The Duck Pond was the site of Taylor High School’s first Duck Day showcase (formerly Meet The Ducks) under athletic director and head football coach Earven Flowers as fall activities were introduced to the public with football, volleyball, cross country, team tennis, cheer, band, color guard and more.
Saturday morning was the first day that the Ducks were allowed to have full-contact practice as the varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams were all on the field in pads and helmets.
The coaching staff had the Ducks run through the first vortex drill of the season with two players blocking for a running back and two other players attempting to make the tackle. Taylor also had valuable 11-on-11 full-contact intrasquad scrimmages for all squads and there were plenty of highlight plays made throughout the morning.
Taylor is now ready for the preseason as the Ducks will host Cameron Yoe High School at 6 p.m. on Friday night for the first varsity scrimmage of the season at The Duck Pond.
MIKULENCAK’S TIME TO SHINE
The hype is real behind the upcoming 2023 season for Taylor senior standout quarterback Joshua Mikulencak as he will lead a very talented Ducks offense. Mikulencak’s talented arm and elite athleticism will be on full display Friday for the scrimmage against Cameron. These will also be valuable reps for his backup with junior quarterback Nick Treuter expected to play.
THE BOYS UP FRONT
Mikulencak will be protected by an excellent offensive line unit as the team returns all starters from last season with senior tackle Syris Corley, senior center Hesston Cranor, junior guard Ernest Alderete, junior tackle Harrison Tate and junior guard Eric Camacho.
RUN IT BACK
With the offensive line expected to make a statement in the trenches against Cameron, look for the line to pave the way for Taylor’s dynamic junior running back Andrias Fisher to make some big runs. Fisher returns as a huge playmaker for the Ducks after he rushed for 1,036 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in 2022 as just a sophomore.
RECEIVERS GALORE
Joshua Mikulencak has a plethora of weapons at wide receiver which he can throw the ball to this 2023 season. The list includes his brother and senior wideout Jacob Mikulencak, senior Treos Richardson, senior Jordan Pickerill, senior Luke Thompson, senior Devin Valdez and senior tight end Braylan Alderete as playmakers.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Flowers’ defense, which
he was the coordinator for in 2022 before he was promoted to head coach, has a ton of talent that returns for the 2023 season. This features an elite linebacker unit with seniors Jaden Rush, Colbey Ryan Solis, Alejandro Randle and Nikolas Garza-Walker all returning as starters. Senior safety Jackson Meller and senior cornerback Marcus Jackson return as playmakers in the secondary, while junior cornerback Ethan Flagg has been very impressive this summer and should transition well into his starting role.
