The Willow Springs football team enters the 2026 season with a mix of returning varsity experience and players stepping into larger roles.
Head coach Jake Brookshire begins his fifth season leading the program, marking his 21st year in coaching.
The Bears went 3-7 last season and lost eight seniors to graduation. This year's roster includes eight seniors, 18 returning varsity players and 12 freshmen.
"Caden Lee is our quarterback," Brookshire said. "He had a really good year last year. He'll make a lot of big plays for us this year. Braden Scarbrough will be our starting tailback this year."
The coach pointed out the development of Kirill Gantyuk and Brady James as two players who could make a meaningful impact.
"Kirill Gantyuk will be a senior, and came out last year for the first time and has really gotten stronger and improved a lot." He said. "Brady James, a senior receiver, we expect him to have a big year. This is his first year playing for us and he's really picked the game up really quickly."
The Bears will have several players to watch on defense, Brookshire said, including Logan Bryan, Dane Flynn and Jacob Maggard.
Aiden Messex will move to linebacker after earning all-conference honors last season. Brookshire expects that position change to give the Bears another strong presence on defense, calling him “one of our best defensive players."
Elijah Roberts will also take on a new role. The senior, who was an all-conference selection last season, will serve as a captain and move from the line to tight end.
Brookshire said Roberts' blocking ability makes him a good fit at the position, while his route-running gives the Bears another option in the passing game.
"He's a great blocker, and that's kind of what we need at the tight end spot, but he can also catch the ball a little bit too, so we expect big things out of him,” Brookshire said.
The team has spent significant time preparing in the weight room during the offseason.
"We're excited," he said. “The kids have put in a lot of time in the weight room and we got a lot stronger."
Brookshire suggested his team is going to roll with the punches this season, taking a focused approach to a competitive schedule.
"We just want to take it one game at a time, and we've got a lot to prove, and that's kind of our outlook," the coach said. "We're going to play one week at a time and try to leave everything on the field every Friday night, give it our best, and let the chips fall."
