Tidal waves of excitement and optimism engulfing communities as high school football approaches is nothing new.

But that euphoric rush seems to be a little stronger at Midway this season — and it’s mostly because nearly everything is new.

New coach, new stadium, “new everything,” as Midway’s senior nose tackle Beau Blackshear put it.

It’s clearly a new era for the Panthers.

“It’s very exciting,” senior linebacker Marc Martinez said. “We’ve got a new stadium, new jerseys, most everybody got new helmets and pads this year. We’re starting off fresh and hoping to have a great year.”

The Panthers will be back on campus for their games Friday nights, a year after playing their home schedule at Baylor’s Floyd Casey Stadium. And there will be a different man leading them onto the field.

Terry Gambill was introduced as the Midway’s football coach Jan. 14. He has the unenviable task of trying to replace Kent Bachtel, who retired after 23 years at the helm.

“You don’t replace Coach Bachtel,” Gambill said. “You try to take what Coach Bachtel has put in place for 23 years as the head coach and you try to improve on what he’s done. But you don’t replace a legend like coach Kent Bachtel.”

Gambill came to Midway after nine years as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Allen, a Class 5A school near Dallas.

During his tenure, the Eagles won seven district championships and three regional titles. In 2008, Allen claimed its first state crown, coming back to knock off Fort Bend Hightower, 21-14, in the 5A Division I final.

Before his time at Allen, Gambill was the offensive coordinator at Forney, which reached the 3A Division II championship game in 1999, and he grabbed his first state ring as the secondary coach at then-3A Southlake Carroll in 1993.

Gambill said he’s been well-received by the community.

“The community is unbelievable,” he said. “The support, what the quarterback club has done for us, helping us in all kinds of areas, they have already done so many things for our program. We need to really thank them. It’s unbelievable.”

Expectations stay high

For his first season at Midway, Bachtel left the cupboard more than stocked, as 31 seniors are back for the Panthers.

That group includes much of the core that has helped Midway win 21 games in the last two seasons. This year, the Panther seniors are hoping to make their final run last awhile.

“As a team, we’re trying to come together and do as much as we can, because we want to go far in the playoffs,” senior offensive lineman John Jackson said. “Sixteen rounds is what we’re about.”

And Gambill wasted no time getting his new team’s attention.

He introduced the Panthers to the motto “we will win” by giving them wristbands with that inscription. It also hits them as they enter the locker room area at the school. On posters for each team Midway will face, as well as for each round of the playoffs, it says “we will win” across the bottom.

But it’s not just about winning on the field, it’s about winning in every aspect of the athletes’ lives.

“He tells us we will win in school,” Martinez said. “In the classroom, he wants us to be the best in all of our classes and set an example for everybody ... be the best and we’ll win at everything.”

But the practice field is where Gambill really makes his presence felt — loudly.

In fact, Gambill is so intense at practices that players have taken to calling him “Tornado Terry.”

“I’m sure the kids looked at it different, but it’s about doing your best at practice and having lots of energy, lots of enthusiasm and walking off from each practice every day knowing that you gave it your best,” Gambill said.

His intensity certainly raised some eyebrows, especially after following a laid-back coach like Bachtel, but the players have adjusted to Gambill’s up-tempo style.

“Coach Gambill will most definitely let you know if you mess up,” Jackson said. “It’s a total difference (from Bachtel), but both of them are great coaches, and we love both of them.”

They also love the idea of having their own stadium again.

Midway was 4-1 at Floyd Casey last year, but it’s hard for a high school crowd to create a home-field advantage in a college arena. That shouldn’t be a problem in the new 9,000-seat Panther Stadium.

The Panthers’ first home game will be Sept. 3 against Round Rock McNeil.

“It’s great to be back here, knowing it’s your field,” Blackshear said. “You just want to protect it and win all your games on it. It’s more just having a sense of it being your house.”

jorts@wacotrib.com

757-5717

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