PIGSKIN PREVIEW 2022: Windermere High School

The Windermere High School football team is looking forward to taking the field Friday, Aug. 19, for the first game of the 2022-23 football season. 

“Our expectation on the field is to play with maximum effort and physicality,” head football coach Riki Smith said. “The district has been realigned, so we have a few new opponents. We will keep our eye on our next opponent week in and week out, and stay focused on lessons learned and our growth.” 

With this being Smith’s first year as head coach for the Wolverines, there is a new team culture brewing.

“Our building blocks for the program are discipline, accountability and love,” Smith said. “As head coach, I intend to choose this pathway for cultivating a loving approach to our public engagement on and off the field. I believe that focusing on virtue, as well as athleticism will enable sensitivity for difficulties and prioritization of moral character development of my players through our personal relationships and public engagement of playing football.” 

With a new coaching staff, all coaches identify with the mission of the team. 

 “Our coaching staff and I will choose in all situations to speak words of peace and encouragement, to model courage and humility for the sake of others, and to exercise generosity and sportsmanship to build bridges instead of walls — all while exercising our muscular prowess and developing athleticism on the field,” Smith said.

Some players to watch this season include Christopher Maurice, Kyce Amer, Anthony Rosier, Zachary Friend, Jonathan Porter, Lucas Glassburn and Andres Ochoa.