Nazareth heads into new football season led by experienced senior class
Tyler Goodwin is feeling a lot more confident heading into his second year as head football coach of the Nazareth Swifts.
The Swifts won seven games last fall and will be looking to build off of that solid foundation in his first year at the helm. The next step would see Goodwin guide Nazareth on a journey toward the program claiming its first district championship since 2018.
"We knew we had a lot coming back and the expectations were there," Goodwin said. "The kids right now, they're really meeting those expectations. I was spending most of this time last year trying to get the players to trust me because I hadn't been here before. To start of this year already with that trust and knowledge of the system has been a lot easier of a transition into the early part of the season."
Nazareth returns a handful of talented seniors to lead both sides of the ball this season.
The three seniors that Goodwin mentioned to step up with big seasons are tailback/safety Luke Schulte, tight end/defensive lineman Brett Heitschmidt and fullback/center Sterl Welps.
Schulte has played on varsity all four years of high school and will be the primary ball-carrier for the Swifts this fall. Goodwin also noted that Schulte may see some time at quarterback and regarded him as the "ultimate leader" of the team and expects a big season from him.
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Heitschmidt is a two-way player who has the ability to line up on both ends of the line and produce. Goodwin expects him to wreak havoc on the defensive line and he should be a major factor in the weekly offensive gameplan for the Swifts.
This will be Welps' third year as a starter and he is also expected to make a major impact on both sides of the ball.
"We're senior heavy and I think that's going to lead to a lot of our success," Goodwin said. "Those guys are going to be the three main leaders of our team. Behind their leadership and skills and with our two other seniors, Tell Bagley and Tanner Birkenfeld, I think we have a really good chance to be successful."
Nazareth will have junior Will Young starting at quarterback after playing primarily on defense last season. He will be taking snaps from junior center Owen Dyer.
While Goodwin expects there may be some growing pains, he is excited about the potential his new signal caller has shown.
"He grew a lot last year as far as his mental game and it's been a lot of fun to watch him grow over the last four or five months," Goodwin said.
Nazareth has made the move up from Class 1A D-II to the 1A D-I level with the newest realignment and will face off a brand new slate of district opponents in Claude, Happy and Wildorado.
The Swifts defeated Claude 52-38 in the 2021 season opener before a 55-8 loss to Happy the next week. They will face those three tough opponents as well as challenging non-district games against Groom, Valley and Miami.
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In order to have a successful season against that tough slate of opponents this fall, Goodwin is going to keep the gameplan will be short and simple.
"As long as we can line up and run the football, that's what you're going to see from Nazareth this year," Goodwin said.
NAZARETH SWIFTS
Head coach: Tyler Goodwin
2021 record: 7-4, 3-1 in district
Base offense: Tight
Base defense: 2-3
Last playoff appearance: 2021
Returning Lettermen: 7
Top returners: FB/C Sterl Welps, TB/S Luke Schulte, DL Tell Bagley, TE/DL Brett Heitschmidt, E/DL Kayle Rogers, C/DL Owen Dyer
SCHEDULE
Aug. 26: vs. Whiteface, 7:30 p.m.
Sep. 2: at Hart, 7:30 p.m.
Sep. 9: at Groom, 7:30 p.m.
Sep. 16: vs. Valley, 7:30 p.m.
Sep. 23: vs. O'Donnell, 7:30 p.m.
Sep. 30: at Whitharral, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7: at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 14: OPEN
Oct. 2`: vs. Happy, 7 p.m.*
Oct. 28: vs. Claude, 7 p.m.*
Nov. 4: at Wildorado, 7 p.m.*
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Nazareth heads into new season led by experienced senior class
