Windthorst blessed with trio of tall, athletic receivers

Chris Tackett knows it won’t always be this way.

Windthorst has had its fair share of scrappy, shorter receivers before and they’ll be average-sized at the position soon again.

But right now, the Trojans will enjoy their trio of receivers who stand at least 6-foot-3 as they’ll look to provide security blankets for whoever is Windthorst’s next quarterback.

“It’s one of those things that just comes along every so often that you have that type of height and talent,” Tackett said of seniors Brayden Berend and Kolby Teakell plus sophomore Jaxon Stark. “We’ve got to use it while we’ve got it.”

Berend is a four-year varsity starter who earned Red River 22 Small School MVP honors in 2022 after catching 10 touchdowns and averaging almost 17 yards a catch. Teakell caught five touchdown passes and also picked off five passes as a junior.

That one-two punch excelled in key situations during last year’s 8-5 season. Berend had two interceptions against Archer City and made several dynamic plays in a bi-district comeback against Celeste. Teakell came up with three key interceptions in an overtime win over Haskell, which helped him earn 7-2A Defensive MVP honors.

“They come to play, they really shine in the big games,” Tackett said. “They pick everything up and they set a pretty good example for the younger guys.”

Stark is the younger guy who has most benefited from having guys like Berend and Teakell around. As a freshman, Stark contributed 20 catches for 202 yards, numbers that should see an increase in 2023.

“I think the sky's the limit for Jaxon,” Tackett said. “It’s a role model deal. He can see how they react to different defenses and stuff like that. One of these days, it’s going to be him (as the No. 1 receiver). When it’s his time, he’ll be ready.”

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Berend and Teakell also provide defensive coordinator Juan Cavazos plenty of flexibility in the Trojans’ 4-2-5 system. Teakell often lines up on the opponent’s top receiver, while Berend can either play as a deep safety or outside linebacker on the other side as Teakell.

“We match them up with the other team’s best two athletes,” Tackett said. “We’ll spread the field with them and try to match them with whatever the team does best.”

Throw in prototypical slot receiver Kasen Wiles, and Windthorst has four of its top five receivers returning from last year. That’s critical as the Trojans will be looking to replace Logan Cope at quarterback.

“Whoever comes out of the quarterback battle is going to have the luxury that the whole game is not going to ride on them,” Tackett said. “He’ll have weapons at his disposal and will never have to win the game by himself.”

OFFENSE

The Trojans expect to start the season with a quarterback rotation of junior Cash Armstrong and freshman Brock Belcher.

Center Drew Anderle, Bonner Hand, Jaxon West, Ryder Garrett and Wyatt Wolf are among the team’s top linemen. Tailback Tyler Camacho will take an increased role after gaining 588 yards as a sophomore.

“Tyler runs mad sometimes and that’s a good thing,” Tackett said. “He makes positive yards, there’s not a lot of sidestepping with him.”

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DEFENSE

Windthorst often had to outscore opponents last year as the Trojans allowed 24.8 points a game, more than 11 points higher than in 2021.

But Tackett said he believes this year’s group may be as athletic a unit as the Trojans have fielded in a while. In addition to Teakell, both Berend and defensive lineman Anderle were first-team all-district performers a year ago.

Conner Schreiber made an instant impact as a freshman with 85 tackles last year at linebacker, while Camacho (78 tackles three sacks) will be a defensive end.

“We’ve still got to find a guy at each level, but we’re not in a bad place,” Tackett said. “The cupboard isn’t bare, the ones we have are pretty solid.”

EXTRA POINT

Tackett is entering his 12th season as the Trojans’ head coach and is 10 victories short of 100 for his career. Only Graham’s Kenny Davidson (14 years) owns a longer tenure among area coaches.

Windthorst Trojans

Head Coach: Chris Tackett (12th year)

Last year’s record: 8-5

Returning starters: 8 offense, 8 defense

Base offense/defense: Spread/4-2-5

Last playoff appearance: 2022 (Lost to Collinsville in regional round)

Last district title: 2022

Aug. 25 vs. Henrietta 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 at Muenster 7 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Wheeler 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 vs. Haskell* 7 p.m.

Sept. 29 vs. Bremond (Aledo) 7 p.m.

Oct. 6 at Petrolia* 7 p.m.

Oct. 13 vs. Munday* (H) 7 p.m.

Oct. 20 at Archer City* 7 p.m.

Oct. 27 vs. Seymour* 7 p.m.

Nov. 3 at Electra* 7 p.m.

PLAYER TO WATCH: C/DT Drew Anderle (Sr.) – Only two players in the entire area made more tackles than Anderle’s 138 stops a year ago.

GAME TO WATCH: Oct. 27 vs. Seymour – The Trojans had a chance to be outright district champs last year and let the opportunity slip away. They’ve played 19 times since 2000 and Windthorst owns a 10-9 edge during that stretch.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: 2023 Windthorst Trojans Texas high school football season preview