Holcomb Longhorns – Football Preview – Presented by WSU Tech

Holcomb went 9–1 and has stacked back‑to‑back nine‑win seasons (9–3 in 2024, 9–1 in 2025), setting a high bar for 2026. Head coach Trey Teeter, in his sixth year, is assisted by Jerry Johnson, Tregg Rodriguez, Scott Tucker, Kent Teeter and Kolby Johnson. Holcomb does not list a formal booster club, but Ron’s Market (Ron or Travis Leonard) appears as a key community supporter. Teeter writes that they “return a really nice group of kids again this next fall,” but emphasizes the need to “continue to get stronger and faster this summer” and keep building depth at all positions.

The schedule—linked via graphic—shows another challenging slate, but the CSV focuses on personnel and identity. Offensively, nine starters return in a spread system. Junior QB/athlete/safety Cooper Cranston (6‑0, 195) is the centerpiece, coming off a sophomore season where he was named Sports in Kansas offensive player of the year for small schools. He topped 2,000 total yards on offense, led the state in interceptions for much of the season with eight, and also punted and handled punt/kickoff returns. Junior running back/linebacker Chasyn Cosner (5‑9, 170), senior linemen James Bishop (6‑3, 230) and Emiliano Tapia (6‑0, 185), and junior receiver/DB Clay Tolbert (6‑1, 160) round out the highlighted offensive core. Teeter describes the attack as a spread offense that likes to “attack defenses horizontally as well as vertically” and “get quite a few people involved” using different formations, motions and play designs.

Defensively, seven starters return in a 4‑2‑5. Cranston again is a key figure at safety/linebacker, with senior linebacker Reese Rome (6‑0, 190), Tapia and Bishop up front on the defensive line and senior DB Haegen Hartman (5‑9, 145) in the secondary. Teeter says they adjust to offensive formations and motions with different checks, work hard to be “gap sound” with strong run fits and play multiple coverages in the back end.

Cranston’s profile is eye‑catching beyond football. As a sophomore he ran 14.16 in the 110 hurdles (sixth‑fastest time in Kansas across all classes at the time), 38 seconds in the 300 hurdles and posted a 184‑foot javelin PR. He already holds Division I offers from Kansas and Eastern Michigan and has visited Arizona, Iowa, Kansas State and Oklahoma. Underclassman QB Ryan Wickwar came in as a freshman to play quarterback about Week 3 last year and has worked hard to develop; he is about 6‑2, 150 and also contributed in basketball and baseball. With Cranston’s two‑way star power, a large returning cast and clearly defined spread/4‑2‑5 identities, Holcomb looks poised to chase another deep postseason run.

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