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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Seaman had some very talented football players on its 2025 roster.
The most challenging part of the season was keeping that talent on the field, with Jared Swafford's fighting a rash of injuries throughout a 3-6 campaign.
Jared Swafford's Seaman Vikings will be looking to bounce back from a injury-riddled 2025 season this fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"It was tough, it was strange,'' Swafford said. "I think it was new for a lot of us, and you look at the things we were still able to accomplish, I was proud of the group we had last year.
"We look Basehor down to the wire and we had a lead with seven minutes to go in that ballgame and they ended up going and playing for a state title. So you weren't that far away even though the record was not what we had worked for.''
The good news is that the Vikings return a nucleus of players that picked up valuable varsity experience and are ready to hit the ground running this fall after a productive summer.
"This was our highest attended summer and I feel like we've said that over the last handful of years and it's not just blowing smoke, it's real,'' said Swafford, who is starting his sixth year at Seaman.
"This group as far as consistency and having 100-plus guys here, it's probably the best we've ever had. It was really good and it also helps when you have 20-plus seniors.''
Seaman graduated All-Shawnee County Top 22 linebacker Cameron Brian, Top 22 tight end Noah Kobuszewski and standout running back Kaden McKinney, who missed most of the season with an injury.
But the Vikings also have several frontline returners, including All-Shawnee County Second 22 senior receivers Coy Barta and Josh Brown and senior quarterback Cale Ketter, senior honorable mention linebacker Alex Huston, junior running back Quentin Moravec and standout offensive lineman Henry Reichert, a Washburn University commit.
Senior quarterback Cale Ketter (2) and junior running back Quentin Moravec (5) are top returners for Seaman this fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Ketter completed 136 of 231 pass attempts for 2,013 yards and 23 touchdowns in eight games, missing the Vikings' playoff game with an emergency appendectomy.
Barta caught 38 passes for 642 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior while Brown caught 40 passes for 627 yards and eight touchdowns.
Moravec, who took over for McKinney last fall, carried the ball 161 times for 879 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt while Huston was in on 106 tackles as a junior, including 61 solo stops.
"Last year was one of those years, but we have made a lot of changes and made a lot of adjustments, just focusing in on how we do things,'' Swafford said. "The coaches had an incredible offseason. I'm really, really proud of my staff and that shouldn't be overlooked. They put in the time, worked their tails off and did a lot of good things to make sure that we're ready for the chaos.
"Our focus is on us, our improvement and our team. What do we need to do to improve? If you look out here right now we've got 120-something guys and everybody is working, they're grinding, they're right into it. We've got a great thing going right now.''
Seaman will open the 2026 season on Sept. 4 with a United Kansas Conference game at De Soto, before hosting Basehor-Linwood in its home-opener on Sept. 11 and hosting city rival Shawnee Heights on Sept. 18.
SEAMAN
2026 football schedule
September -- 4 at De Soto, 11 Basehor-Linwood, 18 Shawnee Heights, 25 at Lansing.
October -- 2 KC-Turner, 9 at Leavenworth, 16 at Spring Hill, 23 Piper.
Next up: Shawnee Heights.
