There’s been a palpable sense of urgency surrounding the Kinsley football team, with the senior-laden Coyotes craving a breakthrough season. 

Kinsley returned nearly all of its starters from last year's 4-5 team and set its sights on becoming a contender in 2023. 

The Coyotes have done nothing to temper those expectations, sitting 2-0 for the first time since 2008. Kinsley opened with a 20-14 win over perennial power Victoria then rolled to a 50-0 victory over Otis-Bison last week.

“For a lot of the seniors, this year will be the last time they get to play football, so it’s kind of been a now-or-never attitude for them,” Kinsley coach Corey Dunlap said. “There’s certainly a lot of confidence, especially after that Week 1 win.”

The Victoria win was one of top victories in recent program history for the Coyotes. Lineman Kaden Arensman scored the game-winning touchdown on a fumble return in the fourth quarter. 

“It certainly helped show us what we’re capable of,” Dunlap said. “We’re hoping that we can beat that caliber of win in the playoffs. We know your season isn’t determined by Week 1, but that win gave us a different kind of attitude – ‘Hey, if we can get some things right, we can really play with anybody.’ ”

Dunlap is 18-20 in his fifth season at Kinsley, which had won just three games over the three previous seasons before Dunlap took over the program in 2019. 

The Coyotes' five losses last year came against teams that finished a combined 41-8. 

“I thought we were capable of winning those five games,” said Dunlap, who guided Kinsley to five-win seasons in 2021 and 2022. “We just didn’t make the plays down the stretch to get it done. We thought if we could just get over the hump and learn how to finish games, we would be pretty good. It was nice to be in a dogfight early this year and find a way to get a win.”

Running back Conner Chamberlain was the Coyotes’ top playmaker a year ago and is off to an impressive start to begin his senior campaign. He’s rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns so far and leads the team with 15 tackles. 

“Conner might be one of the best, if not the best all-around football player that I’ve coached since I’ve got to Kinsley,” Dunlap said. “He’s incredibly intelligent, incredibly hard working and he’s athletic. It’s rare to get a kid that has all three of those attributes. He’s been a great leader and he’s worked very, very hard to get himself ready for this season, physically and mentally.”

Arensman is a force on the line for Coyotes. 

“Physically, Kaden’s a freak,” Dunlap said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s very fast. He’s a very good player. When he’s playing with technique on the line, I’d like to think he’s about as good as it gets.”

Other starters who returned from last year include quarterback/defensive back Peyton Schmidt, receivers/defensive backs Cason Lemuz, Anthony Meza and Trenton Anderson, tight end/linebacker Emilio Rodriguez and linemen Efrain Holgiun and Zach Craft. 

The Coyotes have turned in back-to-back stellar defensive efforts. Dunlap said defensive line and secondary play were points of emphasis leading into the season. 

“Defensive line play had to be excellent,” he said. “We had to really change our technique a little bit and make sure that we’re staying square and being very, very physical. We feel like we have the physical capability of winning the battle up front against most teams.

“We’ve emphasized all summer our pass coverage. Making sure that we’re in the right spot, making sure that we’re physical with receivers as they’re coming out of breaks and make sure we get our head around and hands up when the ball’s in the air. Thus far, we’ve been pretty good.”

Dunlap is encouraged by the start but says the Coyotes will look to clean up a few things. 

“I think our effort is there, with great leadership from our senior class,” Dunlap said. “We haven’t executed as well as I would have liked these first two weeks. We’ve played well but I certainly think we can play better. But the effort is there and the attitude is there.”

Up next is a rivalry game Friday at Macksville. 

“Macksville’s always a good team,” Dunlap said. “I know last week they had a couple kids go down with injuries and we’re certainly hoping that they’re all healthy. We like to get everybody’s best shot because we really want to challenge ourselves and never want to play a team that’s down somebody. 

“It’s a big rivalry game for us, and it’s always a ton of fun because our kids are close with their kids. We’re hoping we can keep the momentum going and hopefully roll into districts and keep working on a year that we feel can be pretty special if we take care of business.”

Other Western Kansas football standouts 

– Garden City quarterback Ethan Gomez threw three first-quarter touchdowns and also ran for a score to help the Buffaloes get rolling in a 70-15 win over Wichita North. 

– Liberal’s offense caught fire in a 47-14 win over Emporia. Quarterback J. Brooks Kappelmann led the way with 268 passing yards, 137 rushing yards and six combined touchdowns. Xavier Porras rushed for 115 yards and one touchdown. Zayden Martinez scored on all three of his catches, racking up 206 receiving yards. 

– Division I prospect Linkon Cure turned in a huge game for the second straight week. He caught eight passes for 236 yards with four touchdowns in Goodland’s 42-32 loss to Burlington, Colo. 

– Damon Mesa rushed for 121 yards on 13 carries with three touchdowns in Holcomb’s 49-10 win over Cimarron. Manny Reyes also ran for three scores for the Longhorns. 

– Hugoton’s Griffin Heger had a monster game on the ground in a 55-13 win over Ulysses, rushing for 298 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. 

– Scott City quarterback Camden Vulgamore threw for 236 yards and five touchdowns in a 54-22 win over Wray, Colo. Collin McDaniel racked up 155 yards and two touchdowns on three catches and also rushed for a TD for the Beavers. 

– Lakin quarterback Maddux Beltran rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries and also threw for a touchdown in the Broncs’ 50-14 win over Syracuse. Jay Gould ran for 131 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. 

– TMP-Marian’s Griffin Schumacher rushed for more than 100 yards and scored four touchdowns in the Monarchs’ 39-14 win over Ellis. 

– Norton pulled out a 12-8 win against Smith Center in an MCL showdown. Norton quarterback Eli Jones put up big numbers through the air for a second straight week, throwing for 277 yards and two touchdowns. Brennan Pfannenstiel and Tyce Melvin recorded 16 and 14 tackles, respectively. 

– Russell rallied for a 20-13 win over Plainville. Mason Rohr threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns for the Broncos. Rohr added 81 yards rushing and a touchdown. Russell also had a pair of 100-yard receiving performances from Walker Middleton (seven catches, 129 yards, two touchdowns) and Max Evans (three catches, 102 yards). 

– Rylan Wirtz ran for three touchdowns in Ellinwood’s 40-6 win over Douglass. Cooper Hosman had an 82-yard pick-six for the Eagles. 

– Juan Aleman was a workhorse for Stanton County in a 20-6 win over Southwestern Heights. Aleman rushed for 202 yards on 40 carries with a touchdown. Ronnie Andrade had an interception for a touchdown for the Trojans. 

– Atwood-Rawlins County picked up a quality 30-12 win over Dighton. Ryan Sramek rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Sramek also caught a touchdown and recorded an interception. Brayan Rodriguez logged 18 tackles for the Buffaloes. 

– Hill City bounced back from its season-opening loss to Osborne with a 32-18 win over Trego. The Ringnecks were without standout quarterback Aiden Amrein. Jaden Nuss rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. Tate Balthazor filled in for Amrein, running for 104 yards and a score. 

– Hoxie rolled to a 56-0 win over Wheatland-Grinnell. Braydon Scheetz rushed for two touchdowns and Jonathan Mader had a pick-six. 

– Trace Kinderknecht rushed for three touchdowns as Quinter moved to 2-0 with a 52-0 win over St. Francis. 

– Chase Schumacher helped Victoria rebound from the Week 1 loss to Kinsley, rushing for 163 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in the Knights’ 44-22 win over La Crosse. Caden Morgan threw for 219 yards and three touchdowns for La Crosse. 

– Reigning Eight-Player Division I champion Wichita County rolled to an 88-0 win over Elkhart. Khris Hermosillo rushed for 135 and four touchdowns and the Indians scored four times on defense. Hermosillo scored on a fumble recovery and had an interception return for a touchdown while Wyatt Gardner and David Romero also returned fumbles for touchdowns. 

– Meade pulled out a 54-34 shootout win over Hodgeman County. Cade Cronister threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns, Brock Keith rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and Bradon Bird caught five passes for 146 yards for the Buffaloes. Owen Reece threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns for the Longhorns and also ran for a score. 

– Lakeside won a shootout for the second straight week, edging Reno County Homeschool, 56-52. Ian Kresin ran for 221 yards and five touchdowns and also caught a touchdown for the Knights. Lakeside’s Gage Grading recorded 18 tackles and a sack. 

– Osborne followed up a big win over Hill City with a 60-0 shutout of Stockton. The Bulldogs scored four defensive touchdowns. Nathan Goheen had a pick-six and a fumble return for a touchdown while Kaiden Schultze and Qwinton Morris also returned fumbles for touchdowns. Hunter Howell rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns.

– Mason Baker ran for 190 yards and five touchdowns on 15 carries in Thunder Ridge’s 46-0 win against Rock Hills. 

– St. John quarterback Braxton Alpers accounted for six touchdowns (four passing and two rushing) in the Tigers’ 68-22 win over Ness City. 

– Lucas Kirk rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns in Bucklin’s 30-12 win over Kiowa County. He also threw a score. 

– Minneola’s Eli Lang ran for two scores and threw for another in the Wildcats’ 68-20 victory over Spearville. Jesse Smith caught four passes for 125 yards and a TD for Minneola and James Littlewood rushed for four scores. 

– Pawnee Heights Davin Hamby and Jimmy Gardner accounted for three touchdowns apiece in the Tigers’ 56-6 win over Chase in the six-player ranks. 

– Northern Valley notched a 40-7 win over Tescott, avenging last year’s one-point loss to the Trojans. 

– After defeating the reigning six-player champions Cunningham in Week 1, Ashland followed up with a 48-31 win over Golden Plains. 

– Elijah Byrne and Yulexis Quintero-Robles each rushed for two touchdowns in Deerfield’s 55-0 win over Western Plains/Healy. 

– Pablo Bermudez accounted for five touchdowns in Cheylin’s 47-0 win over Weskan. Logan McCarty threw for 127 yards and rushed for 101 while accounting for three touchdowns.