Logan Brown, whose name is firmly etched in the Iola High School history books, is taking his football talents to the next level.
The 6-1, 240-pound IHS senior signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play in the fall at Butler Community College in El Dorado.
“It’s like a family there,” Brown said. “It seemed like they really cared about me, and put in a lot of effort to see me.”
Brown was a two-time all-state performer for the Mustangs on the defensive line.
He averaged nearly five tackles a game as a senior, including seven tackles for loss, in five games. He also blocked a punt.
As a junior, Brown averaged more than six tackles per game, had 10 tackles for loss, including 1½ sacks, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.
But the statistics belie a world of athletic talent, Iola head coach Dana Daugharthy said.
“He’s one of, if not the most, pound-for-pound talented players I’ve ever seen play high school football,” Daugharthy said. “He’s an extremely explosive kid. He made a lot of big plays for us. He will be missed.”
Daugharthy recalled one play against Osawatomie, in which Brown single-handedly chased down a speedy back.
“Plays like that are why colleges are wanting him, and why Butler’s lucky to have him,” Daugharthy said. “I’m really proud of Logan. I’m really excited to see what he’s going to do at the college level, mainly because I’m excited to see what he’s going to do with competition that’s equally or close to his athleticism and ability.”
BROWN’S LEGACY as a wrestler at IHS also is complete.
He stunned the Class 4A wrestling world as a junior when he defeated the state’s top two ranked heavyweight wrestlers, Evan Dean of Santa Fe Trail and Ayston Perez of Ulysses, both in dramatic fashion.
In both matches, Brown’s opponents were inches away from pinning him before he rallied at the end to earn pins in both.
It was the first individual state wrestling title for an Iola athlete.
Alas, Brown decided against trying to defend his wrestling title after a strong start to the 2020-21 season.
A lingering foot injury and the desire to focus on grades prompted Brown to abandon his senior campaign on the wrestling mat.
