STINNETT — Before the cold front moved in on Wednesday afternoon, the West Texas High football team took to the turf inside of Comanche Field for practice.
With an unblemished 13-0 record, the Comanches are one of the five teams in the Texas Panhandle participating in December football. WT High is one game away from matching two of the best squads in school history, and two games away from going one more step beyond the record books.
To get to this point, WT High has relied on a bruising ground game. While senior quarterback Cayde Winters and senior running back Kelby Sherwood have accumulated headlines, highlights and statistics, they are guided from behind and from the front.
Mentoring the Comanches to one of their best seasons ever is head coach Jeff Smith. According to the third-year head coach, the Comanches’ success started with players buying what Smith was selling.
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“It starts with the buy in with the kids, and believing in what we’re doing,” Smith said. “It’s nice to have this group of seniors that we have, and they’re together all of the time. We’ve gotten better every year.”
WT High has been on the upward trajectory since 2023, when the Comanches finished 4-7. Last season, the red and gold improved to 7-4 and WT High’s first playoff berth since 2019.
“It’s been a big deal for me to see the development and growth in these guys, and how they’ve learned the game,” Smith said. “(The community) has accepted me and my family. Because of that, we haven’t missed a beat.”
Standing at 6-foot-6 and 335-pounds, senior lineman Deacon Smith leads the way within the trenches. According to Deacon, who makes his words count, it’s his teammates who have made the season quite special.
“They show up, and they want to work,” said Deacon. “I’ve also grown a lot as a player, mostly with speed and footwork.”
Even though freshman tight end/defensive back Dayne Smith had been sidelined for most of the season, he’s seen Deacon’s leadership firsthand.
“It’s great,” said Dayne. “I’m glad to be experiencing this with him. He keeps everybody in line. If someone’s blaming someone else (for a mistake), he tells them to be quiet and move on to the next play.”
Since the bi-district round, Smith and his fellow linemen have opened up a multitude of holes for Winters and Sherwood. So far, Winter has recorded 612 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Sherwood has collected 316 yards and five TDs on the ground.
Due to the efforts of the line and a hard charging ground game, the Comanches have averaged 37.5 points per game and just allowed 16.5 points per contest.
At 6 p.m. on Friday, the Comanches will square off against Cisco at Pirate Stadium within First United Park in Woodrow. To get to the regional finals, the Loboes (12-1) shrugged off Spearman by way of a 28-20 result.
Cisco is formidable, led by the likes of sophomore Colby McIlroy and senior Noaa Hernandez.
Over the course of the season, McIlory has passed for 1,355 yards and 15 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions, while rushing for 819 yards and 12 scores. Hernandez has racked up 683 yards and 16 touchdowns, thus far.
While countering the Loboes is important, the Comanches’ main focus is to take care of themselves. Thanks to its ground game, WT High challenges its opponents to stop them and to keep the ball out of their hands.
As of late, coach Smith has offered Deacon and Dayne different pieces of consultation.
“We talk a lot about the expectation of being the best you can be,” Smith said about his words of wisdom for Deacon. “(Others) don’t know the criticism that coach’s kids get, but I don’t feel like mine received a lot of that. Deacon and his two older brothers were all lineman. So, it’s a lot about leadership and work ethic, and the rest of it takes care of itself.”
According to the coach where the line is his pride and joy, the younger brother is a little different.
“Dayne’s in a different position, which is kind of new for me,” Smith said. “They taken a lot of butt chewings that probably weren’t theirs, but they got it and moved on.”
At the moment, the best bit of advice Deacon has relayed onto the field is quite simple.
“Just move fast off of the ball,” said Deacon. “You also need to work hard in whatever you do.”
Deacon was started on the line since his freshman year at Hale Center, and with each passing season, coach Smith has seen him grow into his ‘big man’ role.
“He started on the o-line out of necessity,” Smith said. “He wasn’t small then, but he’s just now starting to develop. His feet are getting better. He and (junior Ty Buck) are learning the game and learning how to adjust on it. They’re learning how to play as big as they are, which is something that is big for me to see.”
“When you’re a big child, everybody’s all ‘hey, be careful’ and ‘don’t hurt the little one,'” added Smith. “Now, it’s his opportunity to be big. It’s been fun to watch all of that.”
Smith was also quick to praise his other offensive lineman, such as Buck, sophomore Kolson Cassity, junior Aramas Purcell and senior Jaxon Summit.
“They’ve really come together as a unit, and they get along well,” Smith said. “If they don’t, you can see them trying to fix problems in the huddle. It’s been fun to be the o-line coach with this group, as well.”
As a tight end, Dayne gets direction from both his dad and his older brother.
“They tell me to keep at it,” Dayne said. “They also tell me to have soft hands, which is something I don’t have at the moment.”
Along with football and track, Deacon shows swine for FFA. The activity has taught him another valuable lesson, which has translated onto to the football field.
“It’s taught me patience,” said Deacon. “It’s all about waiting to make sure everything goes the way it’s supposed to.”
Currently, Deacon has gotten a looks from a few schools, with notable examples being Colorado Mesa and CSU Pueblo.
Deacon wants to keep playing football, and get into agronomy. Then, he wants to get his degree, work and be successful.
“We don’t have a place really nailed down,” coach Smith said of Deacon’s future path. “We’ll find some place that’s going to be the best fit for him — to go play and get his education.”
Dayne feels like Deacon’s future is a bright one.
“I know he’s going to go somewhere big,” said Dayne. “I know he’s going to do a great job. I don’t know what he’s going to do (after college), but I know it’s going to be something in the trades or agriculturally related. He’s going to have a future ahead of him.”
Dayne took a break from FFA, which he’s set to return to next year. However, he’s looking forward to track season in the spring.
“I’m in the 300-meter hurdles,” Dayne said. “That’s the one I really hoping on. But I don’t want to have too high of expectations.”
Regardless of the result on Friday, coach Smith is a proud dad — through and through.
“It’s definitely been a fun ride,” Smith said. “I had the privilege of being able to coach all four of my boys, and it’s awesome. This (season) is special, because we get to spend more time together.”