High School Varsity Football Touchdown Preview: Newsome High School, 2023

The 2023 Newsome High School Wolves will compete for a district title this season behind strong offensive and defensive line play.

The Wolves will be led by first-year signal caller junior Noah Guenther. Head coach Christian Yockey said that the QB had a great offseason and is one of the hardest workers on the team. The coaching staff expects big things from him in his third year in the offensive system. Guenther boasts a solid GPA and a grasp of the offense, as well as a strong and accurate arm and leadership skills.

Yockey thinks that this is the biggest and strongest team that he’s had at Newsome. The program prides itself on its mental and physical toughness. Yockey said that more players will play both offense and defense this year to help contribute. The Wolves have an older and more experienced roster with 31 seniors and 38 juniors. They will replace only 17 seniors from last year.

The offensive and defensive lines will be anchored by senior offensive and defensive tackle Dwayne Bain, who currently has three D-I college offers. Senior offensive guard Elijah Seeley, senior center Reagan Bre and junior offensive guard Garrett Weisgerber are all key returning players on a bulky offensive line. They also return two junior tight ends in Nate Hohlfeld and Clayton Brown, who will be prominent in an offense that runs a lot of tight-end sets.

Other key offensive returners include junior running back Malik Hassoun and senior Eli Hiscock, who will play both linebacker and running back and has three D-I offers. Punter/kickoff specialist D.J. Page was first-team all-conference last season and will be a key contributor on special teams.

The biggest improvement on the team will be the defense, returning more experience than the previous season. Key players include junior linebacker Jett Buzbee; safeties Jonathan Kerce and Tristan Mitchum, who had seven interceptions last season; and corners Tariq Sapp, Ryan Toefield and Martin Taylor, who will lead the secondary.

Former 12-year Newsome head coach Ken Hiscock returns to the team as defensive coordinator.

The team motto is “Earn it 23.” Yockey said that his team has worked the entire offseason to be able to compete and gain the respect of its opponents. The staff has preached to the team to play a full 48 minutes. They think they can win their district and want to compete for a state title. The team has made it to the third round of the playoffs before.

The Wolves missed the playoffs for the first time in three seasons last year, but they will have a good opportunity to get back to postseason play. Newsome has one of the toughest schedules in Hillsborough County, having to play against Sickles, Tampa Bay Tech, Wharton and Gaither, but they have a winnable district if they can get past Durant and Sumner.

Schedule:

8/25 @ Plant City

11/3 vs. Gaither