The News-Gazette's preseason football Top 10: St. Joseph-Ogden lands at No. 2

Aug. 14—ST. JOSEPH — The starting quarterback for the St. Joseph-Ogden football team this season will have the same last name as the one who started the previous two seasons. And the same starting quarterback who helped the 1999 Spartans team finish second in state in Class 3A. Meaning Lane McKinney is well-versed in the tradition and success of the program. Success he helped sustain last season playing wide receiver for the Spartans, where he caught a team-high 58 passes for 521 yards and four touchdowns from his older brother, Kodey. But with Kodey graduating from SJ-O in May and their dad, Matt, doing so in 2000, Lane is now the latest McKinney to play quarterback for the Spartans. The 6-foot, 155-pound junior is poised to make his first start at the position on Aug. 21 when SJ-O hosts Prairie Central at Dick Duval Field in St. Joseph. The left-handed throwing Lane will do so for the No. 2 team in The News-Gazette's preseason Top 10 football poll. Along with the younger McKinney, 11th-year SJ-O coach Shawn Skinner has plenty of other returnees back from a team that finished 8-5 last season and played its best football in November en route to making a run all the way to the 3A state semifinals. The most notable name among the returnees is 6-7, 305-pound senior offensive lineman Cameron Wagner. Starting with the Spartans since late in his freshman season, Wagner committed to Oregon in mid-May and plans to sign with the Ducks in December. Before then, he intends to create as much havoc as possible from his left tackle position and the frequent snaps he'll likely play along the Spartans' defensive line, too, when the situation calls for it. "You should always make your biggest jump as a player between your junior and senior year," Skinner said. "His jump is what has really stood out to me. Cam was always a big kid in the past, but he wasn't grown yet. He was just truly a big kid. He is truly a big young man now. As somebody who is coaching him, there is an understanding of he's capable of doing a little bit more. He was always willing to do that. But now, you feel confident if you ask him to do these things, he's truly going to excel at them." Wagner is one of four returning starters on the offensive line for the Spartans, who averaged 36.8 points last season running their up-tempo spread offense. Next to Wagner on the left side of the line is senior guard Willis Canamore (5-10, 200). On the right side, junior Landon May (5-8, 230) is slotted in at guard and junior Mason Osterbur (6-1, 190) is at right tackle. Junior Liam Carter (6-0, 235) is the only new starter, with Carter projected to line up at center. "Our offensive line is getting after it so much," Wagner said. "It's nothing like I've seen in my high school career. I love the physicality and the violence all the guys bring." Skinner said he's noticed the group take strides during summer workouts and the first week-plus of practices. "Having four-fifths of your line back is really big," he said. "Any time you get a second or third year in our offense, it makes a huge difference." Even with a first-year starter at quarterback, Lane has a chance to put up significant numbers in the SJ-O offense. The Spartans' starting quarterback the last four seasons under offensive coordinator Dalton Walsh — Logan Smith in 2022 and 2023 and Kodey in 2024 and 2025 — have all thrown for at least 2,300 yards in a season and gave SJ-O another solid option in the run game. "Coach Walsh has talked about this, but playing wide receiver last year, Lane knows this offense in that capacity so he can line people up, and he understands the concepts of what we're trying to do," Skinner said. "That's a big advantage for him." Still, it wasn't certain Lane would start at quarterback this season as sophomore Brock Franzen vied for the job, too. The improvements Skinner and the other SJ-O coaches have seen from Lane, though, in the offseason allowed him to win the starting job. "Brock is a highly-talented quarterback with a big, strong arm," Skinner said. "Give Lane a ton of credit. I think Lane worked really hard on his individual quarterback skills. His footwork is what impressed me the most. I always knew Lane was a good athlete. Lane can run. Lane can throw, but he really has tightened his mechanics from the ground up." SJ-O has to replace last season's lead running back in Wyatt Wertz after he rushed for 993 yards and 14 touchdowns on 143 carries during his senior season. Logan Umbarger, a 5-7, 170-pound junior, rushed for 466 yards and five touchdowns on 83 carries last season. He should again get some carries this season, but the Spartans could also use Umbarger at linebacker. Senior Brayden Waller (5-9, 180) and junior Ryder Van Meenen (6-1, 205) are other potential players the Spartans could use in the backfield, with Waller slated to play linebacker and Van Meenen likely to get some time along the defensive line. "We've got three guys who are very capable of playing that running back position," Skinner said. "I don't know that you're necessarily going to see one guy get 20-25 carries, like Wertz was capable of, but we'll distribute those touches throughout those guys. That allows them to stay fresh for defense." Senior Kaden Wedig (6-1, 190) returns after hauling in 52 catches for 1,020 yards and 10 touchdowns last season to lead the wide receiver group. Junior Lucas Waters (5-10, 180), sophomore Kiptyn Rosenthal (5-7, 140) and sophomore Logan Wedig (5-9, 155) could also see time at wideout. The Spartans graduated their top three tacklers from a season ago in linebackers Logan Rosenthal, Coy Hayes and Ryker Lockhart, but are counting on productive seasons from the likes of senior Jameson Ennis (5-10, 170), Umbarger and Waller, among others, at the linebacker spot. Junior Holden Hausle (5-9, 170), along with sophomores Aiden Eldridge (6-1, 200) and Ike Shelato (5-8, 170), could also see the field at linebacker. Both Skinner and Wedig said Waller is the unquestioned leader of the Spartans' defense. "It's nice having a guy like that, especially on defense," Wedig said. "He's a guy who is not afraid to talk and isn't afraid to speak his mind. We need players like that." Along with his quarterback duties, Lane is slated to start at cornerback for a second straight season. Senior Maddux Musselman (5-9, 170) is another returning starter in the secondary, while senior Tyler Wright (6-0, 175), senior Paityn Mann (5-9, 170), junior Royce Loschen (5-7, 130), junior Ian Wolken (5-10, 155) and sophomore Landyn Thomey (5-10, 155) could contribute at defensive back. "We've got four spots back there," Skinner said, "and we feel like we've got six, seven or eight guys who can play those spots." The same sentiment holds true along the defensive line. Expect to see Van Meenen, senior Zach Benoit (6-0, 185), junior Jace Frerichs (6-2, 210), junior Keegan Page (5-7, 190), junior Jace Frerichs (6-2, 210) and sophomore Colt Daugherty (5-11, 190) in the mix. "We feel like from a defensive line standpoint," Skinner said, "we've got four sets of three we can just rotate so people can stay fresh up there." Staying in contention for an Illini Prairie Conference title and a deep postseason run is also the expectation every season for the Spartans. This year is no exception. Especially with another McKinney at quarterback, a future Big Ten offensive lineman in Wagner and other capable players who are used to winning. "I'm always excited," Skinner said. "It's been a great summer. I couldn't have asked the guys to do more than they have. We're looking forward to getting it going for real next week."