SEASON PREVIEW: St. Teresa family values and dynamic offense propelling team into new year

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - A challenging schedule awaits St. Teresa football in 2025 but the 56 Bulldog athletes are ready for the challenge.

Following a disappointing 2023 campaign, the team rebounded just one year later to return to the postseason. Their goal this Fall remains the same.

"We're all ready," says junior defensive back Alex Garwood. "We're all bought into the defense. Everybody knows what they're doing. We can sub in and out, and there's just a lot of people that are versatile on both sides of the ball."

Entering his third year as the Bulldogs head coach, Brit Miller says the skill level between slots on the depth chart has little variation. As a result, there's a trust that whoever steps on the field will get the job done.

"We've got a bunch of kids that are very similar," Miller says. "So our 1s and 2s are very good when it comes to being able to compete on a daily basis."

The size of the roster may be smaller compared to other schools with a larger enrollment, but players say the numbers don't matter as long as everyone is bought-in.

"We all push each other at practice, so we get to know what each other's capable of," says junior receiver Brett Cleary. "That just helps us on Friday nights - knowing what we can be."

In 2024, the run-game was responsible for the success of the St. Teresa offense. Heading into a new year, the team is optimistic about their ability to be more balanced in their play calling.

Junior quarterback Erik Hayden says, "Last year, everyone knows we were more of a run team. This year, we'll be able to take the top off and throw the ball even more."

Coach Miller is also excited about the versatility of his players. After a 4-year NFL career as a linebacker following college ball at the University of Illinois, he understands what can challenge an opposing defense.

"The ball's going 30 and 40 yards down the field and I love to see it," Miller says. "Me as a defensive guy, seeing that stuff, it really kind of puts pressure on your defense to maintain coverage and still stop the run."

This year's campaign will see the Bulldogs go head-to-head with 5 playoff teams from 2024. The coaches have enforced an "iron sharpens iron" mentality during the fall camp sessions to prepare the team for the long season ahead.

"We've already named it. It's the the 'Year of Consistency'," Miller says. "We can't have our best game every game, but we can be consistent. We can be consistent in practice. We can be consistent in how we prepare for games, how we are off the field, and how we're going to be on the field."

Saint T feels that through the bond they've forged since last Fall, they will learn lessons along the way to help lead to a successful season.

"It's a whole family culture," Garwood says. "We're all the same teammates. We're all with each other. We're all bought-in. One for all, all for one."