The 2008 football season at Leon-Bluestem High School brings a new head coach, a new system and a new outlook.
George Stewart takes over at the helm for the Lions for Scott Wheeler. Stewart and assistants Buford Pringle, Tod Johnson and Kyle Madden have 34 players currently in practice, including eight seniors. Twenty-seven players participated in the “Sell Out Blue” football camp the final week of July.
“Our overall attitude has been good so far,” Stewart said. “Of course, some days we feel like we’ve made great progress, and other times we feel like we’ve taken a step or two back. The system we’re running this year is different from last year’s, but I think our guys our coming along well in learning it.”
Much will be expected from the eight seniors this year. This year’s Lion seniors are Darius Semisch, Wade McHone, Ezriah Call, Chris Hodges, Kevin Hampton, Cory Hildreth, Alex Cooper and William Wedman.
Last year, the Lions struggled through an injury-riddled season in which several players were forced to play out of position. Semisch and McHone shared quarterback duties last year, but Stewart says he’s keeping his options open at each position.
Lately, Bluestem football has been associated with “The Streak”—67 straight losses dating back to the middle of the 2000 season. Stewart, however, refuses to put any emphasis at all on that number.
“We don’t really talk about it very much at all,” Stewart said. “We’re just trying to make ourselves better than we were last year, better than we were yesterday. Most important, we want to be better on October 30 than we are now. We’re simply stressing fundamentals, commitment and teamwork.”
The Lions’ season opener this year is an intriguing matchup. Wichita Trinity has a young program which has been playing independently as an 8-Man program the last few years. This year, the Knights are making the jump to 11-Man football in Class 4A.
“I know their head coach very well,” Stewart said. “He’s got some good athletes on his squad, and he’ll have them ready for the opener.”
The Lions will hold their annual intrasquad scrimmage Thursday night at 7 p.m. Bluestem will host the season opener against Trinity Sept. 5 at 7 p.m.
Bluestem High School
Fall Sports Schedules
Football
Sept. 5—WICHITA TRINITY, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12—CHENEY, 7
Sept. 19—@ Belle Plaine, 7
Sept. 26—CONWAY SPRINGS, 7
Oct. 3—@ Garden Plain, 7
Oct. 10—@ Medicine Lodge, 7
Oct. 17—WICHITA INDEPENDENT, 7
Oct. 24—WICHITA COLLEGIATE, 7
Oct. 30—@ Douglass, 7
Nov. 4—Bi-Districts
Nov. 8—Regionals
Nov. 14—Sectionals
Nov. 21—Sub-State
Nov. 29—State Championships
Volleyball
Sept. 2—BEREAN/BURDEN, 5 p.m.
Sept. 4—@ Garden Plain (El Dorado/Sedgwick), 5
Sept. 11—@ Belle Plaine (Winfield), 5
Sept. 13—@ Eureka Invitational, 9:30 a.m.
Sept. 23—@ Eureka (West Elk), 5
Sept. 25—@ Cheney (Wichita Independent), 5
Sept. 27—@ Douglass Invitational, 9 a.m.
Sept. 30—GARDEN PLAIN/ CHENEY/MEDICINE LODGE, 5
Oct. 7—@ Belle Plaine (Wichita Independent), 5
Oct. 11—@ Circle Invitational, 9 a.m.
Oct. 14—UDALL/CONWAY SPRINGS/CHAPARRAL, 5
Oct. 16—CIRCLE, 5
Oct. 21—@ Wichita Trinity (Douglass), 5
Oct. 25—Sub-State
Oct. 31-Nov. 1—State
Cross Country
Sept. 4—@ Clearwater, 3:45 p.m.
Sept. 13—@ Wellington, 8 a.m.
Sept. 18—@ Peabody-Burns, 3:30
Sept. 25—@ Douglass, 4
Oct. 2—@ Halstead, 3:30
Oct. 7—@ Eureka, 4
Oct. 16—@ Wichita Trinity (Cessna Activity Center), 3
Oct. 25—Regionals
Nov. 1—State
