In-state Tour: Crete

Head coach: Reed Manstedt

2015 record: The Cardinals finished 3-6 in 2015 in Manstedt's first year replacing the legendary Chuck McGinnis.

Season Rewind: "In the first year taking over, it was one of those things where I wasn't coming into a new situation," Manstedt said. "I already knew the kids on the team, I wasn't having to fill the staff, the staff was going to be the same. That was one of the nice things being able to take over for (McGinns). It was a real smooth transition. With Coach McGinnis, he was a guy that I just think the world of, and I personally still go to him when I have questions both offensively and defensively and from the standpoint of running a team. He's a great resource to have and someone I feel very comfortable asking questions to.

"Last year's team was very young. We were a team that played a very tough schedule last year. We opened up with Aurora and any time you are starting seven new guys on offense and seven new guys on defense you kind of get thrown in there trial by fire. It was one of those situations where our young guys did a good job. I look for next year to be much more as far as having experience and stuff like that. We'll be much better in that area."

Manstedt's take on Rhett Harms: "Anytime you can bring your quarterback back, that's the toughest position in football," Manstedt said. "Last year we played Aurora, Skutt and York very early in our schedule and he handled that really well. For Rhett next year I just look for him to be much more comfortable now that he's been there and done that. He's a leader for us out there on offense and as a quarterback you have to be.

"He's kind of hybrid quarterback. Last year he threw just shy of 1,000 yards and ran for another 700 yards. This year he's very capable of running for 1,000 and throwing for over 1,000 yards. You can run sweeps with him, you can run it up the middle - he's fast. He's just a big body you can do a lot with at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds."

"In my opinion I think Rhett would make a heck of a tight end or a wide receiver at the next level. He's one of those guys that if we had another (quarterback) I'd love to put Rhett outside and just throw it up deep to him, because I truly think teams would have to double him."

Harms' take: "I think I'm pretty athletic overall," Harms said. "I'm pretty tall and the length kind of helps me out a little bit. I feel like I'm pretty explosive. I would say I'm more of an athlete recruit.

"I am more of a running quarterback now, but I plan to work on my passing more in the off-season."

Recruiting: With Harms' 4.25 GPA and score of 32 on the ACT (No. 1 overall class ranking) he's heard already from Yale and Princeton. His older brother Jake Harms also plays for South Dakota State as a linebacker.

"South Dakota State has been sending me letters every week," Harms said. "They like me more as an athlete."

Stat check: In 9 games Harms had 938 yards passing and 10 touchdowns to go along with 544 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns on the ground. He'll also be a starting free safety for Crete this season on defense.

Manstedt's take on Ethan Sherman: "The best way to describe Ethan is he's just a good football player. He's one of those kids that probably doesn't know what he's going to do from a college standpoint with position, but I know his first love is linebacker. He's one of those kids that has such a good nose for the football and that's not something you can coach. I could also see him even playing and growing into a fullback in college. He's not as big as his two older brothers right now, but he will get bigger."

Sherman's take: "I would say linebacker was my strength last year," Sherman said. "I'd like to be at 195 to 200 pounds by the start of next season. That is the goal for me."

Recruiting: Both of Sherman's older brothers Chase Sherman and Brock Sherman were standout players at Crete that signed with Northwest Missouri State.

"I just try to be the best I can be," Sherman said. "My two older brothers set great examples for me and I just try to follow in their footsteps."

Stat check: Sherman had 316 yards rushing and 118 yards receiving and four touchdowns on offense. He was also a standout linebacker for the Cardinals.