BY BILL SPINKS

HERALD DEMOCRAT

Sherman coach Gary Kinne has so many wide receivers to work with, he's hard-pressed to tell you which one is the leader in any statistic.

"I couldn't even tell you who has the most catches," Kinne said. "I don't even know who the leading receiver will be this week. It could be someone new. You just never know whose number will be called or what defenses are going to try to take away.

"It's a tribute because there are seven or eight of them who have 15 catches or something. That breeds a lot of guys contributing, and that helps your team chemistry. It helps guys know that they have to be ready, and it keeps them on their toes."

That deep squad will go for a district championship -- something Sherman hasn't claimed since 2002 -- on Friday night at Denison's Munson Stadium in the 111th Battle of the Ax.

For posterity, the season yardage leader happens to be senior John Welborn, with 15 catches for 320 yards and four touchdowns. Welborn is tied with, surprisingly, junior running back Zac Whitfield for most catches on the team.

Senior Geoff Hooker, primarily a defensive stalwart, has only eight catches for 141 yards on the year -- but five of his eight TDs have been for touchdowns, which leads the Bearcats.

Senior Robert Fallon, one of four inside receivers, gives plenty of credit to quarterback and classmate Madison Carter.

"He's having a great year," Fallon said. "A great quarterback (and) a good group of receivers make for a good team."

Fallon missed his junior season with a broken ankle suffered during summer 7-on-7.

"It's been awesome to come back my senior year and get to play this much and having a great year," Fallon said.

Sherman's offensive scheme involves inside and outside receivers, and senior Greg Jackson plays either one. Hooker, senior Dylon Beamesderfer, and junior Tory Minor line up outside while Welborn, Fallon, and juniors Nathan James and Tyler Perkins are inside receivers.

"A bunch of them have been on varsity since their sophomore year, and we've had that chemistry since then," Carter said. "I know Fallon didn't get to play last year, so this year he came in motivated and was excited for his senior year. You can tell since he's been doing so good this year. We have a good corps of receivers, and we're all close together."

With four or five on the inside and four or five on the outside, the Bearcats have an abundance of depth. And those who do get the ball are making the most of their two or three opportunities per night with big plays.

"We don't have one guy that we throw to all the time," Kinne said. "You see Fallon catch two touchdown passes, and the next game somebody else catches passes. Welborn's caught some key touchdowns, and Nate James has put two great games together two weeks in a row. He's a threat every time he touches it. And then of course you've got Hooker and Jackson, who are obviously on the minds of most defensive coordinators. You've got to account for those guys, because they can really hurt you."

Receivers have a reputation for being the most stat-hungry players in the game, but with the Bearcat crew, that's not the case. The results on the scoreboard are stats enough for them.

"On Saturday morning everyone's looking at the stats, but during the game it's all about the team first and getting the win," Hooker said.

Added Welborn: "We're always joking around who's the leading receiver, and who's going to be the following week. It really helps all of us because we try to compete against each other, and it makes us a better team."

And Jackson: "We just try to make plays and get in the end zone."

Last season, with all-state running back Waymon James breaking all kinds of season and career records, the Bearcats didn't require a lot of versatility in their offense.

"I wasn't here last year so it's hard to speak of that, but the difference between last year and this year is that we're probably more of a team," Kinne said. "Waymon, while being possibly one of the greatest players to come through here, was a guy they had to have rush for 200.

"This year, we're different. We've got tons of receivers, several running backs, and two great quarterbacks. We've got guys at every position that can play. We feel confident that that makes us a stronger team."