Junior quarterback Jerrod Heard returns from a breakout sophomore season and has his Guyer Wildcats poised to be one of the state's best teams in Class 4A after a two-year stint in Class 5A. (David Minton/Denton Record-Chronicle)
No, the state polls haven’t been released yet, and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football doesn’t come out until next week but the first local reference to football rankings is out and The Dallas Morning News has ranked Guyer No. 1 in among DFW Class 4A teams, in what was one of the most unsurprising moves ever.
Guyer, of course, has junior quarterback Jerrod Heard coming back after a breakout sophomore season and also has one of the area’s top receivers in senior Ellis Jefferson with a running back in D.J. Breedlove coming back that head coach John Walsh insists could be the best running back Guyer has ever had.
The defense is set to be full of inexperience, but is also loaded with athletes. It’s not hard to see why they’re No. 1 in Class 4A, just two years removed from a state title game appearance in Class 5A. At the UIL realignment, I asked one prominent Class 4A coach about Guyer moving down, and he responded by saying “No one in 4A is beating Guyer.”
Pressure? Maybe so. But Walsh and his program have always thrived being the hunted. They enjoy it. This year will be no different. Time will tell if anyone can knock them off.