“It was probably the most enjoyable season I’ve ever had,” Smith said. “I had been on some great staffs at Bushland and we played for a state championship, but having two sons on the team and seeing the belief this group had each and every week was the most rewarding.”

Smith and a young WT High team won just four games two years ago. Last year, strides were being taken as the Comanches won seven games and made it two rounds deep in the postseason. Then, there was this year. Smith’s team was expected to be a good team but not many folks outside of Stinnett saw them as legit state contenders.

However, each and every week, WT High kept winning, going 5-0 through non-district that included a 36-28 thrilling win against Gruver. In the back half, the Comanches stayed undefeated going a perfect 10-0 and stunned district favorite Panhandle in a classic 50-49 victory. Then, came the playoffs. WT High outlasted Abernathy (43-14), survived Hawley (30-26), then caught fire by beating New Home (26-19), and Cisco (48-22) to improve to 14-0, tying the most wins in school history.

The magical ride eventually fell in the state semifinals to Hamilton (29-12), but it didn’t take away what this Comanche team accomplished and the pride they brought back to the community.

“We had a staff that put in a lot of hours,” said Smith, who has been in coaching for 29 years. “I can’t tell you the number of hours they put in. This entire community and program believed and that just kept growing. It’s something I’ll never forget and something I hope we can build on.”

WT High quarterback Cayde Winters built a special relationship with Smith over the past three years, and can’t thank Smith enough for what he has done for this program.

“Coach (Jeff) Smith is a high character man,” Winters said. “He came in my sophomore year and we weren’t very good. He led us to seven wins when we were juniors and you could see the growth coming. He dedicates a ton of time to all of us. He is a great person that has a team dinner at his house every week. Even the JV guys got to come during the playoffs. He always says, who loves you, and he said he does. He means a lot to me.”

Player of the Year 

Cayde Winters, West Texas High, QB-LB, 5-8, 200-pound, Sr. 

By Kale Steed

He’s not the biggest, nor the fastest, but Cayde Winters is a flat-out football player and there is no denying that.

On top of that, Winters has a leadership quality that is infectious to anyone near him, as he was the engine that drove the bus behind West Texas High’s best season in three decades.

The 2025 Press Pass Sports Player of the Year put together an incredible season for a Comanche team that went an astounding 14-1 with a march to the UIL Class 2A Division I state semifinals. The first state semifinal for the program since 1995.

“This entire community believes in Cayde,” WT High head coach Jeff Smith said. “His effort, his leadership is unmatched. He’s probably the most competitive player I’ve had the luxury of coaching. He is one of those that hates to lose more than he loves to win. The fire he lit under this team, this school, and the entire community of Stinnett was something special.”

Winters echoed his coaches comment.

“It was a special season now that I’ve gotten to sit back and think about it,” Winters said. “No one around the school has seen a playoff run like that in a longtime. It was surreal and it’s something I’ll always remember. This senior class knew we could be pretty good. We didn’t know how good, but as the season went on we started to notice we had a chance. I think we also outdid ourselves because everyone played for one another.”

After missing his entire sophomore year due to injury, Winters came back strong as a junior helping WT High to seven wins. Coming into August this fall, Winters was fully healthy and it was obvious he was ready for a huge season, and he didn’t disappoint. The District 1-2A Division I MVP showed his full capability, rushing for eye-popping 2,751 yards on 337 carries with 44 touchdowns. What was more incredible is that 983 of those rushing yards with 13 of those TDs came in five playoff games.

Winters could also sling it, throwing for 1,433 yards with 17 touchdowns to one interception, and was a menace at linebacker, racking up 122 tackles with two sacks and a pair of INTs.

“Ever since I was little, all I wanted to do was get to state,” Winters said. “We didn’t quite make it, but I’d never trade what we did as a team this year. I always knew I wasn’t very tall, and I wasn’t fast. My goal was to always prove people wrong and play to the potential I knew I had. This was a special team, a special year, and I’m so proud of what we accomplished.”

Offensive Player of the Year 

Reid Macon, West Plains, QB, 6-foot, 170-pound, Sr.

By Lance Lahnert

Who really knew?

Who really knew when wide-eyed freshman Reid Macon started at safety the inaugural football game for brand new West Plains High back on August 26, 2022, it was the start of one ofthe great quarterback careers in the 806 and Texas High School football history.

Macon eventually found his way to playing quarterback during that West Plains 52-6 loss to Bushland in 2022.

The next week Macon was inserted at starting quarterback against Midland Greenwood. The start would be his first of an incredible 54 consecutive starts at QB.

And, West Plains not only won with Macon at the helm, the Wolves established themselves as the class of Class 4A in the 806.

Macon helped West Plains to a 42-12 record as a four-year starting QB and in 16 playoff games rolled up a 12-4 record reaching the state semifinals in 2024 and the state quarterfinals this season and 2023.

This year West Plains was ranked in the top five of state polls in Class 4A Division I throughout the season, finishing 12-2 losing to eventual state champion Stephenville in the state quarterfinals.

Macon threw for 2,749 yards and 30 touchdowns while handing over just four interceptions in 262 pass attempts. He also hurt defenses with his running ability finishing with 678 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns.

For Macon’s outstanding performance he is named the 2025 Press Pass Sports Offensive Player of the Year, a season which saw so many Texas Panhandle players put up tremendous offensive numbers.

Macon said the 2025 West Plains Wolves were committed and competitive from the first practice to the last practice.

“This team was extremely special,” Macon said. “And a team that was so competitive. We were successful because we bought into the process. We focused our minds to be processed oriented, making sure those little things were correct. Because the little things can have big effects later in the season.

“We also loved each other. We cared about each other, we held each other accountable. We made sure nothing was left on the table. We have coaches that love us like their own and wanted to pull the best out of us. Those coaches are amazing men and each one of those guys are role models.”

Macon built such confidence and proved his football IQ with West Plains head coach Adam Cummings and offensive coordinator Jeff Lyles he was allowed to change plays and call audibles at the line his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

Lyles and Macon are infamous in the West Plains football world for their give-n-take on what plays work and won’t, watching a ton of game film, along with owning a deep respect for each other.

“For Reid, he processes the game at a high level,” Lyles said. “So not only does he know how the offense works and what all the offensive players are doing, he also knows how the defense is lined up and what we are supposed to be doing to attack the look we are getting. Not all quarterbacks can do that. … the things we asked him to do for us from his freshman to senior year is like going from Algebra to Calculus.”

Fourth-year West Plains head coach Cummings said Macon is the real deal on and off the football field.

“Reid was a lot of things for us this season, but more than anything he was a consistent and reliable leader,” Cummings said. “His skill set and athletic intangibles are at a very elite level, but his leadership, work ethic and football IQ are second to none. He’s going to be very successful in life because of the character traits he has as a person.”

Macon’s teammates are fans as well, like senior safety/running back Boston Ladd, also a four-year starter for the Wolves.

“We want Reid as our quarterback over any QB in the state at any level,” Ladd said. “He had the mindset and he is determined. … he can tell every single one of us on offense what our assignments are on any play. He’s very coachable, obviously fun to play with and fun to be around. Plus, he will be joking around as he’s telling us the play in the huddle. You gotta gave a QB that can do that.”

Macon ended his career with 11,856 passing yards ranking him 10th all-time in Texas High School football history. His 120 career touchdown passes rank 13th all-time in the storied history of Texas high School football.

Despite the gaudy numbers, college recruiters aren’t exactly knocking down Macon’s door. West Plains coaches just shake their heads in wonderment.

“It’s baffling to me that D-I schools aren’t looking at him because he’s 5-11 ½ and not 6-2,” Lyles said. “I think it’s a mistake. I’ve coached a little bit at the college level and I just know the kid can play there. It’s frustrating to us coaches he’s been overlooked.”

Cummings said because of Macon a level of excellence has been set at quarterback for those playing the position in the future at West Plains.

“What Reid has done in his four-year career for West Plains is pretty remarkable,” Cummings said. “Not many players get to be a varsity starter for that amount of time and the legacy he’s left will last for years. Reid maximized the opportunities that he earned as a player and leader. The standard and expectation of QB play for West Plains is very high and that’s a direct result of the impact of Redi Macon.”

Macon said playing quarterback at West Plains changed his life in a way he will forever be grateful.

“My career at West Plains has been a blessing because it not only helped me as a football player, but shaped me to be a good, godly, humble and loving man.” Macon said. “Playing for the Wolves has been so special. The coaches love you like no other and the brothers on the team are more than family.

“The community is second to none and the love and support from everyone around is super special. When I see people fill the stands in Dallas, Texas, six hours away from home I know our fan base is like no other. When I see everyone celebrating for a touchdown I know our family is really strong.

 “The love from coaches really shows how great of a program West Plains football really is. How these coaches shaped young men should be more recognized because those men are role models to a lot of kids. I’m extremely blessed and extremely humbled to be in such a great program.”

Defensive Player of the Year

Brycen Williams, West Plains, LB, 6-3, 175-pound, Sr.

By Lee Passmore

On a team which possessed a ton of impressive returning talent in 2025, you had to make a pretty big impact to get noticed when all was said and done for the West Plains Wolves.

So it might have been appropriate that someone who had already made a name for himself as an athlete on his own would stand out from the pack on the West Plains defense this past season. Then again, Brycen Williams has shown he can clear tall obstacles.

Williams was a returning starter at linebacker for the Wolves this season, and he emerged as a major playmaker on that side of the ball. He had 110 tackles and led the team with 26 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks while forcing a fumble and recovering one.

Those numbers were enough to earn Williams, who qualified for the state track meet in the high jump last season, the District 2-4A Division I defensive player of the year, a big factor in leading the Wolves to their second straight unbeaten district championship.

“We came into the season really hoping that he would be our leader on defense just in terms of his athleticism and his ability to make plays,” West Plains coach Adam Cummings said of Williams. “He showed signs of it last year and we were blessed to have him. This year he did a really good job of meeting expectations and in some ways surpassing them. He put a lot of work in with his pass coverage and we asked him to cover backs and in some cases even slot receivers.”

The ability to cover receivers might not have been a big surprise considering his athletic ability, since Williams established himself as a state caliber high jumper as a junior. Cummings thinks that adjusting to the rough and tumble nature of football made a big difference for Williams last fall.

“I think his physicality really improved this year,” Cummings said. “He’s always had the ability to run things down, but I think his ability to play physical and take on blocks was really where he put some work in.”

The West Plains defense was full of two-way players who effected the game on both sides of the ball. Kane White-Tinsley and Kaden Hooker were most prominent in the secondary in that regard.

Cummings thinks that Williams was first among equals in ability, though.

“He’s arguably the best athlete on our team,” Cummings said. “You factor in the elements of him being an all-state high jumper and put that into a 6-3 frame on the edge it causes a lot of problems for offenses. People can’t run away from him because he’ll chase them down and you can’t throw at him. He was kind of the total package for us.”

Newcomer of the Year 

Bo Davis, Lubbock High, RB, 5-8, 180-pound, Soph. 

Davis exploded on the scene in a hurry in 2025 putting his name on the map as one of the top running backs on the South Plains. The sophomore speedster was able to help the Westerners improve, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Davis ended a stellar season by blazing his way to 1,349 yards on 172 carries with 16 touchdowns. He also caught another 11 passes for 86 yards with a TD.

“Bo is one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever been around,” LHS head coach Juan Rodriguez said. “He is always working to get better, and plays multi-sports, which he excels in as well. He has a vision on and off the field and he knows what he needs to do to improve and get better. He’ll put in the work to make it happen and he understands where he is trying to go.”

– Kale Steed

Fighting Heart Award 

Briggs Satterfield, Gruver, QB, 6-1, 170-pound, Sr.

Anyone that looks in the dictionary for the word winner, Briggs Satterfield’s face is likely to pop up. Satterfield has been the heart and soul for a Greyhound team that broke major ground the past two seasons, going a combined 22-4 while making back-to-back runs to the UIL Class 2A Division II state semifinals. Satterfield put together another tremendous year for the Greyhounds, who went 12-3 overall.

During this senior year, Satterfield threw for 2,678 yards, rushed for 978 yards and combined for 61 touchdowns. Satterfield will hang up his high school cleats making 43 career starts for Gruver, going 36-7 as a starter. The dual-threat QB ends his career, throwing for 7,431 yards with 96 passing touchdowns, and rushed for 2,750 yards with 51 TDs.

“Briggs is an amazing worker,” Gruver head coach Kurt Haberthur said. “He is a leader and is always positive around his teammates. He is a force for all of our athletic programs and he leads the school that way. He is so valuable and will be missed because he makes everyone around him better. He was another coach on the field that was always growing and learning. He’s just a phenomenal kid, and a great role model. I love the guy.”

– Kale Steed