6-Man Top 6: Colton McCarty

In early January, Kansas Pregame contacted 6-Man football coaches in an effort to name a first ever Top 6 team of seniors in Kansas. The results are in and here are the Top 6 players in Kansas as voted on by the coaches. 

This is the second of six individual player profiles highlighting the Top 6 selections released in no particular order:

Colton McCarty, QB/RB/DB, 6-0, 190, Cheylin, Sr.

Cheylin senior Colton McCarty will leave behind a lasting legacy as arguably the best player in modern Kansas 6-Man football history. While the timeline of the modern Kansas 6-Man era is relatively short, having just rebooted in 2014 after an 11-year hiatus, McCarty’s career production and successes are impressive by any measure.

Over the course of his four-year varsity tenure, McCarty threw for 3,464 yards and 71 touchdowns with just nine total interceptions, ran for 6,386 yards with 111 touchdowns on 527 carries, caught 15 passes for 310 yards and seven touchdowns, and recorded 222 tackles, 20 tackles-for-loss, four sacks, seven interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), recovered seven fumbles (two returned for touchdowns), and forced five of them as well. 

Cheylin’s record with McCarty on the team was 28-8.

During both his junior and senior seasons, McCarty was awarded Kpreps.com Offensive MVP, was named 6-Man All-State first team quarterback and defensive back, was the Sports in Kansas Offensive Player Of the Year and was a candidate both years for SIK Defensive Player Of the Year. 

He now adds a spot on the first ever Kansas Pregame 6-Man Top 6 list as the leading vote-getter to go with his selection as the lone 6-Man player to play in this summer’s 8-Man All-Star game.

In addition to his role as an explosive playmaker, McCarty also created opportunities for others with his sheer presence.

“Colton's biggest impact on the field as a player this year, and throughout his whole career, has been his speed, athleticism, and ability to score from anywhere at any moment of the game, on offense or defense,” Cheylin coach Chris Walden said.  “Most teams that we play would scheme their entire defensive gameplan around figuring out how to stop him on offense. This would oftentimes lead to other players being able to have a big game, and most games, Colton would ruin a game plan for other teams just simply by being faster or making more plays than the defense could handle. On defense most teams would try to run away from him or make sure their best blocker was going to block Colton, which would most of the time free up some of our other players to step up and make big stops. His impact as a senior was no different this year than it was any other year.”

The speed and athleticism mentioned by Walden isn’t just field speed either. The 6-foot, 190 pound force of nature has clocked-in at a 4.56 second hand-timed 40-yard dash, a 4.18 pro agility drill, and a 9 feet, 2 inches in the standing broad jump. 

During his junior year, McCarty was 87 of 137 for 1,152 yards passing with 17 touchdowns to only two interceptions to go along with an eye-popping 2,162 yards rushing with 38 touchdowns on 182 carries, a 12.6 yards per carry average. His efforts would help carry Cheylin to a 9-1 record and a trip to the 6-Man Wild West Bowl Championship in Dodge City where they eventually fell to a talented Moscow Wildcats squad, 52-6.

McCarty’s senior season saw his numbers take a bit of a step back due in part to an increased workload by his talented teammates and an injury he played through during the 2020 6-Man Wild West Bowl. His value did not diminish, however, as McCarty would go 23 of 45 for 638 yards passing with 17 touchdowns and again only two interceptions. He added 1,833 yards rushing with 34 touchdowns on 121 carries, an astounding 15.1 yards per carry.

Unfortunately for opposing 6-Man teams, this won’t be the last they see of the McCarty name. A freshman and Colton’s younger brother, Logan McCarty steadily gained the trust of the team with his arm, before taking the reins behind center from Colton in the championship game, throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns on 21 of 26 passing. As you can imagine, Colton did not sit idly by, despite the pain he was playing through. 

As a receiver during his senior year, McCarty caught 11 passes for 226 yards and five touchdowns. The caveat to those numbers is five of those receptions, along with 102 yards and two touchdowns, came in the state title game in a gutsy performance.

“Early on in the state championship game, Colton suffered a pretty nasty ankle injury that severely limited his mobility and his ability to cut, sprint, and have his initial burst that makes him so dangerous,” Walden said. “Moscow did a great job of stuffing our run game and forcing us to have to throw the ball. We had been grooming Logan (McCarty) for that moment all year, where he had to step into the leading role on offense and play the QB position. We were unsure if Colton would be able to play much after his ankle injury, and when Logan came in as QB and led us to our first score by passing the football, we kind of stuck with that mentality and game plan for the rest of the game. Colton came back and continued to make a difference on the defensive side of the ball as well as being a blocking back and pass catcher for his brother. He wasn't going to sit out of the State Championship his senior year, but he was willing to sacrifice everything to try and help us win the game. That really just speaks volumes for what kind of player and person he is.”

Colton McCarty would take a Wild West Bowl victory and some payback against Moscow in a championship game rematch by defeating them 46-0. As high-level players will do, McCarty didn’t see much of an alternative to being the best team in the state during his final season.

When asked how sweet it was to go out on such a high note, McCarty responded, “Winning a state championship is the only way I imagined ending my high school career.” 

McCarty’s football career is yet to end as he has signed with the Bethel Threshers to continue his winning ways both in the classroom, where he currently maintains a 4.0 GPA and plans to major in Business, as well as on the gridiron.