Year in and year out, the Derby Panthers football team is state championship contenders – this year is no different.
And year in and year out, the Panthers know they can count on the big boys up front.
Junior right tackle Kaelin Scarth is the next one to fit that mold.
Scratch, who has been playing football for 10 years, is 6-foot-4, 265 pounds. He has started catching the eyes of many big-time programs like Kansas State, South Dakota, Kansas and Iowa State.
After starting the 2024 season as a sophomore, the junior will be called upon more as a leader, as well as being one of those guys the offense will rely upon every game.
The Panthers usually have an electric offense, and that will be the expectation with Arieus Finley coming out of the backfield again.
“It’s special playing for such a good team with a great winning culture like Derby,” Scarth said. “I know I can help lead Derby back to a state championship by doing my job on and off the field and holding myself and others accountable.”
The Panthers finished with an 11-1 record in 2024, falling to Manhattan. The Indians lost in the state championship game to Gardner-Edgerto, which beat the Panthers the year before.
Scarth and the Panthers will take it game by game, going 1-0 every day. Winning the AVCTL I league championship again is first on the checklist, and a state championship is the ultimate goal for the Panthers.
