Fort Scott tops SEK poll; Columbus CNC favorite

Fort Scott High School head football coach Bob Campbell speaks with two reporters from KSN during a pre-season coaches media conference in Pittsburg Monday. Campbell's Tigers were chosen by Southeast Kansas League football coaches to repeat as champions in the poll. Columbus, which will play at Fort Scott on Sept. 13, was picked to win the Crawford-Neosho-Cherokee League crown. (Scott Nuzum/Tribune)

PITTSBURG -- Fort Scott High School was picked to defend its 2012 Southeast Kansas League football championship in a pre-season coaches poll released here at a coaches media conference hosted by KSHQ-FM here Monday.

The Tigers (6-0 SEK, 9-1 overall last season) were picked in what may have been the closest voting since the KSHQ staff -- most of whom were at KSEK-FM until last spring -- picked up the hosting role for this meeting in 2005. Only two points separate the top three teams in the poll. Fort Scott picked up three first-place votes and scored 32 points. Pittsburg was voted second with two first-place votes and 31 points. Coffeyville was chosen third with two first-place votes and 30 points.

With the exception of a swap of Independence and Labette County, the poll matches the way the league race finished up last season. Chanute was voted fourth with 21 points and was the only other team to receive top-three votes, Indy was tabbed fifth with 14 points, Labette County sixth with 13 and Parsons brought up the rear with 6 points.

"We appreciate your confidence in us," Campbell said to the coaches and media present after saying he cast his first-place vote for Coffeyville (coaches could not vote for their own teams). "As most of the coaches have said, we've had a pretty good summer. We look good in T-shirts and shorts, which most everyone does. We did get a chance to scrimmage with Girard and Lamar, Mo., a couple of days.

"Lamar ... let me tell you something: if you want to line up and scrimmage somebody a bit, they will wear you out in a hurry. They've won a couple of State titles over there and he has 10 starters back. We found out we have some holes to fill and there are places where we have to be a lot better."

Campbell noted that the Tigers will return six starters on offense and seven on defense. Among them will be senior linebacker and running back Jacob Durossette, who stood out enough in the mind of Labette County head coach Jesse Ybarra that he noted that he has an incoming freshman who has qualities similar to Durossette's.

"We return some offensive linemen but we lost a good two-year starter at quarterback in Johnathan Stark," Campbell said. "We've got good candidates to replace him but they're unproven."

The Tigers open the season at Parsons on Sept. 6. But after facing the Vikings, who were winless (0-6, 0-9) last season, the schedule steps up considerably. Fort Scott will host Columbus, which was picked to win the Crawford-Neosho-Cherokee (CNC) League by those coaches on Sept. 13, then Pittsburg (5-1 5-4) on the 20th before going to Coffeyville (4-2, 8-3) on the 27th.

Pittsburg's third-year head coach Tom Nickelson said that 21 positions are up for grabs going into the first day of practice next Monday.

"We're pretty sure who our tailback's going to be," Nickelson said in reference to junior Alex Barnes. "But it's a good competition. The (eight) seniors have done a lot of mentoring. We're expecting 80 kids to come out."

Nickelson also said that the Purple Dragons' game against Coffeyville on oct. 11 has been chosen for statewide broadcast on Kansas Cox cable systems. Pittsburg won last season's contest 67-53, the 120 combined points the most in league history. The 53 points Pittsburg allowed were the most by an SEK team that still won the game.

Coffeyville head coach Murray Zogg said that this summer was the best he's had since he's been at Field Kindley High School. He returns eight starters on offense and 10 on defense. Among them are speedy receiver James Newton and tailback Elijah Jones.

"Our keys will be to be more consistent on defense," Zogg said. "And we'll need more consistency on offense. We'd score a lot, then suddenly dry up and struggle to score."

Jason Feeback replaces Don Simmons as head coach at Chanute (3-3, 7-5). He said he could be starting three or four sophomores this season. But he has a veteran coaching staff, two of whom have at least 30 years of experience.

Carl Boldra will have 15 seniors at Independence (1-5, 1-8), which only beat Parsons last season. The Bulldogs will have a stiff test right off the bat as they will host Coffeyville in the season opener.