Fewell pursuing pair of school records

Fort Scott High School senior running back Zarek Fewell will go into Friday night’s final regular-season game versus Ottawa in hot pursuit of two school records.

Fewell has rushed for 1,416 yards this season — an effort which includes a probable school-record 301-yard night at Chanute on September 15 — and scored 23 touchdowns (22 rushing and one on a reception), which leads the Southeast Kansas League.

Fewell’s yardage total leads all running backs in Kansas Class 4A-Division I and is in the top 10 among runners from every class. He needs only 68 yards to break the FSHS school record of 1,484 set in 1996 by Travis Stepps. That season, the Tigers went 13-0 and won the Class 4A State championship.

Fewell’s 23 touchdowns is two short of the school record of 25 set in 200 by Josh Lattimer, which was the SEK league record at the time he accomplished the feat. That season, the Tigers went 13-0 and won the Class 4A State championship.

Fewell’s 23 touchdowns also have him in a tie for seventh-place on the SEK’s single-season list, one that’s been tracked by various people since the mid 1930’s. Lattimer is now tied with two other players for seventh all-time with his 25.

The league record is 38 touchdowns, set by current Kansas State running back Alex Barnes in 2014, his senior year at Pittsburg. Only 23 players in recorded league history have scored 20 touchdowns in a season. Including Fewell, 19 have done so since the 2000 season.

With the addition of two 2-point conversions, Fewell is also at 142 points scored for the season. With eight more points, he will become just the 12th player in league history to score at least 150 in a single season. The league record is 238 by Barnes, who also scored five 2-point conversions in 2014.

The Tigers (2-0 district, 6-2 overall) have already clinched the Class 4A Division I District 3 championship while Ottawa will come into Friday night’s 7 p.m. contest at Frary Field at 0-2 in the district and 1-7 overall, already eliminated from the playoffs.

Fewell’s total will continue to rise if he scores in the playoffs as those games and points are also included in all SEK records.