As the 39th Annual Kansas 8-Man All-Star Games approach on Saturday, many area athletes are getting prepared to put on the pads one final time at the high school level. Mason Baker of Thunder Ridge High School is one player that has the luxury of moving on to the next level as he will play at Evangel University in Springfield, MO. However, based on our chats with him this week, he is excited to play at the 8-Man level again.
Baker has been a mainstay for Joel Struckhoff’s Longhorns over the past three seasons. In his four-year career, Thunder Ridge went 32-11 and over the past three seasons when he enjoyed more playing time, they were 27-7. After an 11-1 Sub-State runner-up finish in 2021 during Baker’s sophomore year, he was a key component in helping the Longhorns to an 11-2 record and State runner-up finish in 2022. As a junior, Baker ran for 688 yards and seven scores and added another 664 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving. On defense, he had 65 tackles and three interceptions.
With multiple seniors graduating, Baker took on the focal role of Thunder Ridge’s offense as at quarterback in his final season. He thrived with the ball in his hands, rushing for 1,925 yards and 30 touchdowns and going 83-123 for 986 yards with 11 touchdowns passing. He also put up 86 tackles and had three more interceptions on defense. He was also a 1st team all-state returner, adding 321 yards and two touchdowns on kickoff returns.
Thunder Ridge finished the season at 5-4 in 2023, but Baker was an example of the growth of a player in Struckhoff’s program. He noted what it was like to play for Struckhoff and also gave a special shoutout to a teammate that was selected but unable to play in Saturday’s game.
Catch Mason Baker and the West All-Stars in the Division II game at Trojan Field in Beloit on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. If you can’t make it to the games, you can listen on KD Country 94 locally and online at 8manallstars.com. Pregame coverage will begin at 1:00 on the 8-Man All-Star Game Radio Network.
