The Lake Highlands High School varsity football team will officially begin the 2024-25 Season away from home this Friday against the Forney Jackrabbits.
Kicking off at 7 p.m. at City Bank Stadium in Forney, the Wildcats will look to start their season off strong with a win. Coach Cory Campbell, entering his second season as head coach after spending over a decade as the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator, says that the team has had this game circled on the calendar.
“We definitely talked about it this summer, and obviously it’s here now,” Campbell said, “We’re super excited.”
The Wildcats’ Offense
On the offensive side of the ball, the team will be led by senior quarterback Harrison Day, who spent last season as a slot receiver. Campbell says that Day, an athletic runner, will bring valuable experience to the Wildcats’ offense.
“Harrison Day is a returner for us,” Campbell said, “and just his knowledge of our offense and then not only that mentality, but he’s got that competitor in him that you just can’t coach.”
The team has lost a considerable amount of experience on both sides of the ball, with 31 seniors having graduated after last season. The Wildcats will especially miss thousand-yard rusher Deonte Dean, a staple of Lake Highlands’ run-heavy offense over the last couple of years. Dean finished his senior season with 2,347 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns.
Junior Christian Rhodes, a 6-1 195-pound running back who spent last season on the JV team, will step into Dean’s starting role this season, with Campbell telling The Boneyard Coach’s Show that the team has solid depth at the position. Rhodes will run behind a green offensive line, with 300-pound right tackle King David Ibeabuchi being the sole returning starter.
“That’s one of the biggest things about offensive line guys having to work together is, man, it’s a difficult thing,” Campbell said. “Once that experience gets there, it’s a thing of beauty. It’s one of the hardest positions in football to play.”
Leland Germany, a 6-4 205 pound wide receiver, will provide Day with a large target in the end zone.
The Defense
The Wildcats return slightly more experience on the defensive side of the ball. The team’s strength will come from the safeties, anchored by three star Oklahoma State commit Ayden Webb, who is predicted to earn district defensive MVP honors by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. Safety Lloyd Wyatt, linebacker Ryan Schirato and defensive lineman Micheal Odelami will also bring experience to the defense.
The defensive line is expected to rotate more than in previous years, Campbell told The Boneyard Coach’s Show.
Forney
The Wildcats are facing a steep challenge in Forney, who made their first state semifinals since 2002 last year before falling to Aledo, 7-43.
“They have really elite speed at the wide receiver position,” Campbell said. “And they return both inside linebackers from last year that were very, very talented.”
The Jackrabbits’ offense is headlined by four-star running back Javian Osborne, ranked the number four running back in the country by 247 Sports. Lining up under center will be quarterback Nelson Peterson Jr, the brother of NFL running back Adrian Peterson, who currently has offers from Texas Tech and Ole Miss. Peterson transferred to Forney after spending last season at Sunnyvale, where he threw for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns.
This is Forney’s first year in UIL-6A football.
Next Week
The Wildcats will return to the Boneyard on Friday, Sept. 6 against North Garland.
