- State champion (poll)
- Sunflower League champion
- 9-0 with five shutouts
- Held opponents to 7 points in first quarter
The 1967 team won the state championship via poll, was 9-0 with five shutouts, and only allowed 7 points in the first quarter. North scored 236 points (26.2 average), while giving up 40 points, (4.4 average).
It was a team so full of talented seniors that it was hard to get all them quality playing time. The team was led by All-State seniors Dick Hertel at halfback, Rich Heath and Hollis Combs at tackles, Vince Sawyer at end, and Ed Dallam at quarterback.
The 184-pound Hertel had 850 yards on 157 carries (5.4 yard average) on the combination of inside runs on the 42 Trap and outside on the 46 Power Sweep, which opponents called “Student Body Left and Student Body Right” because the halfback was led by a trio of blockers: fullback, quarterback, and pulling guard. Hertel finished his career with 1,542 yard on 253 carries (6.0 yard average) with 15 touchdowns. It would have been more had injuries not caused Hertel to miss a couple of games and be slowed in two others.
One reserve that year was senior quarterback Bob Bornkessel, who also played slot back for reverses, as well as defensive back. He averaged 12.8 yards per carry and had 6 touchdowns and eight 2-point conversions. The following spring, Bornkessel set a national high school record for the 400-meter hurdles (49.5) and trained for the 1968 Olympics, but failed to make the team.
Another reserve that year was a 206-pound defensive tackle, Phil McGraw, better known to most as “Dr. Phil.”
“Phil was a reserve defensive tackle and then moved into a starting role late in the season when Hollis Combs got hurt,” said Taylor. “I always thought Phil was at a disadvantage since he transferred in from Texas in the second semester of his junior year. It was difficult to make the transition if you hadn’t been in our system for a couple of years.”
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