As the school year gets into full swing, fall sports will also be starting in early September. Coming off a 3-6 season in 2024, the Owls look to have their first winning record under head coach Jon Wiemers and their first winning season since 2022. With some impact departures from last year’s senior class, the Owls will have to rely on some of their reserves from last season to become impact players.
One of the major changes from last year’s squad is a new quarterback. Senior Brody Hale will transition from safety, to taking the reins of an Owls offense that averaged 330 yards per game last season.
After spending a season trying to stop offenses, Hale credited his years as a quarterback as why he was a standout performer on last year’s defense. “Being a quarterback helped out because I could see the defense better,” Hale said. “It was challenging, but it also helped me to play both sides of the ball.” After a hiatus from being under-center, the senior is tasked with handling a varsity offense that returns seniors Josh Foland, Sam Krzykowski and Cade Zimmerman.
Defensively, the Owls dealt with a lot of turnover from last year’s unit. Although they lost some key players in the secondary, seniors Brody Butler, Vaughn Overton, and Terrence Folarin will have bigger roles in the secondary this season. Senior Connor Tracy will look to build off a strong season last year, where he led the defense with 74 tackles, as well as recording six tackles-for-loss.
The schedule for the Owls looks daunting. From Oct. 2 to Oct. 17, the Owls have a three game stretch against some of the best teams in the state. Oct. 2 and Oct. 10 bring matchups against Gardner Edgerton, the defending state champion and Mill Valley, who has rattled off seven state championships in ten years, but fell to St. Thomas Aquinas in the playoffs last season. They also face off against Shawnee Mission East, which is a very respectable program in that stretch.
No matter what happens this season for the Owls, CBAC will be alive when the Owls play on Friday nights. The student section will be full, the band will be blasting, and Friday night lights will be back.
The Owls take the field for the season opener on Friday, Sept.5, against Lawrence High School. Kickoff at 7 P.M.
