The Hamilton Christian Warriors are changing things up this season in more ways than one as they look to bounce back from a 2022 winless campaign.

Dexter Washington, who led the Warriors to a district title in 2021, will retake control of the program after Ragan McDaniel left after one season.

“It is getting them to believe that they can win football games,” Washington said. “That is tough. You go 0-10 and you look around and the coach is gone, you lost some of your teammates and you are getting ready to depend on some other kids.

“You are wondering whether or not your program can win again. I was sitting down and talking to a player (recently). From where we started on June 4 to where we are now, not only in numbers but as far as the kids mentality, I asked him if we have come a long way. The last few days of practice before we gave them off the weekend, they felt like they were winners again. They were able to get some things out in the open. A lot of it was getting the mental aspects of the kids back together to compete for football.”

Washington is making changes on the field, as well.

The Warriors are switching from the air raid on offense to a multiple offense to take advantage of two big downfield targets in receivers Sammy Knight (6-1, 200), who earned second team District 5-1A honors last year, and Prince Love (6-1, 190), plus a pair of big bodies in the backfield in Kylan Alexander (6-0, 200) and Messiah Simien (6-2, 210).

“When you look at the team that we have, you are actually going to have the same type of athlete that Hamilton Christian has always had,” Washington said. “We are going to have a good quarter back.

“We are going to have a good running back, and we are going to have good receivers. The faces have changed, but they are the same type of kids. They are all dangerous football players when they get the ball in space.”

Germilyn McGruder, Derwin Rankins and Malachi Nolan return on the line and will be tasked with protecting freshman quarterback Javon Vital and give him the time to adjust to the starting role.

“We are moving one of our best athletes to the quarterback position, and we put the ball in his hands 60 times a game and rest five or six,” Washington said. “At some point he will grow out to the point where he can look people in the eye and do an interview and all that.

“As much as the guys look up to him, he looks up to the guys. It is so crazy. The guys recognize his athletic ability and talent, but he looks up to them for leadership because they are older.”

The Warriors return their entire front four on the defensive side in Knight, Simien, Rankin and Nolan, plus Alexander at linebacker and Nate Carter at defensive back. But they are still trying to find all the right pieces as they switch from a 3-3-5 to a 50 defense to improve a defense that allowed nearly 48 points a game last season.

“One of the things we knew we had to shore up going into this season was putting in the right defensive players,” Washington said. “The kids are buying in.

“Matter of fact, we feel like, defensively, if the right guys buy in that our front seven may be pretty damn good.

“Messiah Simien, Malachi Nolen, Kylan Alexander, Sammy Knight — those are the guys that we are depending on. Those are four seniors, but they also played in the system two years ago when we won a district championship. Three of those guys were with me when we won, so I am going to be counting heavily on them to show up and show the kids that we are capable of winning.”