By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practices at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2024 season on Sept. 6.
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New Topeka High football coach Jason Filbeck knows that building the Trojan program to where he wants it to be is a work in progress, but with the Sept. 6 season-opener on the near horizon, Filbeck continues to gain confidence that a turnaround is definitely possible.
Jason Filbeck enters his first season as Topeka High's football coach after 10 years at Augusta. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"If you had asked me (earlier) I would have probably been optimistic because I need to be, but once we had shoulder pads on and got to butt heads a little bit, now I'm excited,'' Filbeck said. "Football season is like the best time of the year and we're finally getting closer and closer to it.''
Filbeck, who played at Baker University, began his coaching career as an assistant at the middle school level in the Blue Valley district and spent a decade as an assistant coach at Shawnee Mission East before taking his first head coaching job at Class 4A Augusta, where he posted a 45-51 record in 10 seasons.
The Orioles posted six .500 or better seasons under Filbeck, including a 7-3 season and a pair of 6-4 campaigns. Augusta went 2-7 last fall.
Filbeck takes over a Topeka High program that has posted back-to-back 1-8 seasons and hit the ground running this summer.
"We moved up from the Wichita area on June 1st and started weights on June 3rd,'' Filbeck said. "The summer was good for us. The core group of kids gets it now and now it's just getting them to spread the word to all the other kids who maybe didn't come much this summer because we've got a culture we're trying to get established. The kids have done a good job of recruiting others.''
Filbeck is also very happy with the way he's been accepted by the Trojan players.
"I think these kids have done a really good job of understanding what we're all about and they're jumping on board and buying in,'' Filbeck said.
Jason Filbeck's Topeka High Trojans will be looking to improve on back-to-back 1-8 seasons this fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Now Filbeck's focus is on steady improvement as the Trojans, who had a long run of success under former coach Walt Alexander, try to regain their spot as a 6A contender.
"It's brick by brick and we've talked about that and the analogy that we used is that we've got some talented kids but right now they're not assembled,'' Filbeck said. "It's a pile of bricks, but we need to build a monument out of it. It takes organization, it takes everybody depending on each other and that brick by brick thing is literally becoming our thing, that we've got to organize all the talent and get it going in the right direction.
"We could be pretty good but we're not good right now. Just watching us against ourselves there's a lot of mistakes everywhere, but there's optimism because I see that we could be good.''
The Trojans have several returning standouts to build around this fall, starting with wide receiver/defensive back Jayden Norman, a 6-foot, 180 senior.
Norman received All-Centennial League first-team recognition and All-Shawnee County honorable mention last fall after catching 31 passes for 479 yards (15.45 average) and scoring four touchdowns. Norman was a second-team All-Centennial League pick as a sophomore and was a Second 22 All-Shawnee County selection, catching 61 passes for 879 yards and five touchdowns.
Other budding stars for the Trojans are junior receiver/defensive back Malicah Murph and senior linebacker Detrick Johnson.
Murph was in on 61 tackles last season while picking off six passes and scoring a pair of defensive touchdowns. Murph received All-Centennial League honorable mention on defense as a sophomore and received All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Also a track and field standout, Murph is a two-time all-county pick in that sport.
Johnson earned All-Centennial second-team defensive honors and All-Shawnee County honorable mention last fall after recording 48 tackles with two sacks and three forced fumbles. Johnson is also a standout wrestler for Topeka High, earning second-team All-Shawnee County recognition and qualifying for the Class 6A state tournament.
Also returning for High is senior running back Tevantee Ewing, who earned All-Centennial League and All-Shawnee County honorable mention in 2023 after carrying the ball 100 times for 315 yards and scoring four touchdowns.
Topeka High will open its season on the road at Wichita West on Sept. 6 before playing its home opener on Thursday, Sept. 12 against Wichita Heights at Hummer Sports Park.
TOPEKA HIGH
2024 football schedule
(Home games at Hummer Sports Park)
September -- 6 at Wichita West, 12 Wichita Heights, 20 at Wichita South, 27 at Emporia (Welch Stadium).
October -- 4 Washburn Rural, 11 at Junction City, 18 Manhattan, 25 at Pittsburg.
Next up: Topeka West.
