CJ Online Artcle On Horak In SI

Senior quarterback honored with Faces in the Crowd appearance.

By brent.maycock@cjonline.com

For as long as he could read, Tucker Horak has thumbed through the pages of Sports Illustrated, marvelling at the athletic accomplishments documented in the magazine.

Not once, however, did he ever imagine that one day he would be staring at his own face in the magazine.

Yet when last week’s issue hit the newsstands, there Horak was, on page 30, in the Faces in the Crowd feature, accompanied by documentation of his record-setting senior football season, when he led Rossville to its second straight undefeated Class 3A state title.

“It never really crossed my mind I’d be in it,” Horak said. “It’s pretty cool, just to have my name in there with all of the big-timers. I couldn’t be more thankful.”

Horak becomes the second Shawnee County athlete to be featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd in the past two months. In the Nov. 16 issue, Hayden freshman Brooklyn Hunter was recognized by the magazine after capturing a state tennis title and helping the Wildcat volleyball team to a state title in the fall.

Horak’s senior season certainly merited the selection.

In addition to leading Rossville to its second straight state championship, scoring three touchdowns in the title game — including a 65-yard fumble return for the game-winning score in the fourth quarter of a 20-19 win over Wichita Collegiate — Horak blazed a trail into the state record book on his way to his second All-State selection by The Capital-Journal.

The 5-foot-10 senior became the first player in state history to rush and throw for 2,000 yards in the same season, finishing with 2,859 yards and 47 touchdowns rushing and 2,070 yards and 30 touchdowns passing. He averaged 15.4 yards per carry and completed 79.2 percent of his passes as a senior. In his career, he ran for 6,944 yards and threw for 5,510 yards, and his 12,454 yards of total offense ranks No. 6 all-time in the nation.

“Receiving an honor from Sports Illustrated brings perspective to how great of a career Tucker had,” Rossville coach Derick Hammes said. “Not only was he one of the best to play in Kansas, but his career was noteworthy on a national level as well. Tucker is very deserving of all the recognition he has received.”

Former St. Marys coach Bill Teeter, who serves as a substitute teacher for the Kaw Valley school district, approached Hammes about submitting Horak’s name for consideration. Last week, Horak and the school learned he would be in the Dec. 14 issue, which has Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson on the cover and is on newsstands now.

“It’s just really nice to get our name out there and for people to get to hear about our hometown a little bit,” Horak said.