The Northeast Kansas League ran through Jackson Heights in 2024 as the Cobras captured the league championship going undefeated in league play at 7-0. Jackson Heights defeated Riverside in the regular season opener 35-7 and for the Cyclones, that was their only league loss as they finished 5-1 and second place behind the Cobras. McLouth won seven games and posted one of their best seasons in recent memory as the Bulldogs finished third in the league standings at 5-2. Jefferson County North continued their winning ways despite losing a huge senior class in the previous season. The Chargers won five games and went 4-3 in league play. Troy competed in the league for the first time since making the jump from the Twin Valley League and they went 3-2 in NEKL and won six games. Oskaloosa, Atchison County, and Horton all won multiple league games while Maur Hill-Mount Academy and Valley Falls each won one league game. Pleasant Ridge was the only team in 2024 to not win a league game as they finished the season with a 0-9 record. Jackson Heights made the deepest run in the playoffs losing in the 1A sectional round to Rossville 42-38. It was a game in which Jackson Heights dominated until the fourth quarter; however, Rossville scored three times in a short span in the fourth quarter to rally for the win ending the Cobras season in devastating fashion. Riverside, McLouth, and Troy represented the league well as all three teams made it to the second round of the playoffs. The revamped Northeast Kansas League will enter year two with its new look as Riverside and Troy made the move over after the 2023 season. The league is bringing back 56% of the all-league recipients from 2024 with the Cobras looking to defend their title while the rest of the league will look to knock the Cobras off the throne.

Last season was one of the most highly anticipated seasons in Jackson Heights history, with a stacked senior class full of strong and talented athletes. The Cobras went undefeated in league play to capture the NEKL title and dominated their first two games in the playoffs. But the season ended abruptly in Sectionals against the Rossville as the Cobras gave up a three-score lead in the fourth quarter. Jackson Heights will have one of the best quarterbacks returning in 1A in Drake Mellies, with great returning talent to surround him. Caleb Wick will enter his 14th season as head coach and will have a great opportunity with this year’s group to achieve another league title, district title, and possibly a sub-state or state championship banner.

For Riverside, they finished the 2024 season with a record of 7-3 and included a trip to the regional round of the 1A playoffs. The 5-1 mark in NEKL play put them in solo second behind the champs in Jackson Heights. Head Coach Bryce Paden returns for his seventh season leading the program and has high expectations for this season. It makes sense considering they will have 20 returning letterwinners with eight returning starters on offense and all 11 starters returning on defense. Don’t look now, but the Cyclones may be in line for a top tier kind of season with the experience and talent returning.

Jefferson County North posted another winning season in 2024 under head coach Jeff Schneider. The Chargers finished 5-4 and made the playoffs but the season ended in the first round with a 42-22 loss at Riverside. Schneider is entering his 11^th season as the head coach leading the Chargers to winning seasons in all but one season. Let’s not forget the magical run the Chargers made in 2023 when they got all the way to the Class 1A State Title game falling to Conway Springs. Schneider expects good numbers with the team this year with a ton of underclassmen getting plenty of opportunities last season and ready to make another leap forward this season.

Troy certainly had its fair share of ups and downs in 2024 as they finished 6-4 and 3-2 in league play. Troy was once again hit hard by the injury bug with some key players missing in key games. The Trojans won four of their first five games and then suffered close losses to Riverside and Centralia. The tough district put Troy on the road in the first round of the playoffs, but the Trojans were able to defeat Jayhawk-Linn 48-18. The season ended in the second round with a 38-6 loss to league champion Jackson Heights. Head coach Derek Jasper enters his 13^th season leading the program. If Troy can stay healthy throughout the season, expect them to be in the mix for a league title and a deep playoff run.

The 2024 season for Maur Hill-Mount Academy was a year of development with a lot of underclassmen being thrown into the fire early and often. The Ravens battled for a near .500 record finishing 4-5 which included a 1-4 mark in league play. The Ravens return 15 letterwinners from last season and will look to replace eight that were lost to graduation. In total they will have six returning starters on offense and six returning starters on defense. Head coach Zack Fredrickson is expecting his squad to take a step forward as he enters his fourth season leading the program.

McLouth posted their best season since 2013 last year finishing 7-3 which included a 5-2 mark in league play. Seth Mills enters his third season as the head coach, and they have seen improvements in each of his first two seasons. In 2023, the Bulldogs finished 5-4 with a playoff appearance while they took a step forward in 2024 with two more wins plus a playoff victory. There will be some challenges due in large part to the team having to replace key starters on both sides of the ball that provided a lot of production last season. McLouth will be one of the more inexperienced teams in the league this season, but they will have good chemistry with high upside.

Oskaloosa finished 2024 with a record of 2-7 with a 2-2 mark in the league. The two wins for the Bears were in the first two games of the season. They defeated Pleasant Ridge 26-14 and followed that up with a 28-6 victory over Valley Falls. The schedule tightened up the rest of the play with league and district opponents and the Bears were unable to build on the first two weeks of the season losing their final seven games. The offense struggled with turning the ball over last season and will need to improve on that stat to be better overall. Defensively they will look to be more aggressive and force more turnover.

ACCHS finished the 2024 season with a record of 2-7 which included an even 2-2 mark in league play. The Tigers beat Valley Falls and Oskaloosa in weeks three and four for their lone two wins of the season. The Tigers lost only four letterwinners off the roster from last season and will have plenty of returning pieces as they will look to turn the page and make improvements under now third year head coach Kody Tegtmeier. With eight returning starters on offense and seven returning starters on defense, the Tigers should be able to be more competitive and consistent in 2025.

The Dragons of Valley Falls are set to put 2024 behind them after finishing 1-8 overall and 1-7 in league play. The Dragons failed to make the postseason with their lone win of the season coming in the final game against Pleasant Ridge 38-6. The Dragons only had four seniors on last year’s roster and will have close to 10 freshmen coming in to help with overall numbers and depth. 10 returning starters on both sides of the ball with good speed and athleticism should allow Valley Falls to take a step forward in 2025. Wyatt Hofstra enters his seventh season at Valley Falls and his fifth season as the head coach.

It's been a struggle in recent years for the Horton football program but the 2024 season saw some hope as they were able to win at least three games for the first time since 2017. The Chargers also made the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Derek Richardson takes over as the head coach of the Chargers and is excited to build off one of the better seasons in recent memory. The Chargers are having to replace some very good and all-league caliber players from last season but have plenty of experience back with a new sense of urgency. The Chargers return 12 total letterwinners with four returning starters on offense and five returning starters on defense.

Pleasant Ridge will be looking to turn the page and start fresh after going 0-9 last season. The Rams went into 2024 with new players and high hopes, but the overall low numbers were a key factor in the struggles. The Rams will replace three letterwinners that were lost from last season so they have plenty of players returning with experience which should bode well for them as they look for their first win since September 22, 2023. Head coach Spencer Foster enters his third season leading the program and is ready to get things at Pleasant Ridge turned around in 2025.