WINCHESTER — Over the past two seasons, James Wood High School football has consistently climbed upward.
After posting a 2-8 record in 2022, the Colonels improved to 4-6 a year later, before going 7-4 last season and reaching the Region 4D quarterfinals.
Head coach Todd Wilson, who was promoted in 2023 after previously coaching the offensive line, said he’s “proud” of his team’s progress and success last fall, but emphasized that history isn’t guaranteed to repeat itself.
“We can’t just rest and say, ‘we were a 7-3 [regular season] team last year, we’re going to be a 7-3 team this year,’” Wilson said. “That’s not how this stuff works. If that’s how it worked, nobody would work hard and show up and practice.”
If James Wood wants last season’s success to become a regular sight, it’ll certainly need to put in the work. Throughout the offseason, many players did just that.
According to senior Kaden McCullough, several of his teammates have displayed dedicated mindsets and met the coaching staff’s challenges heading into the fall.
“I can tell we’re definitely a lot stronger this year, we’re a lot more driven this year,” McCullough said. “A lot more people are showing up. I think they see us having more of an opportunity this year — everybody is seeing us progress and getting better.”
Part of this progression stems from multiple key returners, including McCullough. Wilson said the defensive back and wide receiver, who recorded 64 tackles last season, has stepped into a clear leadership role as of late.
Junior quarterback Owen Neal is also returning for what will be his third season as James Wood’s starting quarterback. He’s joined by three key returning wideouts in McCullough and 2024 all-district selections Xander Manzo and Xavier Price.
This continuity could go a long way in helping James Wood’s offense remain productive, but Wilson said it won’t just be the proven performers who see the field. He specified junior Aidric Yurish as someone who could especially see increased playing time this year.
“Aidric Yurish is stepping into a role at wide receiver … he’s jumped some guys and is a starting receiver for us now,” Wilson said. “There’s a lot of sophomores that are competing for starting jobs as well. So I like the group of skill guys we’ve got, we’ve got some returners, we’ve got some young guys that are pushing those other guys for starting roles.”
Overall, Wilson said 86 athletes are out for the team this season between the varsity and JV teams. Should they continue to compete and push each other forward, the Colonels could be in store for another strong season.
Alongside Wilson, offensive coordinator Joey Yurish, defensive coordinator Richard Davy, defensive analyst Brian Thomas, JV head coach Craig Pearrell, offensive and defensive line coach Jared Neal, running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs coach Dante Thibbs, running backs and defensive backs coach Steve Haines, wide receivers and linebackers coach David Kulha and offensive and defensive line coach Trevor Feathers combine to make up James Wood’s 2025 coaching staff.
Wilson said the message his staff is working to instill in players is to take things day by day and not skip any steps in their efforts to be the best versions of themselves.
“That’s ultimately what we talk about is stacking good days on good days,” Wilson said. “If we do that, we’ll be where we want to be. That will be a successful season in our coaching staff and players’ eyes, if we finish the season playing better than we were in week one or in practices right now.”
The Colonels will visit Hampshire (West Virginia) for a scrimmage on Aug. 16 and host Skyline in their second scrimmage on Aug. 21. Wood opens regular-season varsity play on the road against Clarke County on Aug. 29.
— Contact Joe Tuman at jtuman@winchesterstar.com
Follow him on X @jtuman21