2026 high school football previews: Kapaun Mt. Carmel

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — In November, Kapaun Mt. Carmel won its first state football championship since 1987 under head coach Weston Schartz, snapping a 38-year drought.

This upcoming season, the Crusaders are eyeing two championships in a row, but this time in a new class.

Although the team won't have fullback Cal Purvis this year — whose performance contributed to the Crusaders’ 35-point victory against Bishop Miege — they will return with several other key players.

First-team all-conference running back Ken Huff, quarterback Cole Rapp, and tight end Ethan Burr are just a few vital components the Crusaders hope can lead them back to the title game.

"Last year, I thought we were one of the most physical teams in the state," Jackson Gosch said. "We're going to be the same thing this year in order to get back to that game."

The team's chemistry was off the charts last year, opening the season with big wins against Andover and North High.

Rapp emphasizes trust as a major advantage heading into the season.

"We gotta believe in each other; we got to trust each other," Rapp said. " We got new guys coming in. We got, like, sophomores, juniors. We got to trust them. We got to do our job, and I mean, hopefully we make it to the end of November."

When it comes to returners, Schartz chose to focus on the experience of his underclassmen last year.

"We got a lot of good seniors that played a lot of quality minutes last year, Schartz said. "Seven returning offensive guys for one, so the cupboard is not bare for sure."

Kapun will kick off the season against Washburn Rural on Friday, Sept. 4.

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