The 37th Annual Kansas 8-Man All-Star Games are inching closer as 80 of the top high school seniors in the state are set to play on Saturday at Trojan Field in Beloit. All of the KD Country 94 area athletes are playing on the DII East squad. Included in that are Mason Schurr and Dayton Lantz from Osborne High School.
Playing in a tradition rich program can clearly bring added pressure to young men. After winning a State title in 8-Man DII in 2019, Osborne slipped a bit with a young team in 2020, going 4-5. Schurr and Lantz, among others, were instrumental in helping the Bulldogs get back on the winning side in 2021, as they finished with a 6-3 record.
Schurr has been a factor for the Bulldogs since his first high school season in 2018. Over his four-year career, he ran for 3,344 yards and 50 TD, averaging 7.8 yards per carry and amassing 4,556 all-purpose yards. He was also outstanding and maybe a bit underappreciated for his defensive prowess, registering 270 total tackles with seven interceptions and four fumble recoveries in his career. During his senior season, Schurr was limited due to injury. He finished the year with 615 yards on 64 carries, good for a 9.6 ypc average and he added 11 rushing touchdowns. Despite the limited time, he was named a first team all-state athlete and returner and first team all-league and all-district running back. Schurr leaves Osborne with some great memories.
Dayton Lantz has been right beside Schurr all the way through in high school sports. On the football field, Lantz was a jack of all trades in his final season. He played multiple positions from the line to the backfield and virtually everywhere in between. In his first season spending time as a true skill player, he ran for 477 yards and five touchdowns. On defense, he had 31 tackles with two for loss. Lantz was an honorable mention all-league and all-district running back after being an honorable mention selection on the offensive line as a junior. He touched upon the fact that he had to learn multiple positions in his time with the Bulldogs.
Lantz and Schurr carry on a very long tradition of 8-Man All-Stars from Osborne High School. In 12 seasons since joining the 8-Man ranks in 2010, the two players are the 22nd and 23rd in the program’s history picked to play in the event. They get their final chance to represent the Bulldogs this Saturday as they play for the DII East in the afternoon game. Kickoff is set for 1:30 with pregame coverage at 1:00 on KD Country 94 and the Kansas 8-Man All-Star Radio Network at http://www.8manallstars.com.
