Last Season: 6-4
Buhler comes off a 6-4 season and first place in league play, and Steve Warner believes the Crusaders should be very good offensively despite a demanding 2026 schedule. Warner said the program’s goal every year is to win a state championship, but that staying healthy will be critical given early matchups with Maize South, Mulvane, Great Bend, McPherson and Wellington.
The offense returns a strong group around quarterback Asher Zachary, including Nixon Standlee, John Aldrich, Jax Pratt, Asher McConnaughy, Landon Martinez, Kolbi McCarty and Gabe Edmund. Warner specifically pointed to the offense as a likely strength, and the roster includes multiple returning linemen with all-league or all-state recognition plus experienced skill talent.
Defensively, the file is slightly inconsistent about the total number of returning starters, but it clearly identifies Jacob Burklow, Noah Hays, Layne Burkhart, Jax Pratt, Dylan Scripsick and Garrett Gleason among the returning pieces. Buhler appears to have enough talent to contend again, especially if it quickly finds the right defensive combinations around an offense that should already be ahead.
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