Picking Up the Pieces

Folks in Valley Center still talk about Brandon Clark, an uncommonly talented 1997 graduate who was perhaps the best athlete the community has ever produced.

As the story goes, he once picked off a pass at the opponent's 38-yard line and needed only six strides to cross the goal line. (Of course, in 10 years the number of strides will be three, and in 20 years he will have reached the end zone in a single bound. Such is the case with high school legends.)

And folks in the small town still speak with reverence about former coach Mike Smith, who spent nine years (1993-2001) in Valley Center, turning a struggling program into one of the best in Class 5A.

While both moved on long ago, Clark and Smith best represent that memorable era in Valley Center, a time when the Hornets racked up victories (23-4 in Smith's last three seasons) and football dominated the conversation on Main Street.

Les Anderson, former owner of the Ark Valley News and football reporter for the paper, remembers those days fondly.

"Football was a very big deal," says Anderson. "It's what people talked about in the barber shop on Saturday morning, what they talked about at the cafes, what they talked about at beauty shops. It was what they even talked about in church.

"Going to games - that's just what everybody did on Friday nights. We'd go to away games and have bigger crowds than the home team. There's nothing better than Friday night football when your team is playing well."

Ted Anderson, an assistant under Smith and close observer of the program the past 17 years as a teacher in the district, has similar memories. He described Smith as a one-of-a-kind coach and a master motivator who possessed an amazing ability to connect with teenagers.

"He was a football coach 24-7 and the most committed person I've ever met," says Anderson. "He just brought tremendous energy. During his time here, Friday nights were special. This town was just on fire."

After Smith left for Garden City following an 8-1 season in 2001, the program plummeted immediately. From 2002 to 2006, Valley Center went just 12-36.

First-hand observers offer several reasons for the decline: Smith's departure being the most obvious.

Turnover in the athletic director and head coaching positions (there's been four coaches since Smith left) hurt any chance for continuity. There were a few disastrous injuries to key players. After Smith left, the weightlifting program didn't receive as much focus.

After stars like quarterbacks Blake Pearson and Chad Wilmott, running back Daniel Jackson, receiver Josh Truman, noseguard Andy Guhr and Clark passed through the program, the talent pool simply thinned.

Whatever, the bottom line is that the once-proud Valley Center program has suffered through an embarrassing and painful stretch. There is, however, a sense in the community and within the team that, under second-year coach John Black, better days may be ahead.

And, at last, there seems to be somewhat of a buzz again about Hornets football.


New man in charge

Black has been in this situation before.

"Yes, I've been in the same boat," he says with a chuckle.

A decade ago, he took over the football team at Wamego, a program in such bad shape at the time that the school couldn't even field a JV team because of poor numbers. Predictably, Wamego went 0-9 his first season.

Improvement was rapid, though, as a 5-4 season followed. And in Black's third year, Wamego won a state playoff game, finishing 7-4. Black said he had five winning seasons in his eight years at Wamego before leaving for Valley Center.

Last season, Black's first at Valley Center High, the Hornets went 3-6 - a poor record, to be sure, but a marked improvement over the previous two years (0-9 in 2005 and 1-8 in 2006).

Black's enthusiasm and preparation - he sent out a letter when he arrived to every boy in the high school - seems to be paying dividends. In 2007, Valley Center had 75 boys out for football, up from 60 the year before Black arrived.

Black expected 90 this year over the off-season.

"It's huge," he says of the increase. "People will be competing for jobs instead of just being given jobs."

In addition, Black is demanding - and getting - more participation in a conditioning program. He estimated that about 60 kids are hitting the weights every day during the summer.

"We've got a lot of kids coming into the weight room," says Black, a 38-year-old father of five. "It's important - we've got to get bigger and stronger."

Ted Anderson, the former Smith assistant who is still active in the junior program, has been impressed with Black's commitment.

"John is one of those guys that eats and breathes football," says Anderson. "He knows the game, and he has a system that works. He has that way of connecting with kids."

In his relatively short time in Valley Center, Black has already earned the endorsement of an important figure in the school's football history - Brandon Clark. Now head coach at Derby, Clark, who's working on his own reconstruction project, says he has spoken with Black at camps and by phone on a few occasions.

"I know coach Black is going to get it turned around in Valley Center. He's a great guy, he's got great morals, and he knows the game of football. He'll get it done."


The 2008 team

The most interesting and important player on the Hornets team will likely be Stevon Kline, a senior who stands just 5'5" but, at 195 pounds, packs a punch at tailback. Last season, he led the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II in rushing with 931 yards.

"He's one of the better running backs I've coached," Black says. "He can make cuts at full speed, and he's just tough to tackle. I'm expecting him to get 1,000 yards."

Kline says his strength - he squats over 500 pounds and benches 300 - allows him to overcome his small stature. He scored eight TDs and averaged 6.7 yards a carry last season. "I've got good leg strength, and that gives me the edge over the big guys."

If the running game can't be established, Black is a proponent of spreading the field with his wideouts and throwing the ball. A lot.

Last season, the Hornets led the league with 173 pass attempts. At Wamego, his quarterbacks once had more than 300 attempts in a season.

"It's a fun style," says Black.

Kline agrees.

"It's a very fun offense because, with coach Black's plays, there's usually always one guy open. We're almost guaranteed to make yards."

Last season, the Hornets scored more than 20 points five times, including a season-high 42 in a victory over Campus.

Who will be charge of the offense in 2008 was one of the key questions over the off-season. Senior Ryan Fluker (5'8") is competing with sophomore Nate Williams (6'2") for the position.

Fluker has more experience and knows the system, but Black says Williams has a "cannon" for an arm.

In early July, Black had two primary concerns on offense: Who will man the offensive line and who will catch the ball.

Valley Center lost its top three offensive linemen from last year, leaving Ryan Rubia (6'0", 247) and Dylan Hess (6'3", 280) as the leaders of the unit. The team is desperate for a go-to receiver after Beau Volkmann (108 receiving yards, 2 TDs last season) suffered a season-ending knee injury at the Pitt State camp.

On defense, 5'11", 290-pound tackle Jarred Douglass (49 tackles last year) and end Jesse Ingle (6'2", 230) are expected to be leaders. Black also likes the looks of his linebackers: Aaron Hart, Shawn Chesterman and Kohl Watson.

Volkmann's injury will hurt the defense, too. He had 86 tackles and a sack last season.


Restoring the pride

Whether Fluker wins the QB battle or not, you'd be hard-pressed to find a player with more passion for Valley Center football. As a kindergartner, he attended all the games, and when he started playing as a fifth grader, he had one dream.

"I couldn't wait to be a Hornet and get out there and play on the varsity field," says Fluker.

He recalls the pride the town felt during the Smith era.

"It was so nice to go around and be able to say that your high school was one of the top teams around, every year."

Of course, it's doubtful that Valley Center will regain its stature as a "top team" this season, especially in an absolutely loaded 5A West. Fluker, though, is refreshingly optimistic.

He realizes it's his last chance to help return winning football to Valley Center.

"Coach Black has taken huge steps in putting us in the direction we need to go," he says. "This town is ready for a good season, and I really hope we can give it to them."