WYANDOTTE, OK. — Wyandotte High School Football enters year one under Zach Gardner, the Bears’ new head coach with plenty of experience in the Four States, previously holding the same position at Afton and Miami.
“The wins and losses, They’ll take care of themselves,” Gardner said. “But as long as you give the kids the opportunity to succeed, especially this group with the leadership, they’re going to find a way.”
Gardner inherits a Bears team featuring a core group of 13 seniors after graduating 14 from a roster that finished 9-3 overall featuring a playoff win in 2025.
“We only bring in two kids with a lot of varsity experience in the starting roles,” Gardner said. “But now that we’ve come together, there’s 13 seniors on this team.”
“The coaches have been out there for us and they’re doing a really good job setting us up for plays and practicing,” senior QB Gunner Jackson said.
Jackson is entering his first year under center, recently named the starting quarterback by Gardner.
When asked what fans can expect out of the new signal caller, Jackson’s teammates raved about his abilities.
“He’s made a lot of impressive things happen that you don’t see very many guys do their first year playing,” senior WR/LB/S Hagen Lankford said.
“There’s been nothing but good stuff coming from Gunner,” senior RB/LB Casey Harjo said. “I’m really excited for this season. We have great wide receivers.”
Gardner said Jackson’s dual-threat abilities will open up the playbook for his offense in 2026.
“He’s doing a great job with the offense and the read scheme, and we’re not going to be one dimensional because he’s a very versatile athlete,” Gardner said.
In a new chapter for Jackson, Gardner and this entire Wyandotte program, the Bears are looking to maintain a winning culture with an emphasis on achieving their goals as a unit.
“We’re trying to win. There’s no doubt about it,” Jackson said. “We want to play our heart out. But it’s also not one of the things we’re just going to jog around, you know, we’re going to go out every game and try to punch you in the mouth.”
“It’s not about me. It’s about what we can do together. And I just want to be a part of something bigger than myself,” Gardner said.
Wyandotte has a tough start to the 2026 slate, traveling just under three hours for a road matchup against Prague on Friday, September 4.
The first home game of the season will come the following week on September 11 against Sequoyah.
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