Kee football team battles inexperience and injury to 2-7 record during 2015

The Kee football team played its way through one of its most challenging seasons in recent history, not only following a season in which the football Hawks graduated enough players to fill an entire Eight-Player field but also having a majority of their limited six letterwinners being sidelined by injury. The end result was a 2-7 season record for the Hawks that included a 2-5 mark in Eight-Player District 4 that placed Kee seventh in those final eight-team district standings, a district finish that brought the Hawks’ consecutive State Play-Off qualification streak to an end at six straight seasons.
“Inexperience was our greatest obstacle,” Kee football coach Chad Winters reflected. “Very few of our guys had played very many meaningful minutes in a varsity football game. It really showed in the first few games of the season and showed up at times throughout the rest of the season. The good thing about the inexperience is that we had quite a few guys that received a ton of varsity snaps this year and now have the understanding of what it takes to compete at a high level. The other challenge was the amount of injuries we dealt with before the season got started and during the season. We had been fairly lucky in the injury department over the last few years, but just couldn’t fight off that injury bug this year. Depth isn’t a luxury we have and those injuries forced some young guys into significant action on the varsity level.”
Despite those challenges, Coach Winters was able to pick out a couple season highlights that provided bright spots for the Hawks’ 2015 fall campaign. “The back-to-back road wins in district play were the highlight of the season,” Coach Winters said of his team’s 28-26 triumph at Central City and 60-16 pounding of Cedar Valley Christian midway through the season. “The Central City game was a very memorable game not only because of the win, but the weather conditions that we played in.  Guys were sliding five or six yards after getting tackled, mud and water were flying everywhere. The kids had a blast.”
Just four seniors headlined the Hawks’ varsity squad this season, as Nick Boland, Logan Flack, Jed McLimans and Ethan Walleser each played their final seasons in a Kee football uniform this fall. “Unfortunately, Logan’s and Jed’s seasons were cut short due to injuries,” Coach Winters said. “All four of them enjoyed the game of football and each brought different positive attributes to practices and games.”
In addition to senior leadership, Walleser also provided a variety of statistical leadership during his final season on the Kee gridiron, hauling in a team-high  185 yards worth of passes on 10 receptions, including a pair of touchdowns. He also picked off the Hawks’ lone interception and recovered a team-high two fumbles, returning one of those turnovers for a touchdown.
Further pacesetting in this season’s limited statistical totals was provided by underclassmen who still have more football yet to offer the Hawks in future seasons. Although his season was also limited by injury, junior Clay Olson still ran to a team-high 418 yards for six touchdowns, with sophomore quarterback Tucker Colsch adding another 185 yards and team-high seven touchdowns on the ground while also leading the Hawk offense with 50 pass completions for 749 yards and eight touchdowns, as well as the Kee defense with 36 solo tackles. Junior Jon Mooney provided further defensive leadership for the Hawks with 7.5 tackles for a loss.
For their efforts this season, three Hawks from three different grade levels received All-District honors among their fellow Eight-Player District 4 players. Olson was named to the All-District Second Team Offense, while Walleser and sophomore Eric Rud each received All-District Honorable Mention.
With just four seniors being lost to graduation, and an abundance of statistical leadership and game experience returning next season, the Hawks’ gridiron future appears to be looking up. However, that outlook doesn’t just brighten all by itself.
“The boys understand they need to have better dedication in the weightroom during the off-season, that it can’t just be a handful of guys,” Coach Winters said. “I want kids that are competing in basketball, track and baseball. At a school our size all the athletes need to participate if you want to have a shot at a successful season. Too often we settle for being the best just at Kee High. We need to change it so that their goal is that they will be the best player every time they step on the field.”