By Bryan Bloodworth
Don’t be surprised to see the football in the air at Normal West High School this season.
The Wildcats return a bevy of receivers and a strong-armed quarterback that gained plenty of experience in last year’s 8-3 season that ended in the second round of the playoffs.
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“We have a great senior class,” said West coach Darren Hess. “I think people will be impressed with our skill. We’re extremely athletic at the wide receiver. We have some play-makers and we’re very excited about Mitch Fairfield running the team from the quarterback position. Plus, this is probably one of our bigger lines as far as size goes.”
Fairfield threw for 729 yards and five touchdowns while splitting time with Arion Worthman. Fairfield was the starter as a sophomore, so he knows the talent around him.
Leading the receiving group are all-Big 12 Conference returnees Dante Ruffin and tight end Mace Julian. Ruffin led the team with 34 receptions for 717 yards and eight touchdowns. Other key receivers include Jack Coakley, Josh Gaddis and Tyler Ziemer.
“We have a lot of solid targets,” said Hess, who plans to use a running back by-committee approach in the backfield. “I think we can be an explosive team. I think we’ll be physical up front, so the fans will hopefully be excited.”
Dajour Forrest is the top returning rusher after gaining 871 yards last year, while scoring 11 touchdowns. Other top running backs are Dave Watson and junior Trevoun McGee.
The offensive line will likely consist of Jon Olson, Roman Strange, Alec Callender, Zach Rudebeck and Jonathan Smith.
Defensively, according to Hess, the Wildcats are ‘a little bit younger.’
“We do have two defensive linemen (Robert Paul and Josh Emmanuel) and two defensive backs (Watson and Ruffin) coming back but we’re inexperienced in some spots.
“I do think we have all the right pieces. It’s just a matter of seeing where we’re at. Every year is an adventure putting all the pieces together, but that’s what makes coaching so fun.”
Bryan Bloodworth can be reached at lefty@wjbc.com
