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Hometown Heroes: AFL Central

April 26, 2024 - Arena Football One (AF1) News Release


As we continue getting to know the new Arena Football League players, let's zoom in on the AFL's Central Division. Which players have that "hometown" flair to them?

We'll look at some players from each AFL Central team: the Iowa Rampage, Wichita Regulators, Southwest Kansas Storm, and the Salina Liberty. Highlighting players who grew up in the area, went to school in the area, or played on these teams or other teams nearby.

Iowa Rampage

Marquis Banks - Line

Marquis Burks is no stranger to Iowa. The 6-foot-3, 302-pound lineman grew up in the Midwest in Chicago, IL, before attending Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, IA. Burks played defensive line for the Triton in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

At Iowa Central Community College, Marquis was part of the ICCAC and Kinney Cup championships and earned an associate's degree in liberal arts. Burks is a true grinder, and that grinding attitude got him noticed. The SEC's Auburn Tigers came calling when his time in Iowa was up. He would go on to play the next three seasons with the Tigers. Now Burkshas returned to Iowa to play for the Rampage in the 2024 Arena Football League Season.

Ryan Martinez - WR/DB

Ryan Martinez is another Iowa Central Community College product returning to Iowa to play for the Rampage. The 6-foot-1 wide receiver grew up in Lee's Summit, Missouri, just a three-round ride down Interstate 29 from Council Bluffs. Martinez spent the 2017-18 season with the Triton.

He then moved on to Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa, to play for the Vikings. Ever the Midwest kid, Martinez returns to Iowa to chase his dreams of playing pro football on the biggest stage, the 2024 Arena Football League.

Salina Liberty

Tracy Brooks - WR/RB/DB

Brooks is about as Salina as it gets these days. After dreams of MLB stardom were cut short by a devastating shoulder injury, Brooks turned back to football. In 2017 he showed up in Salina and signed with the Liberty. The rest, as they say, is history.

Tracy helped lead the Liberty to the CIF championship game in 2019, 2021, and 2023. He is second all-time in the Champions Indoor Football League in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

Coach Heron O'Neal and Brooks have been together here in Salina since 2018, and Coach O'Neal called Brooks "the most unselfish superstar you will ever see." When asked about Brooks' versatility, Coach O'Neal said, "In the game of Arena football, the more versatile you are, the more creative things you can do, so with Tracy being the most unselfish superstar I've ever had. It is fun to create different things for him as well as defense."

Eren Jenkins WR/TE & DB/JACK

Eren Jenkins played his senior year of college ball right here in Salina for the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes in 2021, where he was a stud receiver. In 12 games, the 6-foot-3, 208-pound receiver caught 55 passes for 932 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. His longest catch of the season went for 78 yards. He added a rushing touchdown on one of just eight carries.

Kelvin McCoy - Line

Like Coach O'Neal and Tracy Brooks, McCoy is another name Liberty fans should be used to. McCoy has been with the Liberty since 2017 and has played a significant role in helping the Liberty offensive line become dominant. McCoy was also part of all three championship games for this Liberty team.

Southwest Kansas Storm

Eugene Minter TE/DLine

Southwest Kansas Storm head coach Gary Thomas was the head coach at Dodge City Community College from 2013-2018. Having coached all of the talent that went through the Conquistadors football program, it's no surprise that many players from his time there are back to play for Coach Thomas on the big stage the Arena Football League presents in a city they are comfortable in: Dodge City, Kansas.

One of those players is Eugene Minter, who had a productive career at Dodge City Community College, where he earned All-Jayhawk Conference honors in 2018. Following his time at DCCC, he was ranked the #9 wide receiver recruit by 247Sports and the #10 wide receiver by ESPN.

Coach Thomas had the following to say about Minter when he was signed by the Southwest Kansas Storm, "As a fan, do yourself a favor and take 20 seconds out of your day and watch Eugene's short highlight film that we released. What you will see is a big, strong, athletic, and violent football player with an impressive catch radius and powerful hands. What you won't realize from watching the film is that Eugene is one of the nicest and most humble human beings that you will ever come across. Because of his size, he has deceptive speed and will get behind you in a hurry, but as it pertains to Arena Football, I believe he will play the Jack LB position at a high level as well. I tried to slow play signing a big WR for that position, but as I evaluated guys Eugene kept coming to the front of the group as far as natural athletic ability and talent. When I traveled all the way to Birmingham to recruit him out of high school, I was excited to sign him then...I'm even more ecstatic now to be able to bring him back to Dodge."

Wichita Regulators

Curtis Bent TE/DLine/RB

Bent is the ultimate hometown hero. He grew up in Wichita, Kansas, attending Wichita Collegiate High School. Bent went on to walk on just down the road at Emporia State University before moving on to Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas.

His football travels have taken him worldwide, where he's played for teams like the Black Hornets of Serbia. Bent will now return home to play for the Regulators in front of his family and friends in Wichita.

Drevon Macon - WR/DB

The 5-foot-7 165-pound wide receiver played college ball at Kansas Wesleyan University. What Macon lacks in size, he makes up for in quickness and speed-in his final season with the Coyotes Macon made first team all KCAC.

Macon Caught 59 passes for 576 yards and three touchdowns in the 2021 season for the Coyotes and showed his explosive ability and quickness in the return game with 11 kickoff returns for 264 yards.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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