Rise Up: An Incredible 8-man Football Season During America's Pandemic

Rise Up: An Incredible 8-man Football Season During America's Pandemic Stephanie Prince Young moved to Little River in 2011 from Port Charlotte, Florida, and fell in love with the close-knit small community.

Stephanie Prince Young of Little River, Kan., is the author of "Rise Up: An Incredible 8-man Football Season During America's Pandemic (And the Century of Sports Legacy Behind it)." Once her son started playing football in the 8th grade (2019), she began to fall in love with the game as well. After watching the incredible challenges Covid-19 brought about in 2020 – which the football team fought all season – she felt called to write this book and document what happened. But no tale about Little River is complete without laying out its long-standing athletic tradition as well. Stephanie works as a para-educator, though she spent more than a decade in the journalism field and has never stopped writing. She lives on the edge of town with her husband, Jason (the reason she moved from Florida), and has sent that 8th grade football player off to college to run cross-country and track. Most of all, she thanks God for the willingness of those who helped with this book, the ability to research and write it, and the gift of wonderful coaches called by Him to influence young lives.

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Up-Incredible-Football-Americas/dp/B0DLGYS21B/ref=sr_1_1?crid=17HX6GIZD85JI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9...
07/22/2025

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Up-Incredible-Football-Americas/dp/B0DLGYS21B/ref=sr_1_1?crid=17HX6GIZD85JI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.39tNTEdQirOiorRzJxrWrotDPKDKOtTE1P8psiND5UzDevRgzUCAjg3JMZ3hgmR1bJS2ePd46sLpfOVjtg6KEvITfF8tihGTZ9bXurag9Ntg7QkuiZzo56LspZxM1sNrypP_4CZecw8w-vOjQVxsAxBfnIXMANwPR957XLQ6JzlBq7edBCKP9S-adUey-9634FK1x8GV78J_8WXGiENSSWdkHSx9fe6i4at0OkkHNaM.vIGF0OMk44T0KroqRx3TFBMwWijYL-ZLVjim59uv-cQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=rise+up+football+book&qid=1753211148&sprefix=rise+up+football+boo%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-1

Five Years Ago: Little River won the 2020 8M-I state football championship with a 11-2 record under legendary head coach Kevin Ayers. They defeated Leoti-Wichita County in a thrilling 70-58 shootout with athletes all over the field on both sides. LR defeated Madison/Hamilton 48-24 in the semifinals, Chase County in the sectionals (70-26) and Clifton-Clyde (46-26) in the regional round. It was a loaded gauntlet in the playoffs that year as Madison/Hamilton beat a loaded Canton-Galva team 34-24 in the sectionals. LR had a slow start to the season with a loaded schedule as they were 2-2 but were unstoppable during the postseason as one of the most dynamic offenses ever in 8M-I football with do-it-all senior Jayden Garrison and Graham Stephens out of the backfield. Garrison had four rushing touchdowns and over 230 yards rushing in the total game to go along with another TD reception (70+ total yards) and also threw for a passing TD. Not to mention, he was a Top 5 all classes basketball player that season. Both Stephens or Garrison could play nearly every skill position on the field as they did, inluding both playing quarterback in a two QB system and both playing running back along with Garrison catching passes. Ayers is a 8 man coaching legend in Kansas with titles at Jetmore (2), Wallace County and Little River.

06/14/2025

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06/14/2025

Check it out y'all. If you like history, inspiration, under dogs or sports, this book is for you!

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02/26/2025
Reading this gave me chills! Go LR!
02/23/2025

Reading this gave me chills! Go LR!

By Brad Hallier Kansas doesn’t know if it’s winter or spring, given the weather last week and the week ahead. While it’s going to be glorious enough to play 36 holes of golf any day next week, many of us will travel to gyms all […]

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02/22/2025

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LITTLE RIVER, Kan. — The Little River Redskins football team ended their 2020 season with a championship win, which was at a time when many things in the world felt uncertain, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Stephanie Prince Young, a local journalist from Little River and […]

And this year's team is so far undefeated!
02/13/2025

And this year's team is so far undefeated!

30 Years Ago: Little River captured the 1995 1A girls state basketball title under legendary head coach Shane Cordell with a perfect 28-0 record. LR, a dynasty who won a then state record 91 games in a row in the 1990s, had a team that beat teams from all classes of Kansas including the 5A champs McPherson during their dynasty. Jackie Stiles of Claflin would also never beat Little River. To many in the media, the LR teams are the best small school teams of all time during their dynasty because of the competition level they beat. How dominant was LR at state in 1995? They beat MDCV 82-53 in the title game, Logan 83-59 in semifinals, and Waconda East 104-60 in the first round. LR went unbeaten in 1995, 1996, 1997 for state titles then would lose three games in 1998 but still would win another state title. Nicky Ramage (1996 grad) was a first team all classes selection on the 1995 team and would go on to play at Kansas State. Amy and Amber Prose were freshman on the 1995 team and would share Miss Kansas Basketball honors in 1998 as seniors. LR only had two games within 10 points at state from 1995 to 1997, the closest being their 1997 title by two point win over Centralia. Absolute powerhouse.

02/13/2025

Only five undefeated girls high school basketball teams in Kansas left.

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02/04/2025

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02/04/2025

Several LR players, go vote!! ☺

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