High school football countdown: Fort Worth Wyatt

Fort Worth Wyatt

District 7-4A

Coach: Zachary Criss

Last season: 7-4 (7-2 in 6-4A), lost to Trophy Club Nelson in bi-district round

Key players: QB/WR/ATH Ladell Marshall (6-1, 205); WR/RB Deon Daniels (Sr. 6-1, 185); OL Chris Winston (Jr. 6-4, 325); OL Sam Madison (Sr. 5-11, 240); OL Charles Brown (Sr. 6-4, 335); C Bryce Torrance (Sr. 6-0 240); S/LB Dequaylon Gray (Sr. 5-10, 175); FS T'kelton Rosemond (Sr. 6-1, 175)

The big picture: Coach Zachary Criss has high expectations for this year even though his district road will be much tougher. The new 7-4A combines some of the strongest Fort Worth teams -- including Southwest, Arlington Heights and Wyatt -- with Granbury and Aledo, which has won three straight 4A state championships. But the Chaparrals feel up to the task. This senior class was 9-1 as freshmen, and most of the players have stayed in the program. Wyatt has 17 returning starters, nine on offense.

Quotable: "It's going to be a good season. We've been working extremely hard. We want to compete for the district and go deep into the playoffs. We know what we are capable of." -- Senior QB Ladell Marshall

Notable: While Wyatt and Fort Worth Dunbar were split up in district realignment, the two teams will be able to continue their rivalry with a nondistrict matchup. The Chaparrals also will play Arlington Sam Houston, which is coached by Zachary Criss' brother Anthony.

Brent Shirley, 817-390-7760

Twitter: @bshirley08

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