Hurdling the pigskin, junior Nyle Anderson tries to pass the football to a fellow player during the home football game on Sept. 13.  Photo by Gage Nelson

By Zia Kelly
When the football team storms Free State’s home turf on Nov. 1, first-string quarterback Nyle Anderson will be looking for a triumph over his former teammates.
During the summer, Anderson’s family made the decision to switch high schools, after spending his first two years at Free State.
“It was about halfway through the summer and my dad and I were talking about it,” said Anderson, a junior. “Since he works here, I made the transfer. It’s easier for us.”
Coach Dirk Wedd started training Anderson upon his arrival in July.
“He has come in and made some good adjustments. He has learned the offense fairly quickly,” Wedd said. “We only got him in July, so he’s done a good job. He has fit in with the kids, and these are all attributes that we look for in a quarterback.”
When Anderson joined the team in the midst of summer training, last year’s veterans were competing for their positions. Still, the rest of the team took Anderson in as soon as he joined.
“He had a good point in transferring,” said Alan Clothier, a sophomore and second string quarterback. “It doesn’t affect me a lot because we are both quarterbacks. He helps me, and I help him.”
Anderson’s reasons for transferring can be misconceived. To some, his transfer across town looked to be purely for football, which is against state athletic regulations.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) discourages students choosing or transferring schools for athletics. Any athlete who transfers schools without any other reason is held to 18 weeks of competitive suspension.
Athletic director Bill DeWitt deals with concerns regarding the regulations and ethical views of athletic transfers.
“KSHSAA discourages students transferring solely for athletic opportunities. It’s an academic first institution,” DeWitt said. “We want kids to be here because they want to be here and because it’s a great academic school. If they transfer here for athletics, they should know that they will miss competition time.”
However, since Anderson presented a reason aside from getting more playing time, he was cleared to transfer and start training without suspension.
While LHS has embraced his arrival, his former team may not feel the same way about his decision. Junior Joel Spain has played with Anderson since the seventh grade, and talked about Free State’s perspective on the transfer.
“From a football view, we lost a good player and LHS gained a new one,” Spain said.
Fifteenth Street is not only the line between LHS and Free State, but also a division of allegiance for the entire city. While Anderson was not discouraged from switching, some students may see it as a reinforcement to the long-standing rivalry between the schools.
“I think it will make it more fun,” Spain said.” He will know what we like to do and we’ll know what he plays like so it gives each of the teams an advantage.”
Despite his start as a Firebird, LHS is happy to have gained Anderson as a player and a classmate.
“He is a great quarterback. It doesn’t matter what school he comes from.” Clothier said. “I mean we don’t really like Free State, but he is a quarterback and we needed him, so he is helping us out a lot.”