You only get one chance to make a first impression, and boy, did the Columbia Wildcats ever succeed in doing that. In one year's time, they've gone from being the new kids on the Class 4A block to being the defending state champs with targets on their backs entering the 2022 season. But last year's accomplishments are in the past, and this year's squad will have to put in the work to create their own identity and write their own chapter in the storied history of Wildcat football.
"The main thing that we've been trying to focus on this offseason is the fact that last season is over," head coach Bilderback said. "And trust me, we're all happy to have celebrated it. What we accomplished last year was really special, but we've moved on as a team. And that's really fun to have a new team working to create its own identity."
Bilderback said the Wildcats' motto entering the season is "everything matters." Whether the Wildcats are on the field or in the classroom, they'll need to maintain focus and discipline in order to put themselves in position to enjoy more success over the months to come.
"It kind of goes back to the discipline of doing things right on a daily basis and just handling your business," Bilderback said. "If we can do those things the right way, we feel like we've got a chance to be really successful."
In a sense, the Wildcats will have a lot of youth on the field this season. Following the graduation of 22 former players, fans will see a lot of new faces on the field, but those faces aren't necessarily new to the Wildcats' program. They've each been putting in the work and waiting for their opportunity to step into primary roles on the team, and Bilderback said he and his staff are excited to see them in action.
"I say it's a young team because we have a lot of guys who have been on the roster just waiting for that chance to break into the starting lineup," Bilderback said. "We have juniors and seniors who just haven't started, and now they're getting ahead in those positions.
"We are, however, returning a small core of players who did play significant roles on last year's team. So we're excited to see these guys have that opportunity to go out there and prove themselves. That's really exciting and rewarding to see as a coach."
One of those "new faces" will be under center at the quarterback position. Sophomore Collin Haney served as a backup to last year's starter, Carter Smith, and Bilderback said he and his staff feel confident in Haney's ability to lead the offense in a system that should feature a lot more opportunities in the passing game.
"Collin saw a lot of meaningful snaps last year, and every week we made him prepare as if his number might be called to step in and make important plays for us," Bilderback said. "So even though he's a first-year starter, I don't really see him that way. He had the opportunity to work with and watch Carter, who was a two-year starter for us, and I think he learned a lot from being able to watch him handle his business. For him to be successful, he's got to take that next step in the maturity and the consistency that it takes to be a starter."
The running game will be handled by a committee of backs following the departure of last year's leading rushers, Omar Johnson and Miguel Cook. Currently in the lead to inherit the bulk of that workload are Amarion Fortenberry and Jalon Anderson, both of whom had opportunities to prove their skill and athleticism at other positions in 2021. Freshman Mac McDaniel and sophomore Ceecee Watts are battling it out for the third spot on the depth chart, although Bilderback said all four will be utilized in order to help maintain Fortenberry's and Anderson's stamina for their defensive duties.
They'll be running behind a strong offensive line, led by third-year starter Landon Fillingame at guard. He'll play alongside second-year starting center Eli Lowery and Ethan Morris, who played tight end last fall but will step inside to the tackle position. Rashod Norris will take over the other guard spot while Dakota Breeland and Mashun Anderson continue battling for the other starting tackle role.
"We feel solid up front, and it's a spot where I expect to see us get better," Bilderback said. "The year before we had so many guys who played snaps that we were way ahead of the curve by Game 1 of the season when it comes to execution. This year, we have a lot of talent, and they just need those opportunities to face battles and learn from the experience."
The Wildcats will boast what they feel could be one of the best receiving corps in 4A football this season, featuring returning starters DJ Cloyd and Kendale Johnson. Deshawn White, AJ Lewis, Jeremiah Foxworth and Cain are each expected to join them on the outside for roles in the passing game.
Whereas last year the Wildcats used the running game to open up the back end, Bilderback says it could be the other way around this year as they continue to find ways to put the ball in the hands of their best athletes, several of whom will be catching passes from Haney.
"We still want to keep our same mindset in terms of being physical and imposing our will, but this year I think we're going to have to throw it a little more to open up our running game," Bilderback said. "Collin throws the ball really well, and we're going to take advantage of the skill level we have at the receiver position."
The Wildcats will look for new leaders to step up on the defensive side of the ball as well, tasked with the challenge of filling the rather large shoes of Jaheim Oatis, who is now preparing for his freshman season with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
"When you lose guys like Jaheim Oatis and Peyton Anderson, who have played so many significant snaps on your defense, you've got a challenge on your hands," Bilderback said. "When you look at Columbia football over the past four years, we've been really strong defensively all four years. We don't want to see a drop off in that area, but we're not going to have those big bodies up front for us, so we're going to have a lot of guys coming in and out to play roles in filling those holes."
Returning at defensive end is Morris, who will play a significant role in that process as a seasoned veteran coming off the edge. Alongside him will be Isaiah Foxworth, who returns as a second-year starter and brings a high motor to the Wildcats' pass rush.
Karaun Ruffin and Breeland battling for the top two spots on the depth chart as nose guard, a battle Bilderback described as being "a coin flip at this point." Leon Veals and Landon Wilks are competing for a starting role at the other defensive end spot.
Starting at the wolf linebacker spot on the weak side will be returning senior Deshawn White. Opposite to White will be Cloyd, a Tulane commit who made a ton of noise on both sides of the football during last season's title run.
Jalon Anderson returns as a starter at inside linebacker, along with Jashawn Barnes who started late last season after former Wildcat Jonathan Wiltz suffered a season-ending injury. McDaniel will enter the mix as well as a sophomore who has really impressed Columbia's coaching staff.
Bilderback said he feels really confident in his secondary entering the season, featuring several returning starters who are already proven playmakers. Fortenberry returns at cornerback, having started every game at the position last year as a sophomore, although Bilderback says fellow junior Jeremiah Tatum has established himself as the No. 1 corner entering the fall. At free safety, Foxworth currently sits in the lead for the starting gig, challenged by Cain entering August.
On special teams, most of the kicking duties will be handled by incoming freshman Luke Davis.
The Wildcats will face a challenging lineup of non-district competition this year, but Bilderback believes that will work to his team's advantage, just as it did last year in preparing them for an undefeated run through region play. Knowing they'll receive each opponent's very best shot as defending state champs, he and his staff want to see their players challenged early and often to prepare for whatever they may face down the backstretch of the regular-season schedule.
"We start the season against supposedly the No. 1 team in 4A, Mendenhall. We play a tough East Marion team that always gets up for their game against us, and then we play at Petal for their home opener, so we know that's going to be a tough environment," Bilderback said. "Then we go across the river to West Marion, and after that, we face what many believe to be one of the top teams in the state in Jeff Davis County. So there aren't any easy wins on our non-district schedule before we roll into region play.
"But I think facing those tough games really helped us last year down the stretch. We're in a really tough district, and we're going to see some really tough competition in October when we're competing for playoff positioning, so we want to embrace those challenges. Hopefully they make us better and put us in a better position to compete at a high level when it matters most.
"That's our goal. We want to be playing our best football through October and November, and hopefully that'll be enough to get us back into December."
