Now graduated running backs Nigel Dula and Eli Tillery broke virtually every running and passing record in school annals, including many at the Burke County level. However, that bulk of the power now lies with Lenoir-Rhyne and North Carolina State universities, respectively, so the Wildcats will have to look to other names in the running and passing game this season.

So far, it consists of a quarterback rotation between seniors Kayden Lytle and Sterling Radabaugh and a running back committee.

“It’s definitely a lot more work for me and our offensive staff at the beginning,” Draughn coach Chris Powell said. “We go from a couple of guys who have been here since their freshman year, who know the offense inside and out, who can do basic checks, pre-snap reads, post-snap reads and all that stuff, to two guys who neither of them have played much quarterback.”

“But their athleticism allows them to do even more. It was a little tough at first, but I think both Sterling and Kayden have done a really good job this offseason of settling in, focusing and learning. Now it’s almost like both of them have been there for a while. We feel very comfortable with either of them there at any time.”

Lytle, a transfer from Freedom, was the county’s best receiver last year, while Radabaugh made a name for himself as a defensive ball-hunter for the Wildcats.

“When you put Kayden back there, you’re doubly vulnerable,” Powell said. “He’s a very athletic kid who can make plays. He can get to the sideline in a flash. That allows us to do more of our quarterback running game than we have in the past. We got away from that a little bit last year. Then you have Sterling coming back, who was our best receiver last year. He’s out there and Kayden can distribute the ball to him, Connor Houston, Jacob Mull, Cam Sidden, Gavin Johnson and Cayden Roscoe.

“Then you can flip it around and put Cayden Roscoe and Kayden Lytle on the same side with Sterling at quarterback and you have the two fastest guys on your team (outside). We can move those guys around and create one-on-one matchups and create opportunities for the playmakers. That’s one of the biggest advantages I see with this two-quarterback system. Sterling is a great route runner for us and he has a very strong arm. Those two guys complement each other well, along with the rest of that skill group. It’s really exciting to watch. It might be a little more work for me in terms of doing evaluations and stats to make sure I’m doing everything right, but it’s going to be fun.”

As for the running backs, Powell said the team will use whoever is most rested on defense. Marshall Brinkley is emerging as the primary ball carrier, but Alex Wright, Johnny March, Bryson Seagle, Jacob Mull, Lathan McManus and Henry Cooper are also expected to see action over the course of the season.

These backs will run behind an offensive line that is expected to consist of senior left tackle Paul Miller, sophomore left guard Talon Bradshaw, sophomore center Hunter Abee, senior right guard Ty Matthews and sophomore right tackle Tavion Wilkerson.

Defensively, the Wildcats will face some tough opponents, both in the conference and at home against non-conference player Hunter Huss in Week 1. Powell believes the unit will be up to the challenge.

“I think they showed at the Jamboree that our defense is pretty damn good,” Powell said. “They’re pretty strong. We bring a lot of experience on that side of the ball, so we’ll have to hope they get some stops early in the year until the offense really gets going.”

Powell said the most experienced position group will be the secondary, led by Radabaugh, Houston and Roscoe, a Patton transfer. The linebackers include Brinkley, Mull, Wright, Matthews, March, Cayman Lewis, Ethan Lukomski and Grayson Owens, another Patton transfer.

“That group there is what we can build on,” Powell said.

The defensive line is rather young and is led by the same names that play on the offensive line, along with Cooper, Patton transfer Keltan Fox and Landon Clark.

“We may not be as big up front as we have been in the past, but we hope to be a little bit faster and more agile up front,” Powell said.

In the first three years of the current NCHSAA conference lineup, Draughn, Mitchell and Mountain Heritage have established themselves at the top of the Western Highlands 1A/2A Conference. The Mountaineers won in 2021, Draughn was the 2022 champion and Mountain Heritage took the 2023 crown, with the Wildcats stumbling late in the season due to a series of key injuries.

Barring a surprise, these will be the top three WHC finishers again this year. The question is what order they will compete in and whether any of the other four teams in the league can be more competitive.

“You know Mitchell and Mountain Heritage are always going to be two top contenders, but I think everyone is going to be a lot better this year,” Powell said. “They bring back a lot of experience, while we lost a lot of experience. It’s going to be a tough battle in this conference this year. Obviously, Mountain Heritage won last year and I’m old school in my approach: Unless somebody knocks them off, I think they’re the team to beat. We have to go into it with that mindset.

“But every week we just have to go into conference play and play our best game. We can’t look ahead or worry about what happened the week before. That’s something we’ve really preached to our kids the last few years: just focus on being 1-0.”