Even though they graduated a great deal of talentayearago,expectations remainextremelyhighforthe Kingston Redskin football program, which has been tabbed as high as fourth in the state in some preseason rankings.
The Redskins welcome back a strong core and have added some talented pieces as well through transfers and move-ins in the offseason which should make them one of the teams to beat in Class 2A Division 1.
“We have a lot of key players back with great leadership,” said head coach Brad Hill. “Obviously, we graduated some really good players, but we still have several three- and four-year starters that know what they are doing out there. It’s going to be exciting.”
Senior quarterback Reid Patterson is the obvious catalyst for the Redskins comingoffasuperbcampaign a year ago in which he racked up 2,797 yards of total offense and accounted for 38 touchdowns. The dual threat signal-caller posted 834 yards of that total on the ground and scored 10 times.
Joining him in the backfield is fellow senior Parks Ratzlaff at 5-10, 200 pounds.
Ratzlaff was on a tear last season before going down with an injury and being slowed upon his return later on. He still tallied more than 1,000 total yards and pitched in 13 touchdowns. He will also have a solid complement in a healthy Logan Stephens in the backfield after missing much of last year with an injury after starting as a sophomore.
Stephens placed fifth in the state track meet last season and possesses tremendous speed.
While the Redskins have some stellar receivers to replace, they do have some experience at the position led by junior Ty Jones, who posted 354 yards receiving and seven touchdowns a season ago.
HudsonEverhartalsosaw time at receiver last year and the Redskins have added Caddo transfer Boen Proctor to the mix as well.
“Patterson understands and leads our team,” Hill commented. “He is like another coach on the field. Parks is a Swiss army knife. There is nothing he can’t do on the field. At one point last season he was our leading rusher, receiver and tackler before getting hurt. A healthy Logan Stephens gives us a dynamic combination that is going to make things very tough on opponents.
“Adding Proctor to the mix gives us another threat. He was a really special player a year ago.”
On the line of scrimmage, the Redskins will be keyed by third-year starter Blane Henry as well as James Trout, who started last season.
Fiercecompetitionisgoing for the other line slots, including defensive line newcomers Levi Koonce and LandonBurgess.Kooncewas a two-way starter as a junior last year at Collinsville, Texas.
“We feel like we have several guys up front that we can count on along with really good depth,” Hill said.
Depth will be in evidence on the defensive side as well with many of the same linemen contributing in the rotation.
Senior linebacker Jake Hofferber returns as one of the team’s tackling leaders and joins Jones, Ratzlaff and Patterson for an extremely athletic group.
Antlers move in Jackson Martin returns after playing at Kingston in middle school and will provide experience in the secondary where Everhart is back as a starter. Koy Anderton and Proctor will also be right in that mix.
“We feel strong with what we have defensively,” Hill added. “We have a lot of really good additions to our team and the returning guys are bigger and stronger. You don’t get any points for potential, but we feel good about the team we can go with. It helps having guys pushing to compete.
“We are excited about the season. Our first district game on the road with Kiefer will be very important so we need to be ready. If we can survive early battles on the road and stay healthy, we like our chances. There are definitely some good teams in our district. We have got a lot of work to do in order to defend that district title.”