The first of the next generation

Athletes are called “generational” so often, it’s almost a cliche.

For the members of the Highland-Lone Tree football team, the title has been earned by default.

For the first time in 20 years, the two rival high schools have joined forces on the football field, forcing new teammates to come together, new friendships to be forged, and a steep learning curve for every member of the team.

The new experiences start at the very top. Thayne McElhinney is a first-time head coach, and he’s set expectations high for his players, asking them to learn new playbooks, build chemistry with new teammates, and build a culture from scratch in a matter of weeks.

“They’re getting smarter,” McElhinney said of his team after three full weeks of practice. “They’re asking a lot of questions, and I think that shows their growth.”

The mascotless HLT squad is helmed offensively by junior quarterback Caleb Wheeler, who exemplifies that learning curve more than anyone. Last season at Highland, Wheeler was only asked to throw the ball ten times across the first two weeks of the season, completing three of those passes to a trio of juniors who he’ll search for early and often this year: Garrett Beeson, Tyler Pierson and Hunter Seibel. He’ll be looking for those weapons in a scheme completely different to what the Huskies ran last year, a spread pistol offense that will test Wheeler’s ability to make quick decisions and push the ball down the field.

“It feels good,” Wheeler said of the bigger role. “It’s been something new.”

The learning process has also included him building chemistry with new receivers from Lone Tree.

“I’ve built a good bond with every single one of them, I feel like,” Wheeler said. “I’ve never had more than ten teammates, really, so it’s been good to have the different schools together and a few more friends.”

The offense features a heavy dose of quarterback runs, utilizing Wheeler’s strength and athleticism. The sophomore is a physical runner who often lowers the shoulder and could be seen throwing stiff-arms at his teammates during practice. He ran five times for no yardage a year ago.

“We can’t just have him sit back in the pocket,” McElhinney said of Wheeler. “We’ve got to put him on the move. He’s athletic enough that he can go make plays in space.”

For the former Lions, everything will be bigger, brighter and faster as they make the adjustment from eight-man football to 11-man. More players on the offensive and defensive lines to scheme around, more space to cover and get open in the passing game, 20 extra yards to outrun opposing defenses.

Left tackle Travis Ford has been a critical leader for the offensive line as it’s weathered early growing pains with the transition. The sophomore was a tight end for the Lions last year, and during fall camp he had to learn an entirely new position within McElhinney’s scheme.

“[Ford] is having to learn everything fresh,” McElhinney said. “He has to have an understanding of what it really means to be a left tackle and to be that big man on the line.”

Defensively, HLT is fast and hungry. In camp, the defensive line has dominated trench battles, while Wheeler has been dominant in coverage, reading the team’s other quarterbacks like books to take multiple interceptions. Seibel’s impact in the secondary will also be critical, as his end-zone interception against Martensdale-St. Mary last year was the high point of the Huskies’ short-lived season.

Seibel also has flashed playmaking ability on special teams, including in HLT’s week zero game on Friday night. The senior took a kickoff 80 yards to the house to register the team’s first touchdown in two decades.

Even that special teams unit that produced HLT’s lone week one score will see players learning on the fly, as senior Brock Nebergall is coming out for his first season of high school football to serve as one of the team’s return men alongside Seibel.

Nebergall, a state-qualifying cross country runner, got to be a part of history in his first game, blocking for Seibel during his touchdown return.

From top to bottom, the Highland-Lone Tree football team will be learning week in and week out. It’ll need to after a 55-6 week zero loss to BGM. That’s what this year is about. There will be no playoffs this year, as the merge made the team too large to qualify in class A, where the Highland schedule that the squad inherited will be played. There’s no guarantee that there will be an HLT team in 2027, as the sharing agreement between the two school boards only established the team for this season. What should be guaranteed is growth. They’ll grow as teammates, as players and as a community. They’ll grow as the first-in-a-generation members of the Highland-Lone Tree football team.