Caden Gaston is a weapon.
And any time the Nocona senior touches the football, he’s got a chance to score.
“He’s just an athlete,” Nocona coach Brad Crutsinger said. “He’s one of the best athletes that I’ve ever coached. He’s really grown up a lot mentally. Athletically, he’s just able to do things that aren’t easy to do. He’s incredible.”
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Gaston experienced a breakout junior season, turning into an impact player in all three phases of the game. On offense, he caught 22 passes for 421 yards and five TDs. As a defensive back, he led the Wichita Falls area with six interceptions, returning three for TDs.
And if that wasn’t enough, he also returned two kickoffs for scores, garnering a Red River 22 selection as the special teams standout.
The Indians graduated a talented senior class, losing their quarterback along with their top two leading rushers and receivers. The team will count on Gaston to create explosive plays.
“I’ve had some meetings with him. We’ve got a target number of touches for him,” Crutsinger said. “We feel like if we put the ball in his hands so many times, then we’ll have a chance to win.”
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Offense
There will be a battle between three sophomores during two-a-days for who will be throwing Gaston the ball, including Brody Langford, Jayce Lehde and RJ Walker.
Senior Oscar Salomon is the team’s top returning rusher, but he’s invaluable to the Indian defense. He’ll mix in with Walker Murphey and Christian Cortes at running back.
Joining Gaston at receiver will be Jose Gomez and Carson Peters.
The Indians return three starters in the trenches, including senior Kasch Johnson who likely moves from right guard to right tackle. Matthew Johnson is back at center, while Jake Pribble will be the left tackle. Sophomore Tripp Acker is expected to fill in at right guard with the left guard spot up for grabs.
Defense
The Indians base out of a 4-3 but will be multiple on defense.
Salomon is one of the area’s top tacklers with his coach calling him, “a dude.” He’ll be the leader at linebacker, with Murphey, RJ Walker and Langford also mixing in. Langford was district Defensive Newcomer of the Year last season.
Kasch Johnson anchors the defensive line with Pribble, Cortes and Payton Wilson ticketed to join him as starters.
Gaston will be joined by Peters, Gomez, Lehde and Landon Fatheree in the secondary.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: 2024 Nocona Indians high school football preview
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