By Joanna Chadwick

Every player responsible for every yard of the 2020 football season returns for Heights.

And with that kind of experience comes confidence.

“These skill players are as talented as any group I’ve had at Heights,” coach Dominick Dingle said.

Junior running back John Randle (6-foot, 180 pounds) has garnered a ton of interest from college coaches and holds 24 offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Boston College, Colorado, Florida State, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, TCU, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Washington State and West Virginia.

Randle had more than 1,000 rushing yards in eight games as a sophomore, averaging 9.9 yards per carry. As a freshman, he had 708 rushing yards and a 10.6 average.

“He is a dynamic player,” Dingle said. “He’s very versatile. He does a lot of things that I think creates matchup problems for the opponents we’ll play against.

“For a kid that’s as highly touted as he is, he’s an unselfish player. He’s just continuing to grow and mature.”

Randle’s dad, also named John, played at Kansas, while his uncle, Joseph, played at Oklahoma State and with the Dallas Cowboys. His sister, Laniah, signed with Southern Illinois for basketball.

“He’s got speed, he’s physical, he has natural athleticism,” Dingle said. “… He’s one of those guys that colleges look at him and they see his potential because he has the frame to put on some weight and still be able to move. And they look at his pedigree.”

Heights will also rely on junior quarterback DJ Dingle, a second-year starter.

“He’s in year two of being official team caption, running the huddle and running the offense,” Dominick Dingle said. “… He probably had the ability to play as a true freshman, but he’s my son, so I erred on the side of caution…. He had an outstanding team camp this summer.”

Other offensive players to watch are RB-WR Adrian Patterson, RB-WR RJ Richard, WR Chase Harris, OL George Hervey and Jordan Okon, who moves from tight end to offensive line.

The defense will be led by three-year starters DB Jaeden Hamilton and DL Jaden Caldwell. Isiah Yehuda is in his second year at inside linebacker. Another defensive player to watch is Jaydon Okoro

“We have a lot of guys that have played before, too,” Dingle said. “They got some very valuable snaps but were not considered starters. We’re trying to get them grown up in a hurry as well.

“I think it will be a telltale sign if we can slow some teams down because we will be dynamic on offensive.”