HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas — Last season, the Harker Heights Knights came into the year with one major goal: win seven games for the first time since 2003.
After reaching that mark, the Knights have their eyes focused on even greater things in 2021.
"We really didn't put any numbers on it," Harker Heights Head Coach Jerry Edwards said about his team's goals. "Last year, we felt like we needed to, but the sky's the limit, so I don't want to cap these guys. We just wanna make sure we're getting better every week."
Harker Heights has built a reputation for "defending the shield" under Edwards, but this season, the focus should be on the offense. Three-star senior Terrance Carter is poised for a breakout season as a receiver.
"It's good to have a guy like Terrance Carter," fellow senior Marcus Maple said. "It's like, when we get to the goal line, you know what's coming. But, can you stop it? Any 50-50 ball is more like a 90-10 ball when you're throwing it up there to him."
Carter is not the only returning weapon on offense. The Knights have a plethora of options, including running backs Aimeer Washington and Ra'Shaun Sanford.
"It leaves a lot of stress off of me," Carter said. "So, it's like the defense doesn't just have to focus on me. They've gotta focus on Marcus, Ra'Shaun, Aimeer, Xavier. We've just got a lot of weapons on the offensive side, so it's gonna be pretty hard for defenses to stop that."
The one question mark on the offensive side of the ball comes at the quarterback position. Harker Heights will have to replace Shaun West from a season ago, but they feel confident whoever steps up to fill his shoes will have no problems getting their versatile playmakers the ball.
The Knights are projected to finish second in District 12-6A. They open the year against Weiss.
