Photo by Cody Nespor Wheeling Park quarterback Brett Phillips scrambles before throwing a touchdown against Morgantown two weeks ago.

Going into the 2023 season, the Wheeling Park Patriots have a long track record of success behind them — and, they expect, the pieces to continue to push forward at that same high standard.

With a playoff streak nearing the same number of years as some of the Patriot players’ ages, and a 7-4 record last year, there can be no doubt as to what Wheeling Park is working toward with the start of the season nearly upon them.

“Expectations are always high here at Wheeling Park,” head coach Chris Daugherty said. “I think we’ve made the playoffs 13 years in a row. Obviously we want to add to that. But it’s one week at a time — we’re going to have some young kids in some spots out on the field and it’s going to be real important that we just get a little bit better every week.”

Though they suffered some losses through graduation as every team does annually, the Patriots are hardly starting fresh, and are confident that the less experienced among them can step up their games each day.

“Sophomores become juniors about midseason, and maybe juniors and seniors that didn’t get to play a ton last year are now looking like seasoned veteran kids,” Daugherty said. “I think the early part of the season is going to be real important for us, to be mistake-free. But also to continually grow every week, every practice.”

Coach Chris Daugherty discusses the upcoming season

Offensively, Wheeling Park returns many parts of last year’s whole, though there is a new face at quarterback. Junior Aidan Davis will be tasked with running the offense this year.

“We have a new quarterback, but he’s a talented kid. And he had to wait for another talented kid to graduate. But honestly, Aiden Davis was capable of playing last year, he’s a quality quarterback, now it’s his turn to take over the offense and show everyone what he can do.

“We’ve seen a lot of great things out of him in practice but now it’s going to be Friday nights that he’s going to get to go out. We expect big things out of him for the football season.”

Also in the QB room is Jed Hunley. AJ Seals, Brock Hinebaugh, Aidan Forget and Anthony Mealy are specialists.

Davis will hardly be required to shoulder the entire show, as his surrounding cast is filled with talent and experience. Senior tailback Zac Lydick, and senior wide receivers Mykel Davis and Keohn Stephens Jr. return after productive seasons in 2022.

Mykel Davis set a school record last year with four touchdown receptions in a single game.

“[Davis] had a standout year last year,” Daughterty said. “He really got better as the year went on.”

Along with Lydick, sophomore Amare Johnson figures to see time both in the backfield and lined up as a receiver. The up-and-coming athlete has quite a bit of family history going for him as well.

“We think we have a nice young tailback for us in Amare Johnson,” Daugherty said. “His brother was an all-state tailback for us, his father was an all-state tailback for us, they both went on to play college football. But Zac is quality, so we’re going to use Amare in some ways where he might be in the backfield, he might be a wideout, an inside slot. Amare’s going to be on the field as a wide receiver and maybe a back.”

Versatility can be a key advantage for the Patriots offense, between Johnson and another multi-faceted player, Jameson Maynard, who Daugherty called “the heart and soul of our team.”

Maynard, a junior, figures to line up as from the slot, as an in-line tight end, and in the backfield as a lead blocker or ball carrier. The ability to line up players in different spots, without bringing in different groupings of players, can help keep Wheeling Park from showing its hand.

“Jameson Maynard can do a lot of things,” Daugherty said. “He’s the Swiss army knife of football. He can play wide receiver, he can play tight end, he can play fullback. We might use him in all those situations, he can catch the ball, he can run the ball, he can block. He’s just a football player, honestly. You can see him in different positions without having to sub out personnel. We have some plans to use him in a lot of different ways.”

Also in the receiver room — and defensive back room — will be Kam Shanley, Noah Short, Jared Marsh, Ian Richards, Owen Dobrzynski Hines, Mason Charlton, Xavier Neider, Isaac Sands, Bradley Kraft, Kolin Wiley, Brennen Wack, Cazh Campbell, Landen Hollingshead, Ronald Proctor, Michael West and Sincear Galberth.

Max Reasbeck, Jordan Beasley, Xander Ackley and Briar Works are also billed as tight ends.

In the running back room along with Lydick and Johnson are junior Trey Kocher, junior Isaac Swauger, sophomore Jerome Maynard, sophomore Malaki Washington, sophomore Channing Biery and junior Gabe Larance.

Along the offensive line, junior Cameron Bryan looks to build off a sophomore season where the big man thrived in a position where physical maturity and strength is paramount.

“Our right tackle is returning in Cameron Bryan,” Daugherty said. “He’s only a junior but he had to start last year as a sophomore and he had a great season. He’s an even bigger, better version of himself.”

Junior Hunter Means and senior Derek Croghan are also penciled in at right and left guard, both receiving playing time along the line last season. The Patriots are not completely settled at center or left tackle yet, though junior Luke Miller and senior Carson Miller appear to be the front runners at those respective spots.

“Hunter Means will be at right guard, played off and on both defensively and offensively last year,” Daugherty said. “We’re going to be leaning on him a lot, he’s another good lineman who I think will be a standout guy for us. Derek Croghan was a nose guard for us, he might have to play offensive line a little bit this year at the other guard position. He’ll still be at nose guard on defense, but he’ll play a little bit of offense this year, too.”

Also competing on the O-line will be Kayden Fortney, Nolan Yanchak, Jack Klein, Dom Purcell, Bryton Alig, Luke McCabe, Kameron Dietrich, Kieran Moses, Reuben Rouse, Carson McCort, Coldin Burkhart, Jayden Woods-Davis, and Liam Waldeck. Many of those names will factor into the defensive front seven as well.

When it comes to the defensive side of the ball, it once again starts with Maynard, who returns as the team’s middle linebacker.

In the trenches, Derek Croghan and Hunter Means give Daugherty and Park a luxury in two experienced, tough interior defensive linemen to repel run games and push the pocket.

Playing deep for the Patriots is another experienced player in Jared Marsh. Experience and speed, both physically and mentally, are must-haves at free safety, and Marsh — who Daugherty called “the brains back there [at safety],” checks all the boxes.

Surrounding those core four, senior Jordan Beasley will figure in heavily along the defensive line, Washington and Yanchak are top candidates for lineback next to Maynard, while Davis and Stephens Jr. will likely fill in as defensive backs, perhaps next to Marsh as the safety tandem, perhaps in the mix at corner with senior Ian Richards, who saw plenty of time at cornerback last year, and Kam Shanley, who likewise got reps across from opposing wide-outs.

Assisting Chris Daugherty are Drew Beihl, Scott Cook, Shane Glass, Tim Ickes, Darryl Johnson, Rick Marsh, Nick Nardone, Keith Phillips, Zach Phillips, Andy Seals, Doug Boyd, Savion Johnson and Dave Stahnke.