Park Hill South offensive lineman Braden Bartosh will be taking part in the 2020 National Combine next week at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. The event will be held Jan. 2-4 at the Alamodome.
The junior put himself on the recruiting circuit last spring after being named the MVP of the 810 Regional Combine held in Liberty. After that the 6-foot-4, 260-pound tackle took part in camps at Kansas and Nebraska, while he earned an invite to a camp at Notre Dame.
This past season, the all-conference pick took a visit to Kansas on Oct. 27. In a game earlier this year, Bartosh recorded seven pancake blocks against Class 6 semifinalist Raymore-Peculiar.
“It is kind of surreal, it is definitely really crazy,” Bartosh said of the early recruiting. “You know, I work really hard. I really don’t feel like I’m the biggest guy, but I definitely try my hardest.”
Bartosh didn’t play much as a sophomore due to health issues but became a stalwart for a Panthers team that averaged 35 points per game in division play in the Suburban Conference. There is a chance he will move to guard or center at the next level.
Contributed photo
Park Hill South’s Braden Bartosh, left, shown with Wayne Orr from 810 Varsity Combine, will attend the 2020 National Combine from Jan. 2-4.
He got a taste of D-I last year as he battled Etinosa Reuben, now at Clemson, before his season got cut short. Bartosh noted ‘ET’ pushed him and that made him better but there is still one moment he recalls: That was getting one pancake block against Reuben.
“That was definitely one of my proudest moments,” he said.
Haney leaves NIU, heads to GVSU
Park Hill product Devin Haney is leaving Division I Northern Illinois and will play at Division II Grand Valley State next fall.
Haney announced his plans to leave the DeKalb, Ill., school on Nov. 14. And a little more than a month later found a new school.
“I am 100 percent committed and locked into attending Grand Valley State University for the remainder of my college career,” he tweeted on Dec. 19.
Haney played in 10 games during his sophomore season for the Huskies. He is one of a handful of players leaving the program after a 5-7 season under a new coach.
Coach Thomas Hammock told the Northern Illinois college paper, the Northern Sun, he talked with Haney prior to the Toledo game. Haney played in that contest, a 31-28 win, but didn’t play in the final two regular season games.
Northern Illinois Athletics
Devin Haney (31) runs down the field during a game against Western Michigan in 2018. Haney transferred from Northern Illinois to Grand Valley State.
Haney had 23 tackles, one interception, one pass breakup and two pass defensed in 10 games — six starts — this fall.
Haney was an early enrollee for NIU, joining the team in January 2018. He played in 13 games his debut season and started in the Boca Raton Bowl for the Huskies.
Haney, who turns 20 on Jan. 21, was a three-time all-district pick and earned first-team all-Suburban Conference honors as a senior. He lettered all four years at Park Hill.
“I want to first and foremost thank God for all he has done for me and also blessing me with the opportunity of playing college football two years at a great university,” Haney wrote in a tweet when announcing he was leaving Northern Illinois. “After much prayer and numerous talks with my family, I have decided it is in my best interest to go ahead and enter the transfer portal as I will be moving on from NIU for my last two years of eligibility, and I have officially entered the transfer portal with the NCAA.”
Rod Carey, who recruited Haney, left for the Temple job following last season.
Moving on part II
Platte County product Brice Bertram is also looking for a change of scenery.
The William Jewell wide receiver tweeted last month that he entered the transfer portal and opening his recruitment.
“I’m thank for WJC for the opportunity to advance further into my academic and athletic career, but I am ready to explore my other options.”
He didn’t play this year as freshman for the Cardinals.
Bertram was a first-team all-conference and all-district performer for the Pirates in 2018. He had 70 catches for 990 yards and 14 touchdowns during his senior campaign.
His decision came at a time of transition for the Liberty school as coach Chuck Lliteras announced his plans to retire. Lliteras was named the interim coach four days after signing day led by former coach Shawn Weigel.
Bowl bound
Jake Springer will spend his New Year’s Eve in Memphis this year.
The junior from Park Hill South is a starting ‘striker’ at Navy, which plays Kansas State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl that will air at 3:45 p.m. on ESPN on Jan. 31.
Navy is 10-2 after ending the regular season with a 35-7 win against Army on Dec. 14 to regain the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 2015.
Springer has 65 tackles this year, recording a season-high 10 against Notre Dame on Nov. 16. He added 16 TFL, getting one in every game but the season opener, eight sacks, forced three fumbles, added seven quarterback hurries and two pass breakups
He is a 2017 graduate from Park Hill South, where he earned letters in football and track and field. He was a four-time all-conference, three-time all-district and earned all-state his senior season. Springer is an English major.
NOTES
Ryan Welty
Northwest Missouri State’s Ryan Welty is the nation’s active career leader in 3-point field goal percentage of all NCAA divisions. The Park Hill South graduate has made 51.1 percent of his 3s (202-for-395) as of Dec. 9. He leads Division II shooters by a more than two percent and is the tops in all NCAA levels by a closer margin, just ahead of Alex Jacovides of Suffolk, who has made 50.8 percent. … Park Hill soccer player Nick Bender and Platte County’s Kyle Bean were named to the state high school soccer coaches associations’ academic team. The team features only 32 players from all four classes with the criteria of excellence on the field, playing two years of varsity and then have to meet academic standards such as an ACT score of 29 or higher and an unweighted GPA of 4.0. There were 12 players from the Kansas City metro on the team.