08/31/2026
ALTOONA-MIDWAY USD 387 August 28, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Craig Null
[email protected]
Young AMHS Jet gridders under new leadership
BUFFALO – When the Altoona-Midway High School football team opens its 2026 grid season Thursday, Sept. 3 at Chetopa, seven of the 11 players on the Jets roster will be getting their first
taste of high school football.
Making his debut as head coach of the Jets this season will be Sean Price, who brings three and a half decades of coaching experience with him to AMHS. But strange as it may sound, in some ways the experienced mentor will be learning right along with his players, since it is his inaugural campaign coaching 6-Man football. Price enters his 35 th year in the coaching profession, with 22 of those seasons as a head coach.
Included in his resume is a very successful five-year stint at Chetopa when the Hornets played 8-man football.
“Coaching 6-man is definitely a learning curve, but I’m starting to figure it out,” Price smiled.
“I watched a game a few years ago and I officiated a 6-man game last year. I will tell you this – 8-man is a lot closer to 11-man football than 6-man is to 8-man. “But I’m excited to get the season under way, and so are the boys.”
The Jets will definitely need to rely on excitement and enthusiasm. Six players on the 11-man squad are freshman, and not a single senior athlete dots the AMHS roster.
“Despite our inexperience, practice has gone very well so far,” Price noted. “I am very happy with the leadership shown by our returnees, and the young players are eager to learn.”
In addition to going heavy on conditioning and fundamentals, the early practices have also been a classroom for the Jets, as Price is trying to install a no-huddle, spread offense to go along with
a 25 defense. “I’m proud of these young men,” Price said. “The kids are picking everything up very quickly. There is definitely a lot to learn, but they have been great about asking questions and learning from their mistakes.”
Although the Jets are young, they do have some experience to lean on with four returning lettermen: Junior Chance Carter and sophomores Zach Good, Caden Sicka, and Karter Letterman.
Carter earned 6-Man District 1 postseason honors a year ago, as he was tabbed as a second-team All-District choice on offense at running back and honorable mention on the defensive line.
Carter rushed 39 times for 158 yards during the Jets’ abbreviated season in 2025 while catching three passes for 20 yards and a touchdown. He also recorded 26 tackles.
As freshmen a year ago, Sicka gained valuable experience as a quarterback and defensive end, while Good made major contributions both on defense and as a receiver. Meanwhile, Letterman was a mainstay as a lineman on both sides of the ball.
The returning lettermen have all been great thus far in helping lead our young kids,” Price said.
“Karter is our center and will get time at defensive end. Caden will probably be a tight end this year and he is a really good defensive end. Zach is an amazing young athlete and is very
explosive and will play both receiver and running back on offense and will be our free safety as well. Chance is penciled in as our middle linebacker and H-back and will play running back as
well.” Making his grid debut with this year’s AMHS squad is Chance Mustain, a lanky 6-4 junior athlete who played varsity basketball for the Jets the past two seasons. Mustain has the potential to provide immediate impact as a wide receiver.
“Chance Mustain is a first-year player and I’m really glad he’s giving football a try,” Price said. “I saw Chance play basketball last year and knew I needed him to be a part of this team.”
Rounding out the Altoona-Midway roster are six energetic freshmen: Beau Clines, Broghan Douglas, Colton Fairbanks, Payton Baird, Hunter Reaves, and Hyden Buchanan.
“Beau Clines has really showed us a lot in practice thus far,” Price exclaimed. “It is very likely he will be our quarterback and also play cornerback. He is a very solid young man. "All of the freshmen are picking things up really well,” the coach continued. “Hyden Buchanan and Payton Baird both play tight end and defensive end and are going to be great players.
Broghan Douglas has been great at volunteering for anything to help the team and is a very good athlete.
“I doubt we will play any team than is younger than we are,” Price noted. “But I like how hungry we are.”
Dustin Houchin is returning for his second year as the Jets’ assistant football coach.
One bright sign during the early practices has been the fact 11 players are out for the team. Last year’s squad posted a 1-4 record on the field, but AMHS had to forfeit their final two regular- season games when injuries hit their already shorthanded lineup.
“As soon as I accepted this job, I started recruiting the hallways to get the kids excited about football,” Price said. “Building relationships is crucial in teaching and coaching to get kids to
try something new.” As has been the case for all of the high schools in Kansas, Altoona-Midway gridders have had
to deal with several days of excessive heat during the early-season practices. “There were a few days the first week when we had early-morning practices, and that was the definitely the right decision,” Price said. “But really, we haven’t had any problems due to the weather. We’ve made sure the kids constantly stay hydrated, and we have been smart about when to go hard, and when to just teach. The heat hasn’t caused any added problems.”
The AMHS gridders are scheduled to play a seven-game slate prior to regional action. In addition to a home-and-away series against Chetopa, the Jets are slated for home contests
against Marais Des Cygnes Valley and Elyria-Christian, as well as road trips against Centre, Peabody, and Southern Coffey County.
Three of the Jets’ seven games are slated to be played on Thursdays this season.
ALTOONA-MIDWAY FOOTBALL 2026
Sept. 3 – at Chetopa
Sept. 11 – Marais des Cygnes Valley (HOME)
Sept. 17 – at Centre HS (Lost Springs)
Sept. 24 – Chetopa (HOME)
Oct. 2 – at Peabody-Burns
Oct. 9 – Elyria-Christian (HOME)
Oct. 16 – at Southern Coffey County
Oct. 23 – Open
TBA – Regionals
