The Little River Redskins are in the middle of a very impressive stretch of success having made the 8-Man DI State Championship Game three seasons in a row. After winning a state title in 2021, the Redskins have finished as the state runner-up in each of the past two seasons. Their success under coach Kevin Ayers has bred a great group of all-stars over that time as well. The 38th Annual 8-Man All-Star Game in Beloit this Saturday will be no different as Little River has three representatives on the 8-Man DI East squad. Braxton Lafferty, Grant Stephens and Toby Jesseph will all have a chance to play one final 8-Man football game on Saturday.
Lafferty was outstanding the past two seasons running the ball in the Redskin offense. He combined for over 3,000 yards rushing with 58 touchdowns. As a senior, he ran for 1,647 yards with 33 scores and averaged ten yards per carry. Those numbers helped him earn a first team All-8-Man DI running back selection. His sophomore season, he had nearly 600 receiving yards and ten touchdowns. He was also a stellar performer on defense with 80 or more tackles the last three seasons, putting up a team and career high 118 stops with 13 for loss in 2022. He finished his career with 325 total tackles and 28 for loss.
Lafferty will look back on his time at Little River as a way to set an example for others and to be part of a supportive team.
Grant Stephens was Little River’s second leading tackler with 105 total and a team high 34 tackles for loss in 2022. He also tallied 20 sacks and three fumble recoveries on defense on his way to a first team 8-Man DI lineman selection. For his career, he put up 301 tackles with 53 for loss along with 25.5 sacks and eight fumble recoveries. On offense, Stephens had just under 500 yards with ten rushing touchdowns during his senior season.
Stephens is proud to be a part of the program that has been built at Little River.
Toby Jesseph was the third leading tackler for the Redskins in 2022. He broke out during his senior season, registering 89 tackles with six for loss. He garnered honorable mention honors as a lineman in 8-Man DI.
Jesseph is also proud to be a part of the Little River tradition and passing it on to the next wave of players.
The Little River all-stars will get their final chance to take the field on Saturday afternoon in Beloit with the 8-Man DI All-Star Game kicking off at 1:30 p.m. Fans can listen to the games on 1540 AM and 98.9 FM KMCP in McPherson or at 8manallstars.com and adastraradio.com. Live video stream is also available for Saturday’s game at 8manallstars.com. Pregame coverage will begin at 1:00 from Trojan Field.
