Kansas Pregame 8-Man Top 8: Jonathan Mader

Kansas Pregame polled 8-Man coaches earlier this month who voted for the top four seniors they coached against this season. Kansas Pregame staffers then used those votes to develop a Top 8 list of seniors for each division. Check out another Top 8 capsule below, and find the complete list of Top 8 selections, and the honorable mention list, here for 8-Man I and here for 8-Man II.

After sparse playing time as a freshman, Hoxie’s Jonathan Mader started his varsity football career as a sophomore, and from there built a reputation as one of the best defensive players in 8-Man football.

“When Jon started out as a freshman he was raw, didn't know the game very well and really fell in love with the weight room and gained valuable experience as a sophomore,” Hoxie head coach Lance Baar said. “He is a kid that puts in more work outside of the weight room than a lot of kids do in the weight room. So his work ethic has always been great.”

The sophomore played in seven games that season and managed 41 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, a QB hurry, and a forced fumble.

Hoxie lost four games that season, one to an 8-2 Trego team, two against 10-2 Hill City, and one against 6-3 Wichita County - who they later beat in the first round of the playoffs. After a rematch in the second round of the playoffs against the Ringnecks ended their season, Hoxie finished 6-4.

Mader saw a major leap in production in what would be a dominant junior campaign, recording 114 tackles, 17 tackles-for-loss, eight sacks, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries.

He was also a key component on the offensive line, helping clear the way for a strong Hoxie attack that produced over 3,000 yards of total offense in 10 games.

“Jonathan has a wide range of abilities, and in a football player it is something that is rare in a high school student,” coach Baar said. “He is a good sized kid, with great speed, and great strength. It is not very often you have size, strength, and speed in the same kid. So the combination of those skills set Jonathan apart.” 

Hoxie improved their record to 7-3 with a loss to Rawlins County and two against that year’s state champs, Wichita County, who knocked them out in the second round of the playoffs.

For his efforts, Mader earned All-State and All-League honors, and was on multiple lists of top players to watch going into the 2023 season.

As a senior, Mader made the move from playing guard on the offensive line to a fullback and H-back role in the offensive backfield.

“He is very fast and we felt he was more productive for our offense at fullback,” Baar said. “With his athleticism we had to find ways he could get the ball rather than having him on the line.”

Mader proceeded to rush 37 times for 316 yards and five TDs, along with 18 receptions for 276 yards and seven more scores.

Defensively Mader’s numbers dropped a bit, but not due to lack of effectiveness.

“We had a more athletic nose guard in Easton Nickelson this year,” Baar said. “He was our leader in tackles. I think that is the main reason we had better production at nose. Jon was still by far our best defensive player and in my opinion, the best linebacker in 8-Man.”

While Nickelson led the team in tackles with 92, Mader was second and recorded 70 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss, two sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble.

“Jonathan was an all around linebacker for us on defense,” Baar said. “He can read and react very well, he got home when blitzing, and was our best linebacker in coverage. So no matter what we faced defensively, Jon was definitely part of our answer.” 

Hoxie ended up going 9-2 on the season, losing to Wichita County in Week 3, and then again in a state quarterfinal thriller that ended 44-42 in favor of Ell-Saline. 

The Indians shutout five of their opponents, while holding all but four of them to six points or less.

Along with his Top 8 selection, Mader was named first team All-State by multiple outlets and also received an invite to play in the 39th annual KEMFA All-Star game.

Mader is still undecided on what his post-grad plans are, but is considering either football or track at the next level.

“Jon was one of the best leaders by example,” Baar said. “He is not overly outspoken but he did things the right way. He led by example and set a great example for everyone on the team.”