Trojans built for another deep run

After advancing at least four rounds deep in each of the last two postseasons, Windthorst is once again poised for a deep run through the playoffs.

While graduation hit the Trojans hard on the offensive and defensive fronts, the Blue Crew returns a wealth of talent at the skill positions to still be a dangerous team early in the year.

“I’m pleasantly surprised with how things have come together,” head coach Chris Tackett said. “With the skill guys, we knew they were going to be there. They’ve all made improvements. The moving parts on the line are still there. It looks promising with who we have in the two-deep. It’s a work in progress still. There’s a couple we know are going to be there but we also have some question marks. The good thing is all the question marks have some backups that can play. Give us two or three games and I think we’ll be fine.”

Even with a few question marks, the district is as wide open as ever with up to five teams feeling like they’re the league’s new breadwinners. Archer City, Haskell, Petrolia, Seymour and Windthorst all are viable candidates to win the district crown.

“I can see a lot of different people challenging for the district championship,” Tackett added. “I don’t think anything is a given as far as how things can shake out. Nobody really knows who’s going to be the top-dog in it. I could see a lot of good football games up to those last couple of weeks.”

When asked to describe how his offense is coming along after the first few weeks of practice, Tackett had one word in mind.

“It’s promising. Paradise was a tough first scrimmage. They’re going to be decent. They threw a bunch of bodies at us which is tough on the first scrimmage. When all is said and done, we got better having to go against those guys. It may not have looked great on film but we did.”

Offensively, Windthorst returns senior Logan Cope at quarterback after a strong junior campaign that saw the Trojans signal caller throw for 2,193 yards and 22 touchdowns to just five interceptions.

“You can turn him loose a little bit and open up the playbook,” Tackett said. “He knows what he’s capable of. It allows him to go out and be a leader.”

Joining Cope in the backfield is senior running back Clay Hoff. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of Ethan Belcher and Haven Vieth from the previous two seasons as the Trojans workhorse. A year ago, Hoff rushed for 982 yards, averaging nearly eight yards per carry with 15 scores and five 100-yard performances while splitting carries with Vieth.

“When all is said and done, you still have to run the ball,” Tackett explained. “When you have some growing pains on the offensive line, sometimes you just need a guy to go north and south and make a few yards and I think Clay is capable of that. Sophomore Tyler Camacho is backing him up right now. He’s shown some flashes in the first few scrimmages.”

At receiver, Cope has a plethora of targets to throw the ball, none bigger than the pair of 6-4 bookends of Brayden Berend and Kolby Teakell. Berend, seemingly a human highlight reel who always seems to make improbable catches, caught 24 passes for 414 yards and four scores while Teakell caught 12 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown.

“Brayden and Kolby are a hard matchup for a lot of teams. Not too many people have a pair of 6-4 corners that can go out there. They’ve got things they’ve got to learn as they get older. They aren’t going to be a surprise to anybody anymore. They’ve got to up their game and keep making those catches.”

At the slot position, senior Landon McLemore is another surehanded target with ample game experience while freshman Jaxon Stark, sophomore Kasen Wiles and senior Jorge Moreno are expected to rotate the fourth receiver position.

Senior Thomas McCann is the lone starter back up front as graduation took its biggest toll on the Trojans’ offensive line. Junior Drew Anderle has made the transition from running back to the line while Tackett expects senior Larson Vieth and junior Bonner Hand to be out there as well. Sophomore Ryder Garrett along with juniorsWyatt Wolf and Jaxon West are all mixing in up front to see who can win the job.

“Thomas has shown he can get the job done up front,” Tackett said. “We’ve got a couple that we’re pretty fond of. We’ve got a solid one and two lines that we can go with. At this level, that’s about what you’ve got.”

Much like the offense, the biggest thing Tackett has seen out of the defense is the unit simply needs game reps. Windthorst is replacing its top eight returning tacklers from a season ago.

“It’s coming together. It’s a lot like the offense, after a couple games they’ll be fine. There’s work to be done but they’ve just got to see reps to get them where they need to be. They’re a little tentative and a little slow right now but I think that’s just from lack of experience. Once they get in the fire a little bit, they’ll start flying after the ball.”

The Trojans defensive front mirrors that of the offensive line. Anderle, Hand and McCann have all shown promise while others are improving every single day.

“Drew, Bonner and Thomas will be good defensive lineman. They just need to see reps. They’ve got the talent to be successful.”

At linebacker, Hoff headlines the unit as the top returner following a 38-tackle campaign a season ago. Tackett envisions rotating in a number of players depending on situations.

“They’re all interchangeable with where they can play and how they play. They have that adaptability to play multiple roles.”

Secondary is Windthorst’s deepest position on the defensive side of the ball with all but two starters returning from last year’s team. Junior Tanner Doyal along with McLemore, Cope and Teakell are expected to start.

Windthorst’s region is perhaps the strongest in the state with the top two teams, Albany and Muenster, hailing from Region II-2A.

“If polls are any good right now, we’ve got a tough region. If we can make the playoffs, somewhere down the road, we’re going to see Muenster or Albany. We’ll play Muenster week three and see where we’re at. That’s the way you get better is playing good people.”

Another deep postseason run seems likely if these Trojans can work through some growing pains before district play begins.