Image courtesy of Reed Sauber

When Ryan Krajicek took over as Sacred Heart’s head football coach in 2024, his top priority above all else was to provide the Knights with a much-needed sense of stability.

“I was the fourth head coach in four years, so that’s four different offenses, four different defenses and just things like program rules, expectations and all those coaching styles,” Krajicek said. “A lot of the program was in flux every single year.”

That stability already paid dividends last season when the Knights went 5-4, their first winning record in 12 years.

Head coach Ryan Krajicek

“When I took over in ’24, and then just keeping that same system and vernacular into my second year, I think that helped a ton,” said Krajicek, whose Knights open their 2026 season Friday at Valley Heights. “We were able to pick up where we left off instead of having to start from scratch once again.”

“We had a great group of seniors that stuck with the program, but I think my staff and I were able to deliver more. I think just the stability of a staff sticking together and the kids’ work in the weight room was a huge difference-maker.”

The fact that Krajicek had been around the program as an assistant since 2020 no doubt helped ease the transition.

“I knew the kids well, and the kids knew me well,” Krajicek said. “Having Carl Hines, who also was a previous assistant and having him stick around and help me coach, that helped a lot, too.”

Hines stepped down as girls basketball coach after leading Sacred Heart to a state title in March, but he continues to teach at the school and will help with football during the week. But with his son, Noah, transferring to Salina South he will spend Friday nights watching the Cougars.

“Even though he won’t be with us on Fridays, his experience and his approach, and our chemistry, plus his relationship with the players, that’s something I really wanted to keep,” Krajicek said.

Adding to the continuity is a wealth of returning talent. The Knights bring back six starters on offense and eight on defense from a team that last year was close to an even bigger breakout year.

They took a five-game winning streak into their district finale before dropping an 8-0 decision to Republic County, and then bowed out of the playoffs with a 20-12 loss to Marion.

“I was happy (with the overall season), but it was a little bittersweet,” Krajicek said of the way it ended.

But last year’s modest success already has served as a springboard into this season, at least on the practice field.

“I told the players that our first week of practice might have been my best first week of practice in my young coaching career,” Krajicek said. “The kids retained a lot from camp, just little things like lining up in the right formation or the routes and clocking schemes.”

“We had to do very little correction.”

The Knights bring back several key players on offense, including senior third-year starter Maddox Wells at quarterback. Wells passed for 1,493 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 313 and three more scores.

“He started the last two years, so that’s 18 games now,” Krajicek said of Wells, who also starts at cornerback on defense. “He played quite a bit as a freshman also.”

“He has over 3,000 yards and something like 35 touchdown passes in his career, and he’s very accurate. He’s also absolutely a running threat, and if we were like a triple option team and fed him the ball, he could be a 1,000-yard rusher.”

The Knights did lose leading rusher Elias Gordon and top receiver Noah Hines, but return a versatile back in senior Dom Matteucci, who rushed for 358 yards and four touchdowns plus caught 28 passes for another 394 yards and four scores. Junior Gabriel Aguayo also returns in the backfield, while sophomore Kolin Wilson and junior Maddox Ontiveros are the leading candidates to step in at wide receiver.

The offensive line returns seniors Zach Hernandez and Jonah Kaumans, along with sophomore Landon Pfeifer, though Kaumans likely will move to tight end.

“In my three years as head coach, this is the most depth we’ve had on the offensive line,” Krajicek said.

The returning starters on defense are Wells and Luis Hernandez at corner, Matteucci at free safety, Zach Hernandez, Aguayo and Cruz Carrico at linebacker, with Ontiveros and Kaumans on the line.

“We have a lot of veterans in the secondary,” Krajicek said. “And then our defensive line, they’re young but we have depth there, which is great.”

Since Krajicek took over in 2024, Sacred Heart’s roster has grown to 30 players, but the Knights remain one of the smaller 11-man programs in Class 1A. Remaining healthy is critical against another challenging schedule.

“You can always have more, but I’m pretty happy with our depth,” Krajicek said. “We don’t have any game on the schedule that’s a gimme, and there’s only one team that didn’t have a winning record, I believe.”

SACRED HEART FOOTBALL 2026 SCHEDULE

Sept. 4 — at Valley Heights

Sept. 11 — at Ellsworth

Sept. 18 — Lyons

Sept. 25 — Republic County

Oct. 2 — at Smith Center

Oct. 9 — Hutchinson Trinity

Oct. 16 — Plainville

Oct. 23 — at Thomas More Prep-Marian