KFBCA Top 11: Ted Skalsky

The Kansas Football Coaches Association picked their All-State teams December 5th and 6th, including their Top 11. Kansas Pregame is providing capsules for each of the Top 11 selections. Check out Olpe offensive lineman and linebacker Ted Skalsky's capsule below and check back for more capsules throughout the week.

Ted Skalsky, OL/LB, 6-1, 210, Olpe 

Olpe took home their second straight state title this past season after beating Inman 35-6 in the 1A championship game, finishing the season 12-0, and running their record to 24-0 over the last two seasons. Head coach Chris Schmidt - who also coached them to their first football state title game win in 2014 and served as the head coach during last March’s 1A-I basketball title win as well - employs a physical brand of football, and few have thrived within his system more than KFBCA all-state lineman and linebacker Ted Skalsky.

“As an offensive lineman, we played him at guard,” Schmidt said. “In our offense we pull our guards quite a bit. He's just a physical kid, he's a kid that has good feet, pretty good speed, and you know, when we pull him and he's trapping somebody, he's pretty good at angles and then we run our outside stuff when he's leading, he's usually going up against a safety or corner, or maybe an outside backer are coming, and you know we put him where we needed, he would move him, you know, and I think they got that point where some kids are like, ‘oh crap, here he comes.’”
 
While Skalsky earned praise for his play as an offensive lineman, the 6-1, 210 pound senior is also one of most productive linebackers in any classification in the state, racking up 102 tackles, 14.5 tackles-for-loss, and a pass deflection this fall after recording 127 tackles as a junior and more than 80 tackles as a sophomore.
 
Despite Skalsky being a borderline “unstoppable force” it wasn’t long ago that he was more of a “moveable object” going along for the ride.
 
“When he was a freshman, we called him the ‘catch man,’ because he would bring people down from a linebacker position, but they’d carry him four yards,” Schmidt said. “Yeah, he's not a catch man anymore. He's a guy that would meet you in the hole and take you back the other way. You know he got better at just staying on his feet and driving through the tackles, whereas when he was a young kid, he just held on for dear life. But again, just a high energy kid that we didn't have to get involved, he did it himself.”
 
To complement their defense, Olpe also had a talented offense helmed by 1A first team all-state quarterback Damon Redeker, who despite his obvious abilities, certainly enjoyed the benefits of a dominant Skalsky-led forward wall. 
 
“Being disciplined was a huge part in our success, everybody doing their job made the team successful,” Skalsky said. “I think also just the leadership that last year’s senior class and my senior class brought to the team, we knew our potential and it was our job to bring that potential out in us seniors and the underclassmen.”

Skalsky’s theory behind their success is hard to argue with, as the Eagles come off of their second consecutive state title. This season, they outscored playoff opponents by a combined 126-12, leaving no question about their place at the top of 1A.

“Just the feeling that all the work you have put in throughout high school is paying off with back-to-back state titles,” Skalsky said. “Which is something that not everybody can say they have accomplished, and the brotherhood that our team has gathered throughout the years really helped us get to where we wanted to be, which was holding that state title trophy at the end of the year.”

Skalsky is currently deciding on where he will play this fall from a list that includes DII and NAIA options, and plans to make that decision in January. For now he’s still enjoying the fruits of the labor he put in over the last four years.

“The moment that stands out to me is definitely the state championship game this year, knowing it would be my last time putting that Olpe uniform on was a very sad and happy time,” Skalsky said. “Riding home on the bus being escorted through Emporia and into Olpe, and seeing the Olpe community there cheering and congratulating us was a great experience to be a part of.”

Check out my senior season highlights! @CoachLinsey @CoachOmli @spedbraet @Coach_MitchumBC @CoachCash1 @Coach_SambolMNU @CoachTeeHarris @WesCoomes @KStateRecruits @CoachKoch_BC @bphenom17 @CoachSchwinn https://t.co/lveR09sCcX

— Ted Skalsky (@tedskalsky) December 6, 2021

The KFBCA Top 11 and All-State selections consist of seniors from the Class of 2022 nominated and voted on by members of the Kansas Football Coaches Association. For more info about the KFBCA find them online at www.kfbca.com.