SE: In-State Wildcats' Motivation for Sunflower Showdown Wide-Ranging
Oct 27, 2017 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Of the 49 in-state players on K-State's roster, who are all eager to face in-state rival Kansas in Lawrence on Saturday at 2 p.m., Dalton Schoen and Nick Walsh have come from opposite ends of the spectrum.
Schoen, a sophomore receiver, grew up a diehard Wildcat fan. His parents went to K-State. His brother, Mason, plays for the K-State men's basketball team.
"Growing up a huge K-State fan my whole life, I've always wanted to go out there and beat KU," Schoen, an Overland Park native, said. "I think it means a lot for everyone from the state of Kansas."
"I was a big KU fan and that's where I wanted to go," Walsh said. "That's the first school I really reached out to. I reached out to them for golf, too, and the golf team recruited me more than the football team did. K-State's the one that ended up recruiting me (for football). I've always had a chip on my shoulder about that."
"Being a Kansas kid, this game comes with a lot of pride of just being able to represent a school and say you're the best team in the state that year," said sophomore quarterback Alex Delton, who grew up in Hays. "I think with there being so many Kansas guys on the team that it's just something more that they look forward to and we definitely want to keep the Governor's Cup around here."
K-State has held the Governor's Cup for the last eight years. Each year when the week of the Dillons' Sunflower Showdown arrives, Delton said the rivalry trophy makes its way to the locker room to serve "as a reminder of what you're playing for."
The Wildcats, especially those plucked from within the state's borders, are playing to continue a dominant stretch over the Jayhawks in football since Bill Snyder arrived. The 78-year-old head coach holds a 21-4 record against Kansas, including a 9-3 mark in Lawrence.
"A long-standing rivalry for any sport, whether it be football, basketball or baseball, I think that adds a little bit of importance to it," Schoen said. "You want to go out and beat the other team in your home state, which means a lot for the kids from state of Kansas because they've grown up knowing this rivalry."
Much like how the Kansas-born Wildcats take pride in helping their Texan teammates beat schools from the Lone Star State, K-State's large batch of Texas players knows what this Saturday's game means.
"Before the Texas game, Coach said, 'Do this for the Texas guys.' The out-of-state guys have the same mentality: 'Do this for the Kansas guys,'" said senior kicker Matthew McCrane, from Brownwood, Texas. "Because I know it's a big deal to them."
In addition to the rivalry aspect, Saturday's game holds significance for K-State's season. The Wildcats (3-4, 1-3) have lost three-straight games, including a 42-35 heartbreaker to No. 9 Oklahoma last week. They look at Saturday as a chance to get back on track toward bowl eligibility.
"We just want to get things turned around. We've had ups and downs throughout the whole season," Delton said. "This KU (game) could definitely get us on that starting point in trying to get things on the right path again."
The Jayhawks (1-6, 0-4) have had some struggles as well. Since their season-opening win, the Jayhawks have dropped six in a row, which includes being outscored 88-0 by Iowa State and TCU the past two weeks.
Still, the Wildcats know they cannot afford to overlook any team. Fortunately, Schoen said it's easy to stay motivated and focused for a rivalry game.
"I think it helps that it's an in-state rivalry game and it helps people want it that much more," Schoen said of the 115th Sunflower Showdown, which will be shown nationally on FS1. "Obviously we can't overlook them at all. They've had some struggles, but they're a good team. We've had some struggles this year too, so we just have to go out there and perform well and not take anything for granted against them."
Of the 49 in-state players on K-State's roster, who are all eager to face in-state rival Kansas in Lawrence on Saturday at 2 p.m., Dalton Schoen and Nick Walsh have come from opposite ends of the spectrum.
Schoen, a sophomore receiver, grew up a diehard Wildcat fan. His parents went to K-State. His brother, Mason, plays for the K-State men's basketball team.
"Growing up a huge K-State fan my whole life, I've always wanted to go out there and beat KU," Schoen, an Overland Park native, said. "I think it means a lot for everyone from the state of Kansas."
Walsh, on the other side of things, was raised a Jayhawk fan. As the Wildcats' senior punter developed into a standout athlete at Lyndon High School, Walsh said he emailed Kansas' football program frequently with hopes of one day playing for the Jayhawks."Growing up a huge K-State fan this game has always meant a lot, and now being a part of it, it means even more." #KStateFB WR Dalton Schoen pic.twitter.com/WWy4yH3Y1I
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) October 24, 2017
"I was a big KU fan and that's where I wanted to go," Walsh said. "That's the first school I really reached out to. I reached out to them for golf, too, and the golf team recruited me more than the football team did. K-State's the one that ended up recruiting me (for football). I've always had a chip on my shoulder about that."
While Schoen and Walsh are extreme examples, they are certainly not alone with their feelings for this week's game.#KStateFB punter Nick Walsh talks about his mental preparation heading into the season, and the upcoming SunflowerShowdown on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/d8hrl0KudI
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) October 24, 2017
"Being a Kansas kid, this game comes with a lot of pride of just being able to represent a school and say you're the best team in the state that year," said sophomore quarterback Alex Delton, who grew up in Hays. "I think with there being so many Kansas guys on the team that it's just something more that they look forward to and we definitely want to keep the Governor's Cup around here."
K-State has held the Governor's Cup for the last eight years. Each year when the week of the Dillons' Sunflower Showdown arrives, Delton said the rivalry trophy makes its way to the locker room to serve "as a reminder of what you're playing for."
The Wildcats, especially those plucked from within the state's borders, are playing to continue a dominant stretch over the Jayhawks in football since Bill Snyder arrived. The 78-year-old head coach holds a 21-4 record against Kansas, including a 9-3 mark in Lawrence.
"A long-standing rivalry for any sport, whether it be football, basketball or baseball, I think that adds a little bit of importance to it," Schoen said. "You want to go out and beat the other team in your home state, which means a lot for the kids from state of Kansas because they've grown up knowing this rivalry."
Much like how the Kansas-born Wildcats take pride in helping their Texan teammates beat schools from the Lone Star State, K-State's large batch of Texas players knows what this Saturday's game means.
"Before the Texas game, Coach said, 'Do this for the Texas guys.' The out-of-state guys have the same mentality: 'Do this for the Kansas guys,'" said senior kicker Matthew McCrane, from Brownwood, Texas. "Because I know it's a big deal to them."
In addition to the rivalry aspect, Saturday's game holds significance for K-State's season. The Wildcats (3-4, 1-3) have lost three-straight games, including a 42-35 heartbreaker to No. 9 Oklahoma last week. They look at Saturday as a chance to get back on track toward bowl eligibility.
"We just want to get things turned around. We've had ups and downs throughout the whole season," Delton said. "This KU (game) could definitely get us on that starting point in trying to get things on the right path again."
The Jayhawks (1-6, 0-4) have had some struggles as well. Since their season-opening win, the Jayhawks have dropped six in a row, which includes being outscored 88-0 by Iowa State and TCU the past two weeks.
Still, the Wildcats know they cannot afford to overlook any team. Fortunately, Schoen said it's easy to stay motivated and focused for a rivalry game.
"I think it helps that it's an in-state rivalry game and it helps people want it that much more," Schoen said of the 115th Sunflower Showdown, which will be shown nationally on FS1. "Obviously we can't overlook them at all. They've had some struggles, but they're a good team. We've had some struggles this year too, so we just have to go out there and perform well and not take anything for granted against them."
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