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 2026 season on Sept. 3 and 4.
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Highland Park has already put together the most dramatic turnaround in city football history, reeling off four straight winning seasons after snapping an eight-year, 65-game losing streak.
Coach Jermaine Monroe has led Highland Park football to four straight winning seasons, including the Meadowlark Conference title last fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Jermaine Monroe's Scots still have loftier goals ahead.
After the Scots finally tasted victory in 2022 on the way to a breakout 6-3 campaign, Highland Park has followed that up with 7-3, 6-3 and 6-3 campaigns the past three seasons, including the school's first Meadowlark Conference championship last fall, and is setting its sights on taking its next step this fall.
"From the start I said that it takes a community to change a program around and now it takes a community to maintain this level of success,'' said Monroe, who is 26-21 at Highland Park and 67-46 as a head coach. "But these guys we have here now, they're not satisfied with just a winning season. We want to go deep into the playoffs.
"We want to face those big teams and be prepared for them, which is why in our opening weeks we added tougher teams, bigger schools so it could prepare us for playoff time. That was the main plan going into it and our boys were asking for it, too.''
The Scots' revamped slate is highlighted by a season-opening contest on Sept. 3 against USD 501 rival Topeka High at Hummer Sports Park, with Hi Park and High playing for the first time in several seasons.
"It's an old-school rivalry that is deep in the roots of our players and their parents and grandparents and they know important the rivalry is,'' Monroe said. "To be able to bring that back to our community is huge because we used to always be able to play each other.
"Everybody wanted it. We have to always play each other.''
Highland Park returns a strong nucleus of players from last year's team that went 5-1 on the field, with G'Honi Montgomery and JoJo Kingcannon headlining a 19-member senior class
The Scots return 10 three-year starters and two four-year starters.
G'Honi Montgomery returns for his senior season at Highland Park after earning All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors last season. [File photo/TSN]
A 5-foot-10, 180-pound running back, Montgomery earned All-Shawnee County and All-Meadowlark Conference first-team honors last fall.
Montgomery carried the ball 69 times for 704 yards (10.2 yards per carry) as a junior, caught 10 passes for 128 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns while compiling 1,268 all-purpose yards.
Senior JoJo Kingcannon will take over as Highland Park's starting quarterback this fall after starring in a variety of roles as a junior. [File photo/TSN]
Kingcannon, a 6-foot, 190-pound quarterback/defensive back, played receiver, running back and quarterback as a junior, scoring from all three positions, and will be the Scots' starting quarterback this fall.
Kingcannon received All-Shawnee County honorable mention for the Scots in 2025, catching 10 passes for 338 yards and rushing for 408 yards on 32 attempts.
Seniors Tayseaun Rouser, Tavion Johnson and Shawnee Heights transfer Zyhir Foster will be counted on to anchor Highland Park's offensive line while Jaiden Smith, Ka'Sioun Drew and Lorenzo Sullivan-Sowell are top receivers.
Defensively, senior Rayshon Pollard is a four-year starter in the defensive backfield and is joined by veterans Drew, Montgomery and Kingcannon.
A three-time all-league honoree, Pollard was in on 22 tackles last season with three sacks and two interceptions.
After opening the year against Topeka High, Highland Park will open its Meadowlark Conference title defense with back-to-back home games against Kansas City-Washington and Atchison.
HIGHLAND PARK
2026 football schedule
(Home games at Hummer Sports Park)
September -- 3 at Topeka High (Hummer), 11 KC-Washington, 18 Atchison, 25 at KC-Summer Academy.
October -- 2 Blue Valley Southwest, 9 at KC-Harmon, 17 KC-Schlagle, 23 at KC-Wyandotte, 30 Playoff.
Next up: Rossville.
