New opponent kicks off 2019 football season

The 2019 Wayland Baptist football season opens Saturday against an unfamiliar opponent and at an unfamiliar kickoff time.

The Pioneers tee it up against University of St. Mary (Kan.) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldog Stadium.

"The kids have been excited" to get the season started, WBU coach Butch Henderson said. "They've worked hard and gelled around each other."

Tickets, available at the gate, are $10 for adults and $5 for students (WBU students admitted free with ID). The game has been designated a "Gold Out," so fans are encouraged to wear gold.

The game is being sponsored by Plainview Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Free food, while it lasts, will be provided by Wayland in conjunction with Tombstone BBQ in the southeast corner of the stadium's home parking lot.

Saturday will be the first opportunity for a fan to win a Jeep Wrangler, courtesy of Plainview Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Selected at random, one contestant at halftime of each of WBU's five home games will attempt one throw with an NCAA standard-size football from 30 yards away. If the ball makes it into a 10-inch diameter target, they win.

The USM Spires, from Leavenworth, Kan., are members of the NAIA's Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, of which Wayland has opposed once previously. In 2015, the Pioneers opened the season at home against Southwestern, Kan., winning 42-5.

While Wayland is coming off a 5-5 season and anxious to make another showing like its seven-win campaign three years ago, the Spires also are chasing their first winning record since 2016 when they went 8-3. USM has posted four-win seasons the last two years, with last year featuring three wins in their final four outings.

"St. Mary is a very strong team in their conference. Last year three teams got in the national playoffs out of KCAC," Henderson noted.

This season, the Spires are picked eighth in the 11-team KCAC. Wayland, meanwhile, came in tied for seventh in the Sooner Athletic Conference's nine-team preseason poll.

USM will be breaking in a new quarterback in 2019, which leaves the Pioneers at a bit of a loss as to what to prepare for from the Spires' offense.

"They had to replace their quarterback, so we really have no idea what to expect. With the same offensive coordinator you hope they have the same type of offense (as last season), but we don't know. It could be completely different," Henderson said. "We understand they picked up a (junior college) quarterback. Their recruiting (last season) was heavily JC."

The Spires' offense is sure to include a heavy dose of running back Demontrel Wilson, a 5-foot-10, 250-pound bruiser who as a freshman last season averaged 63 yards rushing a game and scored 13 touchdowns. Wilson teams with a smaller, shiftier runner to give the Spires a one-two punch.

"(Wilson) pounds on you then they bring in that scatback" for a change of pace, Henderson said.

The Pioneers have their own pair of potent runners in seniors De'Sean Johnson and Jerrell Peterson. Johnson averaged 72 yards on the ground and scored eight TDs while earning all-conference second-team honors in 2018 while Peterson was good for 35 yards a game and four scores. Both averaged close to 4½ yards a carry.

The duo prompted WBU to add wrinkles to its no-huddle offense to allow both Johnson and Peterson to be on the field at the same time.

"De'Sean has done great all the way through his career, and Jerrell is right there with him," Henderson said. "They are two really good athletes, and we'd like have them both on the field at the same time and not have a one-back offense all the time. Both are also good receivers, which opens the playbook a little bit."

Another senior, Mitchell Parsley, returns to quarterback the Pioneers after being injured most of last season. Henderson was glowing about Parsley, who already is Wayland's career passing leader with 4,703 yards and 36 touchdowns.

"Mitchell understands the big picture and really studies the game," he said of Parsley, who intends to be a coach and, when he's not with the quarterbacks group, is often in other position group meetings in order to learn the game. "He's doing a great job making protection calls and overriding things based on what he sees (from the defense). It has been a lot of fun to watch that. I can't say enough about what Mitch is doing and what he brings to our football team."

Parsley and the Pioneer offense will be up against a USM defense led by senior linebacker David Burton and senior defensive back Tre Espy, the Spires' top two tacklers last season with 76 and 66 stops, respectively. Meanwhile, junior free safety Nick Holmes is a first-team all-American after collecting 61 tackles and an NAIA-best 11 interceptions.

Wayland's defense, meanwhile, is spearheaded by 6-foot-1, 285-pound senior JaQuavious Dean, an all-conference second-team lineman a year ago who Henderson said has been largely responsible for keeping blockers off of WBU's top-tier linebackers the past three seasons. "JaQuavious is a very unselfish young man. He doesn't get a lot of sacks and stats, but he does a great job."

Henderson went on to mention the likes of sophomore linebackers Manny Arguijo and Casey Buck, along with juniors ends Kevin White and Justin Wheeler.

"That part looks exciting," the coach said.