Kansas Pregame 8-Man Top 8: Grant Schoenrock

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. Kansas Pregame will provide features for each of the 16 Top 8 selections. Check out the sixth of those profiles below:

Grant Schoenrock, QB/LB/ATH, 6-0, 180, Victoria, 8-Man Division I

Grant Schoenrock was a force to be reckoned with defensively for his Victoria squad in 2021. The senior helped lead the Knights to an 11-2 record, with their first loss coming in Week 3 against a talented Division I WaKeeney-Trego team 42-40 and then not again until the state semifinals, when they were knocked out 42-30 against Wheatland-Grinnell.

Schoenrock totaled 135 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, two sacks, seven forced fumbles, and two fumbles recovered, returning one for a touchdown.

"Defensively, Grant is a smart, heady guy that works to put himself in the best possible position to help our team be successful,” head coach Doug Oberle said. “He tackles well, while attacking the football."

While Schoenrock’s calling card was defense, he was no slouch on the other side of the ball, rushing for 654 yards and 18 touchdowns on 86 attempts, along with 386 passing yards and seven touchdowns, even after making the move from quarterback to other spots in the backfield after an early season thumb injury.

The Knights offense and defense both relied heavily on Schoenrock’s contributions, but it was his steady presence and hard work that his coach felt was his best asset.

"He shows up everyday on time, whether it is during season or out of season,” Oberle said. “He doesn't have excuses, he works extremely hard no matter the day or task, weight room or practice field."

Schoenrock has an understanding of how valuable extra effort can be not just for him, but those around him.

“I think work ethic is a very important thing to have because I think it rubs off on others and that’s when something great happens,” Shoenrock said.

Oberle also went on to praise Schoenrock’s punctuality and ability to lead by example, but was most impressed with his all-state linebacker’s mastery of what he calls “a lost attribute”

"Grant’s biggest attribute is, he takes coaching."

Schoenrock is still weighing his college football options, but his intended field of study will help him continue to assist other athletes in the future as an Athletic Trainer.

*Editor's Note: Kansas Pregame has opted to include only seniors in our Top 8 list in an effort to reward them for their success in high school. This year, especially in Division II, there were a number of top players who were juniors. Axtell's Isaac Detweiler, Wheatland-Grinnell's Jett Vincent and Thunder Ridge's Dylan Bice are just a few of those likely among the Top 8 players in the classification. Fortunately, multiple other outlets have recognized those athletes for their contributions this season and Kansas Pregame will consider each of them for feature coverage in our 2022 Football Preview along with the many other top returning players from across the state.