By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news will post preview stories for all 10 Shawnee County high school football programs over the coming days, leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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Seaman graduated some very good football players off last season's Viking team team that posted an 8-3 record, captured the United Kansas Conference championship and advanced to the Class 5A quarterfinals for the second straight season.
Hopes remain high for Jared Swafford's Seaman football team that went 8-3 and claimed the UKC title last fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But the Vikings also return a solid nucleus to build around and fifth-year Seaman head coach Jared Swafford promises that the lofty expectations won't change.
"I think the best part about being the program that we are is you reload, you continue to move forward and you do what you do,'' said Swafford, who is 24-16 as a head coach. "We have a great group of kids who had a great summer.
"It's always tough to lose some studs, and if we want to continue to fight for league championships and be somebody in the playoffs that is a formidable opponent and presses towards a state championship, then you reload with more guys.''
Seaman graduated co-Shawnee County offensive players of the year Max Huston and Bryer Finley and defensive player of the year Kaden Jordan, but senior linebacker Cameron Brian (6-foot-1, 205 pounds) was an all-county Top 22 pick and the defensive newcomer of the year last fall and senior tight end Noah Kobuszewski (6-4, 240) and senior running back Kaden McKinney (6-2, 190) were Second 22 all-county honorees.
Brian was in on 112 tackles a year ago with 10 tackles for loss while McKinney rushed for 977 yards and scored 15 total touchdowns and Kobuszewski had 325 receiving yards.
Senior guards Brogen Brown (6-1, 240) and Brayden Warren (6-0, 215) received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season while the Vikings also return senior wide receiver Jayden Evans (6-5, 180), junior wide receiver Jack Becker (5-10, 165), senior tackle Brodie Empson (6-1, 210), senior linebacker Ben Trier (6-3, 210), senior defensive backs Michael Hurla (6-0, 185), Kevin Moe (5-11, 190) and Hayden Foxhoven (5-11, 175) and junior defensive back Grant Ebberts (6-0, 175).
"All the guys that we lost last year, we know that it was a great senior class, and these guys played right alongside them, they learned from them, they were part of the same group and the same team and we were in it together,'' Swafford said. "They know the expectation and they want to go out and continue to have the success that we've had.
"It's a little bit different this year coming off the league title where instead of going and chasing you'd like to think people want to try and chase us and that's kind of fun to be in a different role, but the expectation stays the expectation and the standard's the standard and we're excited to go out there and compete and do our best every Friday night.''
Seaman will open the 2025 season with a pair of home games, hosting UKC rival Piper on Sept. 5 and non-league foe Shawnee Mission East on Sept. 12.
"We just want to continue to build and the expectation is high and it needs to be high because we want to be that team and we want to have a high standard,'' Swafford. "We're ready to continue to move forward and hopefully defend a league title and continue to roll into the playoffs.''
SEAMAN
2025 football schedule
September -- 5 Piper, 12 Shawnee Mission East, 19 at Topeka West (Hummer), 26 KC-Turner.
October -- 3 at Lansing, 10 Shawnee Heights, 17 at Basehor-Linwood, 24 at De Soto.
Next up: Shawnee Heights.
