Sasse Steps Downs as Smith Center Football Coach

Sasse took over for Hall of Fame coach Roger Barta in 2013 and continued to have the program toward the top in the state of Kansas.  After Barta went 323-68 and won eight state championships, Sasse kept that standard for the Redmen as he amassed a 94-22 record in his ten seasons, leading Smith Center to three state championship game appearances and two state titles, winning 2-1A in 2017 and 1A in 2018.  The Redmen finished 12-1 in both of those seasons and also went 12-1 in 2019 with a 1A state runner-up finish.

Sasse's teams had a winning record all ten seasons he coached.  His team also made the playoffs nine out of ten seasons, only missing in 2014 with a 5-4 record.  Counting opening round games in the new playoff format over the past ten seasons, Sasse went 24-7 in the postseason.  He also put together a 37-10 record against Mid-Continent League opponents.  In what ended up his final season, Sasse led the Redmen to an 8-3 record, falling in the Sectional playoff to the eventual 1A state runner-up Inman in 2022.

At KD Country 94, Z 96.3 "The Lake" and nckssports.com, we were able to catch up with Sasse as he expanded on his decision to step aside now and talked about some of the relationships he was able to create.  For the audio, click on the story from KD Country 94 & Z 96.3 "The Lake" Sports below.

Sasse Steps Down (Article with audio)

KD Country 94 Special Interview

We will follow this story and keep up on who Sasse's eventual replacement will be.