A year after using primarily big formations, Guyer now lines up in the spread as much as it does in two tight end sets. While the team runs the same plays out of the spread as it does other sets, Guyer coach John Walsh believes the added versatility makes his team harder to stop.
It's hard to argue with him. Guyer leads the area in Class 4A offense with more than 500 yards per game. That offense -- coupled with a defense that's barely giving up 200 yards per game -- is why Guyer, ranked No. 2 in the state by the Associated Press, is favored to make it out of Division I Region I for the second straight year.
"If you start trying to chase our formations with a defense for each formation, you end up not playing very good defense," Walsh said. "We figure out in the first quarter where everybody's going to be. Then we place our kids to our advantage. We try to outnumber you."
Guyer (9-0 overall, 6-0 in District 5-4A) returned UNLV commit Luke Russell at receiver and gained Quentin Gardener, sophomore Connor Crane and Hebron transfer Cameron Hunter. Along with Daniel Mercer, Walsh now has five receivers he can play to fill out a spread formation.
That doesn't mean the Wildcats still don't rely on the run. They've rushed for more than 3,000 yards already this year and are all but certain to finish the year with two 1,000-yard rushers -- RB Jaimaine Wilhite and QB J.W. Walsh, who is playing his first full year as the starter after missing much of last season because of injury.
However, the onus is on Guyer's defense to keep the Wildcats undefeated as it faces Denton Ryan's high-octane offense at 7 p.m. Thursday at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex in Denton.
A win would clinch Guyer's first district title in school history. A loss would force a three-way tie for the 5-4A crown between Ryan (8-1, 5-1) and Lake Dallas (8-1, 5-1).
Little Elm (3-6, 3-3) tries to wrap up 5-4A's fourth playoff spot with a win over host Denton (1-8, 0-6) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Contributors
Jeff Andrews
Jeff Andrews covers north Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. He covered high school sports for four years at the Denton Record-Chronicle. Andrews is a graduate of UNT.
Randy Jennings
Randy Jennings covers south Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. His 34-year career as a sports writer includes eight years at the Dallas Morning News. Jennings is a graduate of UT-Arlington.
Mercedes Mayer
Mercedes Mayer covers west Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. Mercedes has covered DFW-area sports for the last six years, including a 5 1/2 year stint with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Mayer is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.
Ethan Szatmary
Ethan B. Szatmary covers east Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. Ethan covered colleges and high schools for the Denton Record-Chronicle for eight years and graduated from Emory University.
