Top 8 FB player records basketball milestone

As far as the hardwood and gridiron go, Minneola senior Eli Lang has had no issue finding his footing on either over his four-year high school sports career. The All-State guard and quarterback has been an offensive boon in both sports, racking up 93 career touchdowns on the field, and as of this Tuesday, hitting the elusive 1,000 point milestone in his basketball career.

After solid numbers as a role player his freshman season, Lang began making a bigger impact as a sophomore, averaging 11.7 points with 4.1 assists, and 8.9 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game, and then as a junior year he again upped his numbers, this time to 16.1 points, seven assists, and 9.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 blocks per contest.

Now, as a senior, Lang is leading the 8-9 Wildcats with 16.6 points, 5.8 assists, 10.9 rebounds, 3.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks a night.

Despite the ability to light up a scoreboard, the senior's Swiss Army Knife-like set of skills make him a headache for opposing coaches to deal with, given his combination of ways to cut through a defense.

“Eli's biggest strength on offense I would say is his athletic ability and his passing vision,” head basketball coach James Temaat said. “He scores for us very well but he also passes the ball so well. He sees the court better than anyone I have coached.” 

Temaat praised Lang’s leadership and playmaking abilities on both sides of the ball, traits the young guard will need over the course of the team’s last three games of the season against ranked opponents Meade and La Crosse, as well as a scrappy Bucklin squad.

“We are excited for the challenge,” Temaat said. “We play in a very tough SPIAA league and every team from top to bottom plays hard and is well coached. I feel like we are getting better each day and hopefully we can continue that.”

The Wildcats are currently riding a three-game winning streak and have Friday off before traveling to Meade to take on the state-ranked Buffaloes in an SPIAA contest.

For more on Eli’s football season, read our Kansas Pregame 8-Man Top 8 article below.

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.

Since first stepping on the varsity field as a freshman, Eli Lang has been a centerpiece for both the Minneola offensive and defensive units. 

Immediately thrust onto the field at quarterback and defensive back, the frosh put together impressive seasons on both sides of the ball, going 45 of 89 for 612 yards and six TDs passing with just three interceptions, along with 917 rushing yards and 17 TDs on 137 carries offensively, and recording 37 tackles and two interceptions defensively.

Despite the impressive first year numbers, Minneola finished 4-5 after a first round playoff exit against Wheatland-Grinnell.

In his sophomore year, Lang was again impressive, going 50 of 95 passing for 740 yards and six TDs to six interceptions, with 177 carries for 1,561 rushing yards and 20 TDs, and adding another 42 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery.

Lang made All-League second team in the secondary during that sophomore campaign, but again, the Wildcats had their ups and downs on the way to a 4-4 mark in the wake of an eight point loss to Quinter in the first round of the playoffs.

From there, Minneola’s fortunes changed as Lang and his class became upperclassmen.

Offensively, Lang set multiple single season career highs as a passer, going 138 of 236 for 1,962 yards and 23 TDs to eight interceptions, while rushing for 954 yards and 23 TDs on 96 carries, earning first team All-League as a signal caller.

He also notched 42 tackles, two interceptions, two pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and forced two fumbles defensively and earned first team All-State as an at-large selection for those efforts.

Minneola went 8-2 on the year with a 6-0 mark in league play and a second round playoff appearance before they were knocked out by Victoria.

Going into Lang’s senior season, the team felt great about their offense, but wanted to see big steps forward from their defensive unit after giving up three TDs or more in all but three of their contests.

“I expect for us to have one of the toughest offenses in 8-Man,” Lang said. “Defensively, it’ll just take guys stepping up.”

Nobody took that to heart more than Lang himself, who recorded 62 tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a sack, and four interceptions defensively as the Wildcats held five teams to two TDs or less including two playoff opponents.

In terms of offense, Lang couldn’t have been more accurate. The Minneola offense averaged just over 58 points per game while their star QB shredded defenses with his dual-threat ability, completing 69 of 104 passes for 1,457 yards and 20 TDs to two interceptions, and adding another 97 carries for 1,280 yards and 26 TDs on the ground.

“Eli does a very good job with our offense, knowing everyone's assignment and where they need to be,” head coach Reigo Hahn said. “His athletic ability and his competitive drive really makes him effective at the QB spot.”

Lang was named first team All-State and All-League offensively to go with his Top 8 nod, as well as earning a KEMFA All-Star selection and a nomination for Sports in Kansas 8-Man II Offensive Player of the Year.

“He will be the first to say, his accomplishments are due to the dedication of his teammates,” Hahn said. “He has a good cast of student-athletes.”

Lang helped lead that cast all the way to the state quarterfinals before they were eventually knocked out by South Central, leaving the Wildcats at 10-1 for a special final season.

In spite of a high school football career during which he totaled nearly 10,000 total yards and 93 total TDs offensively, along with 183 tackles and nine interceptions defensively, Lang is more than just a football player.

Currently in the midst of basketball season, Lang is averaging 17.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.2 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game for the 4-5 Wildcats, and is also a dual-sport athlete in the spring, playing baseball and golf.

After graduation Lang is undecided on his plans, but says he is most likely to pursue baseball at the next level.