Northwest Raiders
2022 Record: 6-5
District: 4-3A
Head Coach: Chris Edwards
Note: The Raiders are moving back from the Wing-T offense to the Spread
Northwest football finished 6-5 last season. It was the Raiders first winning record since 2018.
For a proud program, that's not far removed from making what felt like, annual trips to the quarterfinals, 2022 was a step in the right direction.
"What I found out, as I've been coaching for these years. Along the way, good players make an average coach look good. And average players make a good coach look average," Northwest Head Coach Chris Edwards said with a laugh. "I think the years we were down, each year you have to rebuild. We were going through that rebuilding phase. But just plugging away, getting our kids in school, and just outworking people."
"It was very important actually, because our season didn't quite go as well as we had planned it to," Northwest senior defensive end Mackenzie Ardoin added. "But it went better than a lot of people thought it would go."
Northwest comes into this season with 8 starters returning, 4 on each side.
A big focus this offseason has been on protecting the ball, as turnovers have plagued the Raiders.
Northwest hopes having more fun can fix the issue too, as they are moving from the Wing-T back to their traditional Spread Offense.
"The spread for me has put me in my comfort zone," Edwards revealed. "Last year, I felt like I was kinda on the back burner. I was more involved with the defensive game planning than offense. So I'm kinda rejuvenated. I'm excited to get back calling plays and the kids are excited."
"I feel better playing in the spread than the Wing-T to be honest," Northwest senior running back Ja'Vain Reese explained. "Because I feel like the spread gives me more opportunities to see the hole, the cutbacks, everything I need to see.
"It's very exciting," Northwest tight end Davon Thibodeaux added. "It gives you some fuel to play. You're not running the same play over and over again like you would in the Wing-T. You really have fun playing the game of football.
On defense, Northwest will be moving from a 4-2-5 to a 3-4 formation to better feature some of their speed at linebacker.
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