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KANSAS, Okla. — Entering his third season as head football coach at Kansas, Okla., Jimmy Dushane hopes the Com- ets now understand what he wants to see on the field. "We want to be physical on the foot- ball field," Dushane said, "and to be physical we have to be strong in the weight room and play our responsibil- ities." The Comets were 4-6 in Dushane's first season as interim head coach in 2017 and improved to 5-5 in 2018 but still missed the Oklahoma Class 2A postsea- son after finishing with a 3-4 record in District 2A-4. Falling short has been a motivator during the offseason for the Comets. They were state champions in powerlift- ing in Class 2A in the winter and carried that over into the summer. "We did have a good summer, espe- cially at the beginning of the summer," Dushane said. "The state mandated we have a good long break over the Fourth of July, and I think that kind of hurt us. Before that, we had tremendous re- sponse with the kids being here." Dushane said he thinks the strength of the 2019 Comets will be leadership. "We will have better leadership than we've ever had from our seniors," Du- shane said. "From an overall football standpoint, I think this team has more football knowledge and understanding than we have had in the past." The Comets will operate out of a Pro I-formation setup but will try to be mul- tiple on offense. "We might have more overall team speed than we've ever had, too," Du- shane said. Senior Ethan Whaler (5-10, 175) takes over the starting quarterback job for 2019 after playing there at the end of last season. "We feel like Ethan will be able to be a better fit for us at that quarterback spot," Dushane said. "He makes good deci - sions and I really think he'll be a major contributor for us." Junior Easton Wiggins (6-0, 165) was the starter at quarterback for most of last season and will move to wide receiver. Wiggins could also play some quarter- back. "Easton, as a freshman, played wide receiver and had a couple of nice catches," Dushane said. "Last year we moved him to quar- terback and he ran for around 380 yards. I think he will be a tough cover if someone's trying to play him man." Senior Deaven Noe (5-8, 160) will be a top target at wide receiver as is junior Trenton Fields (5-7, 130), who has good hands and good speed. "I think he'll be an outstanding receiv- er for us," Dushane said of Fields. The Comets are hoping that soph- omores Javyne Whaler and Casey Swarthout will emerge as pass- catching threats. Junior Bryant Shaver (6-1, 175) is a threat to catch the ball at tight end along with senior Jake Morgan (5-9, 155), ju- nior Caleb Reding (6-0, 180) and sopho- more Jeremiah Harmon (5-10, 185). The Comets often use a tight end like a fullback as well, and senior Jager Pifer (6-0, 195) will be used there along with Harmon. One of the biggest voids in the Comets' offense will be the production of graduated senior Daris Glass, who rushed for 1,292 yards and 12 touch- downs. The Comets haven't settled on a starter to replace Glass, but junior Wiliam Hall and senior Bobby Honaker (5-11, 190) will both see time in the backfield. "Bobby will be more physical of the two, but Wiliam will be the faster of the two," Dushane said. "We have a good combination in two kids." On the offensive line, the Comets have a pair of veterans returning in senior guards Jacob Jones (6-0, 205) and Wil- liam Houston (5-8, 200). The Comets' center position is open and three players, senior Gabe Anglin 2019 Football Preview 16C n Wednesday, August 28, 2019 Herald-Leader/Westside Eagle Observer See Kansas on Page 21C Comets hope to turn corner in 2019 By Graham Thomas Staff Writer n gthomas@nwadg.com 2 • Jake Morgan 52 • Jacob Jones 4 • Ethan Whaler 1 • Deaven Noe 7 • Jager Pifer 85 • Caleb Reding 55 • William Houston 6 • Easton Wiggins Graham Thomas/Herald-Leader The Kansas (Okla.) Comets open the 2019 season at Colcord, Okla., on Sept. 5. Coach Jimmy Dushane