Kansas Pregame 6-Man Top 6: Landen McPhail and Kale Harris

Kansas Pregame polled 6-Man coaches who voted for the top three seniors they coached against this season. Kansas Pregame staffers then used those votes to develop a Top 6 list of seniors in the classification. Check out a Top 6 capsule below, and find the complete list of Top 6 selections here, along with the honorable mention list. For a look back at the Top 8 lists click here for 8-Man I and here for 8-Man II.

For fans of football who harbor unfair expectations toward the program in their community, Ashland is proof of how hard it truly is to win a state title. The program has been top tier since switching to 6-Man in 2018 under head coach Ben Fox - going 44-11 since that change - but still has not quite been able to capture gold.

Despite not winning it all, Ashland, and their current group of seniors, have seen far more success on the gridiron than most student-athletes could dream of, and leading the way for that senior group are Landen McPhail and Kale Harris, who have been focal points on the Blue Jays roster since first tying on their cleats as freshmen.

Although multiple games were canceled due to COVID in that 2020 season, Ashland found their flow early on with the freshman duo, going 4-1 with their lone loss coming in the playoffs against Golden Plains in the first round.

McPhail had grabbed the reins as his team’s signal caller, a challenge for any frosh.

“Landen was undersized, but could do what we asked,” Fox said. “Started as QB on offense as a freshman, learned the ins-and-outs of the offense and slowly transitioned each year to fewer snaps under-center and more carries.” 

McPhail was 11 of 21 passing for 205 yards and four TDs with no interceptions in that freshman season, carried the ball 33 times for 399 yards and seven TDs, and also caught five passes for 87 yards and two more TDs - keep in mind, through only five games.

The freshman also recorded 47 tackles, two interceptions, three pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and four forced fumbles as a sideline-to-sideline defender.

Harris, despite showing major promise, suffered an injury early on in his freshman season that plagued him throughout his underclassman years.

“Kale was ready to go as a freshman,” Fox said. “Started at fullback and running back, as well as linebacker. We hadn't seen a freshman with such a knack for being physical and getting their nose on the ball since Luke Reimer, before his move to Nebraska. We didn’t get to see where he was at the end of his freshman year. An unlucky streak cut his first two years short.”

For context, Reimer just wrapped up his senior season as a decorated linebacker for the Big Ten’s Nebraska Cornhuskers.

In the three games Harris got to play as a freshman, he rushed 21 times for 233 yards and five TDs, caught five passes for 89 yards and another TD, and defensively recorded 12 tackles, an interception, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble.

Sophomore season saw more frustration for Harris individually as he continued to deal with that knee injury. He again played in only three games, this time rushing 40 times for 235 yards and four TDs, along with two receptions for 58 yards and a TD.

With Harris out a majority of the year, McPhail and the Blue Jays still found success, going 8-2 with their first loss coming against fellow 6-Man powerhouse Cunningham, and their second in the playoff semifinals where they lost to Natoma, that year’s state champ.

Ashland ended up finishing third in the classification after defeating Northern Valley in the consolation game 39-38 - a contest no longer played since KSHSAA officially sanctioned 6-Man football in 2022.

McPhail was 17 of 26 for 150 yards and a TD with his arm, but by this point had shifted heavily to using his legs, with 91 carries for 700 yards and 15 TDs, while adding 24 receptions for 324 yards and four TDs as a pass catcher.

Defensively, he recorded 89 tackles, 13 tackles-for-loss, 12 QB hurries, four pass deflections, and seven forced fumbles. 

As the duo entered their upperclassmen years, more success followed.

McPhail continued to develop, becoming a quiet leader and a more dynamic threat on the field than ever. 

“Landen got thrown to the dawgs as an undersized freshman,” Fox said. “A young leader in summer-training attendance, (he) saw how his older cousin and brother - Kash and Hayden - led by holding their teammates accountable. He asked for play-book quizzes and weekly scout quizzes for the team to make clear who wasn’t preparing mentally. ‘Family doesn’t get a pass, buddies on the team don’t get a pass, you better know and do your job!’ is what Landen exuded without saying too much. He became a Swiss-Army knife on offense. He liked to use his break-away speed, but could pound ahead for small gains, and could catch about anything he could get his hands on. Defensively, we sent him to chase the most-athletic opposing players.”

McPhail was 22 for 33 as a passer with 402 yards and six TDs, carried the ball 118 times for 1,232 yards and 24 TDs, and caught 23 passes for 531 yards and nine TDs offensively, along with 60 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, 11 pass deflections, 11 QB hurries, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles on defense. The junior also went 33 of 51 on two points conversion kicks.

Harris, meanwhile, finally had the opportunity to play a full season, though at times was still playing through injuries. Offensively, Harris rushed for 1,116 yards and 21 TDs on 111 carries, had 298 receiving yards and seven TDs on 17 receptions, and threw two passing TDs. At linebacker, he was a monster, recording 104 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, two QB hurries, eight pass deflections, an interception, two forced fumble, and three blocked kicks.

The Blue Jays lost to only one team all season, Cunningham in the season opener in a 38-30 dogfight, and then again in the state championship 38-16. Both contests were by far the closest Cunningham faced all year, and between those two games Ashland won all nine matchups with their closest contest being a Week 3 50-28 win over Cheylin.

In that title game, the Blue Jays were forced to play with Harris at less than his usual capacity.

“If there's ever been a poster-boy for how to handle one’s self in the face of trying times it is Kale,” Fox said. “He lives and breathes football but had his freshman and sophomore seasons shortened due to non-contact knee-ligament tears. He played through an injured lower leg in the state championship game as a junior and it ate at him he couldn’t play at 100%. He was stoic through it all and always showed up to practice to do what he could from the sideline.”

After the season, Harris earned first team All-State at running back, while McPhail earned the same honors as a “flex” on the defensive side of the ball. 

Entering their senior seasons, Ashland was again expected to compete for a state title, and followed that with another great season.

The Blue Jays kicked off the season with payback against Cunningham, beating the still talented defending state champs 32-22 in the opener, before going on to a 9-2 record, again, with both losses coming to the eventual 2023 state champs.

In Week 3, Cheylin gave the Blue Jays their only regular season loss in convincing fashion, 62-32, and then again in the state semifinals 66-27 after Ashland went on a seven game tear that included 80-12 and 50-38 wins in second and third round playoff victories after a first round bye.

Again, the Blue Jays’ effort against the state champs resulted in their closest contests of the year, with Cheylin going on to beat Cunningham 57-8 in the state final.

McPhail and Harris were again the tip of the spear for the Blue Jays all year long.

The former was a major running threat out of the backfield, leading the team with 1,190 yards and 22 TDs on 112 carries, while also throwing for 211 yards and two TDs on 18 of 28 passing, and catching 18 passes for 333 yards and seven TDs. On the other side of the ball, he had 57 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss, 32 QB hurries, three pass deflections, an interception, and a forced fumble. McPhail was also, again, a key special teams weapon going 37 of 57 on two point conversion kicks.

Harris put together another great season himself, but often took on the less “glorious” roles.

“His senior year he took the grunt work for his teammates so the team could be at its best,” Fox said. “Kale’s physical stature has been a positive influence for his teammates and younger students at school to work hard to create a multi-sport athletic body. With six Kales on the field, a coach could run anything and win.”

Harris still was second on the team rushing with 455 yards and eight TDs, along with 15 receptions for 290 yards and seven more scores, while defensively he tacked on 58 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, three QB hurries, two forced fumbles, and a blocked kick.

Along with their Top 6 honors, the two Blue Jays both earned All-State, McPhail on offense and as a specialist, and Harris at linebacker.

Over their four seasons, McPhail and Harris helped the Blue Jays to a 30-7 record with two finishes in the top four and one as the state runner-up including losing only to teams that won state championships in their final two seasons.

After his graduation, Harris plans to attend Kansas State and major in Agricultural Business, but will not soon be forgotten by his team, or opponents.

“I’d call him self-made,” Fox said. “He wasn’t content with just a good frame and athleticism. He worked tirelessly to put on speed and muscle through multiple difficult rehabs of a knee. You could just count on him. He was going to fight off - or through - blocks and get to every tackle. He would either carry the ball, lead block, or serve as a decoy taking multiple defenders off teammates. We snuck under the radar a few years because his season stats were shrunk because of missed-games, but by the end I think the whole West and the major players in the East knew who he was.”

McPhail also plans to further his education and will attend the Missouri Welding Institute for master pipe-welding and fitting.

“A third generation Bluejay, gifted but humble, “Fox said. “The result of being raised competing in the back yard or on the playground with older brother and cousins. Getting early playing-time in junior high and as a freshman accelerated his growth again. A competitor and playmaker. His continual performance to be a top-of-the-state golfer goes to show the youth that a diverse athletic background can make you a stud.”