Head coach: Dan Adelhardt—2nd season (0-9), 32nd overall (145-102)
Offense: Spread Defense: Multiple
Home: BG Sports Complex—El Dorado, Kansas
Last season: 0-9
Last playoff win: 2020 (def. Winfield, 46-14)
League: Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Division IV
Last league title: 1997 (Ark Valley League)
State titles: None.
2025 OUTLOOK
The El Dorado Wildcats enter 2025 determined to halt a 19-game losing streak and continue laying the groundwork for the future with one of the youngest rosters in the state.
Head coach Dan Adelhardt, in his second season at EHS, once again takes on the dual role of head coach and offensive coordinator, while Jason Nichols leads the defense. Adelhardt, now in his 32nd season overall with a career record of 145-102, knew the rebuild would be steep when he took over. The Wildcats finished 0-9 in 2024, including a playoff loss to Andover Central, and were outscored 437-64.
The roster features just two or three seniors total, leaving underclassmen to carry most of the playing time. It’s a continuation of a challenge that has defined this group for years: in 2021, their eighth-grade season was canceled due to low participation, creating a gap in development that still lingers.
“Having only two or three seniors, we’ll be considered young again,” Adelhardt said. “But the good news is many of these players were on the field last year, and that experience matters.”
Junior Daniel Bowlin will step in at quarterback after throwing for 42 yards in limited action last season. He takes over an offense that lost top contributors Beau Hall (transferred to Flinthills) and Max Olson (transferred to Andover Central).
To replace Hall’s playmaking production, the Wildcats will lean on Peyton Wight and sophomore Hunter Conrad. Wight, an honorable mention all-league safety and multi-sport athlete, is expected to play a larger offensive role this season, while Conrad gives Bowlin another developing option in the passing game.
Defensively, El Dorado returns several important pieces. DJ Mitchell anchors the line, while linebacker Maddox Soper provide toughness in the middle. Wight continues to headline the secondary with his range and athleticism, joined by Conrad as the Wildcats look to shore up coverage and create turnovers.
While the results have been difficult, Adelhardt sees a group that has grown through adversity. Many of the Wildcats’ young players gained varsity experience last season, and that maturity is expected to pay off in 2025.
For El Dorado, the rebuild remains a work in progress, but the foundation is being laid by a core of underclassmen eager to snap the skid and bring the Wildcats back to respectability.
2025 schedule
Sept. 5: vs. Andale
Sept. 12: at Clearwater
Sept. 19: vs. Collegiate
Sept. 26: at Rose Hill
Oct. 3: vs. Mulvane
Oct. 10: at Buhler
Oct. 17: at Abilene
Oct. 24: vs. Wellington
