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HCC Sports Information
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hutchinson Community College football coach
Rion Rhoades announced the signing of 47 Kansas high school football players
on Monday who have signed letters of intent to play football for the Blue
Dragons next season.
Much like his first Blue Dragon signing
class, the 2008 group has a great local flavor to it.
Six players from four-time defending Class 6A
state champion Hutchinson High and six players from two-time Class 4A state
champion Andale highlight the initial group of signees. Other in-state
and
Blue Dragon out-of-state recruits will be released later.
“Our philosophy is to
go out and get the best players that we can get our hands on in the
state and not worry a whole lot about position,” Rhoades said. “That usually
sorts itself out.”
<CLICK HERE 2008 BLUE DRAGON SIGNEE CAPSULES>
Two main areas that Rhoades said needed to be
addressed were the offensive line and receiving corps.
The 2007 HCC offensive line struggled with
continuity and depth and injuries severely depleted the Blue Dragon
receivers.
Among the offensive line signees are
Hutchinson High players William Thacker and Chase Hartman.
“I’m really excited about Thacker and
Hartman,” Rhoades said. “They bring a lot of success to the table, but
they’ve been coached well. They will be fundamentally sound. Anybody who
watched us last year knows that we need help across the offensive line and I
think those are two great steps in the right direction.”
Among the initial group of signees, 16 are
all-state players, four have been selected to play in the Shrine Bowl and a
fifth is an alternate. There are two Eight-Man All-Star game selections and
one Eight-Man All-Star Game alternate.
The breakdown by position is:
Offensive line – 9
Tight end – 1
Full back – 5
Running back – 2
Wide Receiver – 5
Quarterback – 2
Defensive line – 6
Linebacker – 9
Defensive back – 5
Kickers – 3
“Wide receiver was an area where we didn’t
have enough depth last year,” Rhoades said. “We picked up some good
receivers. We had some good guys who redshirted, but as far as that position
goes, we’ve addressed that with recruiting.”
The Blue Dragons look to improve from last
year’s 2-7 record.
From last year’s team, five Blue Dragons have
moved on to four-year programs, including one player to the Southeastern
Conference.
Those players are:
+ Quarterback Chris Todd (Elizabethtown Ky.),
Auburn University
+ Defensive lineman Brandon Kush (Louisburg,
Kan.), Central Arkansas University
+ Linebacker Dustin Heckroth (Salina, Kan.),
Pittsburg State University
+ Offensive lineman Bryant Yoder (Hutchinson,
Kan.), Southeastern Oklahoma State University
+ Linebacker Josh Fiscus (Stafford, Kan.),
Fort Hays State University
Todd becomes the first Blue Dragon
quarterback to sign with a major Division I program since Shaun Hill signed
with Maryland after the 1999 season.
<CLICK HERE 2008 BLUE DRAGON SIGNEE CAPSULES> |
