Kansas Pregame 8-Man Top 8: Emmitt Jueneman

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 14th of those profiles below:

Emmitt Jueneman, WR/QB/RB/DB, 6-2, 185, Hanover, 8-Man Division II 

Since 2016, Hanover has put together one of the better half-decades of football in state history. Head coach Matt Heuer has long been leading the Wildcats to successful seasons, compiling a 167-31 record over 17 seasons, and winning six state titles.

Four of those titles, however, came between 2016 and 2020, when Hanover possessed a gratuitously loaded roster, with a number of those top players coming from the Class of 2021.

As a result, there was a tall task in keeping the victories coming, and much of the offensive production was to fall on senior Emmitt Jueneman.

“It was a little rocky at first, none of us having played with each other on a varsity level,” Jueneman said. “Obviously it’s extremely hard getting rid of guys like Colin and Jacob Jueneman, Jacob Klipp, Blake Hynek, and Tyler Bonser, but I think we started to click a lot more with each other midway through the season.”

The first three games of the season went fabulous for Hanover, winning each by comfortable margins and starting off unblemished. The next three games, however, were losses against Axtell, Osborne, and Frankfort - a brutally tough trifecta of games.

Jueneman, a long time receiver and defensive back, had his versatility put to the test.

“Early in the season he was doing a good job of creating some chemistry in the passing game with a new quarterback but as the season went on, with injuries and COVID issues, he found himself doing a lot more than just being a pass catcher as he was called on not only as more of a running back but also played a good chunk of the end as a dual-threat quarterback,” Heuer said. “He adjusted to it all well and was an extremely important piece to creating some stability on both sides of the ball when our lineup was anything but.”

After the three straight losses, Jueneman and the Wildcats worked their way out of the slump, winning their next three, including a rematch against Osborne they won 24-6 after being defeated 36-26 the first time around.

Jueneman’s numbers throughout the season reflected the diversity of what he was asked to do, rushing for 499 yards, passing for 289, receiving for 305, returning kicks and punts for 296, and even tacking on 25 interception return yards for 1,125 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns in 10 games.

“I think my greatest strength on the field is me running the ball in general,” Jueneman said. “I have really strong legs and can see the running lanes pretty well.”

Jueneman also recorded 57 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, recovered two fumbles, forced a fumble, and a pick-six on defense.

The Wildcats finished out the season 6-4, but have the consolation of two of those losses coming to eventual state champs Axtell, who defeated Hanover just 30-24 in Week 4, and 52-26 in the playoffs. The matchups were two of the three closest games Axtell played in 2021, with the six-point margin in the regular season the only game closer than 26 points all year for the incredibly dominant Eagles.

“Looking back on the season, I thought our younger guys did a good job of stepping up,” Jueneman said. “We had a few kids that were quarantined, plus we had a couple injuries. We asked a lot of our younger guys that really haven’t played before and I feel like they did a good job of stepping up into the spotlight.”

Jueneman went 40-6 in his high school football career and totaled 2,655 all-purpose yards with 162 tackles and seven interceptions. 

“Our success almost always ties back into the weight room,” Jueneman said. “The year prior we had our best attendance I believe ever, this year it wasn’t as good but it was still a good percentage. I also think we had a great group of seniors that were good leaders on and off the field.”

Jueneman is currently undecided on post-graduation plans at this time, but has a big season of basketball ahead of him. The reigning first team all-state senior is leading the defending state champion Wildcats, who are undefeated coming out of the break.

*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.