By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post
Each of the three Hays High seniors that signed to play football at Fort Hays State University could have walked away from the game. They each had excuses. They each had the chance to do so.
Keamonie Archie, Kyreese Groen and Deondre Broom however chose the harder road. The one that required time, patience, and hard work. Lots and lots of hard work.
Thursday they each signed a National Letter of Intent to stay in Hays and play for the Tigers.
Archie is the newest of the three to town. The soft spoken 6'4" three sport athlete moved to Hays, Kansas before his junior year. He was ruled ineligible before he had a chance to step on the football field. That didn't stop him from showing up everyday to weights and every practice as well.
Every time he showed up, he improved. He had to. Archie never had the opportunity to play football prior to his move to Kansas. His first ever football game was when he took the field for his senior campaign.
Keamonie Archie
Archie played wide receiver and hauled in 2o receptions, eight of them for touchdowns. He averaged just under 19 yards per catch. Fort Hays State projects him at defensive back. Archie believes that playing wide receiver will help his move to the other side of the ball.
The guy throwing him the ball was a wide receiver in 2021. Kyreese Groen was an all league receiver as a junior where he compiled over 400 yards of total offense and scored five times. Groen made the switch to help the team. Help he did.
Groen threw for 805 yards and 14 scores while running for 1004 yards and scoring 13 times.
Fort Hays State plans on moving him back to wide receiver.
Kyreese Groen
The coaching staff didn't know what to expect out of Groen early on. He was always smaller than the others in his class. The coaches knew if he would grow he would be special. Playing at 6'1" and 175 pounds this past season, Groen knows he needs to get bigger, faster and stronger for college.
Deondre Broom fully admits that his grades weren't where they were supposed to be. At the end of his sophomore year Broom was told if he didn't improve his academics he wouldn't graduate. Football was a saving grace.
Broom's friends and coaching staff gave him a chance, but only if his grades improved. Broom is now pulls A's and B's out of his classes.
Deondre Broom
During this past summer Broom noticed that the hard work he had put in was paying off during the FHSU football camp. It made him realize that college football could be a real goal for him.
As a cornerback this past season Broom collected 33 tackles, five for loss, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass. He was part of defense that allowed just 16 points per game and 113 yards through the air.
Multiple coaches talked about the groups selflessness and willingness to be team players. Each also mentioned how all three had to go through so much to get to this point.
Coach Tony Crough
Groen and Archie are starters on the basketball team that will play in the sub-state championship game on Saturday.
All three will be on the track team in the spring.