Diminutive Plinsky coming up big at QB for Osage City

Trenton Plinsky knows what opposing players and fans must think.

"No one is going to expect a small dude like me to have a good game," Plinsky said.

What they've come to learn, however, is not to underestimate Osage City's diminutive starting quarterback. Despite his stature — Plinsky said he's "5-3, 5-4 and 135 (pounds) — the senior has come up huge for the Indians this season.

Stepping in at starting quarterback to replace All-Class 3A pick and Kansas State walk-on Tucker Kimball, Plinsky has more than capably filled the void Kimball left after throwing for 2,331 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushing for 871 yards and 17 scores a year ago.

In Friday night's 41-8 win over Central Heights, Plinsky threw for 142 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 117 yards and two scores. The victory moved the Indians to 6-0 a year after Osage City put together one of the best seasons in school history, finishing 9-3.

"We expected to win games, but we're winning by more than we thought we would, which is good," Plinsky said of a season in which the Indians have outscored opponents 246-41. "It motivates us to keep wanting to do more."

The doubting looks Plinsky gets because of his size have served as plenty of motivation throughout his career. And he knew there would be even more skeptics when he moved in from his wide receiver spot of the last two years to take over at quarterback.

Simply put, how can a guy that small be effective?

But Osage City coach Andrew Gantenbein had no hesitations in turning the job over to Plinsky. Or any doubts he would succeed in his new role.

"It's just one of the things that makes him so special, the fact that he's able to do what he does despite his size," Gantenbein said. "He overcomes it and he's a really special athlete. I tell people all the time, if he was 6-2, we'd have lots of colleges here watching him because he's just dynamite with the ball in his hands. But he's excellent with what he has.

"He's pretty electric with the ball in his hands."

Gantenbein did toy with leaving Plinsky at receiver after flourishing in that spot a year ago, catching 35 passes for 712 yards and seven touchdowns while also rushing for 159 yards and five touchdowns. During the Indians' 7-on-7 summer league, Gantenbein split up his varsity offense with Plinsky quarterbacking one squad and sophomore Gunnar Fort leading the other.

"We kind of evaluated both guys," Gantenbein said. "Trenton's been our No. 2 for the past few years so we kind of assumed it would be him, but at the same time we wanted to give Gunnar an opportunity. Trenton's been so good at wide receiver we didn't want to close the door on that. In the first week of the season Trenton came to me and said, 'This is what I want to do full time.' I told him that's kind of what I was thinking too."

It took just one game for Plinsky to show he could run the Indian offense effectively. In the opener against Northern Heights, Plinsky threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 116 yards and two more scores.

He was picked off twice, but has only thrown two more interceptions over the last five games. After his big night against Central Heights, Plinsky has completed 45 of 71 passes for 744 yards and 14 touchdowns and run for 503 yards and 10 scores.

"I was a little concerned at first that it might affect me," Plinsky said of his size. "I have to take a few more steps back when I drop back to pass just so I can see and read the defense. But I've been able to see pretty well even though our linemen are pretty big dudes. It's gone a lot better than I thought it would.

"I wasn't really too worried about it, though. We had most of our wide receivers coming back and I knew they'd be making plays for me just like we were making plays for Tucker last year."

"He's been more consistent throwing the ball, but I'm not surprised at the level he's playing at," Gantenbein said. "He's got some pretty good guys around him. His offensive line is good and we've got some good running backs and receivers making plays for him so it's not a one-man show."

Plinsky and Osage City will get their biggest test of the season this Friday. With the Flint Hills League title wrapped up with last week's win, the Indians now can turn their attention to a huge Class 2A District 3 clash with fellow unbeaten and No. 2 Silver Lake.

Osage City hasn't beaten Silver Lake since 1993 when the two were Mid-East League rivals.

"This game has been circled on our calendar for a while," Plinsky said. "Silver Lake is always good and a team you want to play. Coach (C.J.) Hamilton is a great coach. We haven't beaten them in a long, long time and if we were to get this win, it would mean we're doing everything right and make us realize how good we are."

FRIDAY NIGHT STARS

-- Daiken Stallbaumer ran for back-to-back touchdowns at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter to spark Eight-Man Division II No. 1 Hanover to a 50-42 win over No. 3 Axtell. The Eagles took a 34-28 lead on an 8-yard touchdown run and conversion run by Quinn Buessing before Hanover scored three straight touchdowns to take control. Stallbaumer finished with 122 yards and four touchdowns rushing and threw for 127 yards, while Carter Bruna ran for 163 yards and two scores. Buessing threw for 291 yards and three scores and also ran for 90 yards and two TDs for Axtell.

-- Burlingame survived a big challenge from Maranatha, pulling out a 54-42 victory. Seth Greenwood ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns, but his biggest play was an interception he returned 45 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Greenwood also ran and caught two-point conversions.

-- Frankfort stayed undefeated with a 60-14 win over Beloit-St. John's, its first 6-0 start since 1996. Garret Dalinghaus ran for 216 yards and six touchdowns and also had 12 tackles and two fumble recoveries defensively in the win.

-- Tristan Stoner caught a trio of touchdown passes from Mason Griffin to jump-start Silver Lake's 55-15 rout of West Franklin. Griffin finished with 218 yards passing and four touchdowns and Christian Stoner ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

-- Garrett Carver and Tyree Sowers each topped 100 yards rushing as Rossville rolled past St. Marys 35-18. Carver ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns and Sowers had 106 yards, 64 coming on a touchdown run.

-- Aaron Hamilton had three of Junction City's four interceptions as the Blue Jays upset rival Manhattan 9-7. Russell Wilkey scored the game-winner on a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter.

-- Sabetha blanked Holton 31-0 as Gabe Garber completed 6 of 8 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Joseph Gruber ran for 168 yards and two touchdowns and Cauy Rokey had 16 tackles.

-- Nemaha Central drubbed Riverside 61-6 as Matt Baumgartner caught five passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Dalton Schmelzle threw for 215 yards and five touchdowns.

-- Three Centralia backs topped 100 yards and five had touchdown runs as the Panthers ran for 510 yards in a 59-7 win over Northern Heights. Devon Feldkamp led the way with 135 yards and two scores, while Isaac Gore added 117 yards and two touchdowns and Kamble Haverkamp had 110 yards.

-- Santa Fe Trail knocked off Wellsville 22-8 as Will Herren ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

-- Mikey Waggoner ran for 115 yards and three touchdowns and Garrett Harmison threw for 112 yards and two touchdowns, both to Wyatt Earhart, in Riley County's 61-18 blowout of Council Grove. Tristan Kulp and Deon Barnes added two rushing touchdowns apiece.

-- Marysville's Jacob Backus had three receiving touchdowns and Derek Roever ran for three scores as the Bulldogs rolled past Royal Valley 61-20. Brandon Schroedl threw for 227 yards and five touchdowns.

-- Cole Coggins ran for four touchdowns and Peyton Yungeberg ran for 101 yards as Valley Heights rolled 52-8 past Wabaunsee. Trey Martin added a pair of rushing touchdowns and the Mustangs ran for 363 yards overall.

-- Nasun Wasson ran for three touchdowns and Ryan Wolgram threw for two scores as Madison whipped Valley Falls 64-6.

-- Pleasant Ridge quarterback Colton Comer threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns with Keaton Comer catching two of the touchdown passes and finishing with 150 receiving yards in the Rams' 52-22 win over Horton. Jake Heckman had a pair of touchdown runs.

-- Blue Valley-Randolph picked up its second win of the season, beating Onaga 48-26 as Brody Barr threw for 200 yards and four touchdowns. Lane Peter and Jeremiah Duncan each caught two TD passes and Peter had 11 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and fumble recovery defensively.

-- Linn blew past Tescott 54-6 for its first win of the season. Joseph Trumble, Kevin Alvarado and Ricardo Cardenas each ran for two touchdowns in the win.

-- Devan McEwen had 189 total yards and four touchdowns to lead Lebo to a 46-30 win over Chase County. McEwen threw two touchdown passes to Avery Peek. Chase County's Trint Rogers ran for 252 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

-- Hartford's Dalen Kistner continued his big season, throwing for four touchdowns and running for three more in the Jaguars' 54-6 win over Marais des Cygnes Valley.

-- Jake Newton ran for 140 yards and a touchdown and Drew Pyle threw for 110 yards as Waverly blew past Rural Vista 60-14. Dustin Anderson added three rushing touchdowns.

-- In a 48-32 loss to Doniphan West, Wetmore's Joel Hutfles ran for 189 yards and three touchdowns, threw a touchdown pass and also returned a punt 56 yards for a score. Doniphan West's Cooper Jensen ran for four touchdowns and threw for two scores.