Topeka Impact Players

The Capital City has seen some impressive performances early this season. Here are a few players making an impact in a variety of ways (in alphabetical order): [player_tooltip player_id="145519" first="Branton" last="DeWeese"], 6-foot, 180 pound quarterback, Washburn Rural, 2024 The Junior Blues had to find a replacement for last year’s signal caller, Cooper Carlgren. Sophomore DeWeese has stepped in and played well in the early part of the season. He lead the #7 Junior Blues down to Pittsburg and pulled off a late-game victory. DeWeese is learning to handle the pressure, making calls at the line and getting the ball off on time. <strong>Brody Gormley</strong>, 6-foot-6, 215 pound receiver/punter, Seaman, 2022: Gormley gives the Vikings a huge target at wideout, and he produced a highlight-reel 97-yard score against Hayden. With every yard precious in a tight battle with Junction City, Gormley hit several punts for 40 yards or better. Only a partially blocked punt cut his average to 33.3. <strong>Noah Hastert</strong>, 6-foot-6, 220 pound receiver/defensive end, Cair Paravel, 2022: Hastert earned awards as a junior at 1A Cair Paravel, and he’s just too physically gifted for most of the Lions’ opponents. He has scored six touchdowns already, and the Lions have yet to be challenged. He benefits from having a talented quarterback, Carter Brian, who can get him the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="122457" first="Tyrell" last="Reed"], 5-foot-8, 185-pound running back/defensive back, Topeka West, 2023: The Chargers have been competitive this year, and a lot of that is due to the talents of Reed. In a loss to Hayden last week, Reed gained 60 yards on 13 carries, and scored on a 97-yard reception. Reed combines speed and power, and has breakaway ability. [player_tooltip player_id="98391" first="Casen" last="Stallbaumer"], 6-foot-2, 200 pound receiver/defensive back, Seaman, 2022: The Vikings fell in overtime Friday to Junction City, but Stallbaumer didn’t go down without a fight. He made a ton of plays on the back end as the Viking defense wore down. And offensively, he provided a lot of the yards Seaman managed with 8 receptions for 104 yards. Stallbaumer broke a 65-yard TD reception against Hayden in week two.