Whitehouse will look a lot different on offense during the 2020 football season.
The Wildcats graduated everyone who attempted a pass in 2019, their three top rushers and four of their top six receivers.
One of those receivers was one of three Whitehouse players to announce their intention to transfer to Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill a week ago.
But even with players departing, the cupboard is not bare in Whitehouse.
The Wildcats will still have some returning seniors, a bevy of young talent and a handful of move-ins.
“Every year, you want to keep your groups together, but you may have a kid transfer, you may have kids transfer in, you may have a lot of kids graduate or you may not have very many graduate,” Whitehouse head football coach Marcus Gold said. “You just have to be prepared for each situation.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys, a lot of sophomores and a lot of juniors who are going to contribute to next year’s football team.”
Two of the returners are seniors Trevor Theiring and Marshall Johnson.
Theiring was second on the Wildcats last season with 31 receptions for 388 yards and five touchdowns.
Johnson had seven tackles for loss and four sacks as a junior.
“We obviously have a young team, but we’ve got the potential to go out there and win,” Theiring said. “I’m just trying to lead by example by doing things the right way.”
“We have to continue to focus on the technique, be disciplined and do the simple things,” Johnson said. “The simple things win games.”
“Our captains have been really involved and communicating to our other kids,” Gold said. “I tell the kids all of the time that if you want to be a great team, you have to be a player-led team.”
The Wildcats were prepared for their return to team workouts thanks to the training they’ve been doing at APEC.
“With our kids going to APEC every Monday and Wednesday night, they weren’t completely out of shape when they got to us this week,” Gold said.
Now, Gold and the rest of his coaching staff are taking advantage of the time they’ve been afforded by the UIL.
“I’ve been impressed with our coaches,” Gold said. “They’ve done a great job of keeping our guys in groups and keeping them spaced out. We’re grateful to be able to work out with the kids, but we also want to make sure we’re doing things right and following all of the guidelines.”
The Wildcats are using the time to improve in all areas, but they are also taking a close look at the quarterbacks, where five players are battling for the job. Three juniors, a sophomore and a freshman are all competing to lead the Whitehouse offense when the 2020 season begins.