Staff photo / Brian Yauger Windham’s Dylan McCune stares down a receiver during a recent practice at Windham High School.

WINDHAM — Coming off a 4-6 season where trouble seemed to strike at every turn, Windham is back and refreshed entering the new season.

The Bombers, who have battled number and subsequent injury issues in the past, boast a larger roster this season and are hovering around the 30-player mark.

“There’s lots of positivity. We’re very young. Junior and sophomore heavy,” Bombers coach Jake Eye said. “Right now, we’re sitting with about 15 juniors and about 10 or 11 sophomores. The morale has been great and the kids seem to be excited.”

The energy has been infectious as the seniors from last year’s squad have established a solid locker room culture that the future Bomber squads aim to build on each year.

“You’ve got to have a great locker room. If you don’t have a great locker room, you’re going to suffer on the field,” Eye said. “We’re loose. The guys are having fun. Everybody’s working hard. It’s just been a good experience. It started for us last year with some of the leadership that we had. I think some of those guys like Chase (Eye) and Lucas Churchill and Wyatt Hanshaw and Zach Turk, those guys set a solid foundation for this younger group and I think that’s going to go a long way.”

With a bigger roster than in years past, Windham is looking to make an impact and achieve its first winning season since 2018’s 9-2 mark.

The Bombers made the playoffs last season, now it’s time to continue the improvement.

The Bombers didn’t ease up on their slate this year either. In addition to the yearly showdowns with Mathews and Pymatuning Valley, Windham added Lisbon, Jackson-Milton and McDonald to the schedule.

Like every year, the goal is to compete and let the pieces fall.

“It’s going to be tough, especially our non-league is going to be tough,” Eye said. “The league, to me, has been good. I know Mathews and Pymatuning Valley are going to be solid. PV is going to be a handful for a lot of people this year, and I think they’re going to be a handful for a lot of people for years to come. I just think Coach Neal (Croston) over there has done a great job.

“There’s a lot of teams that I think we can compete with and that’s what we want to do week in and week out. We want to compete, we want to go out there and anything can happen on Friday night, so we’re excited about our guys. I’m excited about the excitement that they’re providing for us and what they’ve given to us.”

OFFENSE

The team’s injury misfortunes last season may have had a silver lining. A decision that was made in an emergency situation might turn into something Windham may keep in the long run.

The Bombers suffered a scare last season with the injury of Wyatt Hanshaw. Windham had a tough time filling the void that was left by his absence, but found a solution in the wildcat.

While they’ll be utilizing a proper quarterback in Dylan McCune, don’t be surprised if the Bombers dip back into the wildcat.

“Last year, our quarterback suffered a season-ending injury, and we were kind of in disarray. Fortunately for us, we were able to plug Chase (Eye) in at the quarterback spot and he thrived there,” coach Eye said. “This year, we’ll have a combination of guys. We’re probably going to do a lot of similar things that we’ve done in the past, but right now, Dylan McCune looks to be our starting QB.

“Look for us to go to a Wildcat-type formation and utilize Jack (Eye) and Carlos (Bruton) there as well. But our starter is Dylan McCune. He’s got a strong arm. He’s smart. He’s played that position, he grew up playing that position. We’re excited to have him.”

Jack Eye and Bruton will handle the primary ball-carrying duties in the backfield.

“Carlos is as athletic as it comes when it comes to being a running back,” coach Eye said. “I don’t know that there’s too many backs like him. I want him to get more excited, but I think he is another 1,000-yard rusher for us, especially with the kind of line I think we have coming back.”

At the wide receiver spots, Anthony Wiiley and Gavin Kiser will be the top options. Expect to see a wide variety of looks, especially for Wiiley this season.

“Anthony will anchor us there,” Eye said. “He’s a senior. He’s gotten better at catching the ball. He’s very quick, we’ll also utilize him in the jet game, we’ll invert him from time to time, get him off the line of scrimmage and we’ll use him to get in the jet game. He’s another athletic, fast type of player for us, so I look for him to do some good things.”

Returning guys from last year’s line and adding talent, Windham likes where they are up front this season.

Anthony Paolella will anchor the line this year, and coach Eye thinks he has All-State potential. Sophomore A’zeon Davis will see significant time on the line, while Omar Duran, Brandon Petrich, Jordan Ridenbaugh and Jace Heil will all be battling for spots.

In addition, Matt Kolaczek will split time between the offensive line and tight end.

“This year, this is probably the most excited I’ve been about our lines since probably 2017,” coach Eye said. “We’re optimistic about our lines. We’ve got a lot more depth up front. We’re smarter, we’re bigger, we’re stronger.”

DEFENSE

Paolella, Davis, Duran and Petrich are all battling for the defensive line spots.

While running a 40 defense, Ridenbaugh and Jayquon Smith will both be handling the two linebacker roles.

The secondary is arguably the team’s weakest position group, but that’s simply due to inexperience. Once they acclimate, coach Eye is confident in their abilities, it’s just a matter of getting up to speed.

Kiser, Ethan Thornton, Austin Cales, and Camren Hardrick are all names to watch to fill in holes in the secondary.

“These are guys with not a lot of experience, but they’re eager to get out there and learn and get after it,” coach Eye said. “We’re excited about them as well. From a culture standpoint, I think the culture has come a long way. I think this year especially, I feel like guys are really truly on board for each other. I think they’re committed to each other. I don’t see any animosity and truly genuinely pulling for one another.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Not everything is set for the Bombers on the special teams front just yet. There’s still some camp battles to be held.

As it stands now, punting duties are between Jack Eye and McCune. Jack Eye will also handle the brunt of the kicking duties, with Zack Porter as an option for PATs.

Jack Eye, Bruton and Wiiley will each handle return duties.

2023 Schedule

Aug. 18 Lisbon 7 p.m.

Aug. 25 Rittman 7 p.m.

Sept. 1 at Jackson-Milton 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 at Tuscarawas CC 7 p.m.

Sept. 15 St Thomas Aquinas 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 at Fairport* 7 p.m.

Sept. 29 at St John School* 7 p.m.

Oct. 6 at McDonald 7 p.m.

Oct. 13 at Mathews* 7 p.m.

Oct. 20 Pymatuning Valley* 7 p.m.

*Northeastern Athletic Conference

2022 Results (4-6)

at Lisbon (5-6) L 25-40

at Rittman (2-8) L 22-40

at St John School* (2-7) W 50-12

at St Thomas Aquinas (0-8) W 39-22

at Southeast (4-6) L 20-42

at Pymatuning Valley* (4-7) L 12-60

Fairport* (4-7) W 28-15

Mathews* (8-3) L 20-56

North Baltimore (2-8) W 39-8

#at Danville (11-3) L 18-41 *Conference game

#OHSAA playoff game

Coaching staff

Head coach: Jake Eye, 5th season, 21-23 record

Staff: Rob Penney (assistant coach / defensive coordinator), Jerry Kiser/Tim Murton (offensive and defensive lines), Larry Jones (linebackers and running backs), Chase Eye/Anthony Augaitis (defensive backs), Brian Tackett/Chase Eye/Anthony Augaitis (special teams) Rob Penney (quarterbacks)

Team facts

Division VII, Region 25

Northeastern Athletic Conference

Players on roster: 28

Returning letterwinners (14): Matt Kolaczek, Gavin Kizer, Jordan Ridenbaugh, Ethan Thornton, A’Zeon Davis, Jack Eye, Carlos Bruton, Zack Porter, Omar Duran, Austin Cales, Jayquon Smith, Brandon Petrich, Anthony Wiiley, Anthony Paolella

2022 season: Windham overcame adversity at every turn last season and earned a playoff berth. After a loss to Danville in the first round of the playoffs, the Bombers finished the year with a record of 4-6, earning wins over St. John School, St. Thomas Aquinas, Fairport Harding, and North Baltimore.