CALDWELL, Texas (KXXV) — The Caldwell Hornets enter this season on a 28-game losing streak but as head coach Sean Witherwax enters his second season at the helm, he's looking to continue building a winning culture.
“It's fun every day to look at the things that we're putting in,” Witherwax said.
“The kids love it and the coaches love it and we’re getting after people so we’re excited.
After just one season under Witherwax, you can feel and see the trajectory of this Hornets program beginning to change — it all starts with the senior class that’s fully bought in and ready to get Caldwell back on track.
“We have a lot of seniors returning and there's not really one of them that hasn't missed summer workouts,” senior left tackle Landon Barnes said.
“We're all pretty dedicated to making this team do a lot better than we have in the past.”
“We have a lot of guys who are tired of losing, so we want to flip that around,” senior right tackle Preston Supak said.
“You got to change the culture sometimes so we're going to change it. We're going to change it this year.”
This season Caldwell returns all 11 offensive starters so they’ve been able to hit the ground running and create a bond both on and off the field.
“We can dive in a little faster, we can get it rolling,” Supak said.
“We get the train on the track and get it going.”
“We have that trust we have that brotherhood like people always talk about,” Barnes said.
“We can go out there and know that, ‘Hey, he has my back and I have his'."
Witherwax has laid a solid foundation and the players have quickly adapted to the work ethic and effort that’s now become an expectation.
“We've grown a significant amount with those who have bought in and we've gotten significantly better,” Supak said.
“I just want to see where we can get,” Witherwax said.
“I want to make the playoffs.
I want these guys to prove to themselves that they can do it and be excited about that.”
The Hornets enter this season looking for their first win since 2021 and not only does this year’s squad want a win for themselves, but a win for the community.
“The big goal for this year is, bring everybody back together and let them know like we are here,” Barnes said.
“We are trying our best and with y'all support, we are going to try to do what we can.”
The Hornets will hit the road week one to take on the Crockett Bulldogs kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
