that means they’re backing away from anything.
Coach Weston Schartz has been coaching in this city for what seems like forever, and he’s going to have his team ready to defend that City League championship and make another run at a state title.
Kapaun has been around the top for the last several years, and I expect them to be right there again.
Northwest: My Pick to Win It All
That brings me to the team I think will be at the top: the Northwest Grizzlies.
Northwest is loaded.
Start with Maddox McGinnis, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound lineman leading the way on that offensive line. That’s a big young man to have up front, and he’s one of the reasons I think Northwest is going to be very good.
But there’s another name I want people to remember: Braylon Scott.
He’s a freshman coming into high school with about as much hype and fanfare as I’ve seen around a freshman football player in many, many years.
Now he’s got to go out there and do it on the field. But everything I’ve seen and heard tells me this young man has a chance to make his name known immediately — if not sooner.
I’m picking Northwest to win the City League.
And I’ll go one step further.
I would be surprised if Northwest doesn’t make a run all the way to the 6A state championship.
That’s how good I think the Grizzlies can be.
So that’s my forecast for the 2026 Wichita City League football season. Northwest is my team to beat, Kapaun will be right there, and there are several other teams that could make things interesting.
Now it’s time to quit talking about it and play some football.Football season is here, and I’ve got some thoughts about what we’re going to see in the Wichita City League this season.
I’m going to start at the bottom and work my way up to the team I think will finish on top. There are some programs trying to rebuild, some teams I think are ready to surprise people and one team I believe has a chance to not only win the City League, but make a run at a state championship.
North: Trying to Get Off the Deck
North comes into the season with a new coach and a program that has struggled to win games for quite a while.
But a new coach brings some optimism. He’s confident they can get some things done, and I think the first goal is to get one, two or maybe three victories and start building some momentum.
North isn’t going to turn everything around overnight, but you’ve got to start somewhere. This could be the beginning of getting that program back to respectability.
South: A Championship Drought I Know Something About
South has been near the bottom the last couple of years, although they’ve started winning a few more games and showing some improvement.
But here’s something I know personally about South football: the Titans haven’t won a City League championship since 1971.
I know because Barry Allen and I helped lead the Southside Titans to that 1971 City League championship.
That’s a long time to wait for another one.
I don’t know that this is the year South gets all the way back to the top, but they’re trying to work their way back into the mix. I’d like to see that program continue moving forward.
West: Trying to Get Back to What It Once Was
West is another program trying to get back up and be the best like it was a long time ago.
People who have been around Wichita football for a while remember when West had all kinds of superstars coming through that program. They could play some football.
Lately, though, West has been pretty bad.
They’re trying to change that, and I expect West to be better this year. The question is how big of a step forward they can make.
Heights: Too Much Talent to Stay Down
Heights was a state championship program just five or six years ago, and then all of a sudden they haven’t been able to win many games.
But Heights still has good football players.
I expect them to do some good things this year and start working their way back up. I think Heights has a chance to finish at least somewhere in the middle of the pack.
East: Keep an Eye on Prince Marshall
East is a school with plenty of talent, and one player in particular is going to make them interesting this season: quarterback Prince Marshall.
I know Prince.
He played for me at the Boys & Girls Club when he was in about the third or fourth grade, and I’ve watched him develop. This young man is a monster.
He’s outstanding, and I expect him to have a big senior year.
I’m telling you right now: East is going to be better than it has been because Prince Marshall is going to have something to say about it.
Remember that name.
Southeast: Don’t Forget About the Golden Buffaloes
How can we forget about those Wichita Southeast Golden Buffaloes?
Southeast finished 7-2 last year, and this is a program that’s been moving in the right direction for the last couple of years.
They’ve got an outstanding new coach and a great assistant coaching staff, and they’re doing a tremendous job rebuilding a program that hadn’t done much winning since 2011.
I’m telling you, watch out for those Golden Buffaloes.
Southeast is going to finish in the top three or four in the City League. I can guarantee it.
Bishop Carroll: Don’t Expect Them to Stay Down
Bishop Carroll has been down lately, but anybody who knows City League football knows Carroll isn’t likely to stay down forever.
I expect Bishop Carroll to bounce back and be better than they’ve been the past three or four years.
Don’t be surprised if Carroll works its way right back toward the top of the league.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel: The Champions Aren’t Going Anywhere
Then you’ve got Kapaun Mt. Carmel.
The Crusaders are the defending City League champions and won the 4A state championship last season.
Now they’re moving up to 5A, but don’t think that means they’re backing away from anything.
Coach Weston Schartz has been coaching in this city for what seems like forever, and he’s going to have his team ready to defend that City League championship and make another run at a state title.
Kapaun has been around the top for the last several years, and I expect them to be right there again.
Northwest: My Pick to Win It All
That brings me to the team I think will be at the top: the Northwest Grizzlies.
Northwest is loaded.
Start with Maddox McGinnis, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound lineman leading the way on that offensive line. That’s a big young man to have up front, and he’s one of the reasons I think Northwest is going to be very good.
But there’s another name I want people to remember: Braylon Scott.
He’s a freshman coming into high school with about as much hype and fanfare as I’ve seen around a freshman football player in many, many years.
Now he’s got to go out there and do it on the field. But everything I’ve seen and heard tells me this young man has a chance to make his name known immediately — if not sooner.
I’m picking Northwest to win the City League.
And I’ll go one step further.
I would be surprised if Northwest doesn’t make a run all the way to the 6A state championship.
That’s how good I think the Grizzlies can be.
So that’s my forecast for the 2026 Wichita City League football season. Northwest is my team to beat, Kapaun will be right there, and there are several other teams that could make things interesting.
Now it’s time to quit talking about it and play some football.