Midway High School-located in Waco, Texas-competes in the 6A classification of Texas high school football. They are ranked as the #308 team in the state, and the #124 team in all of Texas 6A schools. The Panthers, whose colors are red and blue, are led by Coach Shane Anderson. The Panthers had a tough year going 2-8 but are going to be bouncing back this upcoming season. Talking to Coach Anderson, we talked about many things revolving around the Midway program.
Talking to Coach Anderson about the history of the program, Waco Midway has been around for quite some time. Coach Anderson was an assistant coach for the Panthers in 2011 when they made it to the state championship game. Under former head coach Jeff Hulme, they made it back to the state championship game behind the arm of current Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai. After taking the Connally job and leading them for six years, Coach Anderson was hired back to a program he was familiar with. He was happy to lead the Panthers and help them get back to the level they used to play at.
Coach Anderson and his staff wants to build the program on a blue-collar type of mentality. The main pillars he teaches these kids are accountability, dedication, confidence, integrity, and building a family environment. For a program that is going to be on the rise, these are important pillars to have an successful program in Texas High School Football.
The offense is going to be led by offensive coordinator Chad President. Chad President was a former quarterback at Tulsa under coach Philip Montgomery. Hiring Coach President from Rockwall-Heath, Coach Anderson was excited of what the offense is going to look like. The Panthers are going to run a multiple spread type of offense with personnel groups such as 5 wide and having a H-back. On defense, the team is going to be led by Coach Kaeron Johnson. A former player at Baylor, Coach Johnson is going to bring a 4-3 type of defense with an emphasis of a 3-front on defense. Coach Anderson is excited with having Coach Johnson led the defense.
The future of this program is looking bright for the Panthers. The main concern they had before the offseason was getting stronger, which Coach Anderson said he is pleased with the results that he is seeing. They have a bunch of kids who are dedicated to the program and who are working hard in building this program back up to where it was used to be. Returning 9 sophomores is huge for this team, and the JV team went 7-3 last year with only one loss in a tough district. The future is looking bright for the Panthers.
Before letting Coach Anderson go, he highlighted several players who are going to make an impact for the Panthers.
Ty Brown is a 6’4″ 205 lbs quarterback who transferred in from Belton High School. Ty was the 5A District 11 Offensive MVP last year.
Junior Thornton is a 5’10” 170 lbs wide receiver who has offers from several schools such as Georgia Southern and North Texas. He played emergency QB last season and brought some life to the offense.
Michael Collins is a 6’4″ 275 lbs offensive tackle for the Panthers. He played as a sophomore, and has huge upside according to Coach Anderson
Esrom Martinez is a 5’11” 210 lbs linebacker who led Central Texas in tackles
Jace White is a 6’0″ 260 lbs tackle who plays OL and DL. He was all district as a defensive lineman last year
Landon Whisenton is a 6’1″ 175 lbs safety who is going to be moved to the SAM linebacker spot this upcoming season. A lot of versatility with this kid
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