Head coach: Logan Clothier—9th season overall (23-50)
Offense: Spread Defense: 4-2-5
Home: CHS Field—Towanda, Kansas
Last season: 3-6, lost to Winfield (35-20) 4A playoffs
Last playoff win: 2021 (def. Field Kindley, 34-6)
League: Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Division III
Last league title: 1980 (Chisholm Trail League)
State titles: None.
2025 OUTLOOK
The Circle Thunderbirds believe experience can spark a turnaround in 2025. With 23 lettermen back, including nine starters on offense and eight on defense, head coach Logan Clothier enters his ninth season with one of the deepest rosters of his tenure.
Circle finished 3-6 a year ago and fell in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs, but the record doesn’t tell the full story. The Thunderbirds were just a handful of plays away from a winning season. Close losses highlighted both their potential and their inexperience. Now, with many of those same players returning, the hope is that trial by fire will mold them into a playoff team this fall.
“Our goal is to continue to build off of last season,” Clothier said. “We want to embrace the process in all that we do and focus on being 1-0 each week.”
One of the biggest questions will be how Circle replaces standout running back Westin Rose, who graduated after rushing for 914 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. His production was the centerpiece of the offense, and filling that void will require a committee approach.
The Thunderbirds do have stability under center with senior quarterback Mason Stobart, who threw for 1,511 yards and 13 touchdowns. Stobart gives Circle experience at the game’s most important position and will have a talented receiving corps at his disposal. Seniors Bodie Janzen, Jay Bonewitz, and Dominic Sawyer are proven weapons, while junior Rocky Cosby adds size and depth. Sawyer, who caught 24 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns, headlines the group.
The offensive line should be a strength, anchored by seniors Easton Beardsley, Cooper McGaha, and Diego Gamboa, along with junior Canyon Anderson. Their experience in the spread system will be vital to keeping Stobart upright and opening lanes for the run game.
Defensively, sophomore Aymon Oliver emerged as the team’s top tackler with 60 stops last season and returns to lead the linebacker corps. Up front, senior Caderik Korkki and McGaha bring power and discipline on the line. The secondary features both experience and playmaking ability with Jason Smith (3 interceptions as a freshman), Sawyer, Janzen, and senior Gabe Duncan all back.
With a senior quarterback, an experienced line, and a defense that returns nearly intact, Circle believes the lessons of 2024 can turn into wins in 2025.
2025 schedule
Sept. 5: at Coffeyville-Field Kindley
Sept. 12: vs. McPherson
Sept. 19: at Mulvane
Sept. 26: vs. Buhler
Oct. 3: vs. Winfield
Oct. 10: at Rose Hill
Oct. 17: vs. Fort Scott
Oct. 24: at Augusta
